Dodital and Darwa Pass (4150m) Trek — Photolog

Dodital is a high altitude lake situated at a height of 3024 m in the Garhwal region of the Indian Himalayas. We also climbed up the Darwa Pass at 4150 m but could not reach the Darwa Top due to large amount of snow.

The trek to Dodital is an easy to moderate trek in the Garhwal Himalayas and ranks among the top 10 in India. It is an ideal trek for first time trekkers, offering inspiring views of the Dhaula Dhar range in the north and Gangotri peaks in the east from over the Darwa Pass (4100 m). The most prominent peaks visible on this route are the twin peaks of Bandarpunch-I (6316 m) and Bandarpunch-II (6102 m) and Swargarohini (6252 m).

Dodital is a 500 m wide emerald coloured lake situated at a height of 3310 m. The lake gets its name from the Himalayan Trout that can be found abundantly in the lake, although fishing has been banned here. The lake has a significant history in Indian mythology and a temple dedicated to Ganesha next to it. Dodital is the source of the Assi Ganga River, which meets the Bhagirathi at Uttarkashi.

The road through the Himalayan foothills

Much needed chai break on the 15 hour drive from Delhi to Uttarkashi

Uttarkashi town

Devastation and repairs in progress at Uttarkashi after the cloud burst of 2012

The last section of the road towards Sangam Chatti now being repaired after the cloud burst

The trek to the village of Agora, the biggest and the last on the way towards Dodital. Also the last point where one can expect electricity

The local family in Agora invited us for lunch

A ‘Himalayan Sheep Dog’ puppy

Agora wood art

The final bridge to Bevra camping grounds next to this river, our halt for the first night

One of our ponies

The art of cooking on fire

The arduous ritual of unpacking and repacking each morning

Manjhi, a small cluster of huts used by shepherds

Makeshift cafe in one of the huts

Local man at Manjhi—Portrait 1

Local man at Manjhi—Portrait 2

Setting up camp

Spectacular view of high peaks

Crossing streams along the way with our doggy companion that spent 2 days with us, traveling from Manjhi to Dodital and almost all the way to Darwa Pass and back to Manjhi with us

Inscriptions on the temple wall

Setting up camp

Dinesh, our pony man preparing chai

The Assi Ganga river flowing out of the Dodital lake

Reflections and colours of the magnificent lake

Dodital lake at 3024m

The trek to the Darwa Pass, following the path of the glacier melt from Dodital

The much demanding uphill climb leaving the group exhausted

Snow and freezing temperatures, crossing deep snow

Destination expert

The Darwa Pass above us. We turned around 1 km before the pass due to bad weather and deep snow
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