The bountiful jungles covering the upper reaches of Shivalik Himalayas in Uttarakhand are home to a number of lakes teeming with diverse flora and fauna. As one climbs higher one comes upon serene water bodies nestled in the lap of the mountains. The high altitude lake of Dodital is one such destination that is blessed with nature’s bounty in the form of jungles of oak, fir, spruce and deodar and a variety of birds. It also has a small but neat temple dedicated to Ganesha for this location is considered to be his birth place. Add to this the chance to enjoy the hospitality of villages in Garhwal and feast on delicious local cuisine makes this a perfect outing for budding trekkers!
Dehradun
Catch early morning bus or hire a taxi to reach Uttarkashi. One can visit Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and Vishwanath temple after lunch.
Drive from Uttarkashi to Sangam Chatti. Some sections of the road is unmetalled. From Sangam Chatti it is easy and gradual climb till Agoda. One can roam around the village to experience pahadi life.
Today is also easy but long trek till Dodital. Today one can feel real peace in the midst of spruce, deodar, rhododendron jungle. On the way we will pass by Bebra and Manjhi where there are some shops for serving trekkers. Phone signal comes till 1-2km from Bebra. From Manjhi, the trail to Dodital is almost levelled trek. At Dodital pay a visit to the temple and hear the story of association of the lake with Lord Ganesha from the priest. There is a path along the circumference of the lake. Take the route to click pictures of the lake from various angles.
Even though trek to Darwa pass is optional, we strongly recommend to do this trek as the views of Bandarpunch peak, valley leading to the peak and seemingly endless meadows from Darwa pass are amazing. This is steep trail and bit tough but the views makes it worthwhile.
This is downhill trek following the trail taken while coming.
Trek from Agoda to Sangam Chatti which would be done in 2-3hrs and then drive to Uttarkashi and from there to Dehradun.
