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Nandanvan Trek

Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand

Difficult6 daysBest May–Jun, Sep–OctSnow trek

Red autumn shrubs on the stony Nandanvan meadow, with the sharp snow peak of Shivling on the left and the moraine-covered Gangotri Glacier valley below4,367 mhighest point4 Photos
Max altitude
4,367 m
Days
6 days
Distance
60 km
Difficulty
Difficult

Best months May–Jun, Sep–Oct

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Beyond Gaumukh there is no fixed trail: you climb loose glacial moraine to Tapovan, then cross the 2-3 km wide, broken surface of the Gangotri Glacier to Nandanvan and back, with rock-fall slopes on both sides and every camp above 3,700 m.

Photos

On the trail

Red autumn shrubs on the stony Nandanvan meadow, with the sharp snow peak of Shivling on the left and the moraine-covered Gangotri Glacier valley below
Red autumn shrubs on the stony Nandanvan meadow, with the sharp snow peak of Shivling on the left and the moraine-covered Gangotri Glacier valley belowPhoto: schwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0

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The route

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Dehradun → Gangotri

    By road · 9 h · Guesthouse

    640 m → 3,065 m

  2. Day 2

    Gangotri → Bhojbasa (via Chirbasa)

    14 km · 7 h · Camp

    3,065 m → 3,795 m

  3. Day 3

    Bhojbasa → Tapovan (via Gaumukh)

    10 km · 7 h · Camp

    3,795 m → 4,329 m

  4. Day 4 · highest point

    Tapovan → Nandanvan (across the Gangotri Glacier)

    7 km · 6 h · Camp

    4,329 m → 4,367 m

  5. Day 5

    Nandanvan → Bhojbasa (via Gaumukh)

    10 km · 7 h · Camp

    4,367 m → 3,795 m

  6. Day 6

    Bhojbasa → Gangotri

    14 km · 6 h · Guesthouse

    3,795 m → 3,065 m

Ups and downs

Altitude profile

2,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,000Gangotri: 3,065 m, 0 kmBhojbasa (via Chirbasa): 3,795 m, 14 kmTapovan (via Gaumukh): 4,329 m, 24 kmNandanvan (across the Gangotri Glacier): 4,367 m, 31 kmBhojbasa (via Gaumukh): 3,795 m, 41 kmGangotri: 3,065 m, 55 km
Metres above sea level · distance 55 km

Where it is

Map

Download GPX waypoints

Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.

Weather

Next 5 days on the trail

Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.

Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h

Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.

Plan the trip

How to reach

Trailhead
Gangotri
Nearest railway
Dehradun (Rishikesh is the other option)
Nearest airport
Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun
By road
Dehradun (about 245 km via Uttarkashi and Harsil); Rishikesh (shared taxis, private cabs and seasonal buses, mostly leaving early morning); Uttarkashi (about 95 km; shared jeeps and local buses run daily to Gangotri in season)
Drive
About 9 h from Dehradun

Plan the trip

Permits and fees

We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.

Plan the trip

Cost

Self-guided

₹15,000–25,000

With an operator

₹25,000–40,000

Per person, ex-Dehradun/Rishikesh, for about six days plus the drive back from Gangotri. Great Adventure Gangotri publishes ₹25,550 ex-Rishikesh (October 2026) plus certificate, insurance and offloading extras; no second operator publishes a fixed price for this exact route, so the upper end is an estimate for smaller or private groups. Self-guided is an estimate: bus or shared jeep to Gangotri and back, two nights in Gangotri, park permit, the registered guide that is mandatory beyond Gaumukh, a porter, tent and stove hire, and food for four nights in camp.

Gear

Top picks for this trek

The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.

See the full packing checklist

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Packing checklist

Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.

Packed 0 of 36

Nights near 4,367 m can drop close to freezing even in summer. Pack one more warm layer than you think.

Tick each item as it goes in the bag.

What to wear
Pack and gear
Sleeping

Many trek operators provide tents and sleeping bags. Ask before you buy.

Safety
Water and food
Documents and money
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Know before you go

Good to know

Mobile network
Airtel, BSNL and Jio work in Gangotri; beyond Gangotri the signal is patchy or absent, and there is none at Tapovan or Nandanvan.
Last ATM
Uttarkashi (cash often runs out there, so draw money in Dehradun)
Nearest hospital
Basic medical help at Gangotri; district hospital at Uttarkashi for anything serious, and AIIMS Rishikesh beyond that
Water
Side streams of the Bhagirathi up to Gaumukh and the Akash Ganga stream at Tapovan. The only water at Nandanvan is a small stream that can dry up late in the season, so carry enough from Tapovan and treat all glacial water.

Highlights

  • Darshan of Gaumukh, the snout of the Gangotri Glacier, revered as the source of Maa Ganga, who flows out here as the Bhagirathi
  • A crossing of the Gangotri Glacier itself, from Tapovan to the Nandanvan meadow where the Chaturangi Glacier joins it
  • Camp at the foot of Bhagirathi II, with Mt Shivling, Meru and Kedar Dome in view from Nandanvan
  • Mt Shivling seen from base to summit at the Tapovan meadow, where sadhus have long done tapasya

Risks

  • There is no fixed route across the Gangotri Glacier: the moraine shifts, thin ice slabs over meltwater can collapse, and route-finding takes hours in poor weather. Go only with an experienced registered guide.
  • Rock-fall zones between Chirbasa and Gaumukh and on the climb up beside Akash Ganga to Tapovan: cross them quickly, one at a time, and before midday.
  • The junction of the Chaturangi and Gangotri glaciers has collapsed, so the return from Nandanvan must go back through the middle of the Gangotri Glacier towards Gaumukh.
  • Altitude sickness: Tapovan and Nandanvan are both about 4,300-4,450 m. Do not try Tapovan-Nandanvan-Bhojbasa in one day; camp at Nandanvan.
  • Ice blocks regularly break off the Gaumukh snout. Do not go close to the ice cave or into the river below it.
  • Pre-winter snow often reaches Bhojbasa and above after mid-October, and nights at Nandanvan fall well below zero.

Know before you go

Questions

How is the Nandanvan trek different from Gaumukh Tapovan?

It follows the same trail from Gangotri via Bhojbasa and Gaumukh to Tapovan, then goes on across the Gangotri Glacier to the Nandanvan meadow below Bhagirathi II, where the Chaturangi Glacier meets the Gangotri Glacier. That glacier crossing adds a day or two and makes it a harder trek.

How high is Nandanvan?

Indiahikes, which logged the route by GPS, gives 4,367 m for the Nandanvan campsite and 4,329 m for Tapovan; Great Adventure gives 4,338 m for Nandanvan and calls it the highest point of the trek. Other operators put Tapovan at about 4,460 m, so treat both meadows as roughly 4,300-4,450 m.

Do I need a permit and a guide?

Yes. Nandanvan is inside Gangotri National Park, and the Uttarakhand Forest Department issues a mandatory permit online or at the forest offices in Uttarkashi and Gangotri. Only 150 people a day are allowed on the Gaumukh trail, and a registered guide is mandatory for going beyond Gaumukh. Confirm the current fee and paperwork (ID, medical certificate) when you apply.

When is the best time to go?

May-June and September-October. The park is open only from 1 April to 30 November, and the trail is not walked in the July-August monsoon because of landslides and rock-fall.

How long is the Nandanvan trek?

About 55-60 km of walking from Gangotri and back, over five trekking days plus a day's drive each way from Dehradun or Rishikesh. Packages from Delhi run to 10 days.

Your 8-week plan for this trekDifficult grade. Start about 8 weeks before you travel.
SOS

In an emergency

Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.

You are in

District: UttarkashiUttarakhand

Nearest hospital
Basic medical help at Gangotri; district hospital at Uttarkashi for anything serious, and AIIMS Rishikesh beyond that
Last ATM
Uttarkashi (cash often runs out there, so draw money in Dehradun)
Phone network
Airtel, BSNL and Jio work in Gangotri; beyond Gangotri the signal is patchy or absent, and there is none at Tapovan or Nandanvan.

Before you set off

  1. Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
  2. Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
  3. Download an offline map of the route.
  4. Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
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Where this comes from

Sources

Last reviewed:

  1. Gangotri National Park — Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India) (official)
  2. Gangotri National Park Reopens For Trek: Date, Permits, And What Travellers Need To Know — Outlook Traveller
  3. Tapovan Nandanvan Trek — Indiahikes
  4. Nandanvan Trek — Great Adventure Gangotri
  5. Gangotri Nandanvan Tapovan Trek — Tour My India
  6. Gaumukh: A Trekker's Paradise — ETV Bharat
  7. The Glacier Land (trip report, October 2012) — Dream Wanderlust

Photos: schwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0; Atudu, CC BY-SA 4.0; schwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0; DipankarSen68, CC BY-SA 4.0

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