Roopkund Trek Guide: Route, Permits and What Makes It Legendary

Description

Uttarakhand 4 August 2026 · 8 min read

Roopkund Trek Guide: Route, Permits and What Makes It Legendary

No trail in India carries a story like the Roopkund trek. A glacial lake at 15,750 ft beneath the Junargali ridge, its shallows scattered with centuries-old human skeletons, reached by a pilgrimage route walked for a thousand years across Bedni Bugyal — one of Asia's largest alpine meadows. It is beautiful, mysterious and hard, and it comes with an important access caveat we will be upfront about below.

What is the Roopkund trek route?

Day 1 drives 270 km from Haridwar past four of the five Prayags to Lohajung (7,600 ft). Day 2 drives to Wan and climbs a long oak spur to Bedni Bugyal at 11,200 ft, where Trishul lights up at sunset. Day 3 is a gentle 5 km meadow walk past the Bedni Kund shrine to Patar Nachauni (12,470 ft). Day 4 zig-zags up to the Kalu Vinayak shrine and traverses to the stone huts of Bhagwabasa at 13,450 ft.

Day 5 is the push: a pre-dawn climb up hard snow to the lake at 15,750 ft, skeletons visible beneath the surface, with an optional extra 100 ft to Junargali ridge if conditions allow — then all the way back down. Days 6-7 descend via Bedni to Wan and drive back to Haridwar.

When does the Roopkund trek run?

May-June and September-October. Early summer means more snow on the upper slopes; autumn means firmer trails and sharper views of Trishul and Nanda Ghunti. Either way, the high camps are cold and the air at Bhagwabasa is thin.

How difficult is the Roopkund trek?

Roopkund is rated Difficult — no sugar-coating. The lake day alone is 10 km and around 9 hours at up to 15,750 ft, much of it on snow. Prior high-altitude experience is required, and you should train seriously for two to three months. We carry oxygen backup, run twice-daily health checks, and our technical team uses ropes on the summit-day slopes.

What does the Roopkund trek cost?

₹17,999 + 5% GST per person, including all meals, alpine tents with -15 degree C sleeping bags, micro-spikes, gaiters and summit-day ropes, trek leader plus technical guide team, forest permits, oxygen backup and twice-daily health checks. The Haridwar-Lohajung shareable cab, offloading and insurance are extra.

Is Roopkund open? The restricted-access caveat

Important: Roopkund access is currently restricted by Uttarakhand forest department orders. Our batches run only subject to current permits being granted by the Nanda Devi region forest division, and your departure dates are confirmed to you after permit verification. We will never take your money for a date we cannot legally run — if permits are not granted for your window, we move or refund you. Please factor this into flight bookings.

How to reach Lohajung?

Train to Haridwar (the nearest major railway station), then the 11-hour shared cab through the Prayag confluences to Lohajung. Arrive in Haridwar the previous evening.

Answer the mystery

If you have the experience and the patience for the permit process, register your interest on our Roopkund page — we will confirm dates as soon as the forest division does.

Ready to put this into practice?

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