Rathong Glacier Trek

Transport will be arranged at 7 to 9 AM. This cost has to be borne by trekkers and paid directly to the driver. Cost of the cab – Rs 7,000 per vehicle, shared among 5-6 trekkers.

The trail from Yuksam climbs gently out of the valley and follows the Rathong Chu River which can be heard thundering through the gorge below. The trail meanders through dense forest and crosses four bridges around fifty minute-walks from each other. The last bridge is the longest and there is a camping spot here on the banks of the river. In the monsoon this part of the trail is inundated with leeches and salt is required to shake them off. From the fourth bridge the trail climbs steeply for an hour to the forest rest house at Bakhim which was the old halting point before trekkers huts were built at Tsokha.. From Bakhim, the trail continues to climb steeply through forests of magnolia and rhododendron to Tsokha, which takes an hour to reach. The Trekkers Hut at Tsokha has a large camping ground behind it and groups usually pitch their tents here. There are some private lodges in Tsokha which also provide accommodation.

The trail climbs steeply through forests of rhododendron to the alp of Phidang (3650 m) and it takes around 2.5 hours to 3 hours. This is the steepest part of the trek as there is little respite in the form of descents. The clearing at Phidang is the generally used as a lunch spot and in good weather the peaks can be seen across the valley. During May and June this part of the walk is exceptionally beautiful as rhododendrons in their myriad hues flower of either side of the trail. The trail evens off a bit from Phidang before it climbs again for Mon Lepcha, a pass which is a little higher than the Dzongri Trekkers Hut. On a good day Mon Lepcha commands an exceptional view of Pandim. The trail descends from Mon Lepcha before climbing again and the Dzongri Trekkers Hut soon comes into view. The distance from Phidang to Dzongi should not take more than two hours.

This day is reserved for you to take a break from the trek. Another purpose that it will accomplish is that it will allow you to acclimatise and get used to high elevations and low oxygen levels, before you climb any higher.

The walk from Dzongri to the base camp of HMI swing north west across the Dzongri maidan. It then follows the stream of the Ratong Chu climbing slowly and steadily across the valley with the peaks in the distance. The small clearing of Bikbari provides and convenient lunch stop and two hours from Bikbari is the huts of the Base Camp. Camping is not allowed at the Base Camp by HMI so we stop about 30 minutes below the Base Camp.

We start in the morning climbing on the Ratong glacier and heading up to the waters of the emerald green lake of Dudh Pokhari surrounded by the mountains. We should reach in 2 to 3 hours steady walking and then we descend all the way to Bikbari in about 4 hours where we have a late lunch and spend the night.

We retrace our steps back to Dzongri and reach our campsite by lunchtime. If the weather is clear we can make an attempt for Dzongri top in the evening to see the sunset over the peaks.

We proceed down the valley to Tshoka which we should reach by lunchtime.

This is the last day of our trek and we can walk down in a relaxed fashion enjoying the mountains and the beautiful forest cover.

Drive Distance: 140 km | Drive Duration: 6-7 hours.
Transport will be arranged at 7 to 9 AM. This cost has to be borne by trekkers and paid directly to the driver. Cost of the cab – Rs 7,000 per vehicle, shared among 5-6 trekkers.