Gangotri III Expedition (6577 m)

A revered region located high in the Himalayan mountains of Garhwal, an enchanting valley with a formidable gorge carved out by a raging deep rivulet, a majestic group of peaks with names rooted deep in mythology — experience renewed spirituality through mountaineering in the Gangotri III Expedition being organised by The Mountain Walker in association with Bohemian Adventures.

Grasp the opportunity to be a part of this exciting and explorative journey, and return enriched with memorable mountaineering experiences and lessons.

To be the part of 16-day Gangotri III Expedition that commences from Uttarkashi on 27^th May 2019, contact us through the following means –

Email: sales@themountainwalker.com
Phone: +91-8446779977

Factual Information:

Name: Gangotri III

Height: 6577 m (21,578 feet)

Location: Uttarkashi District in Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult (Mountaineering Expedition)

First Ascent: 1952, Oxford University Expedition Team

Itinerary:

Details of Gangotri III Expedition:

Team Assembly and Start of Expedition

The entire Gangotri III expedition team will meet in Uttarkashi where all equipment required for the expedition will be checked and finalised. We will then leave from Uttarkashi and drive to Gangotri where we will stay overnight.

Gangotri – Nala Camp

The walk for the day starts from the holy town of Gangotri, which is one of the “Char Dhams” of Uttarakhand. After offering your prayers at the Gangotri Temple, you will walk past a magnificent waterfall called “Surya Kund” on the Bhagirathi River towards the Rudugaira Valley. A gradual descent takes you past the Pandav Gufa, where the Pandavas are supposed to have stayed at a point in their lives.

Here there are deep gorges in the mountainside and pleasantly shaded forest walks. After walking for a couple of hours you will reach the Rudugaira Gad – a small mountain stream, that has a log bridge over it. After crossing the Gad, there is a gentle uphill climb to the Nala Camp. The Nala Camp, as the name suggests, is situated on the banks of a stream.

Nala Camp – Gangotri Base Camp

Starting early in the morning from Nala Camp, you will start walking towards the Gangotri Base Camp. Soon after the walk starts, you will leave the tree-line behind and the lush green meadows of the Rudugaira Valley greet you. This up and down meadow walk continues till about an hour before Base Camp. The last hour of the walk is through a rocky moraine type terrain and on the remnants of the Rudugaira Glacier.

The Base Camp is a staging area for many peaks in the vicinity. The three peaks in the Gangotri Massiff (Gangotri – I, Gangotri – II, and Gangotri – III) are all approached from this Base Camp. The technical trekking expedition to the Auden’s Col also has this same location as the Base Camp.

Gangotri Base Camp – Advance Base Camp

The trek up to Advance Base Camp is not exceptionally long as it only takes between two to two and a half hours to reach from Base Camp. Except the first 15 minutes from Base Camp, the rest of the walk is through a moraine. The Advance Base Camp is set up in moraine as well, a stone’s throw away from a small stream.

Advance Base Camp to Camp I

From our stony perch in the moraine, we walk down for about 5 to 7 minutes to reach the stream. We cross this stream and start our climb up onto Gangotri – III. From here on, we encounter snow – a lot of snow! The climb is steep and almost straight up to Camp I. It takes around four hours to climb up to Camp I, which is set up on a flattish ground at an altitude of around 5600 m.

Camp I to Summit Camp

We start early and on a good day, it takes around five hours to get to Summit Camp. The climb is similar to the the one to Camp I – steep and a lot of snow. There is a crevasse upon nearing the 6000 m altitude mark. Summit Camp is set up at the most suitable site available near this area.

Summit Camp to Summit

Once the crevasse is safely manoeuvred across, we start encountering slopes nearing the 75 to 80 degree mark. A combination of snow and ice has to be negotiated. Even though we are only around 400 to 500 meters below the Summit, the amount and quality of snow coupled with the altitude make the trudging slow.

Important Terms and Conditions:

1. It is compulsory for all participants to submit high altitude insurance details. The insurance can be taken from any company of the participants’ own choice.
2. IMF membership details must be provided at least 60 days prior to departure. All participants must have IMF membership and even if Basic Mountaineering Course hasn’t been done by any participant, they must still take the IMF membership.
3. All participants must report to Bhandari Hotel, Uttarkashi at 1000 hours on  26-May-2019.

Price Inclusions:

1. Meals and lodging for all members of the climbing team for the number of climbing days.  All stay will be on a twin or triple sharing basis depending on availability.
2. Two nights stay in Gangotri.
3. Experienced and rescue trained, English speaking climbing leader and 2 HAPs (a 1:3 guide to client ratio will be maintained).
4. All National Park permits, IMF booking fees, camping fees and peak booking fees.
5. All porterage charges for porters up to Base Camp. Members’ personal bags will also be carried by porters till Base Camp.
6. Medical First Aid in case of minor ailments.
7. Land transport from Uttarkashi to Uttarkashi. Clients will be travelling in Bolero, Maxx or similar vehicle.
8. All equipment required for the climb – 3 man tents, kitchen tent, dinning tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, personal climbing equipment.
9. All meals served will be vegetarian.

Price Exclusions:

1. Stay in Uttarkashi.
2. Travel to and from City of Origin to Uttarkashi.
3. Meals in Uttarkashi and Gangotri.
4. Excess stay in Gangotri either before the trek dates or after the climb is over.
5. Hiring of extra porters or porters required for medical evacuation.
6. Excess boarding and lodging incurred due to bad weather.
7. Any expenses arising from a medical illness or rescue needed due to high altitude sickness or any other ailment/injury/accident that requires more than basic First Aid.
8. Any beverages, laundry charges, telephone expenses, souvenirs, collectibles bought during the course of the trip.
9. Tips paid to any party during the course of the trip.
10. Contingency charges in case of delay due to weather/accident or illness of self or any other group member. Act of god/or any situation out of control for the trip leader/conductor.
11. Any and all personal expenses incurred outside of the items mentioned in the “Price Inclusions” section.

Some important guidelines and good reads for the expedition can be found under the Knowledge Centre menu.

For more details on the Gangotri III Expedition 2019, please contact:

Email: sales@themountainwalker.com
Phone: +91-8446779977