Hike to the highest Shiva temple in the world. The best snow trek in Himalayas

This is a beautiful trek, with difficulty level rated as easy to moderate. The trek passes through forests and vast meadows, and offers excellent views of snow clad Himalayas. Located on the Chandranath Parbat in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, Tungnath is one of the sacred Panch-Kedar. It is the highest temple of Lord Shiva perched at an astounding elevation of 3,680mts above sea level. Magnificent in its architecture and artistic structure, Tungnath Temple is considered to be more than 1000 years old. The mythological background of Tungnath Temple is associated with the epic Mahabharata. Vyas Rishi told the Pandavas that they were guilty of killing their own brothers in the war and their sins would be expiated only if Lord Shiva pardoned them. Pandavas began to search Lord Shiva in the Himalayas and Lord Shiva kept avoiding them because they were guilty. In order to escape from the Pandavas, Lord Shiva disguised himself as a bull and took refuge at Guptakashi. He later reappeared at five different places as five different parts of the bull’s body. The places where the parts of the bull were found are now renowned Shiva temples. Tungnath Temple is the place where his hands (bahu) were supposedly seen. This highest temple of Lord Shiva is ironically easiest one to achieve. Tungnath Temple can be reached by an easy but steep trek of 4km commencing from Chopta (2700mts). The symbolic image of Lord Shiva is moved to Mukunath during winters, situated 19kms away. The trek goes through rocky terrains, green meadows and rhododendron bushes showering us with visual vistas of nature. The invigorating views of the imposing Himalayas boosts with confidence in the heart of the trekkers. Another 1.5 km steep trek take you to Chandrashila summit which offers a majestic view of snow clad Himalayan peaks including Trishul, Nanda Devi, Chaukhamba.

DAY 01: Haridwar to Sari Drive (6 hrs) & Trek to Deoriatal (2438 mts) 2hrs
You will, for most part of the journey drive along the Ganga & Alaknanda River before turning into the Mandakini valley. Enroute you will be crossing the holy towns of Rishikesh, Devprayag and Rudraprayag. Trek to Deoriatal is a gradual uphill all the way up to the beautiful lake of Deoriatal. This is a fine place for photography and bird watching. Don’t miss the sunset & sunrise view of the Chaukhamba peak. Watch the magnificent reflection in the lake. Deoriatal is a 700m diameter lake at 2438m elevation and presents a mesmerizing view at the top of a mountain. Deoriatal tal is surrounded by dense temperate forest Kedarnath wild life sanctuary and greater Himalaya seems just in hand distance.

DAY 02: Deoriatal (2438m) to Chopta (3000m) Trek 6-7 hrs
Today you will encounter a mixed forest having oaks, pines, rhododendrons and a few more local varieties through-out the day. Also we start getting views of other snow-capped Himalayan peaks.
Chopta - Widespread meadows of about 50 km. Views of Gangotri greater Himalayan range just In front of you. The evergreen forest of Chopta seems different in every season. In spring the jungle of Chopta seems reddish because of Rhododendron flowers abundance. In summer and monsoon season denseness of the Chopta forest remains in its extreme, then winter comes to cover the Chopta jungle with white sheet of snow. Chopta receives 1 to 10 feet snow in every snowfall season, which remains from December to March

DAY 03: Chopta – Tungnath (3400m) – Chandrashila peak (3600m) - Chopta (6 hrs trek)
The climb is demanding but short and extremely scenic. It will take about 02 hours to reach Tungnath temple. Religious or non-religious does not matter; just sit by yourself for a few minutes in the courtyard of the temple with eyes closed you will feel the positive vibrations! After a brief stop for refreshments and rest carry on with your climb to reach the summit of Chandrashilla peak at about 3600m. From the summit on one side you see the Kedar, Chaukhamba and many other famous peaks which seem like a stone’s throw distance. Another side offers a layered view of the blue Himalayan Mountains. It feels like being in heaven. One can sight golden breasted eagles in this area. Start walking down to the base camp at Chopta

DAY 04: Chopta – Haridwar Drive/200 kms 7 hrs
You can opt for a session of rafting in Rishikesh en-route to Haridwar. Trip ends here.