Nag Tibba Trek

Another long-time wish in the bucket list was to go on a trekking. Adventurous activities like trekking, hiking, parasailing etc require willpower, physical stamina & one must be in their pink of health. So Dillu wanted to go for one before entering into 40’s. Since it is a new type of activity, we had a lot of what if, how etc in our mind. After a lot of research, we both settled on a website called Bikat Adventures. We also chose for a simple & shorter one as suggested on their website after many discussions & thought processes. And that’s how we finally settled on Nag Tibba Trek.

The Nag Tibba Trek is a pretty small trek which can be tried by any naïve adventure lovers. “Nag Tibba” means the serpent’s peak and is said to be the abode of the serpent God. It is the highest peak in lower Himalayas of Garhwal region near Mussoorie. The trek starts from an old-fashioned village called Pantwari and leads you to rocky uphill with gradual ascents & steep descents. The Nag Tibba is located at an altitude of 3048 meters and the trek runs through dense mixed forests of Oak, Rhododendron, Cedar & Alpines. It is a 40 Km trek and best season to visit is March to June and September to December.

We reached Dehradun one day before and stayed there for a night. Our trip for trekking was to start next day early morning. A whatsapp group was created almost 2-3 weeks before the trip which posted regular updates and requirements for the trip. There were 6 people in the group for trekking other than us. Rest of the group members included the office staff & other people who coordinated this trek. But it was only on arrival, we came to know that we were the only ones who have turned up for the trip. This was the first batch of Nag Tibba Trek for the year. It would remain closed from November to February due to snow.

Day 1 : Pantwari, the base of the trip which was a 3 hours journey from Dehradun via Mussoorie with breath-taking sights all the way. The road passes through a Mussoorie-the queen of hills, to Kempty Falls, and with the river Yamuna, trailing our side on to Nainbagh from where we turn on the Nag Tibba road. It was almost 10.30 when we reached Pantwari. We met our guide on alighting the jeep and stopped there for a while to have a light snack. You can’t call it a lunch or breakfast because, having a heavy meal would cause trouble in the journey ahead. From Pantwari, it would take 4-5 hour to the first camping site (4 kms) with a break enroute for lunch. We across a cluster of thatched roofed huts- a small village on cliffs, lined with terrace farmlands. The locality of Pantwari can be seen lying down far below. Before reaching the ridge connecting the Panthwari side of the hills with Nag Tibba, we will come across ‘Goat Village’—an eco-tourism resort. There were 2-3 water points on the way from where you can collect or fill fresh mountain water. The water was as cold as taken from a fridge. The camping site, Khatian is a barren land or a small clearing in the forest just before Nag Mandir.

There were 10 tents from other trek groups as well. On reaching the base camp, we walked around for a while enjoying the views around and taking some photographs. It was becoming colder as sun was about to set. We had a beautiful view of a sunset. We felt like sun hid behind the mountains. Meanwhile our tent was being set. Once the tent was ready, we got in and unpacked and settled ourself. Another beautiful experience at the base camp was the night view of sky. Since it was a barren land, we could see numerous stars, which we enjoyed lying on the bare ground. After a sumptuous dinner of hot corn & vegetable soup, chappathi & rajma, we were off to sleep.

Day 2 : We started early with packed lunch. It’ll take around 2-3 hrs to reach Nag Tibba summit. We passed Nag Temple in a short while and once we crossed the temple, we had to tread carefully as the path ahead was rocky. Also, we could see blocks of snow around us. After half an hour, it was just snow all around us and I was bit hesitated to climb ahead, because it was a narrow way and we could see deep valleys on both the sides. I had almost decided to sit there and stay back until Dillu climbs the peak and comes back. But then our guide convinced me saying he will take care of me & it would be an utter waste of this trip if I don’t climb and see the views from summit. 

After 10 minutes of discussion, I decided to climb with his help. We can see Nanda Devi, Bandar-poonch, Swarga-Rohini, Kedarnath, Gangotri and many more peaks of higher Himalayas from here. But we have to reach very early so as to see all these or else it would be hazy making the views unclear. We spent some time there and then started our trek back to the camping site so that we reach back by noon. On the way, we stopped sometime at Nag Mandir as well. Since, it was a temple, we had to remove our shoes & socks. On touching the floor, it was very cold. That was an amazing experience which words aren’t enough to explain. After spending some time at Nag Mandir, we walked back and we reached our base camp in couple of hours. On reaching back, we could see that all the rest of the tents being removed because it was a 2-day trip for the rest of the people. So, we got to spend an evening & a night completely for ourselves.  Both the nights we had a camp fire as well.

Day 3 : We got up early in the morning and after roaming around for a while, had our breakfast and started our return journey back to Pantwari. There was an option of climbing down another way to Bhatwadi instead of Pantwari. But since we had left our main luggage at Pantwari, we chose to return by the same route even though the other route was time saving one as well. After lunch, it was time to bid goodbye.

Points to be noted

 1) Camping tents are not permanent ones. They are laid & removed as & when required. There would be at least 2 extra persons other than the guide who are meant to carry our luggage (if opted), cook food for us, setting & removing tents etc. They carry all the necessary things required for camping, utensils, other ingredients required for cooking etc. 

2) Once started to climb, you can't go back every day to get vegetables, grocery etc. These people carry everything along. There are treks for more than 3-4 days and also those which are not round trips. In such cases, you will be changing your base camp every night. 

3) Attending to your nature calls : There would be a detachable grey tents, a bit far from tents we sleep in. There will be a garden trowel with which you have to dig a hole. Relieve yourself & remember to cover it with mud again. Some companies provide toilet papers, but not all. In that case, remember to carry wet wipes & toilet papers too.  

Thus, trekking or any other related eco-tourism activities, in many ways helps you learn to unlearn many things and break physical & mental barriers.