Overview

Close to the hustle-bustle of the holy town of Badrinath lies an secluded, untouched glacial lake called Satopanth. Hidden amidst the most impressive ranges of the Garhwal region, this bright green lake exudes grace and serenity. It makes for a perfect detour from a pilgrimage to Badrinath. Although located just 22 km from the popular Badrinath, the trail has several hidden treasures. The short distance of Satopanth Lake Trek is well-compensated with a frequent change in sceneries. On Day 1, one passes the last Indian village, Mana, and enters the green valley of Vasundhara. This is essentially where the trek starts. On this day, trekkers can feast their eyes on the 400-feet waterfall of Vasundhara, the beautiful birch forests of Laxmiban and the view of Balakun, where two massive glaciers converge. On Day 2, the green forested surroundings transform into formidable ridge walks over glacial moraines of Dhano Glacier.

The landscape is a beautiful mash-up of glacial ice and green patches of grassland. Some of the best varieties of alpine flowers can be seen here. The campsite of Chakratirtha has a beautiful view of the upper Satopanth glacier, with the Swaragrohini and Chaukhamba ranges towering in the background. On Day 3, the walk to Satopanth Lake is a charming ridge walk. The lake remains hidden till the very last moment of contact. This triangular lake has a perimeter of over 1 km and is of a soothing evergreen colour. A trek a few kilometres above the lake is suggested to get a better perspective of the Satopanth Glacier. Before you start the trek, obtain inner line permits from the Forest Department in Joshimath. It is wise to hire a local guide for this trek. Guides are available in Joshimath, Badrinath and Mana. The trek is 40 km (approximately) long. The weather conditions and the gradient make the trek more difficult than it may appear. Food provisions and sleeping arrangements need to be taken along. If you are not too sure of doing a trek on your own, we have alternatives you can try. Here is what our co-founder Sandhya Uc thinks would be a good alternative. “Gaumukh Tapovan trek would provide you the mountain views, the terrain you are looking for on the Satopanth trek. It is also done in similar season. The only thing Gaumukh Tapovan would fall short of is the altitude and difficulty level of this trek.

Why This trek
The mythical lake trek route to Satopanth Tal encompasses the flavor of high altitude feature, walking on boulder, moraine, glacier and knife edge ridge are enthralling. Captivating peak views are hard to believe. This triangular shaped glacial lake lies above 14000 ft, hidden inside the ridge believed to be the “the road to truth” (Satya Ki Pantha) . The Panch Pandavas of epic Mahabharata took this difficult trail to try to reach the heaven. At different places on the trail, the legends still live, and the names bear the resemblance of the myth. Towering Chaukhamba ridge looms over the lake along with the Neelkanth, Balakun, Parvati and other peaks. Many people believe that the Trimoortis, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshswar, take bathe in the lake in an auspicious day. Adventurous local people and Sadhus visit this lake in the monsoon for pilgrimage..