Bali Pass Trek is a lesser-known trail that crosses the watershed between the Yamuna river and its primary tributary, the Tons river. The Bali pass, located at an elevation of 16000 feet, connects the Ruinsara – Har Ki Dun region with the Yamunotri valley.
This journey is moderate in difficulty, however, it is on the next level. If you have already completed moderate treks such as Roopkund, Rupin Pass, or Goecha La, then this is the next stage in your journey to greater heights.
The Trek
The Bali Pass trek route is a relatively short-duration journey that requires less than 60 kilometers of trail trekking to complete. Although the pass itself, at approximately 16000 feet, provides a range of aspects and challenges, the surrounding terrain does not.
Two sections of the walk can be completed in a single day. In the beginning, there is a wonderful and gentle stroll through the river valley to a magnificent shallow lake named Ruinsara Tal at the base of Mt. Swargarohini, which is a beautiful and serene spot.
Initially, you will travel from Taluka along the traditional path to Har Ki Dun and then on to Seema, following the Tamosa/Har Ki Dun Nala. After there, we continue up the valley till we reach the Ruinsara Nala gorge and valley entrance.
Following the trail ahead of Odari, hikers will face the effort and reward of trekking over moraine ridge and boulder, and then on the glacier to the snow and ice-bound Bali pass. Our base camp will be established on moraine/snow prior to making the final push to the pass. The final stretch up to the pass is fairly steep and can be rather exhausting.
The pass offers spectacular views of the Swargarohini range of peaks, Bandarpunch, Kalanag (Black mountain), and a slew of other peaks to the east of the Gangotri basins, among other things.
The descent from the past is difficult, requiring you to navigate either a steep rock section on snow or a sharp ridge and cross in order to avoid getting stuck. When you have finished with the descent from the pass, you will have to cross a boulder zone before arriving in the meadows of the upper Dhamni area.
The surprises don’t stop there, as the meadows come to a sudden end and you must carefully negotiate a steep grass hill before reaching the treeline. Yamunotri is the destination at the conclusion of the trek. For the most part, this trail follows the Tons River, which is the main tributary of the Yamuna River, to its source and then descends along the main Yamuna river.
Brief itinerary
Day 1: Drive from Dehradun to Sankri, a distance of 200 kilometers and ten hours. Accommodation in a lodge.
Day 2: Drive to Taluka, which is 11 kilometers away, and then trek to Seema, which is 14 kilometers away and takes 6/7 hours.
3rd Camp Day: Trek to Mora Thatch/Rain Besra via Debsu Bugyal (about 8/10 kilometers, 5-6 hours).
Camp Day 4: Trek to Anti Gad, which is 5 kilometers away and takes 3 hours. Camp. After lunch, take a hike and discover Ruinsara Tal. Return to the campsite.
Day 5: Trek to Odari, which is 6 kilometers away and takes 5 hours. Camp
Day 6: Trek to the base of Bali Pass, which is 3 kilometers away and takes approximately 3/4 hour. Camp
Day 7: Cross the Bali pass and hike down to lower Dhamni, which is 12 kilometers and takes 7 to 8 hours. camp
Day 8: Trek to Yamunotri and then further down to Janki Chatti – a 7-kilometer journey that takes 4 hours. It takes 8/9 hours to drive to Dehradun, arriving about 9 pm.
Please keep in mind that you must be in Dehradun on Day 1 morning (by 7 a.m.) or the night before.
On the eighth day, late in the evening, return to Dehradun (around 9 pm). Make arrangements for your inbound and outbound tickets from Dehradun in advance of your trip. Transport by automobile from Dehradun to Sankri and back to Dehradun is something we can arrange.
You make your payment straight to the driver.
Ruinsara is no longer open for camping as a result of an August 2018 ruling by the High Court. We will camp in Anti Gad (about 2 kilometers before Ruinsara), which is inside the forest, and then visit Ruinsara in the late afternoon.
The following is a graph of the altitude and distance profile for the Bali Pass trek:
The graph below will give you an overview of the trail’s gradient as well as the approximate geographical distances between the trail’s most key landmarks and locations.
Why is Bali Pass Trekking a moderately difficult gradient?
This journey is shorter in distance (about 60 kilometers), and therefore shorter in duration, as compared to the other “Difficult” grade treks that we designate as such. No long-distance walking on moraine debris or glacier is required, nor is it a struggle to overcome acclimatization issues.
However, even though this is not a difficult trip, it should not be compared to popular “Moderate” grade treks such as Roopkund or the Hampta Passes, or Goecha La. To begin with, because this is a less-traveled path, trails are not well-maintained in some areas.
Due to monsoon rains and other natural erosion, the trail may encounter unexpected bumps that must be carefully navigated.
