Triund Trek

I Continue From Here: Dharamkot and Bhagsu

Triund Trek (via Bhagsu) 

Highest Altitude: 2850m (9350ft)

Location: Kangra District

State/Country: Himachal Pradesh/ India

Base Village: Mcleodganj/Bhagsu

Total Distance: 16km (Return)

Number of Days: 2 Days

Difficulty Level: Easy - Moderate

27-Sep-2025: 

I took a morning walk to Bhagsu to find some tea. The place wakes up very late. Luckily, one tea shop near the taxi stand was open at 6:30AM. 

As informed, we got ready for the trek by 10AM. We checked out and left our bags at the reception. Hill Hikers have an office at the ground floor of the same building. A staff took our personal details for the declaration form. Our co-trekkers arrived. Gautam and Anjali had come from Bangalore too. Apparently, there was another big group of young boys and girls who were running a bit late. We walked to Bhagsu square with our guide Ajay Thakur. Here, I bought a much-needed cap as the sun was shining bright. Divyesh and I complained about the delay in beginning the trek. We are not used to starting this late. It was already 11AM when we finally began our trek. But soon we realised that this was not the kind of trek that we are used to where starting early, being on time and reaching a campsite at a specified time are important. This was a leisure trek where not all who participate are seasoned trekkers.  

The group of young boys and girls took some time to settle in. Since some of them were slow, Ajay asked the four of us to go ahead. We took the upper Bhagsu route to Shiva Cafe. Apparently, there is another route to Triund where most of the journey is done on a jeep. Most tourists take that route. But this trek via Bhagsu waterfall is steep and definitely cannot be considered as an easy trek. 

There are several shops on the way to rest. I had salted lemon soda at one of them. During the trek, I learnt a bit more about our co-trekkers. Gautam is basically from Mithila region of Bihar and speaks Maithili language. He clarified that, therefore he did not have a strong Bhojpuri accent like other Biharis. He has lived in the south for about 6-7 years now. We spoke a bit about life in Bangalore and the discrimination that North Indians face on a day-to day basis while dealing with auto and taxi drivers for not speaking in Kannada language. Anjali comes from a Marwari family settled in Gadag. She can speak Kannada. 

We realised that this trek is more of a tourist place and would be heavily crowded at other times. People who trek here are mostly youngsters. One cannot expect a trekking vibe here as people play loud music, litter and also quarrel at campsite. It is not your usual Himalayan trek experience. The cleanliness along the way and at the campsite is questionable. Luckily for us, as the trek had just opened after the heavy rains, it was fairly clean. 

At the campsite, there were houses built of local stones called Jan. Our trek organisers had their kitchen there. There was also a shop where we could buy water and other basic supplies. This is probably the only trek where we had to buy water to even wash our hands after eating. Our tents were pitched slightly above the kitchen area, on a beautiful location, overlooking the valley on one side and the Dauladhar range behind us. 

I met Vijay ji at the campsite. He had come to survey a spot uphill. Some customer had requested for a camping near Snow line and he was there to scout for a new location. Locals own land in the meadows and he had to rent it out. Since he is from Kareri village, he told me, that he had his own land for campsite. Shepherds come with the animals and allow them to graze in the meadows until winter. The land is basically used by the villagers who stay there for months looking after the sheep and cows. Some kept dogs to guard them. 

We watched a beautiful sunset from our campsite. I met one of the members from the 14-member group who had trekked with us. He was the only one passionate about trekking. On this trek, he was with a group of friends and their colleagues. He told me that he did not enjoy being with such a group that makes a lot of noise; noisy they were. But luckily, Ajay had setup our tents away from their location. 

For dinner, chapati, sabji, rice and dal were served. Boys and girls from the 14-member group were also with us. I am guessing from their conversation that they work at a customer care centre or a BPO. There was a young boss who seemed arrogant, opinionated and a bit unpolished in his speech. He would pass comments on people and crack politically incorrect or sarcastic jokes. There were ex-employees trying to be diplomatic on why they switched jobs and then there were team members polishing apples around their boss. Some of them looked intoxicated. Unfortunately, on this trek, a lot of drinking, smoking and littering happens because of the type of crowd. 

Apart from them, there were two young couples. Their tents were pitched on the other side of the hill, facing the jungle. When we headed back to our campsite, Ajay was moving their tents closer to ours. Their campsite was in a secluded part and the youngsters might have got scared once it got dark. 

Gautam, Anjali, Divyesh and I sat down watching the night sky. The stars lit up the night sky and lamps filled with two below. from the towns below and absorbing every bit of this magnificent view and ambience. It was Gautam and Anjali’s first trek that involved a camping and they were happy about it. For Divyesh and me who have done several Himalayan treks, this was another experience to cherish. Every trek is special in its own way. 

Ajay sat down with us for a while and shared some of his experiences. He told us that most people who come here are from Delhi or Chandigarh. Often, there is heavy drinking and fights among visitors. He made some casual remarks on girls switching partners during the trek. He noticed that visitors from the south were quieter and more well-behaved. Not that there aren’t noisy indecent people in the South, it is probably lesser and certainly fewer among the ones who can afford to travel. 

The couples were allowed to make campfire. In the beginning, I was surprised how that was allowed. But I learnt later from Ajay that campfire was prohibited only during the dry season when there is a chance of forest fire. The youngsters struggled to get the fire going. Obviously!  The grass below was still wet from the evening drizzle and they were picking random stems instead of dry grass or twigs which were all around us. Anyways, we thought that it was for good as none of us wanted the heat. The weather was pleasant. In other treks, it is impossible to sit outside like this after dark. It would be freezing cold. This was at a comfortable height and the weather was amazing. A light winter jacket was enough to keep us warm. 

My tiredness allowed me to ignore the uncomfortable sleeping condition and I dozed off quickly. The couples camping behind us were a bit noisy. They were playing loud music and chatting all night. At one point, I heard Gautam and Divyesh scream at them asking them to lower their voices. I was too tired and everything felt like a dream. At 12AM the youngsters began to wish their friend on his/her birthday. They began to sing songs - one after another. Even in my sleep, I remember wondering which song they were singing. Some of the birthday songs I could not even recognise - I think they made them up. After that, luckily they went to bed and allowed us to do so too. 

Next morning, I woke up at around 5AM, freshened up and woke Gautam up. We headed towards Triund top. In the dark, it was a bit difficult to locate the trail but we managed to find our way up. From the top, we could see the Dauladhar range very closely. However, the sunrise was unimpressive. Continuing on this trail, one could reach the Snow line (another famous campsite). Further ahead, I presume is the Indrahar pass. 

We got down and enjoyed the heat that the morning sun brought along with it. After packing our things, we descended to the kitchen area. We had poori and tea for breakfast. With some guilt of eating oil-fried food, I relished the tasty pooris with some potato sabji. 

Ajay asked the four of us to go ahead while he could finish some work at the kitchen and join us midway. The descent was simple and faster. 

On my way back, I crossed path with a group of young men who were trekking up. They were speaking about a buffalo in their village. It was apparently huge and the owner had recently sold it for over a lakh. It was interesting  because our immediate surroundings and our way of life defines our day-to-day conversations. And to overhear such a conversation helps us understand the way of life of someone else. It gives us a glimpse into their lifestyle, their concerns or things that they accord importance to. And I do not say this in a demeaning way. In this case, I realise how animals play a very important role in village life and how livestock affects their finances.

At Shiva Cafe, we bid farewell to Ajay. Divyesh and I handed him a tip for his service. He was happy as this was not something he had expected. Gautam, Anjali, Divyesh and I got down to Bhagsu and had breakfast at the German bakery at Upper Bhagsu. Avocado sandwich with vegan omelette made of chickpea was delicious and filling. We bid farewell to Gautam and Anjali and headed back to our hotel. On our way, I stopped to buy a pair of slippers. 

After freshening up, I took a walk alone to Bhagsu. I visited the Nag dev temple and then made my way uphill to Dharamkot. I sat in Buddha Green Cafe and ordered some food while sketching some memories from the trek. It was a fine experience. I think I like Dharamkot. The crowd was descent and the food was good. I returned back to the hotel and went straight to bed. Another trek was waiting for us the next day. 

Trek Video:

To Be Continued...