Roopkund Trek: A Complete Itinerary to India’s Mysterious Skeleton Lake

Roopkund Trek: A Complete Itinerary to India’s Mysterious Skeleton Lake

Published on June 22, 2025

There are some places in the Himalayas that don’t just challenge your legs, they awaken something within you. Roopkund is one of them.

Far from the curated Instagram spots and predictable tourist trails, Roopkund Lake sits in the lap of Mt. Trishul, hidden under snow for most of the year. It is not just a lake — it’s a mirror of time, holding secrets in the form of hundreds of human skeletons frozen in silence, half-submerged beneath the icy water.

This is your complete guide to experiencing Roopkund in 2025 — as a trekker, a listener, and maybe… a believer.

Where is Roopkund?

Roopkund lies at an altitude of ~5,029 meters in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, inside the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. It's surrounded by snow-clad peaks like Trishul and Nanda Ghunti, and guarded by winds that speak like chants.

It’s also called Skeleton Lake, for a reason that still remains half-solved.

 

What is the Mystery of the Skeletons?

In the 1940s, a forest ranger stumbled upon hundreds of human skeletons floating inside the frozen lake. Some had hair. Some still wore jewelry.

Scientific studies (including by NatGeo and Indian scientists) reveal:

  • They belonged to two distinct groups

  • Dated back to 9th century AD

  • Died due to massive hailstorm — injuries only on skulls

  • Some skeletons were of South East Asian origin

So were they pilgrims? Soldiers? Invaders?
Nobody knows exactly. That’s what makes Roopkund feel more like a myth in motion than a trek.

rek Route Overview – Roopkund 2025

???? Base Village: Lohajung (Chamoli district, ~230 km from Rishikesh)

???? Route Summary:

Lohajung → Didna → Ali Bugyal → Bedni Bugyal → Patar Nachauni → Bhagwabasa → Roopkund → Junargali (optional)

Camp Altitude Distance (approx)
Lohajung 2,300 m Base
Didna Village 2,450 m 8 km
Ali Bugyal 3,300 m 10 km
Bedni Bugyal 3,350 m 4 km
Bhagwabasa 4,300 m 10 km
Roopkund Lake 5,029 m 5 km (final climb)

 

⛺ Trek Duration: 6–8 Days
???? Trek Grade: Moderate to Difficult

 

 

Roopkund Trek Itinerary from Delhi (8N/9D)

????‍♂️ Explore the Mystery of Skeleton Lake with TourMyHoliday

???? Day 0: Delhi to Rishikesh (Evening Departure)

  • Distance: ~240 km

  • Mode: AC Tempo Traveller / Volvo (overnight journey)

  • Departure Time: 9:00 PM

  • Meals: Self-arranged en route

Highlights:
Meet your fellow trekkers, get a pre-trek briefing from our TourMyHoliday team leader. Overnight travel.

???? Day 1: Rishikesh to Lohajung (Base Camp)

  • Distance: ~260 km | 10–11 hours drive

  • Altitude: 2,300 m

  • Meals: Dinner included

  • Stay: Guesthouse/Local lodge

Route: Rishikesh → Karnaprayag → Tharali → Dewal → Lohajung
Scenery: Confluences of Alaknanda rivers, alpine forests, tiny mountain hamlets.

Note:
This is a long but gorgeous Himalayan drive. Reach by evening, stretch, acclimatize.

???? Day 2: Trek from Lohajung to Didna Village

  • Distance: ~8 km

  • Altitude Gain: 2,300 m → 2,600 m

  • Meals: Breakfast, dinner

  • Stay: Homestay/eco-lodge

Trek Highlights:
Start your actual trek. Descend through forests, cross Neel Ganga river, and ascend to Didna — a peaceful Himalayan village.

???? Day 3: Didna to Ali Bugyal – The Dreamy Meadows

  • Distance: ~10 km

  • Altitude: 2,600 m → 3,400 m

  • Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

  • Stay: Campsite near Bedni (eco-compliant zone)

Trail Feel:
A steep climb through oak forests opens into the massive Ali Bugyal, a green Himalayan grassland that looks like a fantasy movie scene.

⛺ Day 4: Ali Bugyal to Bedni Bugyal – Acclimatization Day

  • Distance: 4 km (easy)

  • Altitude: 3,400 m → 3,500 m

  • Stay: Bedni Camps

  • Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Highlights:
Short hike, rest, and proper acclimatization. Visit Bedni Kund, a sacred pond dedicated to Goddess Nanda Devi.
Evening stories under the stars by TourMyHoliday’s storyteller-guide.

???? Day 5: Bedni to Patar Nachauni to Bhagwabasa

  • Distance: ~10–12 km

  • Altitude: 3,500 m → 4,300 m

  • Stay: Eco dome or campsite at Bhagwabasa

  • Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Myth Alert:
“Patar Nachauni” means dancing fairies — legend says spirits of dancers were turned to stone here.

The trail gets rocky, and wind gets stronger. Cold intensifies.

❄️ Day 6: Bhagwabasa to Roopkund Lake & Return to Patar Nachauni

  • Distance: ~8 km round-trip

  • Altitude: 4,300 m → 5,029 m

  • Trek Time: 6–7 hrs

  • Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

  • Stay: Patar Nachauni eco-lodge or tent

The Big Day!
Begin trek at 3:00 AM to reach Roopkund by sunrise.
Experience the chilling silence of the Skeleton Lake.

???? Bones emerge as the ice melts. Pray in silence. Feel the raw history, the myth, the cold wind of mystery.
Optional short ascent to Junargali Pass if weather allows.

Return by evening and rest.

????️ Day 7: Descend to Lohajung via Bedni Bugyal

  • Distance: ~15–18 km (downhill)

  • Meals: breakfast, dinner

  • Stay: Lodge in Lohajung

Farewell to the meadows. Return through the same trail.
Tired but full of stories.

Evening bonfire + closing circle by TourMyHoliday.

Day 8: Lohajung to Rishikesh to Delhi

  • Distance: ~260 km

  • Meals: Breakfast

  • Stay: None (overnight in vehicle)

Best Time to Visit Roopkund

Month Why It's Good
May – Mid June Green meadows + clear trails
Sept – Mid Oct Dry golden terrain + best visibility

 

???? Monsoon (July–Aug): Landslides & slippery trails
❄️ Nov–April: Heavy snow, lake inaccessible

Roopkund is Not a Place You Visit… It’s a Place That Visits You

The forests near Didna hum quietly. The meadows of Ali & Bedni Bugyal feel like paintings you forgot you once dreamt of.
At Bhagwabasa, the wind feels older than memory. And then, finally, Roopkund appears — not like a lake, but like a question.

The wind dies here.
Even people speak softly.
As if someone is still listening.

 

What to Pack for Roopkund Trek (2025)

  • Backpack (50–60L) + rain cover

  • Layered clothing: Thermals, fleece, down jacket, shell

  • Trekking shoes (waterproof, high ankle)

  • Trekking poles, UV sunglasses

  • Power bank, head torch, 2L water bottle

  • Energy bars, dry fruits, glucose

  • Personal first aid + altitude sickness meds (Diamox optional)

✅ Always check gear at base — don’t rely on rentals once you begin

 

Roopkund Trek Ban Update (Important)

As of 2018, overnight camping in alpine meadows like Bedni & Ali Bugyal is restricted due to environmental protection laws.

But in 2025, alternate models are being proposed:

  • Camp at lower altitudes

  • Day hike to higher camps

  • Eco-tourism models with locals

TourMyHoliday offers sustainable treks — stay in local homes/lodges, respecting the forest laws.

Is Roopkund Safe for 2025?

Yes — if you're:

  • Physically fit (able to walk 10–15 km/day at altitude)

  • Mentally aware (weather may change rapidly)

  • Trekking with a certified guide or registered tour agency

  • Acclimatizing well at each camp

⚠️ Altitude sickness is real — don’t ignore headaches, dizziness, or breathlessness

 

Roopkund and the Goddess

In the higher folds of the Garhwal Himalayas, every rock, tree, and breeze carries a story — whispered not in language, but in energy. And when you walk toward Roopkund, you are not just entering a landscape — you are entering her space.

Yes, her.
The Himalayas are often referred to as “Dev Bhoomi” — the land of gods — but in the region around Roopkund, they belong to a goddess.
Nanda Devi.

Who is Nanda Devi?

To the people of Uttarakhand, Nanda Devi is not just a deity. She is daughter, queen, warrior, and mother — all at once.
She is the soul of the mountain, the essence of Shakti, the fierce feminine that both protects and punishes.

Legends say she once walked these meadows as a bride, her journey filled with grace but also sacrifice.

Her temple isn’t built — it is felt.

The Myth Behind Roopkund and the Skeletons

*“These bones didn’t just die here.

They were delivered.
By wind, by faith, by something older than reason.”*

High above the last trees, past meadows where shepherds rarely tread, sits a small frozen lake — Roopkund — where skeletons sleep beneath the snow. Hundreds of them. Exposed when the ice thins. Intact, unburned, untouched — as if the moment of death still floats in the air.

What Science Found (Briefly)

Let’s be clear — science has tried.

  • Studies show ~300 skeletons lie around or inside the lake.

  • Most date back to the 9th century CE.

  • Two distinct genetic groups were found:

    • One from local Indian communities

    • Another unexpectedly from Mediterranean regions (possibly ancient travelers)

  • Bone injuries were only on the skull and shoulders — consistent with a massive, fast-falling hailstorm.

  • Many skulls were fractured from above, not sides — meaning they looked up before dying.

It’s factual. Cold. Scientific.
But it doesn’t explain why.
Or who sent the storm.

That’s where the mountain people step in.
Their stories are older than carbon dating.

The Legend of King Jasdhawal and the Goddess

In ancient times, the King of Kanauj, Jasdhawal, longed to visit the Nanda Devi shrine, nestled deep in the inner Himalayas — a place not meant for kings or spectacle, but for pure surrender.

But the king’s pilgrimage wasn’t humble.

  • He brought an entourage of dancers, drummers, servants, even pregnant women.

  • Music played. Gold was carried. The goddess was invited to witness a royal display.

As per legend, the local priests warned him:

“Nanda Devi doesn’t accept ego. She walks in silence. She watches from mist. Don’t turn this yatra into entertainment.”

He didn’t listen.

The Divine Storm

Somewhere near Roopkund — where no trees grow and only the wind chants — clouds gathered. The air changed.
No warning, no signs.

Suddenly, from the heavens, came a storm not made of water… but of ice.
Fist-sized hailstones, hard as stone, fell with such force that people dropped where they stood. No shelter. No escape.

They died not in a war.
Not in battle.
But in the judgement of the goddess.

Roopkund, ever since, is called a cursed lake by some — a sacred silence by others.

The bones lie there still. Uncremated.
As if the goddess froze the moment forever.

Between Folklore and Fate

Some say the hailstorm was natural. Others say it was divine retribution.
But what if the truth is somewhere in between?

  • What if it wasn’t about punishment… but about preservation?

  • What if Roopkund was chosen by the goddess to remind generations that spiritual arrogance dies at her feet?

  • What if those skeletons aren’t cursed, but guardians, placed there as a story etched into the mountain?

Symbols Hidden in the Legend

Element Symbolic Meaning
???? Music & Dancers Ego, distraction from inner silence
???? Pregnant Women Disrespect to the sacred feminine trail
????️ Hailstorm Divine cleansing; nature's reset button
???? Skeletons Time frozen as warning + memory
???? The Silent Lake Reflection of the soul stripped of all identity

 

Even Today… Silence Lingers

Trekkers often report a strange shift in energy as they near Roopkund.

  • Footsteps echo louder than usual.

  • Even talkative groups fall quiet.

  • The wind whispers like it's carrying voices across centuries.

Some say they felt watched — not by animals or spirits — but by the lake itself.

And when the ice clears and the bones appear, there's no screaming.
Just… stillness.

As if the mountain asks,
“What have you brought with you — pride or prayer?”

What the Locals Believe

To the Bhotiya and Garhwali locals, Roopkund is a sacred ground, not a tourist spot.

  • Walking too close, speaking too loudly, or disrespecting the trail is taboo.

  • Many villagers still offer a silent bow when they speak of Roopkund.

  • Some believe the spirits guard the pass to Nanda Devi herself.

It’s not a haunted place.
It’s a remembered place.

Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra – The Living Pilgrimage

Every 12 years, the people of the region undertake a 300+ km foot journey called the Raj Jat Yatra, dedicated to Nanda Devi. It passes through the same high meadows that lead to Roopkund — through Wan, Bedni Bugyal, Pathar Nachauni, and onward.

They carry a four-horned ram, said to lead the goddess back to her mountain home.

It’s not a festival.
It’s not a ritual.
It’s a collective surrender.

The Feminine Energy of Roopkund

Most treks are masculine by nature — physical, high-altitude, about pushing limits.

Roopkund is different.

  • You don’t conquer this trail.

  • You walk gently into it, with reverence.

  • There’s no summit flag to plant — only stillness to accept.

Many female travelers report feeling deeply connected, emotional, even awakened during this trek.
And many solo trekkers, regardless of gender, often describe the same feeling:
“It felt like I was being watched — not by fear, but by presence.”

You Will Be Tested

It’s not just the altitude that humbles you.
It’s the wind. The emptiness. The way the mountains seem to stare back.

Some days are clear. Some are full of fog.
That is Nanda Devi too. She decides when to show you beauty, and when to veil it.

If you come with noise, you’ll return empty.
If you come with silence, you’ll return full.

TourMyHoliday’s Code When Trekking Near Roopkund:

  • Never shout or play loud music in the forest

  • Don’t leave plastic or trash — you’re walking through a temple

  • Speak to the villagers — they know more than the internet ever will

  • Bow your head near Bedni Kund (where the goddess is said to rest)

  • Walk with humility, and Roopkund may just reveal her reflection to you

Recent Blogs