Credit: Narender Grewal
About Satopanth lake
At an altitude of 15100 ft, the glacier lake is a hidden gem located in the Garhwal region of the Himalayas. The trek to the lake starts from Mana village and passes through Vasundhara waterfall, Sahastradhara (100 waterfall), Lakshmi Van, and Chakratirtha meadow.
If you think this is only a surprise, then wait. The valley is surrounded by a number of mountain peaks, including Mount Chaukhamba, Mount Neelkantha, Mount Swargarohini, and Mount Balakun.
When you finally reach Satopanth Lake, the clean water and triangular shape will take your heart out. The water quality of the lake is excellent according to the standards of WHO and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Itinerary of Satopanth lake trek
Day 1
Hire a taxi or a bus from Dehradun early in the morning to Joshimath. It takes around 10-11 hours to cover a distance of 300 km. On reaching evening, you can explore the local bazaars and, at last, take accommodation for the day.
Day 2
Take a taxi toward Badrinath, which is a famous hindu pilgrimage site of Char Dham. Mana village, which is at a distance of 4 km, is the last village in India on india- China border. Its better to take a walk for better acclimatization before starting the trek.
Start trekking alongside the Alakananda River toward Somali meadows. Walking for a short while, you come across the Vasundhara waterfall on another bank of the river. Falling from a height of 400 feet, the waterfall is surreal to the eyes. Another trail coming from the Mana village joins the Vasundhara waterfall.
As you move further toward Lakshmi van campsite, you will find a lot of shepherds in caves. A boulder section, which you have to cross carefully, after which Lakshmi van Campsite comes.
The campsite is on green grass that is surrounded by Bhoj Patra trees.
Day 3
It’s the most difficult section of the trek from Lakshmi Van to Chakratirtha. During the trek, the mighty views of Nilkanth, Balakun, and Chaukhamba are pleasing to the eyes. You continue on the bank of Alaknanda, a spot, Shahstra Dhar, where 100 small waterfalls appear, falling straight from heaven. After Shastra Dhar, the Chakrateertha campsite is half an hour away. So once you reach the place, pitch your tent and rest for the day.
Day 4
Although today’s trail is short with an easy ascent, it goes through tricky boulder sections along the left (true right) lateral moraine. We will cross two spurs coming down from the slopes of Nilkanth to our left (true right) to reach Satopanth Lake – a beautiful blue triangular lake. Throughout the day, we will have imposing views of Chaukhamba and Nilkantha, and a bunch of small glacial lakes to our right. After spending some time at the lake, we will return to Chakrateerth for the night.
Small stretch but you have to cross boulder sections that become more tricky with spurs coming out from the slopes of Nilkanth. But all this is worth when you reach Satopanth lake, a beautiful triangular lake.
Day 5
Track back to Chamtoli and camp for the night.
Day 6
Finish the remaining trek and descend to village Mana, where you can board a taxi to Joshimath.