The Bhyundar Khal trek is one of the best treks to be explored by any Himalayan adventure seeker. Retracing the steps of Sir Frank Smythe on his Mt Kamet expedition, the trek initially reaches the popular Valley of Flowers.
The trail climbs up steadily and takes one to the remote valley of the Tipra. You will encounter waterfalls, beautiful flower valley, snow, moraines, rivers, streams, meadows, and amazing mountain scenery.
Get Bhyundar Khal Trek Guide, Trekking Route, Travel Tips
The trek starts with a drive to Govindghat and then following the trails of the more popular Valley of Flowers trek. The trail climbs up steadily and takes you to the remote valley of the Tipra Bamak. The Bhyunder Khal trek gets serious after this and requires negotiating the moraines of the Gauri glacier, Rataban Glacier and Tipra Glacier. The climb to the pass is steep and treacherous.
The top of the Bhyunder Khal offers a close and glorious view of Neelkanth, Hathi, Nilgiri, and Rataban peaks. After crossing the pass, we land on to the other side of the Rataban Glacier continuing over the moraines. The trek route takes a right turn diverging from the Gupt Khal trek route and goes down straight to exit in the village of Ghamsali.
One can also extend their trek to Guptkhal and come down to Badrinath, which was the original Sir Frank Smythe Exploration route.
This trek is quite difficult and needs previous trekking experience of moderate level treks.
Fundamental knowledge of mountaineering is a must for this trek.
The Bhyundar base camp is the coldest among all the campsites. Most parts of the trail is pleasant during the day.
Best time for this trek: May, June, September, October
History of Bhyundar Khal
Frank Sydney Smythe was the British explorer and mountaineer, after his successful climb of Kamet in 1931 was coming down into the Bhyunder valley when he first saw the valley and as it was covered with flowers, he named it Valley of Flowers. In 1937 Smythe returned to the valley, explored a few high-altitude passes which includes Bhyundar Khal and Gupt Khal Passes and it is mentioned in his book, ‘The Valley of Flowers’.
Suggested Trekking Itinerary for Bhyundar Khal Trek
Day 1:Dehradun to Govindghat/Joshimath Day 2: Govindghat/Joshimath to Ghangaria (2950 mts, Trek: 13 kms) Day 3: Ghangaria - Valley of Flowers - Tipra Kharak Camping grounds (3700 mts, Trek: 10 kms) Day 4: Tipra Kharak to Bhyundar Icefall Camp (4300 mts, Trek: 6 kms) Day 5: Bhyundar Icefall Camp to Bhyundar Khal Base (4600 mts, Trek: 5 kms) Day 6: Bhyundar Base to Bhyundar Khal (5100 mts) to Rataban Glacier (4500 mts, Trek: 10 kms) Day 7: Rataban Glacier to Edi Udiyar (3900 mts, Trek: 6 kms) Day 8: Edi Udiyar to Gamsali (3000 mts, Trek: 10 kms) then Drive to Joshimath Day 9: Joshimath to Dehradun
Best Time to for Bhyundar Khal trek
The best times to visit Bhyundar Khal are during summer (May to June) and autumn (September to November). These seasons provide ideal trekking conditions and beautiful natural scenery. Monsoon brings lush greenery but poses travel challenges, while winter is best for those who enjoy the cold and snow.
Note: Bhyundar Khal is also written as Bhyundar pass, bhyundaar Khall, Bhunyar Khal, Bhyunder Khal, Bhyuner Glacier
