Camping in Nag Tibba is a wonderful year-round experience. And when it comes to the winter trek in himalayas, the Nag Tibba trek is the most suitable option.
Wholesome trek: Within the 2 days of trekking to Nag Tibba, hikers experience most the things that a much longer Himalayan trek has to offer – Rhododendron forests, ankle-deep snow, and amazing views of some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas.
1. Proximity to Delhi – In today’s busy lifetime is the only commodity that is scarce. So everything has to happen on weekends be it shopping, outing, spending time with family etc. etc. And if you are living in and around Delhi and got bored of regular visits to the Mall and theaters trek to Nag Tibba is your perfect option to start this amazing journey of exploring mountains. Nag Tibba starts from Pantwari which 90 Km from Dehradun. So if you catch an 11:00 PM bus from Delhi you reach Dehradun next morning by 5:00 AM, you take a cab from there and by 09:00 AM you will be in Pantwari. If you start on Friday night you can start your trek by 09:00 AM morning.
2. Duration of Trek – A weekend Trek–Trek to Nag Tibba summit can be completed in two to three days depending upon how hard you want to push yourself. As a beginner you have some doubts in mind one of it is, whether you will be able to do it or not? In that case, the 3-day itinerary is best, starting from Pantwari. You can also start your 2-day trek from Thatyur but that may not be the best choice as it’s very steep uphill climb till Nag Mandir and by the time view opens you are dead tired, also water is available at only one place when you are already close to your camping location for the day. If you are following Thatyur – itinerary then you camp at Nag Mandir and next day you do the summit and reach Patwari by the end of the day.
3. Gentle Terrain – Right from Pantwari till Nag Tibba summit, terrain is very gentle and there are no steep sections of more than 5 – 10 mins. Absence of these steep climbs allows trekkers to enjoy the beauty strewn all around and it’s more so in case of beginners. Beginners are comparatively little less patient than experienced trekkers and they want to see the reward of their hard work (read hiking) quickly and this is what happens on Nag Tibba. After a hike of 2-3 hours you camp at Nag Mandir from where you have 180 Degree view of Higher Himalayas. Nag Mandir is a beautiful camping site surrounded by Rhododendron forest on one site and Deodar forest on other. Sunsets are as beautiful as you can get from other camping sites in higher Himalayas.
4. A wholesome trek – Nag Tibba is one trek where you get the flavor of all things that one gets to experience on longer treks be it jungle trail, snow or amazing view of the highest peaks of Indian Himalayas (only the duration is short). When you start from Pantwari the first day’s trek is mostly through Rhododendron forest. After Nag Mandir or sometime before Nag Mandir the trek is through ankle-deep snow, at some points even going to knee deep as well. When you reach the summit you can savor the view of Nanda Devi, highest peak in India along with Bandar Poonch and many more. Above all it’s a circular trek if you plan properly. Doing a circuit is always a better experience than retracing the same trail as landscape is different when you came back and you always stay motivated all the time you spend on a trail.
5. And one more thing–For all the reasons explained earlierNag Tibba is a great trek for beginners and that is why almost everybody can complete it without much problem. Butwhen you are just starting your journey to the unexplored mountains and are not used to uninhabited places your mind keeps of asking what if I need medical attention or if have to return back to civilization for some emergency at home. In case of Nag Tibba you have that option, if something doesn’t go as per planyou can always head back to Pantwari even in middle of night. There are small huts where jungle trail just begins and you can reach these huts within an hour from you Nag Mandir.
So this winter pack your back and head to Nag Tibba without any fear, it’s totally doable and well within your reach from every aspect whether it’s time or your own physical ability.