Roopkund: the mystery lake of the Himalayas
Roopkund is a small glacial lake at around 5,029 metres, tucked into a cirque below the peaks of Trishul and Junargali in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It would be just another high tarn were it not for what lies in and around it: the bones of several hundred people, scattered across the shore and visible in the shallow water when the ice melts in late summer. That single fact has made Roopkund one of the most talked-about treks in the Indian Himalaya, and the route to reach it — through the vast meadows of Ali and Bedni Bugyal — is spectacular in its own right.
The trek is a demanding week-long trip that starts from the village of Lohajung, climbs through forest and shepherd meadows, and finishes with a hard, high summit day to the lake and the Junargali ridge above it. It is rated challenging, and it is not a beginner's trek. Before you plan it, read the section below on access restrictions carefully, and look at our Roopkund trek guide for the fuller background, plus the Lohajung trek page, which covers the same meadows over a shorter, lower route.
The skeletons, and what science has actually found
The remains were first reported by a forest ranger in 1942, during the Second World War, which initially fuelled theories that they were Japanese soldiers. Later study ruled that out. A widely publicised expedition in 2004, featured by National Geographic, concluded that many of the dead were a single group killed suddenly, possibly by a violent hailstorm, based on skull injuries consistent with blows from above.
A larger genetic study published in 2019, analysing DNA from dozens of skeletons, complicated the picture considerably. It found at least three distinct groups of people who died in different periods separated by roughly a thousand years. Most were of South Asian ancestry and died around the 8th century; a second, smaller group had ancestry linked to the eastern Mediterranean and appears to have died much later, around the 18th century; and there was a single individual of Southeast Asian ancestry. There is no single agreed explanation. What is clear is that Roopkund was not one disaster but a place people kept dying, over centuries, on what may have been a pilgrimage route. The Nanda Devi Raj Jat, a religious procession held roughly every twelve years, still passes near here.
Important: current access and restrictions
Trekking to Roopkund has been subject to legal restrictions. In 2018 the Uttarakhand High Court ordered a halt to tourism activity, including camping, in the high-altitude bugyals of the state, citing serious environmental damage from the volume of trekkers, and Roopkund was specifically affected. Since then the rules have shifted more than once, and camping in the meadows above a certain altitude has been curtailed or banned in various forms.
In practice this means the status of the full Roopkund trek can change from season to season, and it may not be running at all in a given year. Do not assume it is open. Check the current position with a registered local operator and the Chamoli forest division before making firm plans, and be prepared for the route to stop short of the lake, or to be replaced with an alternative such as Brahmatal or the shorter Ali Bedni Bugyal trek. This page describes the classic route for reference; it is not a statement that the trek is currently permitted.
Best time to attempt Roopkund
When it runs, the season is split. Mid-May to late June offers the meadows greening up after winter, wildflowers, and firm old snow on the summit day, with long daylight. Mid-September to mid-October brings the clearest air and sharpest views of Trishul and Nanda Ghunti, golden meadows and colder nights, with the lake usually frozen and snow-free ground lower down. July and August are monsoon: the bugyals turn to bog, leeches infest the forest, the summit day is dangerous in wet snow, and views are rare. Deep winter closes the route entirely under heavy snow.
How hard is the Roopkund trek?
Challenging, and one of the harder treks that is still done without technical mountaineering equipment. Three things make it demanding. First, the altitude: you reach 5,029 metres at the lake and around 5,100 on the Junargali ridge, high enough that acute mountain sickness is a real and common risk, and you need several days of graded ascent to adapt. Second, the summit day itself, which is a long push from the last camp at Bhagwabasa to the lake and back — often eight to twelve hours on steep ground that is usually snow-covered, starting well before dawn. Third, the sustained daily effort over a week, with camps at altitude and cold nights throughout.
You need a solid base of hill-walking fitness, ideally some prior experience of trekking above 4,000 metres, and no history of altitude problems. Anyone with a heart or lung condition should not attempt it. If this is beyond your current level, build up through easier routes first — our Kedarkantha and Brahmatal guides describe good stepping stones.
The route in detail
Lohajung to Didna
From Lohajung at about 2,300 metres, the trail drops to the Neel Ganga river and climbs the far side through oak and rhododendron forest to the small farming village of Didna at around 2,500 metres, the first night's stop.
Didna to Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal
A long climbing day out of the forest onto Ali Bugyal, a huge rolling meadow at around 3,400 metres, and then along the ridgeline to Bedni Bugyal at roughly 3,600 metres, where a small temple sits beside the Bedni Kund pond. On a clear evening Trishul and Nanda Ghunti fill the skyline. Camping here is the section most affected by the meadow restrictions.
Bedni Bugyal to Bhagwabasa
The trail leaves the meadows and climbs past Ghora Lotani and the rocky slopes of Pathar Nachauni to Kalu Vinayak, a small Ganesh shrine on a pass at around 4,100 metres, then traverses to the bleak, boulder-strewn camp at Bhagwabasa at roughly 4,600 metres. This is a hard day and a cold, exposed camp.
Summit day to Roopkund and Junargali
A pre-dawn start for the steep climb on snow to the lake at 5,029 metres, with the option, conditions permitting, of continuing up the sharp Junargali ridge just above it for the view down onto the Shila Samudra glacier and across to Trishul. Then the long descent all the way back to Bedni or Ghairoli Patal.
The descent to Wan
The final days retrace the meadows and drop through forest to the village of Wan, from where a road connects back to Lohajung.
Getting to the trailhead
Lohajung is around 250 kilometres from Rishikesh and Dehradun, a drive of ten to twelve hours via Karnaprayag and Tharali, following the Alaknanda and then the Pindar valley. The nearest airport is Dehradun's Jolly Grant; the nearest railheads are Rishikesh, Haridwar and Kathgodam. Most treks include a night's stop on the drive up or down. The road beyond Tharali is narrow and slow, and can be blocked by landslides in the monsoon.
Acclimatisation and altitude safety
Roopkund's altitude profile is unforgiving, and altitude illness is the single biggest reason people have to turn back or, in serious cases, be evacuated. The standard itinerary builds in graded gains and a night around 3,600 metres before pushing higher, and a good operator carries a pulse oximeter, supplementary oxygen and a portable altitude chamber, and has a clear evacuation plan. Drink three to four litres of water a day, walk slowly, eat even when you have no appetite, and report headaches, nausea, dizziness or breathlessness to your guide immediately rather than pushing through. Descent is the only reliable treatment for worsening symptoms. Diamox is often used prophylactically; discuss it with a doctor before the trek.
What to pack for a high-altitude trek
This is a serious cold-weather kit list. You need waterproof, insulated, well-broken-in trekking boots, gaiters, and micro-spikes or crampons for the summit-day snow if your operator does not provide them. Clothing is a full layering system: thermal base layers, a fleece and a down jacket, and windproof, waterproof outer shell and trousers. Add insulated and liner gloves, a warm hat, a balaclava, thick socks, sunglasses rated for glacier glare, and strong sunscreen and lip balm. Carry a headtorch with spare batteries, two one-litre bottles or a bottle plus a thermos, a sleeping bag liner for extra warmth, a personal medical kit with any altitude medication, and trekking poles. A 55 to 65 litre pack is typical; keep essentials in a daypack even if a mule or porter carries the main load.
Food, camping and daily life on the trail
On the days when camping is permitted, nights are spent in two- or three-person tents with sleeping bags and insulated mattresses, with a dining tent and a toilet tent set up at each site. Food is simple, hot and vegetarian, cooked by the trek crew — porridge and eggs for breakfast, packed snacks or a hot lunch on the trail, and soup, dal, rice, roti and a vegetable in the evening, with tea served several times a day. Appetite often drops at altitude, but eating properly is part of staying safe, so force down what you can. Days are front-loaded: you walk in the morning cold, reach camp by early afternoon, and then rest, rehydrate and warm up while the light fades fast. Bring a book, a power bank and a warm hat to sleep in, because the nights at Bhagwabasa in particular are bitterly cold.
Photography and the summit day
Roopkund's summit morning is one of the most dramatic in Indian trekking and also the hardest to shoot, because you are climbing steep snow in the dark and the cold, often with numb hands. Keep the camera or phone in an inside pocket to stop the battery dying, carry spares, and accept that you may only get a few frames at the lake before you need to keep moving. The meadows lower down are the easier and arguably more photogenic subject: Bedni Kund reflecting Trishul at first light, the sweep of Ali Bugyal, shepherd huts against the snow peaks. Autumn gives the crispest air; late spring gives green foreground and old snow. A polariser helps with the snow glare and the reflections.
The bugyals: Ali and Bedni
For many trekkers the meadows are the real reward, not the lake. Ali and Bedni Bugyal are among the largest high-altitude grasslands in the country, kilometres of open, gently rolling turf grazed by shepherds through the summer, ringed by forest below and snow peaks above. Bedni Kund, the small pond at Bedni with its lakeside shrine, is one of the classic images of Himalayan trekking. These meadows are also exactly what the court restrictions are trying to protect: the soil is thin, the growing season short, and decades of camping, campfires, mule trains and litter left visible scars. The shorter Lohajung trek is built around reaching these meadows without the high summit push.
Alternatives if Roopkund is closed
Given the uncertain status of the full route, it is worth having a backup. Brahmatal, from the same Lohajung base, is a winter trek to two alpine lakes with a summit view of Trishul and Nanda Ghunti, and stays below the most restricted altitudes. The Ali Bedni Bugyal trek covers the meadows over three to four days. Dayara Bugyal near Uttarkashi is another large-meadow trek. For a high summit elsewhere, Kundalini Peak is a challenging multi-day option, and Kuari Pass reaches a 3,800-metre pass with Nanda Devi views. The full set is on our treks page.
Permits, guides and responsible trekking
The route lies within reserve forest and, near the top, an eco-sensitive zone, so forest permits, a registered local guide and camping charges are all required, and numbers are capped. Foreign nationals face additional checks near the inner-line areas. A registered operator handles the paperwork and carries the mandatory safety equipment. Given the environmental history of this trek, responsible practice is not optional: carry out every scrap of waste including food and toilet waste, use established campsites only, never light open fires, stick to the trodden path across the meadows, and keep group sizes small. Choose your operator on their safety and environmental record, not price — our guide on choosing a trekking operator in Uttarakhand explains what to check — and take out trekking travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation above 5,000 metres, as covered in our travel insurance guide.
