Trek To Devban From Dehradun

A two-day trek to Devban,  one of the lesser known destinations of Uttarakhand. Spend half a day sightseeing around Chakrata.

• A two-day trek relishing the beauty of Chakrata and Devban
• Comfortable and easy hike
• Campsite amidst the pine trees
• Sightseeing in Chakrata after the trek.
• A chance to experience the local culture and cuisine
• Experienced guide throughout the journey

Why Choose This?

• No Hidden Charges: All inclusive price with no hassle of paying on multiple occasions during the trip.
• Fixed Departures: All available dates on the calendar are bookable. 
• Low Batch Requirement: Guaranteed departure for even a 2-member group. 
• Small Convenient Batch size: The convenience of a small batch size for best service quality. Maximum of 12 members per group.
• Road Transportation: All road transportation after the reporting point is included in the cost. Trekking group travels together comfortably.
• Tented Accommodation: 2 people per tent throughout the trek. We use tents from international brand Vango Halo 300, weather tested beyond the European standard EN5912.

Detailed Overview

Devban is part of a reserved forest in the Kanasar forest range bordering Himachal Pradesh. It has a beautiful forest rest house located at an altitude of 2865m built in 1963. Chakrata an old British cantonment town has the nearest road head (16 km away). It is at an altitude of 2200m and the trekking route till Devban is almost 3000 m.

The forests are typically broad-leaved oak, coniferous pine, fir and deodar. The old stone houses with towering chimneys take you back to the British era. Most of Chakrata is inaccessible due to army restrictions. Geologically, this region is part of the Shiwaliks and is mostly made of loose sedimentary and limestone rocks. In some places quartz rock bands are visible. The locals speak the Jaunsari language and many Gujjar huts can be found along the slopes of the hills. Trekkers can walk along the old forest trail through the dense oak and deodar forests of this area.

Itinerary

Day-1: Dehradun to Chakrata drive and trek to campsite - (Drive 89 km/3 hrs + 3-hrs trek)

We will start from Dehradun and follow the route to Vikasnagar via the Indian Military Academy. During our road journey we will be passing through Kalsi, which is the major forest division in this region. Plenty of plantations of teak and eucalyptus can be seen along the roadside. We cross the River Yamuna at Kalsi and reach Chakrata after 2 hrs via the village of Sahiya. We will stop for breakfast at one of the dhabas in Chakrata.

The trek starts from the forest chowki (forest station) 4 km after Chakrata. The road winds among dense deodar trees with babblers, nut-thatches and thrushes to give you company. The views of the higher Himalayas along the way cannot be ignored. The sun rays weave through the upright trees creating a beautiful geometric pattern on the road. The trek now moves from the tar road to a bridle path which the locals often use. The gradient is comfortable up to the small stop on the way to Badrikhal.

Badrikhal is located along the saddle of the ridge which overlooks the watershed of the famous Tiger Falls below Chakrata. The trek continues along the tar road for a while. The views along the Chakrata-Tiuni road are unending. This road leads to Kanasar (30 km from Chakrata) which is a majestic open field set among large deodar trees. In fact, Kanasar has the largest diameter deodar tree in Asia. The campsite for the night is located amidst tall fir and pine trees and is protected from the chilling wind.

We will have a hot dinner beside a bonfire. A starry sky wishes you good night.

Day-2: Trek from campsite to Devban FRH (Forest Rest House) and back to campsite – drive to Dehradun

The next day we start our trek post breakfast and walk towards the FRH of Devban. We take a detour from the main road and walk along the forest trail. The main road follows a winding path till a Y-point with one end going to the Devban FRH and the other continuing for a further 24 km up to the skiing slopes of Mundali.

We follow the forest trail which was used before the tar road was built. The trail rises up to the ridge and then curves behind the vertical rock patch. The forests here are very dense since very little sunlight reaches here so snow will still be 1-2 feet deep. The trail ends right at the main entrance of the FRH. The meadows in front of the FRH are beautiful. After having tea at the FRH we proceed to Vyas Shikhar which is the highest point on the ridge. At a height of 3005 m, it gives a mesmerizing view of the Himalayan vista. The peaks of Kandariya Mahadev, Goshupishu, Koshni, Swargarohini, Ranglana, Banderpoonch, Shrikantha, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Dunagiri, Nandadevi and Trishul are visible from here. There is a stone marker indicating all the peaks seen from here. After finishing our packed lunch, we head back to our campsite. We pack our bags and proceed back to Chakrata.

After returning from the trek

The rest of the day can be spent sightseeing around Chakrata. The famous Tiger Falls can be visited and the Chintanharan Shiv temple can be paid a visit. The main bazaar of Chakrata is called the Sadar Bazaar and is a small place. There are small viewpoints built all around Chakrata for tourists to sit and soak in the views. The army has done a wonderful job to keep the town clean and the construction regulated. Most of the official government buildings continue to be housed in old British colonial architecture style bungalows. The most prominent among them is the police Thana. We leave Chakrata and head for Dehradun.