Ruinsara Tal & Bali Pass Trek

Pickup in the morning from Dehradun and reach Sankri (~ 1900 m, 6230 ft) . Distance around 200 Km and can take 9/10 hou  rs. The road is one of the most scenic in Garhwal region while we go up to the classy hill station of Mussorie at the beginning, turquoise Yamuna river in the middle and conifer forests of blue pine and meandering Tons river at the later half of the journey. The major points are Mussorie, Yamuna Pool, Damta, Nawgaon, Purola, Mori and Netwar. Mori is the last place from where one can get a confirmed mobile phone network and also has a SBI ATM. Though Sankri has a BSNL tower but network doesn’t remain most of the time! After crossing Netwar we reach the check post of Govind Vanya Jibh Vihar (Govind National Park) from where the permits need to be obtained. Sankri has few private lodges and a GMVN operated Tourist Rest House (TRH) and couple of basic restaurant to serve food. Night stay in lodge/homestay.

Wake up early in the morning to see the first sun light on Sankri. It is a small stretch of Bazaar and the adjacent village. After breakfast we prepare to start our trek. There is a motor able Kaccha road from Sankri to Taluka heading up the valley. The bumpy 11 Km ride takes around 45 minutes to reach Taluka (~2100m, 6900ft). Our walk starts from Taluka. The camping ground is adjacent to the Forest Rest House. There is a small tea shop at the end of the road and 2/3 very small provision stores. We directly take the stony stair cases to get down almost to the river bed and start walking along the Tamosa river, keeping it on our left (“True Left” of the river). It is an easy gently walk gradually moving up the valley. Snow is encountered at patches where sun doesn’t get a chance to enter for longer duration. After walking for an hour we cross a side stream and move on to an flat opening on the left hand of the trail. Local people are seen in an interval with heavy loads on their back aiming to stock provisions for long winters. There are few villages in this valley like Datmir, Gangar, Powani and Osla, the last one being the farthest. Walking along the valley in the shades of conifer and occasional snow patches for 9 Km, we reach a side stream and cross the bridge to get on the main valley again. This place has also a bridge on the Tamosa river and the Village named “Gangar” is mostly on the other side of the river. From here we continue our gradual walk for another hour to reach an opening with a new concrete construction for a proposed school. A bridge on Tamosa is built here to reach the village of Osla. We keep our track while the river is on our left and walk another hour inside a sun shed thick forest to reach Seema (~2500m, 8200ft). The last stretch remains snowy in winter and avoid slush. One GMVN TRH and a Forest Rest House along with a solitary private Dhaba (Opens from Jun till Oct) to serve food. Prior booking of the any of these is highly recommended for trekkers who don’t have camping setup. Camping ground is also nearby. Seema is not a village but only a tourist shelter point. The village Osla is on the other side of the river, almost ~ 215 m/700 ft above the river bed. Total distance is 14 Km and may take 6/7 hours. We camp for the night.