Uttarakhand sojourn: Mini trek to mythical and mystical reflection lake of Deoria Tal

When I started searching for some treks option in Uttarakhand, my main criteria was to do some trek which doesn't have any technical climb and was not very difficult. I wanted to do some treks which had long walks, wilderness surrounded by mountains, some walks in snow, stay in budget home stays and travel by local public transport for this was going to be a self planned trek. The first place which came to my mind was Chopta which is known as mini Switzerland of India and a trek to temple of Tungnath and above it the Chandrashila peak with its mesmerizing sunrise. Being a Mumbaite, it takes two days of one way travel to reach any place in mountains so wanted to do more than only Chopta - Tungnath - Chandrashila. So after lot of reading, connecting with people on FB and taking their experience and insight, decided to do Sari - Deoriatal lake and then take a long wilderness trail from Deoria tal lake to Chopta. 

After much planning and long deliberations on stays, travel and trying to accomodate more members which from initial 6-7 people had swelled to 16 member group with kids and family members, We had our final itinerary on paper, homestays booked and tempo traveller who would pick us up from Haridwar station and drop us at Sari village. Our journey from Mumbai to Haridwar included a train travel to Delhi, take a hotel stay and do some rest till late evening and then overnight train to final destination Haridwar.

It was month of April so summer sun heat had just started to gain strength. We had our tempo traveller pick us from Haridwar on time at 5.30am, our estimate was considering the road condition and traffic situations we should be able to reach our destination Sari village at 214 kms in 7-8 hours. But the road widening due to Char Dham road project and road conditions, top it up with traffic jams at many locations just added to the woes and with few group members throwing up, we finally managed to reach Sari village by 5.30pm which was a backbreaking journey of 12 hrs !! The only highlight of the trip was a small halt from where we had a full view of the river confluence of Alaknanda & Bhagirathi to form river Ganga at a place called Devprayag. It is a heavenly sight where the turquoise green waters of Bhagirathi meets the muddy waters of river Alaknanda.

Sari - the base village for Deoria tal is a fertile village located at 12 kms from Ukhimath - the nearest town, The mountain slopes as well as plains around the village has been used for cultivating crops and most of the houses are converted into homestays. Tourism is major source of income now in this sleepy little town. Sari is also the village from where one gets the first glimpse of Chandrashila peak.

The village has not more than 100 houses and gives a first hand experience of what life is in mountain villages. The entire village gets drowned in darkness with sunset as there are no street lights and hardly anyone on the streets, usually most people reach by evening so are tired from the back breaking and long journey and prefer to rest after early dinner. The day breaks early in the village and by 6am most of the villagers are ready with their daily work. We were ready for our onwards journey to Deoria tal lake by 10.30am as it was just 3.5 kms or 2-3 hours uphill trek. We decided to hire a jeep and off we sent our extra luggage to our Chopta homestay as then we didn't have to carry it till we reach Chopta which is approx 20 kms by road or 14 kms trail through wilderness.

The journey to Deoriatal starts from a small entrance indicating the route in heart of Sari village. The uphill journey to Deoriatal is through a well laden rocky path which passes through gardens of red Rhodedendron flowers. Initial climb of 15- 20 minutes is gradual as one passes through village houses and a school which was built in 1947.

On the way we passed the famous Cafe Buransh which is the preferred cafe and home stay for foreigners visiting the village. An ancient temple with old idols is nice resting place with open space outside the temple and a mesmerising view of snow capped Chandrashila peak, look closely and one can also get a glimpse of Tungnath temple below the peak. The priest at the temple explained that Chandrashila was the place where Lord Rama did meditation after killing Ravana, while there is a huge rock near the temple which is termed as Ravana shila.

The forest dept has also constructed a resting place, a sort of gazebo known as "Hawa Ghar". A small stall near by provides refreshments, snacks or bottled water and the only place to get them in two hours trek. Slowly as we climb higher towards the ridge, the base village Sari is no longer visible. After a certain distance one starts walking on backside of the mountain and we start getting view of valley and village of Ukhimath and mighty Kedar peaks.

Our homestay was little aloof on a ridge so after a strenuous climb of 2 hrs we reached a sign board from where we took a slight diversion. The straight road leads one to a dhabba and forest office on a beautiful meadow very close to the lake. Our home stay was a cosy little under constructed house with four rooms and an open space where we had our tented stay. Few hundred meters walk on a path laden with red Buransh flowers from our homestay was the lush green meadow and the mystical, mythical and magical lake of Deoria tal.

It is said that this lake was built by Bheema of Pandava brothers because he was thirsty while another story goes that it is called Devariya Tal also because this was favorite place for gods to bath - God's own infinity pool.

Unfortunately by late afternoon the climate had changed a bit and we could see some dark clouds hovering over Chandrashila peak which was on opposite mountains. The cloud cover soon enveloped over the lake as well and with it went our chances of watching the snow capped peaks of Chaukhambha and Kedar peaks. Though for a short duration the weather did get clear and we could get a sneak peak of the mighty peaks surrounding the lake.

The beauty of the lake is enhanced multiple times with the reflection of the trees covered with Rhododendron flowers. It is said that during August when skies get clearer one can get a beautiful reflection of snow capped Chaukhamba peaks in the lake. It is this picture which has made this lake famous and attracts trekkers and tourist to this place and emerald lake gets a nickname " Reflection lake".

Its a small lake and with time in hand, we walked along the periphery of the lake, explored the meadows and even climbed a watch tower to get a glimpse of sunset in Kedar peaks. With recent ban on camping on the meadows and near the lake, the surroundings have become very clean and beautiful. The lake side is so serene,calm and appealing that one doesn't need to do any activities, just sit and relax near the lake and get immersed in the natural surroundings.

As evening approached, the rain clouds had gotten a firm grip over the area and we were not able to get any view of surrounding peaks. (Else one can get a glimpse of Mt Chaukhamba, Thalaysagar, Mandani I & II, Kedarnath and Kedar dome as well as Bhartekunta). It had also started to drizzle a bit which forced us to return to our homestay. At our homestay I made an attempt to make a buransh chutney with whatever limited things available in the kitchen. The weather in Himalaya is quiet unpredictable and by evening it had started to pour and with it the chillness in the air increased. Had an early dinner and decided to wrap up the day. Some group members had some plans to watch milky way and do star gazing in middle of night but once inside the tent, I felt the warmth of sleeping bag was more appealing than to venture out in cold and chilly nights. I don't know if they anyone even came out in the middle of night from their tents.

Next day the morning call was at 5am and caretaker served us the much needed hot tea. Quick breakfast and packed lunch and with our guide ready, It was time to bid adieu to our homestay and to Deoriatal. The route to Chopta goes from behind the lake and we did get a few final moments near the lake one last time. The sun was also out by the time we started our next leg of our journey to Chopta which is 14 kms trail in pure wilderness.

Deoria tal lake is set amidst beautiful backdrop of mighty peaks of Himalaya. The base village Sari has many home stay options and few are available some metres away from the lake as well. There is a motorable road which connects the village to Chopta just in case one doesn't want to trek. Sari- Deoriatal is perfect offbeat location totally worth visiting for a day or two.