Nag Tibba Trek- An Easy Stressbuster Trek

If you are looking for a weekend trip or a short stressbuster adventure out in the nature, somewhere close to Delhi, Nag Tibba Trek could just be the perfect getaway you need. Nag Tibba is one of the best treks if you look at the return on investment. I mean with little effort, stretching over just two days, you are rewarded with enthralling views of different landscapes. As you trek uphill you will encounter meadows, dense forests and even snow capped mountains (in winters only of course).

In winters people start flocking up for winter treks at Kedarkantha and other places. But most winter treks are tough and long. And more than 70 percent of the time you don’t even get to do the summit because of bad weather, a real psychological disappointment. But the Nag Tibba winter trek is short, comparatively much easier, equally amazing in its views. And of course you have a much better chance of doing the Nag Tibba summit in winters than any other winter trek. You can watch my Nag Tibba Trek Vlog on Youtube by clicking here.

Quick Snapshot of Nag Tibba trek

• Distance of the Trek: 16 Km on one side.
• Itinerary/ Time Required: Ideally 2 days 1 night.
• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
• Type: All-weather trek.
• Best time to visit: November & February in winters.
• How to Reach: 4.5 hours from Dehradun, detailed later in the post.
• Cost for Nag Tibba Trek Appx. Rs. 2,500/- per person Dehradun to Dehradun

About the peak Nag Tibba

• The difficulty level of the trek is easy to moderate. This definitely is one of the best weekend treks and the best winter treks for beginners.
• The Nag Tibba summit stands tall at 9,915 ft., highest in the Nag Tibba range of Garhwal Himalayas. From the summit you get to see many of the Himalayan ranges such as Bandarpoonch and Gangotri. The terrain is gradual, except for a few steep sections.
• The Nag Tibba trek is about 16 km long, best covered over 2 days. Which means you’ll be covering an average of 8 km over 6 hours on both days. Ain’t that bad, its actually great.

The Nag Tibba Trek

I booked my trek on Thrillophila for 2 days 1 night, meals included, with pick up and drop from Dehradun. There are a couple of vendors available on thrillophilia and other websites. Compare the prices and reviews and make a booking. Most of the vendors I found had good reviews for this trek, so there is not much to research about. Here is the link to the thrillophilia vendor that I booked. I went there with a friend costing us Rs.2800/- per person.

Day 0

The pick up for the trek from Dehradun was scheduled at 7:00 AM in the morning from Dehradun railway station. It was only safe that we reached Dehradun a night before. So we reached Dehradun in the evening a day before the trek. Dehradun is a beautiful city, so lively and full of good vibes. The whole evening we were out exploring Dehradun and trying out street food. We came across this shop called Toofani Bunta famous for its Shikanji like drinks. They have a different way of preparing their drinks. Once they hand over the Shikanji glass to you, they’ll add a pinch of powder to it and the whole liquid instantly fizzes out so rapidly, that if you don’t drink it immediately, half of your drink will be spilled out with the fizz.

We checked into the hostel called A/C Dormitory where we booked a room in the dorm at an unbelievable price of Rs.300 and seriously it wasn’t that bad. The room was small with two clean beds and an almirah, with a common toilet for the dorm. Fortunately the entire dorm was empty as we were there on a weekday. This was by far one of my cheapest hostel bookings right next to the super value deal we got in Cambodia’s Siem Reap where we got a bed for Rs.300 in the dorm in one of the best hostels of Siem Reap- The Mad Monkey Siem Reap. Also read my Cambodia Travel guide here.

Day 1

Next day early morning we got ready, left the dorm full of excitement, walked some 100 meters to the railway station gate and waited for the traveler to pick us up. Traveler was some 30 minutes minutes late and in the meanwhile we had a paratha with tea, super combo breakfast on a winter morning. As the traveler arrived it came with a group of three friends, who were going to be out fellow-trekkers and we were glad to see some company. The traveler took almost 5 hours to take us to Pantwari with a half an our halt in between at Mussoorie for breakfast. The mountain views enroute were refreshing.

After reaching Pantwari we met our guide for the trek- Rishabh. To our surprise Rishabh who looked handsome and funky was a village boy. He looked more urbanite than our entire group together. First thing, he asked us to rent the sticks and shoes if required. I actually went there in sports shoes and rented a pair of gumboots (the only option available). We met some people during the trek who were trekking in sports shoes and believe me, it is a bad-bad idea especially in winters. The terrain is very slippery at many places in between because of ice deposition, at places it is very mushy and the last stretch is steep & fully covered in snow. Ideally you should be carrying some basic trekking gear; check my post on trekking gear for more help.

The initial part of the trek was steep but easy, steadily it became a bit more gradual, steep only at certain places. As we trekked uphill through the dried grass hills, we were captivated with views of beautiful lush green landscapes. Midway our guide offered us the lunch which was included in the package. It was so typically desi, just like the typical Indian middle class family who would carry puri and aalu ki sabzi on any trip; we were offered puri and aalu ki sabzi. We were tired and the lunch tasted delicious.

We reached the Nag Tibba Base Camp in about 5-6 hours, half an hour before the sunset. This is where we had to spend the night. The views from the campsite were stunning. The wind was chilly, the sun was setting and with a warm cup of tea; it was perfect. As the night began to fall upon us, the mercury descended to zero degrees. Our guide lighted a bonfire, it was comforting. We had our dinner here with melodious music in the background. It wasn’t really that filmy bonfire, there was no guitarist or a group of girls dancing to it but it was serene. Finally we called it a night and zipped up our sleeping bags (part of the package).

Day 2

We woke up to frozen crumbs of ice outside our tent. We freshened up, had bread n butter with tea and left for second leg of the Nag Tibba trek. Landscape through this part of the trek was different from the last day. Here we trekked through the woods with little snow on the terrain which kept on increasing as we moved uphill until it was snow everywhere.

We reached the Nag Devta temple but there was still some steepest 100 meters covered in deep snow left, until we reach the summit. Here a part of our group called it quits. Come up so close and not complete it, me and my friend weren’t quitters. Both of us trekked this last mile with our guide, this part had a totally different adventurous feeling to it. Hooray! Alas we reached the summit. Standing at the highest peak of the Gharwal himalayas, it was point blank mesmerizing.

The journey downhill was quick but tiring. We halted at the camp for lunch and then continued the descent, completed it within about 4 hours. Reached Pantwari at about 5 PM. Finally, the traveler dropped us in Dehradun at about 9 PM. And that was it, the amazing 2 days well spent.

How to Reach Nag Tibba

The trek for Nag Tibba starts from the Village called Pantwari that is located 115 kms away from Dehradun. You can book your package for the trek from Dehradun or from Pantwari or even from Delhi. Accordingly you’ll have to reach Dehradun by 7:00 AM or Pantwari by 12 PM or Delhi a night before. It would be best for most people to book from Dehradun only.

If you want to reach Pantwari on your own, board a bus to Nainbagh from Dehradun railway station. It’ll cost about Rs. 150 for the 3.5 hour journey. You can proceed to Pantwari from Nainbagh by hopping into a shared cab. And if you want to trek all by yourself, drive upto Panthwari and start trekking. Mind that you will need to carry your own tents.

How can I go to Nag Tibba from Delhi?

From Delhi , you can take a night Volvo or train train to Dehradun. Should cost you somewhere between Rs.700-Rs.1200. If you so not have any shortage of time and want to be more comfortable reach Dehradun a day before.

Nag Tibba Trek Vlog

Do watch my Nag Tibba Trek Travel Vlog. Signing off guys. Meet you in other blogs. Sayo Nara !!

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