Sahastratal is also known as Shastru Tal. 'Sahastra' means thousand in Sanskrit, 'Shastru' means seven in the local dialect and 'Tal' translates to Lake. This region is quite unique as it is dotted with several water bodies, all of them lying high up close to the ridge line, unlike other lakes which are normally found in the valleys. This ridgeline is the N-NE extension of the Gangotri range and separates the Bhagirathi valley from its main tributary of Bhilangana river and also acts as a boundary between the Uttarkashi and the Tehri districts of Garhwal. These lakes are considered holy and worshipped by people from both districts. Bill Aitken, British-born travel writer aptly described this region as the “Lake District of Garhwal”. The trek leading to lakes in itself is still a remote one, not much frequented by trekking groups. We drive up the Bhagirathi valley and start the trek from the small village of Silla, upstream of Uttarkashi. We walk through mixed Himalayan forests of oak, rhododendron, pine and walnut and have some steep sections before we come out of the tree line to enter the rolling meadow of Kush Kalyan which is connected via a sharp and steep ridge to the neighbouring meadow of Kyarki Bugyal. Towards the end, the trek gains in altitude and we reach the foot of high Himalayan mountains where we have all the revered water bodies. Shashtru Peak (5115m) forms an interesting backdrop for Sahastratal Lake and we have the views of the high Himalayan mountains from several vantage points on the trek. We get to view the peaks of the Gangotri range – namely Gangotri group, Jaonli, Srikanth and those of Bandarpunch range from different perspectives. If we are lucky with the weather, we could also get a chance to see the peaks far off in the East including Nanda Devi & Chaukhamba. On our way back, we retrace our steps to Kush Kalyan and then descend into the Bhilangana valley to finish the trek in the Tehri district. 

Itinerary

What to expect