Nag Tibba

Nag Tibba lies on the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas, North-East of Mussoorie. The peak is at an altitude of 3100 m. It offers spectacular views of Mussoorie, Vikasnagar, the Banderpoonch range and spurs created by the Yamuna river valley. Nag Tibba is a typical ridge peak on the Nag Tibba Range of the lower Himalayas. In fact, along with the Pir Punjal and Dhauladhar, the Nag Tibba range forms one of the 3 main ranges of the lower Himalayas. It is mentioned in the very famous book '7 years in Tibet' which chronicles the escape of Austrian climber Hienrich Harrer from the British jail into Tibet.

There is a temple dedicated to Nag Devta and the range owes its name to this temple. Snakes have always held an important status in the Hindu religion. According to Hindu mythology, snakes are considered as the representation of rebirth, death and mortality, due to its casting of the skin and being symbolically "reborn". Since the days when religion and worship was a response to a way of life rather than a reason for existence; snakes have been given a cult status. In some places snake gods are associated with fertility. There are many snake god myths and iconographic symbols associated with them in the Hindu mythology like that of Sheshnag( Vishnu's resting couch),ananatnag( the endless snake), Kaliya( Krishna's dance),Vasuki (churning of the ocean), Padmanabha ( guardian snake especially in south India), Manasa devi( snake goddess) etc. For the villagers in this part of the mountains he is the protector of their cattle and sheep. Domesticated animals are their biggest assets and Nag Devta their protector.

Basic Details of Nag Tibba Trek:

• Location: Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand.
• Duration: 2 days / 1 nights
• Maximum altitude: Jaundhar Glacier (3000m)
• Grade: Easy to Moderate
• Cost: Rs. 3,500 + 5% GST. (Dehradun to Dehradun)

For booking you can make 50% payment now and 50% payment 8 days prior to the event.

How to reach Nag Tibba Trek:

By Air

Dehradun brings the closest to our base location with the airport Jolly Grant. It is well connected to all the states and city with a daily flight from Delhi.

By Train

From Delhi - DDN NZM AC EXPRESS (2205)

From Kolkata - Doon Express (13009)

From Mumbai - Dehradun Express (19019)

From Chennai - Dehradun express (12687)

By Road

Dehradun is well connected by roads across the country with NH 72 connecting regions like Panchkula, Chandigarh, and Shimla. There are ample local and private buses to Dehradun.

Nag Tibba Trek Itinerary

Day 1 - Dehradun to Pantwari (1,400 m) to Kathian Campsite (2,265 m)

• The journey starts early from Dehradun to avoid traffic towards Mussoorie and Kempty Falls.
• The road leads downhill from Kempty Falls towards the Yamuna river bed and reaches the town of Nainbagh.
• The route towards Yamunotri continues, while a narrower road leads uphill towards Pantwari village.
• Gujjars with their domesticated sheep and goats are seen on hilltops.
• Terraced farms and hill slopes are dotted with Bauhinia trees with their purple blossoms.
• After a journey of three and a half hours, Pantwari village is reached, and the ascent to the camping site begins.
• The trekking trail passes through wild territory, and flowers and birds are in abundance.
• The trail is rather steep until the Goat Village on the left, which is an initiative started to sustain the Himalayan village’s way of living.
• After the Goat Village, the trail enters a dense forest with plenty of Rhododendron trees with bright crimson red flowers.
• The camping ground at Kathian is reached by late afternoon, and the sunset views are marvelous.
• The camping ground is flush with mint leaves, which can be used to make a delightful brew of mint tea, or the Kandali shrub can be washed and cooked to form a tasty saag.
• The sunset views from the campsite at Kathian are the highlight of the Nag Tibba trek, and the colors come out beautifully during the evening twilight hours.

Day 2 - Trek from campsite to Nagtibba top(3,020 m) and back to Pantwari; Drive back to Dehradun.

• We begin the second day with breakfast and a hike to Nag Devta temple.
• The temple is not well-maintained and has a pujari who is occasionally present.
• Locals frequently visit the temple to pay their respects.
• There is a vast open space near the temple which is used as a grazing ground.
• The Nag Tibba ridge is another hour’s journey ahead, and the vegetation changes from here.
• The forests become dense and are dominated by oaks and rhododendrons.
• The forest floor is damp, indicating the lack of sunlight.
• This region is an ideal habitat for a variety of orchids to grow, but it is under anthropogenic pressure due to grazing, lopping of oaks, and trekking.
• Various birds like the niltava and flameback woodpecker are seen in the barks of oak trees.
• After returning to the campsite, we have lunch and head down to Pantwari village.
• The trek down is easy and fast, taking only a couple of hours.
• We then proceed to Dehradun by our transport.