Roopkund – The Mysterious Skeleton Lake

Set amidst the benevolent mountainous peaks, the Roopkund Lake remains in the spotlight for its unsolved mystery. It has been nicknamed as the ‘Mystery Lake‘ as the remains of human skeletons and horses belonging to the Palaeolithic age can be seen here. 

The adrenaline pumping trek to Roopkund starts from Lohajung, a tiny pass seated at 16,499 feet above sea level in the Garhwal Himalayas. This shallow lake has a depth of about 2 metres and is the most popular lake in the entire Uttarakhand. The lake is nestled amidst panoramic mountain scenery, surrounded by rock-strewn glacier. 

Best time to visit Roopkund

Well there are two options – pre-monsoon and post monsoon.

The pre-monsoon months include the summers of May-June. The views, arguably, are better during this part of the year. The meadows of the valleys are greener, the famous lake is thawed enough for the skeletons to be seen. But you won’t spot much of snow, could be none actually.

The post monsoon months would be August-September. The meadows are on the browner side, the lake is frozen and there is snow –lot of it! If you are able to choose between the snow and the skeleton lake, you know your best time to do Roopkund.

And, before you start with the actual trekking, here are some important insights from someone who has already been to Roopkund.

Staying in Roopkund trek

Being a remote location, there are no hotels, resorts or guesthouses at Roopkund. The trekkers take tents along with them and camp along the trail when they halt at night. Few budget accommodation facilities are available at Wan, which is the last habitable village on the trail. The tour operators usually provide camping equipments.

Wan is the last point where you can get accommodation facility while traveing to Roopkund. You will find GMVN Guest house in Wan. During the remaining trekking route you must carry your own camping tents for accommodation.