About This Trip
If you’ve done a beginner trek and are looking for something with a little more altitude and distance, the Ali Bedni Bugyal trek — priced from ₹12,500 per person — is a natural next step. It threads through the Garhwal Himalayas from Lohajung village, climbing through oak and rhododendron forest into two of Uttarakhand’s most celebrated high-altitude meadows, or “bugyals”: Bedni and Ali.
The meadows
Bedni Bugyal is one of the largest alpine meadows in Asia, a rolling expanse of green (or snow, depending on season) framed by Trishul and Nanda Ghunti. Ali Bugyal, a short distance further, opens up equally wide views toward Hathi Parvat, Kamet and Neelkanth. Both meadows fill with wildflowers through the summer bloom, when shepherds still bring their cattle up to graze — a tradition that predates any trekking route through here.
En route, the trail passes Bedni Kund, a small lake considered sacred by local communities, where it is customary to pause and offer prayers before continuing. The villages of Didna and Wan, still home to traditional Garhwali households, give the trek a cultural dimension that pure wilderness routes lack.
Route and difficulty
This is a 6-day, roughly 30-35 km round trip starting and ending at Lohajung (7,650 ft), reached by a scenic 8-9 hour drive from Rishikesh. The toughest single day is the push from Didna to Khobal Tal via Ali Bugyal — around 10-11 km with sustained climbing to roughly 11,350 ft. That’s the day that earns this trek its moderate rating: distances are longer and terrain rougher than a true beginner trek, so some prior trekking experience or solid cardio fitness is genuinely useful, even though nothing here is technical.
Best time to visit
May to October is the window, with the monsoon months of July and August best avoided — the trails turn slippery and leech-prone, and river crossings get riskier. Late spring brings rhododendron blooms on the lower forest sections; autumn (September-October) delivers the clearest peak views and golden meadow grass.
Why trekkers love it
Ali Bedni Bugyal shares its opening days with the historic Roopkund trail, so you get the same approach through remote Garhwali villages and dense forest without needing the permits or fitness the full Roopkund route demands (access beyond Bedni has in any case been restricted by forest authorities in recent years). What you’re left with is arguably the better trek for most people: big alpine views, real cultural texture, and a manageable six days.
Good to know
Days above 3,000 m call for a slower pace and proper hydration — mild breathlessness on the Khobal Tal climb is normal, but let your trek leader know about any headache, nausea or dizziness rather than pushing through it.
