Ali Bedni Bugyal

Ali Bedni Bugyal — Asia's Largest Meadows Under the Trishul Wall

Ali and Bedni Bugyals are two of the largest contiguous high-altitude meadows in Asia — vast undulating grasslands at 10,500 ft and 11,000 ft in the Kumaon Garhwal, with the colossal Trishul massif (23,360 ft) rising directly to the north. The trek is a five-day easy-to-moderate route from Kathgodam via Lohajung, Didna, and the meadows themselves, descending out via Wan village. It is the textbook gentle introduction to multi-day Himalayan trekking — the gradient is forgiving, the altitude is manageable, the camps are well-established, and the views are arguably the best you can get in India for the difficulty.

Why this trek is exceptional

Most high-altitude meadows in the Indian Himalayas are small benches a few hundred metres across. Ali Bugyal alone runs 3 km along a south-facing ridge, with the meadow rising and falling like a long grassy ocean. Bedni adds another 1.5 km of meadow plus a small alpine pool, Bedni Kund, with a stone shrine to Nanda Devi at its edge. The combination produces an unbroken six-kilometre walk on open meadow, with the entire Trishul-Nanda Ghunti-Mrigthuni group arrayed along the northern horizon — the kind of view that more demanding treks usually require a week to reach.

The route from Lohajung

The trek begins at Lohajung Pass (7,700 ft), a small village whose name commemorates a mythological battle between Goddess Parvati and a demon. Day 2 covers the gentle 6 km descent and re-ascent to Didna village (8,000 ft), a Garhwali hamlet of 30 stone houses on a south-facing terrace. Day 3 is the highlight — a steady climb through old-growth oak and rhododendron forest emerging onto Ali Bugyal, then a long traverse east across both meadows to a camp at the eastern edge of Bedni at 11,000 ft. Day 4 descends through Ghairoli Patal to Wan village. The total distance is roughly 27 km of walking over three days.

The Trishul connection and the Nanda Devi Raj Jat

The bugyals sit directly under the Trishul massif and are part of the route of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat — a 280 km Garhwali pilgrimage that runs once every twelve years from Nauti village to the icy slopes of Roopkund and beyond. The Raj Jat last ran in 2014 and is next scheduled for 2026; if you trek during a Jat year, the meadows are dotted with pilgrim-yatra encampments and the Bedni Kund shrine is decorated with marigold and brocade. The Raj Jat is one of the longest active Hindu pilgrimages in India and the bugyals are its central staging ground.

Best season and weather

The bugyals run reliably from April to early June and again from September to October. April-May brings the rhododendron bloom (the lower forest is solid pink and red); June-early September is monsoon and the meadows turn dangerously soft and leech-prone; mid-September to October is post-monsoon clarity with golden meadows; December to February is the snow-trek season — the meadows are buried under 2-3 feet of snow, the trail is white, and the experience is dramatically different but equally rewarding (the Roopkund-side route is closed in winter, but Ali-Bedni is doable with microspikes).

Camping and infrastructure

The trail is well-established. Lohajung has guesthouses with hot water; Didna has homestays; the meadow camps are tent-based with kitchen tents and pit toilets. We provide two-person tents and sleeping bags rated to -5°C (-10°C in winter). BSNL works in Lohajung and patchy in Didna; no network in the meadows. There are forest department check-posts at Lohajung and the meadow entry; permits are coordinated by the trek operator.

Difficulty and prerequisites

This is a graded easy trek — the highest sleep is 11,000 ft, total daily ascent never exceeds 3,000 ft, and the longest day is 6-7 hours of walking. We recommend trekkers be able to comfortably jog 3 km in 25 minutes. Excellent first multi-day Himalayan trek — we see schoolchildren above ten, retirees, and complete beginners on every batch. The trek is also a natural acclimatization for harder Garhwal expeditions like Roopkund (when permits resume) or the Brahmatal-Bedni circuit.

Who this trek is for

Ali-Bedni is the right pick if you want maximum scenic return for minimum technical commitment. It is also our standard recommendation for groups with mixed fitness — a fit teenager and a cautious 60-year-old can both enjoy this trek without anyone holding back. For solo travellers, the meadows are also one of the most beautiful places in India to spend a quiet morning with a notebook. We frequently combine this with the Brahmatal trek for a 9-10 day Kumaon Garhwal extension.

Reach Kathgodam by overnight train from Delhi. Our shared transport leaves at 7:00 AM and reaches Lohajung in 10 hours via Almora and Gwaldam.

Cancellations must be requested in writing.

- More than 30 days before the trek start date: 90% refund. - 21–30 days before: 50% refund. - 11–20 days before: 25% refund. - 10 days or fewer: no refund, but you may transfer your slot to another trekker or to any future batch within 12 months at no extra charge.

Refunds are processed to the original payment method within 7-10 working days. Trip cancellations triggered by us (weather, force majeure, government restrictions) are refunded in full or moved to an alternate batch at your option.