Chaainsheel Bugyal

Chaainsheel Bugyal — Off-the-Grid in Jaunsar's Tons Valley

Chaainsheel Bugyal is one of the genuinely undiscovered meadow treks of Uttarakhand. At 12,500 ft (3,810 m), the bugyal sits deep inside the Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary in the remote Jaunsar region of western Uttarakhand — a culturally distinct district of polyandrous Jaunsari tribal villages that has only recently been linked by paved roads to the rest of the state. The trail sees almost no other trekking groups; nights are spent in shepherd huts and meadow campsites under the wall of the Kalanag (20,725 ft) and Bandarpoonch (20,719 ft) massif. For trekkers who have done the standard Sankri-Har Ki Dun-Kedarkantha circuit and want something genuinely quiet, Chaainsheel is the next frontier.

Why this trek is different

Three factors make Chaainsheel an outlier. First, access: the trail is approached via Tiuni — a small administrative town on the Tons river that takes 10 hours to reach from Dehradun via Chakrata. The drive alone weeds out crowds. Second, culture: the Jaunsar region is one of the few documented practitioners of fraternal polyandry in modern India (multiple brothers share a wife), and the local Kolta and Khasa communities have distinct dialects, dress, and architectural styles unrelated to standard Garhwali culture. Third, landscape: the bugyal itself is a vast 4 km grassland with multiple satellite meadows, used by Gaddi shepherds from Himachal who walk their flocks across the Bandarpoonch ridges every summer.

The route from Tiuni

The trek begins at Tiuni (3,500 ft), a Tons valley town with one petrol pump and a Forest Department office. Day 2 drives 30 minutes to Lokhandi village, the actual roadhead, and treks 5 km through deodar forest to a forest camp. Day 3 climbs through pine and oak to the meadow's lower edge at Khachla campsite (10,800 ft). Day 4 is the highlight: a day-hike to Chaainsheel Top (12,500 ft) across the open meadow with 360° views of the entire Bandarpoonch-Kalanag massif and across to Himachal's Pabbar valley. Day 5 descends back to Lokhandi, Day 6 drives back to Dehradun.

The bugyal and what you'll see

Chaainsheel Bugyal is a classic high-altitude grassland — 4 kilometres of open meadow at 11,500-12,500 ft with grazing sheep and goats, wildflowers in summer (yellow potentillas, blue gentians, white anemones), and herds of Gaddi shepherd flocks. From the top viewpoint you can see the wall of Kalanag (Black Peak) and Bandarpoonch directly south, the Swargarohini massif further east (the Pandavas' ascent route in the Mahabharata), and on clear days into Himachal's Pabbar valley north. The meadow is a known habitat for Himalayan tahr, blue sheep, and the occasional musk deer; if you walk quietly at dawn or dusk you have a reasonable chance of spotting them.

Best season

Two windows. May-June: snow-melt streams, wildflowers in early bloom, mild days. September-October: post-monsoon clarity, golden meadow, frosty nights. July-August (monsoon): trail closed, leeches in the lower forest. November-April: snow at the upper meadow, trail variable. We typically run May, June, and September-October batches only.

Difficulty and prerequisites

This is a graded moderate trek. Daily walking is 5-10 km on mixed forest-meadow terrain. The summit-day altitude (12,500 ft) is moderate by Garhwal standards. Suitable for fit first-timers with reasonable cardiovascular fitness (6 km in 50 minutes). Children 12+ manage well; the trek is good for families. The remoteness is the only complicating factor — there is no medical evacuation closer than Tiuni (8 hours by foot + drive).

Camping and infrastructure

Camps at Lokhandi (forest, Day 2) and Khachla (meadow, Days 3-4). We pitch designated forest-department-permitted sites with two-person tents, sleeping bags rated to -5°C, kitchen tents, and pit toilets. Mules carry group gear from Lokhandi onwards. The shepherd huts at Khachla can serve as kitchen shelter in bad weather. No mobile network anywhere on the trail — last signal is at Tiuni (BSNL only).

Cultural angle — Jaunsar and the Mahasu Devta

The Jaunsar region has its own tutelary deity — Mahasu Devta, a four-headed manifestation of Lord Shiva worshipped uniquely in the Tons-Pabbar valley region across Uttarakhand and Himachal. The main Mahasu temple at Hanol (a 30-minute detour from Tiuni) is one of the oldest functioning shrines in the Western Himalaya, with a wood-and-stone Khasa-style architecture predating most Garhwali temples. The local Jaunsari language is closer to Western Pahari than to Garhwali. Many of our trek leaders speak Jaunsari and can introduce you to local families if you are interested.

Govind Pashu Vihar — the sanctuary context

The trek lies within the Govind Pashu Vihar National Park, a 957 sq km protected area created in 1955 to protect the snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, and Himalayan tahr. Camping is restricted to designated sites and Forest Department permits are mandatory; we handle them at Tiuni on Day 1. Plastic, fishing, and fire-wood collection are banned within the park.

Reach Dehradun. Our shared transport leaves at 6:30 AM on Day 1 and reaches Tiuni in 10 hours via Chakrata.

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.