Teejam To Bona Trek | Indian Western Himalayas Traverse Guide - Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
Teejam To Bona is a hidden Trek in Kumaon Region of Pithoragarh District Uttarakhand.
Choosing The Right Season Is Half The Work Done.
If you want to access passes below 4000m in Uttarakhand, start in May. Uttarakhand is the only state where you
get everything from low forests to high glaciers, which is why you can hike here all year.
I chose to start my Western Himalayas Traverse in mid-May. Teejam to Bona was the first section – 26km, 3
passes, and 2 completely uninhabited valleys. You can Download the route GPX from [here].
How I reached Teejam:
I took a government bus from Delhi to Pithoragarh – around Rs 600 if my memory serves me right. From
Pithoragarh, a shared taxi to Dharchula for Rs 300. Total journey – 15 hours.
In Dharchula, I checked into a dorm for Rs 800. It was expensive because of the Adi Kailash season. I spent the
whole day sightseeing and even crossed over to Nepal – you only need your Aadhar card to enter.
The next day, I was lucky. All taxis were booked for Adi Kailash Yatra, but I found one going towards Teejam.
Day 1: Reaching Sungdom Village
From Dharchula, we reached Teejam. The driver was a local and told me there is now a well-built road from Teejam to Sungdom, so he dropped me directly at the village.
In Sungdom, you have two options – you can camp at the local school and eat at a homestay, or you can stay and eat at the homestay itself. During my time, the school was occupied by an Army platoon that was there for route recce, so I stayed at a homestay. With dinner, evening tea, next morning breakfast, and packed lunch, it cost me Rs 1000 – you have to negotiate gently.
There is no mobile network in the village, but there is a community WiFi that anyone can use. There is also one small shop where you can buy biscuits and chocolates, nothing fancy.
Day 2: Acclimatising At 3300 meter
My plan for the next day was to acclimatize. So I decided to camp at 3300m, just 2km below Balchidhura Pass. The distance from Sungdom to the campsite was approx 6km.
I woke up around 6 AM, packed my backpack and was served breakfast – chapati, curd, and chutney. I met a 75-year-old lady there. She was so energetic, working all the time and never getting tired. We had breakfast together.
After packing chapati and chutney for dinner and saying goodbye to her, I started towards the campsite. There is only a single source of drinking water on the way – a small stream.
Around 1 PM, I reached the campsite but it was a bit sloppy. The weather was turning bad, so I sat under a boulder – it had a good one-person space – till the rain stopped around 3 PM. Then I pitched my tent. The weather was clearing and there was a water source near the campsite for drinking and cooking.
I always feel reaching a campsite before 5 PM is boring – you have half a day left with nothing to do. I had a book with me, which helped me pass time till evening. And the view was as beautiful as it can get.
I couldn’t sleep much, only 3-4 hours, which I expected because of the altitude. You can read my detailed article on why it happens during acclimatization. here.
This was the end of Day 2.
Day 3: Crossing Two Uninhabited Valleys
Early morning, after having chapatis with peanut butter for breakfast [you can carry oats + dry fruits as an alternative], I started hiking towards the first pass – Balchidhura Pass, at 12,500 feet. It was a little tough, as there is a steep climb just below the pass.[3810m]
There, I met a team from the Indian Army. There were two teams – one coming from Sungdom and one from Bona. Their meeting point was this pass. They had camped in the valley just below Balchidhura, which is a completely uninhabited and beautiful place to camp near the stream. I had a conversation with them – they were from the Bhairav Battalion.
I started hiking down westward into the valley. The trail goes through the nala which was frozen at that time. I had to cross over it multiple times and slipped twice. If you lose balance, it will take you straight down to the valley. Somehow, I managed to come down and met the rest of the team there. They offered me hot water to drink.
After a short conversation, I moved west towards the second pass – Guindhar Khal at 12,000 feet. You cross the pass and you can see another valley and the 3rd pass. You hike down north-west and reach a stream called Kulka Gadhera [stream is called Gadhera in Uttarakhand]. The stream in the previous valley was Jimba Gadhera. The trail is pretty much visible till here.[3800m]
After some rest and water, I started moving south-west on the slope and just 500m before the 3rd pass, I met a young shepherd boy. I asked him for water and we talked a bit. He insisted I stay at their camp for the night, have dinner, and cross the pass to Bona the next day. I was hungry and couldn’t say no to his hospitality.
He offered me tea and in the night, rice and dal. I had a good night’s sleep. End of Day 3.
Day 4: Reaching Madhkot
Next morning, I woke up around 5:30 AM. It was a beautiful morning. I saw many shepherds coming from the village to go to the glaciers in hope of finding Kida Jadi – a fungus found in high-altitude glaciers, used for medicinal purposes.
After having tea and chapati, I thanked him and left for Bona. In Next 5 minutes, i crossed my 3rd Pass of this Section, which was Daharti Khal At Altitude 3430 meters. It was a steep, rocky downhill path, slippery due to rain and leaves. I reached Bona around 10 AM and a local aunty stopped me and offered tea.
I can never say no to tea, especially in the morning.
On reaching the road, I saw a pick-up truck leaving for Madkot. As per locals, only one pick-up leaves for Madkot, that too around 10 AM. I was lucky to get it. In one and a half hours, I reached Madkot.
There, I stayed in a guest house which charged Rs 800. You also have the option to camp here – walk 200m on the trail towards Guldip or Chulkot village and you will find a campsite. There are many dhabas and shops to restock before your next trek, which is Madkot to Buin.
It was a great experience walking this trail. If you want to camp alone and experience true wilderness, this is the trail for it.
You can watch the full trek from Teejam to Bona on my YouTube channel here [Video link].
And if you are interested in independent hiking in the Indian Himalayas and want to learn all the required skills – from choosing campsites to map reading – you can check the availability of the next batch of Life On Trail Bootcamp by reaching out to me directly on provided Whats App or any other Social Media.