Gaumukh
is the origin place of one of the sacred rivers of India, i.e. Ganga. The
place is situated between the serene beauty of the Inner Himalaya in the
state of Uttarakhand. It’s a very pleasant trek, snow-covered mountains will follow you all along, and the beauty you will come across is beyond words. Gaumukh is situated in the Uttarkashi district of
Uttarakhand state of India. It is 18 km. ahead of the main temple of Ganga
in Gangotri, so most of the pilgrims go to the Gangotri, but a few daring
ones complete their journey by traveling the trek of 18 km to Gaumukh.

Bhojwasa
Bhojwasa

The journey starts from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand. You have to
depart early in the morning if you want to complete the journey to
Gangotri in one day. You can either go by jeep or the state
government bus service to Uttarkashi.

Gangotri is again
100 km from Uttarakashi. Usually, you can find a jeep to Gangotri till 3
PM. After reaching Gangotri, arrange for a hotel, or you can also
stay in an ashram.

Get your permit from the forest
office for 150 rupees. This permit is a must for the trek
because the trek and the Gaumukh itself lie inside the boundaries of
Gangotri National Park. The permit will be checked at the check post 2 km
ahead of the main office. Without a pass, you can not proceed from there.  You can also get the permit at the Uttarkashi office of the forest department. We did not know where it was, so we took ours from Gangotri. However, arranging a pass early in Uttarakashi will save you some time in Gangotri, and you can start early in the morning for the trek. After you have arranged your permit, purchase some eatables. Now, get ready for the trek.

Start
your trek in the morning; the best time is not later than 8 AM if you want to stay at
Bhojwasa. Gaumukh is 5 km from Bhojwasa, where you can either stay at
Lal Baba Ashram, paying 300 rupees for a day including food, or you can
stay in a GMVN guest house, which is much more costly.

If you want to complete your journey in one day, you have to move early in the morning. You can hike further to the Tapovan, which is 4-5 km from Gaumukh, but there you will need a Guide, which is costly. After Bhojwasa, you may feel difficulty in breathing; for this, you can keep naphthalene balls and smell them whenever you feel difficulty in breathing.