Gangotri Yatra 4/4

This is the 4th and final video of the series showing my trip to Gangotri and the Gomukh Glacier at the end of September and beginning of October 2009. This clip shows the approach to Bhojbasa and the campgrounds there for travelers to Gomukh. It then shows the 4km hike up to Gomukh with various shots of the glacier and the sights along the way. (No horses are allowed into Bhojbasa or beyond it.)

The river Bhagirathi Ganga which flows out of the glacier mouth does not get all its water from the melting of the glacier. Meltwater coming down from the surrounding mountains and from the high meadows of Tapovan slide under the glacier edge and find their way into the hidden stream which later emerges from the "mouth of the cow", i.e. the "Go-mukh" -shaped cavern that you see in the videos. In this sense, the real source of the Ganga is the meadows of Tapovan. As you look at the glacier in the video, Tapovan is across the Ganga and higher up by a few hundred meters. Best reached only with a professional guide, it is a tough ascent for the unprepared and so I had to postpone it. Maybe next time!