ABHA (About Best Himalayan Adventures) – July 2019

Urgam

Cost Box

Go

Joshimath – Badginda (Urgam)

by a non-shared taxi: ₹800 for an

approximately 2-hour drive

The wide tar road except some broken

sections receives thin traffic. The

road affords views of the Barmal and

Hathi Parbat peaks. The Treveni,

the confluence of the Kalp Ganga,

the Dhauli Ganga, and another

small stream, sits beside the road.

Rhododendron trees bloom near the

road amid a mix forest.

Narrow mud paths climb to small

villages on difficult high slopes

bordering the road. The residents cited

two reasons for these locational choices.

People set up the hamlets to protect

them from the World War II. Dacoits

lived in some of these villages two-three

centuries ago. However, now there are

no dacoits.

Buses do not ply on this route.

Frequency of the shared jeeps depends

on the limited demand. The drivers

allow their relatives and regular clients

in non-shared booking vehicles and still

collect entire fare from the person who

hired it.

Getting around

On foot

Eat

Urgam did not have dhabas in April,

2019. Only one or two tea stalls served
      tea and simple snacks.
      Homestays serve unlimited vegetarian
      set meals for ₹50-80 per person, per
      meal. The short menus mainly list
      food prepared from locally grown
      ingredients, including rye ka sag and
      pudina ki chutney.

Sleep / Stay

Urgam does not have a hotel either.

A few homestays in Badginda and the

neighboring village Devgram offer basic

rooms without attached baths. Shared

bathrooms (bath area and toilet in

one room) are also missing. Separate

but shared toilets and bath areas are a

norm. One or two rooms have attached

bath without tap water. The tariff varies

from ₹300 to 1,000 per person, per day

for a non-shared very basic room.

Homestays do not collect advance but

expect booking over phone one or two

weeks before the arrival date.

Homestays also follow a practice of

set check-in and check-out time. For

instance, check-out for one of the

homestays was 9:00 am. Check with

owners while reserving a room.

Porters

₹500 for 25 kg per day plus meals and

stay

Trekking Guide

₹500-1,000 per day

Mobile Network, Internet,

and STDs

Both Airtel and B.S.N.L. worked well.

Info Bytes

Location

District Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India

Petrol Pumps

None

Money, Bank, A.T.Ms...

A micro banking branch and an A.T.M.

of the State Bank of India (S.B.I.)

provide banking services in Badginda.

Safety

Homestays are commercial enterprises.

Do not rely on the owners blindly. Do

confirm the rates in advance.

Variants of Spellings

Badginda or Barginda ☻

Common Cost Box

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