Altitude and safety on the Nanda Devi Raj Jat route: what every walker should know
The first days of the Raj Jat route run through villages and forest, but the middle of the journey climbs into very high ground around Bedni Bugyal, Roopkund and Homkund, where the risks are different in kind. This guide covers the main ones, in plain language. It is general information, not medical advice.
Altitude sickness
Air pressure falls as you climb, so each breath carries less oxygen. Above roughly 2,500 m some people begin to feel the effects, and by the height of the high meadows many do. Acute mountain sickness is common and usually mild at first: headache, nausea, dizziness, unusual tiredness and poor sleep. It tends to come on several hours after arriving at a new height, often in the night.
Two dangerous forms
- High-altitude pulmonary oedema (fluid on the lungs): breathlessness at rest, a persistent cough, a feeling of drowning, blue lips.
- High-altitude cerebral oedema (swelling of the brain): confusion, loss of coordination (a person cannot walk a straight line), severe headache, drowsiness.
Both can be fatal and both are reversed fastest by descending. Fitness does not protect you; some very fit people are affected and some less fit people are not. The usual cause of trouble is going up too fast.
What reduces the risk
- Climb gradually. A common guideline above about 3,000 m is to raise the height at which you sleep by no more than 300 to 500 m a day, with a rest day every three or four days. The Raj Jat’s own pace, with its many short days, helps; do not add speed to it.
- Drink plenty of water and eat regularly, and avoid alcohol.
- Do not go higher with symptoms. Rest at the same height, and descend if they do not clear or if they get worse.
- Tell someone. Symptoms are easy to hide from yourself; people in a group usually notice confusion first.
- Medication. Some people take preventive medicine on a doctor’s advice. Do not start any without it.
Cold, rain and exposure
The yatra has traditionally been held around the end of the monsoon, so rain and mist are likely rather than exceptional, and temperatures at night near the high lakes fall below freezing even in summer. Wet clothes lose their warmth. Carry waterproofs and spare dry layers, avoid cotton, and treat shivering and clumsiness as signs to warm up and shelter immediately.
Remoteness and terrain
- Help is far away. On the high sections it can be a day or more on foot to a road.
- Phone coverage is not guaranteed. Agree meeting points and what to do if someone is missing.
- Loose ground. Scree and old snow around the high lakes are easy to misjudge.
- Landslides. Slopes near the road and trail can fail after heavy rain. Do not cross active slides or wait beneath them.
- Stream crossings. Swollen streams should not be crossed in the afternoon after rain; wait or find another way.
Crowds and the procession
When the Raj Jat is on, thousands of people use the same narrow paths. Keep to the instructions of the organisers and the district administration, do not overtake the doli or the sacred party, and look after children and older relatives, who are more vulnerable in crowds and in the cold. The authorities may restrict access to parts of the route; check current notices before travel.
Before you go: a short checklist
- See a doctor if you have any relevant condition.
- Plan extra days for a gradual climb.
- Carry waterproofs, warm layers, a head torch, a first-aid kit and enough water treatment.
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Check the latest notices from the district administration.
- Know the turn-back rule: if in doubt, go down.
Sources and notes
- General altitude-illness guidance is standard in mountain medicine; if you want more, read the advice of a recognised mountain-medicine or wilderness-medicine body rather than relying on this page.
- Heights are those published in the Raj Jat booklet and elsewhere; this site does not measure height.
- Emergency number: 112 is India’s national emergency number.