Roopkund Lake

Roopkund is a shallow tarn at about 5,020 metres that holds the remains of several hundred people, exposed when the ice melts each summer, found by a forest ranger in 1942. The long-standing explanation was a single disaster, a hailstorm killing a party of pilgrims around the ninth century. Genetic work published in 2019 complicated that: the remains fall into distinct groups, one of South Asian ancestry dating to around the seventh to tenth centuries and another of eastern Mediterranean ancestry dating to roughly the eighteenth, meaning the bones accumulated over a thousand years from unrelated events. Access has been restricted in recent years for preservation.

What you'll find

• The lake - a small tarn below a ridge at just over 5,000 metres.
• The remains - bones exposed around the shore as ice melts in summer.
• The Bedni and Ali bugyals - vast high meadows crossed on the way up.
• Trisul and Nanda Ghunti - peaks standing above the route.

When to go

May to June and September to October when the route is passable; the monsoon between is dangerous and winter closes it. Access rules have changed repeatedly and must be checked before planning.

Good to know

Access has been restricted or closed at times to protect the site, and rules change; verify current status before committing. The trek reaches 5,000 metres and altitude sickness is a genuine risk. Removing or handling remains is prohibited.

Nearby

The Bedni Bugyal meadows are on the route; Lohajung is the road head.

Key facts