The pasture uplands of Uttarakhand’s alpine heights are focal points for many of our splendid treks in the region. These are the Bugyals—fecund grassy uplands secreted away in mountain laps where shepherds take their herds in summer days before the winter snow renders them fallow. Dayara is a relatively lesser known Bugyal, accessible from Uttarkashi by just a short, crisp but it is one that pays off magnificent rewards.

Dayara in the local tongue refers to a circular plot of land, reflecting the hoop shaped grassy turf of this Bugyal, margined by dark oak and maple woods and beyond the green reaches, a glowing snowline of the Bandarpoonch and other ranges. A rambling walk through the undulated pastures of Dayara will bring you out of the world frames of its green ecosystem, the whispering wilderness of the oak woods, and somewhere far away, a breathless peak view panorama gradually unveiling. Along the entire stretch, at different junctures, you can catch glimpses of the Gangotri set of peaks, Srikanth peak, Bandarpoonch, and Black Peak.

Another high point of the journey comes on the fourth day when we are ascending to 12, 100 ft. from our Dayara campsite to Dayara Top. A ridge walk takes you to convergences of many adjoining meadows including the Giddara Bugyal. You will also find a descent trail to Dodital- a fresh water lake which is the origin of Assi Ganga. The summer meadows are infused on this stretch with a spray of wildflowers, all yellow. On all of this paradisiacal effervescence, the snow thatched Bandarpoonch will cast an iridescent impression. The walk ambles down from here to Barsu, a pretty settlement memorable for its silkenly flowing buckwheat fields and poppy beds. Before reaching the village, we make a last stop at Barnala, a small crystal waterhole flanked by a temple of the Nag Devata.