Mana villlage, Vasudhara Falls Trek, Badrinath, Uttrakhand

Mana village is a the last Indian village in the northern part of Uttarakhand around 2 km from the holy town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. It was a chilly November morning when we left Joshimath for Badrinath in a Tata Sumo. In an hour and a half after crossing Vishnuprayag, Govindghat we reached Badrinath on the banks of river Alakananda. After offering prayers at the temple we headed for Mana, the last village of Indian territory.

Badrinath temple from a distance

Badrinath temple getting decorated for closing ceremony

Offerings at Badrinath temple

Mt Neelkanth dominating the view behind the Badrinath temple

We strolled in the streets of Mana, a quaint Indian village situated 3 km north of Badrinath and had maggie and bread omlet for breakfast at one of its cafe. People of Mana belong to the Bhutia tribes.They migrate to their houses in and around Joshimath during spine-chilling winters and return to Mana once the Badrinath temple reopens in the month of April.They usually grow vegetables, maintain livestock and make woollen clothes for a living. Soon after breakfast we headed towards the Vasudhara falls situated at the end of this village’s boundary.We crossed the sacred Bhim pool which is supposed to be the source of river Saraswati.

A cafe with a spectacular view

Gateway to Mana village

Stone huts of Mana and handicrafts they make are on display

Overlooking Bhim Pool, Origin of the Saraswati river

Enjoying maggie with a amazing view of the mountains

Crystal clear water of Bhimpool

The four of us threaded the well defined trail towards the falls with snow clad mountains as our comrades throughout the journey. The cloudy weather and occasional snowing made our trek even more thrilling. In around 2.5 hours we saw the first glimpse of the Vasudhara falls and reached the top in another 30 minutes.It had started snowing and the harsh winds almost swept us away.The trail towards Santopanth lake could be seen arising from the base of the cliff. Most part of the falls was frozen.After a short break up there we headed back to the starting point of our journey and reached Mana village at around 4.30 pm.

The trail to Vasudhara falls

Trail to Satopanth trek on the left

Ravi Busy in photographing Krishna and Tathagata , along the trail

The landscapes around Mana village

Vasudhara falls swiping away in wind

Frozen base of the waterfall

While I went to see the Vyyas caves the others went back to our cab. Vyyas cave is more than 5000 years old. It is here that saint Vyyas had meditated for thousands of years according to Indian mythology. The priest there was very friendly and had given consent to take a selfie with me. The shop next to temple was supposed to be the last tea shop of Indian territory before China border. After a short interaction with the locals in the village I hurried back to my cab.It was already started getting dark and we headed back to Joshimath.

Sunset

A selfie with a local resident kid of Mana

A selfie with the priest

The trail to Vasudhara falls

Colours on the way back from Vasudhara

Summary

Location– Mana Village
3 kms from Badrinath,
40 kms from Joshimath,
360 kms from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
Altitude -Mana village -3200 metres , Vasudhara Falls -3650 metres above sea level.
Best time -May/June to November.Rest of the year roads are closed due to snowfall.

Vasudhara Falls- 4 km trek from Mana Village on a well laid trail.
Start early as weather deteriorates later in the day.
No water source on the route.
Alternative trek routes from Badrinath Onwards –
1. Santopanth Lake– 4-5 days. 2. Neelkanth Base camp– 2-3 days 3. Mana Pass– 5-6 days