Nag Tibba lies on the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas, North-East of Mussoorie. The peak is at an altitude of 3100 m. It offers spectacular views of Mussoorie, Vikasnagar, the Banderpoonch range and spurs created by the Yamuna river valley. Nag Tibba is a typical ridge peak on the Nag Tibba Range of the lower Himalayas. In fact, along with the Pir Punjal and Dhauladhar, the Nag Tibba range forms one of the 3 main ranges of the lower Himalayas. It is mentioned in the very famous book ‘7 years in Tibet’ which chronicles the escape of Austrian climber Hienrich Harrer from the British jail into Tibet.
There is a temple dedicated to Nag Devta and the range owes its name to this temple. Snakes have always held an important status in the Hindu religion. According to Hindu mythology, snakes are considered as the representation of rebirth, death and mortality, due to its casting of the skin and being symbolically “reborn”. Since the days when religion and worship was a response to a way of life rather than a reason for existence; snakes have been given a cult status. In some places snake gods are associated with fertility. There are many snake god myths and iconographic symbols associated with them in the Hindu mythology like that of Sheshnag( Vishnu’s resting couch),ananatnag( the endless snake), Kaliya( Krishna’s dance),Vasuki (churning of the ocean), Padmanabha ( guardian snake especially in south India), Manasa devi( snake goddess) etc. For the villagers in this part of the mountains he is the protector of their cattle and sheep. Domesticated animals are their biggest assets and Nag Devta their protector.
Why Choose Nag Tibba Trek!
There are plenty of reasons to choose this trek, we hope you find yours!
- The trek takes you to an altitude in excess of 3,000 meters, which is a great feat for a two day trek!
- The Nag Tibba Peak offers splendid views of Six Thousander, snow capped Himalayan Peaks of the Bandarpoonch range, such as Black Peak, Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch I, II etc.
- The Nag Tibba trek is known for its beautiful campsites and lush Rohdodenderon forests. Come June you can relish at the wild strawberries that you find across the trail and around the top of the Nag Tibba peak.
- The trail gets covered with abundant snow in the winter months and is a joy to visit, despite not being too far away from Northern Plains.
- The biggest boon of this trek is that it can be done over the weekend. A three and a half hour drive takes us to the road-head for the trek and is a delight for anyone residing in or visiting the vicinities of Dehradun, Chandigarh, Rishikesh and Delhi.
- If you are a beginner or are not looking for something too strenous, the Nag Tibba trek is for you.