A memorable trekking trip to Dagala or as they say…Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek

October 24, 2021

A memorable trekking trip to Dagala or as they say…Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek

The clapping of the waves of the water along the edges of the rock, the chirping of the birds to be heard from afar distance. I don’t want this to become a memory but I want this experience to be a part of me. And yes that’s none other than the beautiful Dagala – the place of thousand lakes or as they call it the Dagala, Thousand lakes trek. Earlier I used to go for small treks and hiking occasionally but the pandemic had caused a lot of sensation across the globe with the lives of many getting affected severely. Confined to a limited number of places had been the new routine for most of us. But little does moment realize that I am a kind of person who just waits for an opportunity to come by and the next moment I am nowhere to be seen near you. All thanks to my friend Jimme who informed me on this trek and through which it became possible. This trek was a 4 days and 3 nights trek and was arranged by one of the freelance trekking and culture guide, Passang Tshering in Bhutan from 15-18 October 2021. We have so many places to explore in Bhutan and yet we look to go out of the country. Said and done, the point to appreciate is the fact that we should feel lucky to be able to get the chance to explore these beautiful places when we still have the energy to.

The Dagala trek as they say it starts from Genekha, a place which is about 40km away from Thimphu town. It has always been the best option to start the trek in the early hours of the day and that’s what we too did by starting in the early morning hours. The first day is basically all uphill and personally I felt it was the toughest climb out of all the days. Passing by the alpine forest, the natural beauty, the mountains, the cool breeze, the aroma, the thin air as you climb up the trek makes you forget the hosh posh of life and it becomes something like you want to just focus on the moment. In the first day you start from Genekha and move uphill for almost 15km till Labatama which is at an altitude of almost about 4300m passing by beautiful sceneries. There are people like me who cannot walk fast and really takes time to catch up. Thank God it was not a race otherwise my condition would have been pathetic. We were being greeted by rain and hailstorm along the way but it was worth the climb when we reached our camp on the first night. It was very cold and it’s always advisable to cover your head at higher altitudes.

The second day, we woke up to a beautiful scenery getting to see the stunning views of various mountain ranges. Our camps were pitched at a valley site which was of course also near by the Lakes or “Tshos”. We passed by many beautiful lakes namely "Eu tsho", "Tsha tsho", "Thro tsho", "Bae tsho", "Dagey tsho", "Bjagay tsho", Lha tsho", "Ser tsho" and many more (p.s. sorry that I am not able to recollect the names properly but I do remember one of the lakes which was called as the Vulture lake and that happened to be the main Lake). There are many myths associated with the formation of the lakes and that something which I felt was the more you went inside the place the more lakes would sprout out. It was a kind of feeling which I got that the formation of the lakes were never ending. There were places of meditation too. That extreme peace I felt that I was actually in Mother Nature’s arms where I even remember telling my friend to give me a moment by myself to sit by the lake side and observe the moment pass by as if I was actually conversing with the lake. I guess every individual perceives it in their own ways and it was the same for me where I felt like I was actually conversing with the lake, pouring out what I was feeling and believe me or not and some might even find it ridiculous but I actually became emotional for a while and felt that I was actually conversing with my mother. I know readers will find it hard to believe it, but all I can say is that your experience at this place will surely make you feel something different. The serene beauty, the mesmerizing views, the quietness of the place, the chirping of the birds to be heard from a far distance, the crystal clear water of the lakes shining and shimmering under the reflection of the sun’s rays, the cool breeze blowing by your face are so much worth to mention that it actually makes you forget the worldly things which we are so much attached to. The second day ended with all of us trying to explore as many lakes as possible. That’s why I already mentioned that the more deep you go into the place, the more lakes are discovered and no wonder its being rightly said “A place of thousand lakes”. By late evening heavy downpour made us all come together in our tents where we all got the chance to sit together sing and be merry.

The third day we moved from Labatama towards Pangka at an altitude of 4000m. It was basically a downhill climb with lots of rocky surfaces. Of course the previous day rainfall did continue on the next day also. I remember waking up on the night of the previous day and recall the peculiar sound the lake was making. I know people might call me an imaginary person but yes I am actually. It was pretty difficult to get a mobile network at Labatama with B-mobile but yes good enough to get a Tashi network signal. Our earlier camp at Labatama was at a valley site while the one where we camped on the third day was a flat area. Within just a matter of two days I had already started kind of feeling an attachment with the place and to be moving to another camp on the third day was a little bit of parting feeling for me. It’s very obvious for every one of us to have that feeling of saying good byes when you have started liking the place. It is just a matter of second, a flicker of light for the moment to pass by. The third day was basically a kind of wrap up for the trip and there was bonfire, singing and merry going. The charm of the moment was such that even though you were tired of the climb up hill and downhill but your mind was not accepting the fact that your body was tired and you just felt like living in the moment.

The fourth and the final day was the climb downhill from Pangka to Chamgang for approximately 15km. We started at around 8 am and reached Chamgang around 4-4:30 pm. This downhill climb was a hell of an experience as it was not a rocky surface, not a bumpy surface but rather a muddy surface. Continuous rain, muddy way downhill was sarcastically a blessing in disguise. We were the last group to reach Chamgang with almost all of us having slipped one way or the other at least once along the way. Shoes totally drenched in the muddy water, pants almost all soaked, rain water dripping through the eyelashes, getting to eat a simple food, a hot cup of tea standing in the forest of alpine trees was a moment to remember which I will always carry with me wherever I go. Chamgang, ah!! Prison where prisoners with long term are being sent is the only thing I had heard about. I saw this place for the first time in my life and frankly saying it’s a beautiful small community. We were being told along the way that there is a kind of trading bond between the Dagala and Chamgang.

Alas! The moment I set my feet on the black top roads of Chamgang and heard the noises of vehicles plying by, people’s chattering it was hard to get the sense of realization that I was back to square one from where it all started. The past 3.5 days was a moment for me where I did not get time to think about any worldly things, money matters, attachments and so many more things where we are so much bounded by and confined to. It was a moment where I got to be with myself, with Mother Nature and experience the moment of solidarity for sometimes.

PS: I will definitely recommend you all to take enough warm clothes, take raincoat instead of umbrella, cover your head as you start moving towards higher altitude in order to avoid altitude sickness and severe headaches, flask, sunscreen, make sure you carry a fully charged power bank as there is not going to be any light facility, a sleeping bag and a flash light.

Last but not the least, a huge shout out and token of appreciation and thanks to our friend, our organizer Passang Tshering without whom the trip would not have been made possible. Organizing from transportation to every individual’s tent, food and ensuring everyone is being well taken care of was all being managed by him. Definitely anyone wishing to make a trip next time to different destinations can always contact him through IG and FB. I will leave his handles below.
Passang’s IG : bhutanwithpassang & FB : bhutanwithpassang

Happy Reading!

Some pictures from the trip: