Pandav Gufa

A rock cave about 1.5 km above Gangotri, on the side the Gaumukh trail leaves by, held to be where the Pandavas meditated on their way to Kailash. The distance is nothing; the air at 3,100 m is the point. Most pilgrims skip it, and for anyone weighing up Gaumukh it makes a sober first test: how the legs and the breath behave on a gentle climb here says a good deal about how a three-day walk higher up will go. Free, no facilities, best done in the morning, and under snow outside the April-to-November season.

A half-hour walk most pilgrims skip, and a fair first read on how you are handling the altitude