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Title : Kuari Pass (3690m)
Category : Trek
Duration : 9 Days
Location : Uttaranchal
Season : Summer (mar - june)
Autumn (sep - nov)
Grade : Moderate
Kuari Pass is probably the best window to view the high Himalayan
peaks. The views are simply breathtaking, facing north the
vision sweeps from the gorges of Trishul in the east to the
peaks of Kedarnath in the west - the Kedarnath, Chaukhamba,
Nilkantha, Kamet, Gauri Parbat, Hathi Parbat, Nandadevi,
Bethartoli, Dunagiri – (all high 6000ers or 7000 m peaks) lined
one after the other in a magnificent arc. Southwards the
foothills stretch wave upon wave on to the dim haze of the
distant plains. Dotted by some remote villages one also gets
good insights into the local life.
Day 1 : Delhi to Rishikesh (330m) 5-6hrs. Board the
morning Shatabdi Express departing New Delhi Railway Station at 7am. Reach Hardwar at 11:30 am. Transfer to the hotel in Rishikesh, a
bustling pilgrim township, a popular meditation centre and the
Yoga Capital of the world. After lunch, optional rafting on the
Ganga till short of Rishikesh. Evening explore the township and
attend the aarti (evening prayers) by the banks of the river
Ganga. Overnight hotel.
Day 2 : Drive Rishikesh to Ghat (1330m) 7-8 hrs.
The drive takes one into the rugged country of the Garhwal along
the Alaknanda river. Going past a few holy confluences and then
finally into the narrow valley of Nandakini we reach Ghat, the
road head for the trek in the evening.
Day 3 : Ghat – Ramni / Ghunni (2550m) 6-7 hrs.
For the first half the trail goes along the river and then
finally starts climbing from the river bottom, some parts being
quite steep. We camp just above the fairly large village of
Ramni in a nice grassy patch and visit the village in the
evening.
Day 4 : Ghunni – Sem Kharak (2400 m) 5-6 hrs
The trail starts climbing up to the pass, crosses a lot of small
tributary rivers and waterfalls including one which offers a
great opportunity for a shower. After a steady climb we arrive a
small pass called Ramni pass (3060m) which offers views of Kuari
Pass and then we descend gradually to the grazing meadows of Sem
Kharak.
Day 5 : Sem Kharak – Pana (2450m) 5-6 hrs
From Sem kharak we descend down to the suspension bridge over
the Birthi Ganga then climb up again to another prosperous
village of Pana
Day 6 : Pana – Dhakwani (3341m) 6-7 hrs
Option of camping at Sartoli (2980m), an hour and a half short
of Dhakwani.
A few ascends, descends and traverses bring us close to the foot
of the Kuari Pass. The trail comes out of the tree line and goes
through the grazing grounds in the meadow country to reach
Dhakwani.
Day 7 : Dhakwani – Khulara (3180m) 4-5 hrs
The trail is steep up to the Kuari Pass (3690m) and it takes
about 2-3 hours to get there. Once we are up on the pass, the
views are simply breathtaking, a wide panorama of high Himalayas
- the Chaukhamba range, Nilkanth (6596m), and Abigamin (7355m)
extend to the Tibetan border. In the middle foreground, the main
Himalayain chain in the vicinity of the Bhyundar valley &
Hemkund includes Nilgiri parbat (6474m), Rataban (6166m).
Day 8 : Khulara – Tapovan (1850m) 5-6 hrs and drive to
Pipalkoti (1330m)
The last day of the trek is all the way down to the Tapovan.
It’s about 3 hours drive from here to the comforts of the hotel
in Pipalkoti.
Day 9 : Pipalkoti – Delhi
After an early morning breakfast set out for the long 8 hr drive
to reach Haridwar in the evening to board the evening Shatabdi
Express leaving at 6:10 pm to be back in Delhi by 10:30 pm. Trip
ends with happy memories !
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