Kedarkantha Trek

Kedarkantha Trek

Description

Kedarkantha Trek is one of the easy to moderate summit treks to do in winters as well as in summers. One gets to experience a full 360 degrees view of the Himalayas. A trek that offers some amazing views in the day and through nights, sliding on soft snow, and a sense of accomplishing a summit at 12, 500 feet. This trek is perfect for someone who wants experience trekking in the Himalayas.

Kedarkantha Trek is part of the Garhwal Himalayas. This is a trek of 18kms with gradual ascends and descends. As per the local folklore, the Kedarkantha summit was the spot where lord Shiva had meditated for a long time. As he was leaving this place, he left his "Kantha-haar" meaning "zevar from the throat" at the spot. The locals mention that their ancestors had replaced it with a Trishul (Trident) which can still be found at the summit.

Altitudes:
Sankri – 6,400 feet – Juda ka talaab – 9,050 feet – Kedarkantha base 11,060 feet – Hargaon – 8890 feet

Itinerary

Day 1 – Drive from Dehradun to Sankri (220kms/ 8 – 9hrs)
Reach Dehradun railway station by 06.30am and assemble at the pickup point. We start the drive from Dehradun railway station by 7 am with a halt for breakfast at Kempti falls and lunch at Purola by 1.30pm.

We should reach Sankri by 4.30pm and check into the homestay / guesthouse.

At around 7pm we have a team briefing with soup & snacks in which we get to know each other better. We will share the plan of the trek routes, evacuation strategies, picture moments and more.

Day 2 – Sankri to Juda ka Talaab (4kms/ 3-4hours) (6,400 feet – 9,075 feet)

Kedarkantha Trek

Today, we start at 8.00am from Sankri. We walk along the road for 15 mins and take the trail starting from the right.

We cross a cement bridge after an hour of the trek and rest for bit. Another hour of ascend and we reach a clearing where we halt for lunch. After lunch we continue the ascend for about an hour and reach a second clearing. Right above this clearing is the Juda ka Talaab campsite. We trek for another 15mins to reach our campsite for the day. We do some cool down session and enjoy the rest of the day.

Day 3 – Juda to Talalaab to Kedarkantha base/ Taalkhetra (3.5kms/ 3-4hours) (9,075 – 11,060 feet)

Kedarkantha Trek

We start at about 9am from Juda ka talaab. Right after crossing the lake towards our left, we take the trail above it. This trail leads us straight to the Kedarkantha base. This is going to be an ascend through dense forests and clearings.

From here, we can see the Kedarkantha summit right in front of us. We will have an early dinner and sleep.

Day 4 – Kedarkantha base to Kedarkantha Summit and back to Kedarkantha base (5kms/ 4-5hours) to Hargaon (2.5kms/ 2hours) (11,060 feet – 12,500 feet – 8,890 feet)

Kedarkantha Trek

Today we start early. We aim at starting the trek by 5 am to get a complete view from the top with the sunrise.

We reach the Kedarkantha Summit by sunrise. After spending 20 mins and enjoying the breath taking 360 degrees Himalayan views, we start to descend. On reaching the base, have lunch by noon and start packing. Post lunch, we start our descend to Hargaon and reach by 5pm. We enjoy a hot serving of soup with an early dinner and sleep.

Day 5 – Hargaon to Sankri (6kms/ 4 hours) & Sankri to Dehradun (220kms 8 – 9hours)

Kedarkantha Trek

We start the day as early as possible to make it to Sankri by before 11 AM. We start to descend to Sankri by 6am. We trek through the forests once again to get down to the cement bridge we had crossed on our trek from Sankri to Juda Ka Talab (JKT). From this cemented bridge, we follow the same trail that gets down to Sankri. We have lunch at Sankri post our return. We can then to proceed to the bus stand or the railway station.

Inclusions:
1) Trek starts from Sankri and ends at Sankri.
2) Meals - All the meals from Sankri to Sankri. Customizable meal menu with both veg and non-veg food options (based on availability).
3) Accommodation -
- 1st night in a hotel / guesthouse in Sankri on twin sharing basis.
- Camping while on trek on twin sharing basis.
- While camping, wanderers will provide: dry cleaned sleeping bags and mattresses with fresh individual fleece liner for hygiene.
- Toilets – clean and hygienic (traditional cat pit style).
- Camping chairs and tables at the campsite.
4) Guide - There will be a well experienced local guide who is well versed with the local topography.
5) Camping & trekking permits and permissions from the local administrations/ authorities.
6) Equipment (if required) can be rented from Wanderers.
7) Offloading the rucksack - 1 bag per trekker (less than 15 Kgs).

Exclusions:
1) Any meals/services not mentioned above
2) Any costs in accommodation & food arising out of unforeseen circumstances like landslides, road blocks, bad weather, etc.
3) Insurance
4) Alcohol, soft drinks, beverages, etc.
5) Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
6) Any charges for video cameras, still cameras, etc.