Kuari Pass Trek

Kuari Pass Trek

Description

Kuari Pass Trek is also known as Lord Curzon’s Trail. You can also do a 4700 Meters summit peak on this trek called Pangarchulla Peak. The ascend to the summit peak is meant for seasoned trekkers but is doable for beginners as well with good fitness level.

The trek is not only spectacular but very different from any other trek in Garhwal mountain region. For most part of the trek, we will be walking on endless meadows with big mountains/rocks jutting out. There are beautiful forest sections and magnificent campsites. In addition, there are many enjoyable facets of the Himalayas which make Kuari Pass trek a great choice for trekkers. You will also get the opportunity to meet and interact with shepherds, their entourage and surely be bowled over by their 'way of life'.

Highlight of the trek would be the views of the most revered mountain in the world, Nanda Devi (7816 m) along with other towering ones like Dronagiri (7066 m), Kamet (7757 m), Chaukhamba (7128 m), Trishul (7120 m) peak and many more.

Kuari Pass is a moderate level trek. Other similar level treks would be Har Ki Dun trek, Hampta Pass trek, Buran Ghati trek or Kashmir Great Lakes trek.

Itinerary

Day 1 : Arrive in Haridwar (280 kms/ 10-11 hours) - Drive to Joshimath
Take a bus/ train from Delhi to reach Haridwar in the morning by 6am. We start from Haridwar by 7am. Today will take approximately 11 hours to reach Joshimath. The drive is beautiful along the river Ganga crossing through different towns like Devprayag, Rudraprayag and Karnprayag. We check into the rooms for the night.

Kuari Pass Trek

Day 2 : Drive to Dhak (11kms/ 45 mins ), Trek to Guling (4.7kms/ 6 hours)
Next morning, we drive for 45 mins to reach Dhak. From here we trek to Guling. Today's trek is going to be a steep ascend. Right from the start we have steep patches that get gradual after a couple of hours of the trek. After reaching Tugasi, we rest for 10 mins and then continue the ascend. We ascend nearly 3,200 feet for the next campsite, Guling.

Guling is at an altitude of 9850 feet. We get to see Dronagiri, Hathi parbat and Ghoda parbat today.

Day 3 : Guling to Khullara (3kms/ 4 hours)
Today is a gradual ascend to our next campsite Khullara. We trek through the thick dense Oak forest crossing a few meadows. The next clearing is our camp for the day, Khullara. From here Dronagiri is on our left and we can see the Hathi and dhoda parbat right behind us. Today's trek is comparatively less tiring.

Kuari Pass Trek

Day 4 : Khullara to Kuari pass to Chitrakantha/ Tali top (11kms/ 9 hours)
Today we will attempt the Kuari Pass. We trek through a steep patch for about 3 hours followed by a gradual descend to reach Kuari Pass. Kuari Pass is at an altitude of 12,520 feet. From here we retrace our steps for about 1 km and descend to Chitrakanta/ Talli top.

Talli top is another clearing in the middle of the forest that offers magical views.

Day 5 : Chitrakanta/ tali (4kms/ 5 hours) to Auli to Joshimath (Drive, 11kms/ 40 mins)
After breakfast we will start our trek that involves gentle and steep ascend for about 1 hour. Post the steep ascend we trek for another hour followed by a gentle descend for 3 hours. We cross Padhiyaar temple on our way back down. The views of Nanda Devi are spectacular from here. We get down to the famous rope-way of Auli. In the winters, a lot of people visit this slope for skiing. A thousand feet of descend gets us to the GMVN Auli. From here we drive back to Joshimath.

Kuari Pass Trek

Day 6 : Joshimath to Haridwar (280 kms/ 9-10 hours)
After having breakfast, we start the drive from Joshimath by 8 am. This route generally takes 9 to 10 hours however traffic and landslides are very common on this route. Hence the sooner we start, the better it is for our onward journey.

Inclusions:
1) Meals - All the meals from Joshimath to Joshimath.
2) Accommodation -
- Hotels/ guest houses in Joshimath and camping while on the trek.
- While camping, wanderers will provide: dry cleaned sleeping bags and mattresses with fresh individual fleece liner for hygiene.
- Toilets – clean and hygienic.
3) Trek Leader - An experienced mountaineer who is also a certified wilderness first aid responder.
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) Other Equipment (if required) can be rented from Wanderers.

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