KUARI PASS


The trek is part of Lord Curzon's trail. A well laid out trek, it goes through dense jungles of Garhwal Himalayas. The views from the top of Kuari Pass are some of the best in the Himalayas. The trek itself is one of the best in Garhwal and has all the notes of a good trek - the Bugyals (big grassy meadows above tree line), pine trees, moraines and glaciers. 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 above 6000 or 7000 m) lined up in a near 180 degree view… Southwards, the foothills stretch on to the distant plains. Dotted by some remote villages, one also gets good insights into the local life.

SEASON: May - October

MAX. ALTITUDE: 4269m

NUMBER OF DAYS: 8 days

HIGH PASSES: Kuari Pass (4269m)

TREK GRADIENT: Easy - Moderately Challenging

Day 01: Rishikesh - Ghat (1900m)
Duration: 8 Hours

Arrive in Rishikesh and leave for the mountain village near Nandprayag called Ghat.

Day 02: Ghat - Ramani (1982m)
Duration: 4 hours

The trail is mostly flat with a few ups and down. There are some stunning views of the mountains from Ramani.

Day 03: Ramani - Jhenjipani (2050m)
Duration: 4 hours

The trail switches back and opens up to a grassy slope. Snow covered peaks start to emerge from the North. The path now steeply goes through rhododendron, pine and oak forests.

Day 04: Jhenjipani - Sinyartoli (2650m)
Duration: 6 hours

The trail starts with a descent to the colorful village of Jhenji. The trail carries on down past small farms and woods to a beautiful suspension bridge at 1840m across the Birehi Gorge, from where a very steep climb takes you back to 2250m, where the trail eases after an hour of ascent. From here the path is almost flat passing through fine rhododendron forest with long-tailed magpies flitting about. There are many streams and waterfalls as the route contours round many deep re-entrants. After going round the head of a horseshoe valley you reach two lovely rivers cascading down under the path. From here there is a short climb to a spot called Kaliaghat, which is a good campsite near the village of Pana.

Day 05: Sinyartoli - Dhakwani (3552m)
Duration: 6 hours

The route traverses above the village and then starts a steep climb up into rhododendron forest, with many switchbacks. After crossing a col at 3,000m, the path descends gently, traversing along the valley, to open meadows with views across to the Kuari Pass. The track then traverses down around the side of the valley, across several streams, before it plunges down a very steep and loose section, much of which has been washed away by the monsoons - an awkward and loose descent. At the bottom, you will see that the river has cut through a deep rocky gorge, to your right. This is wild country and there are no settlements, while blue sheep and the Himalayan black bear are said to be roaming here. A final climb brings you above the tree-line to the campsite on the large pastures where sheep and goats graze in summer, with the Kauri Pass towering above.

Day 06: Dhakwani - Kuari pass (4268) - Tali (3506m)

Duration: 8 hours

Today is the longest day of the trek. The climb up to the pass is made on a zigzag track to the top. Frank Smythe, who came this way in 1931 enroute to Kamet (25,443ft/7,757m), the second highest mountain in this region, summed it up beautifully: "We breasted the slope and halted, silent on the path. No words would express our delight. The Himalaya were arrayed before us in a stupendous arc". Some of the mountains seen are Kamet, Nilkanth (7,141m/23,425ft), Dhraunagiri (7,067m/23,182ft) and Changabang (6,864m/22,516ft), with even Nanda Devi herself visible if you walk along the ridge for a while. The blinding vision of snow peaks make all the effort worthwhile, for it is often said that this is one of the greatest mountain views in the world. Our camp at Tali has beautiful views of Nanda Devi.

Day 07: Tali - Auli (2519m)
Duration: 4 hours

Today's trail is a gradual descent to Auli which is a major ski destination in winters. Our trek ends here.

Day 08: Auli - Rishikesh / Haridwar

We drive back to Haridwar via Rishikesh in a local transport bus.

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