Kuari Pass with Dharansi Pass

Detailed Itinerary

Day 01: Arrival at Nandaprayag
Drive further to Ghat and thereon to Ramani or Ghuni Village.

Day 02: Ghunni – Vinayak Pass – Jhinjhi Village
Trek: 13kms
A good long day’s hike is what we need to prepare for the two weeks unforgettable adventure ahead. The trail starts with extending up on the ridge above camping grounds of Ghunni. You’ll get the first glimpse of the giants Nanda Ghunti, Trishul and Chaukhamba while Ramni and Ghunni Village will look like miniaturesettlements lower down the valley.
The trail climbs gently into Rhododendronforests and thereon tosmall meadows with temporary settlements of villagers and shepherds.

Up, down and zig zag trail with gentle climbs and occasional downhill walks will take you towards Vinayak Pass. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha at the pass. The view from pass not only opens up to a panoramic views of the Himalaya but also gives you a distant view of Kuari Pass.Following the climb of pass the trail on the other side is mostly descending. Soon you’ll pass Sem Kharak before reaching Jhinjhi Village.

Day 03: Jhinjhi – Pana Village
Trek: 8kms
After dwelling in on the morning routine at the remote village Jhinjhi,descend to Birahi Ganga and cross the bridge. Stick to the trail on the right side of the valley.
The route goes through zig-zagclimbs to the ridge. The views from here make it an ideal spot to have lunch. The trail passes through rhododendron forest and thereon to Kaliagad. Soon you’ll reach Pana Village you can choose to stay in the village or climb further to reach the camping grounds 1km above Pana Village.

Day 4: Pana – Dakhwani
Trek: 14 kms | 3300mts
The route climbs through a forest and onwards to false summits and finally opens up with the view of ridge. Cross another small forest patch to finally reach Sartoli – a small meaow and grazing land for cattle. The view of Kuari Pass looming above is quite a sight to behold. The path descends from Sartoli village to a small stream and then climbs again to reach Dhakwani. The final stretch is a long uphill walk occasionally on moraines, which will be tiring and at times frustrating but finally pays off with the views from Dhakwani campsite.

Day 5: Dakhwani – Kuari Pass (3800 mts/ ft) –Lower Khullara
Trek: 8 kms
It is important to start early on this day to reach Kuari Pass on time and get the unobstructed views of the highest peaks in Garhwal Himalayas.

The route starts from the forest cover beyond Dhakwani and then climbs to the alpine meadow following the ridge. From the pass you get to see Nanda Devi Peak, Dronagiri, Kamet, Kalanka, Nilgiri, Deoban and more Himalayan giants. After the pass descend towards the sharp ridge to camp at the forest line of Lower Khullara.

Next Day can be used as a buffer day or to an exploratory Summit or a moraine peak – Pangarchulla.

Day 06: Pangaruchulla SummitDay – Akhrot Getha / Buffer Day
Trek: 9kms
Climb to Pangarchulla Peak through a vast expanse of boulders. The view from the summit showcases the best of Himalayan horizon. At 4575mts, this will be the highest altitude you’ll be at during this Chhota Vanvaas. Good weather is seemingly important to do this summit push. We start early to tackle the moraine area without twisting our ankles both while going up and coming down.

As an alternative this can be used as Buffer Day. If you need something essential or want to take a break, then it is possible to trek to Auli via Tali Tal. That way you can replenish with essential supplies, have a good nights sleep in Auli or Joshimatha and head back to Lata Village a day later.

Day 07: Akhrot Getha – Tugasi – Tapovan
Trek: 10kms
Trek down to Tugasi Village and further to Dhak. We then drive to the thermal spring at Tapovan to bathe in natural hot water. The exertion of week long trek totally evaporates with a good hot bath at Tapovan. Then we continue with second leg of the trek – Dharansi Pass.

Day 8: Tapovan – Lata Village
Drive: 12kms | Trek: 1.5kms
Drive to Lata Village and trek to Lata Village (2370mts). This is a short day hike and the gateway to the core of Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Stay in Lata Village, interact with villagers who have been the closest inhabitants near Nanda Devi Sanctuary for ages. The village outskirts are covered by apple, apricot and walnut orchards. There are some really colorful and amazing traditional houses in Lata Village that will transport you to a different timezone. Do visit Nanda Devi Temple at Lata Village before commencing the trek.

Day 9: Lata Village to Lata Kharak
Trek: 9kms
The trail from Lata Village goes through Bhelta which marks 4kms into the uphill climb via pine and cedar trees. Bhelta is located at 2850mts above sea level. There is a small cave with a small flat ground surrounding it, good enough to pitch 2 tents. In terms of views, this is not a promising campsite but its proximity to water source makes it an emergency campsite one can rely on.

From Bhelta the route climbs up via pine forest over stone route and after a few zig zag steep incline the route takes us over loose rocks. As we climb, Dhauliganga looks miniature and more mountains come into sight. At 3800mts Lata Kharak offers a unique landscape with Rhododendron and birch trees in its vicinity and sheer drop to Dhauliganga River on the other side.

The peaks visible from Lata Kharak are Bethartoli Himal, Nanda Ghunti, Ronti, and Hathi Parvat. You’ll also rejoice to identify the route of Kuari Pass to Dhak from this point.

Note: Generally, it is not advisable to do this trekking stretch in one day itself because the distance may be just 9kms but the altitude gain is of around 1500mts which will be too much for some to handle without dealing with the signs of AMS. But since we will be pretty well acclimatized after spending 9 good days in high altitude Himalayan range, it is acceptable for us with this Chhota Vanvaas itinerary.

Day 10: Lata Kharak to Dharansi Pass Camp
Trek: 10kms
Starting early on high altitude trek is always as the weather gets upredictable in the afternoon and the peaks get clouds cover. Start the uphill climb onwards to Jhandidhaar which is seen from Lata Kharak Campsite. 1km into the trek will lead to a diversion, the right side leads to Saini Kharak, we keep following the ridge and after a while you’ll see the tree line leaving you behind. As you near the Jhandidhar the cairns on the top will become visible. The views change drastically as soon as you reach Jhandidhar mainly because the peaks which were hiding earlier now becomes visible with an interesting perspective, specially of Dronagiri, Chaukhamba, Hathi and Ghori Peaks.

The diversion of route on the left at Jhandidhar leads to Tolma village where as the route to connecting ridge from here leads to Dharansi Pass (4300mts). It is another 2kms uphill hike on loose boulders and rock slabs to reach Dharansi Pass. Focus on every step while navigating this stretch is essential, if not careful one may twist the ankle.

Dharansi Pass Camp is exposed to cold wind gushes and hence it is advised to pitch the tent in a safe spot under good weather conditions only.

Day 11: Dharansi Pass Camp – Debrugheta – Dharansi Pass Camp
Trek: 14kms
Debrugheta marks the boundary of Inner Nanda Devi Sanctuary which is forbidden to venture into. This is as far as you can go near the goddess peak of Nanda Devi and on 11th Day of the trek you’ll be blessed to have achieved this stunning feat. The incline over steep overhanging ridge is daunting and would require caution at every step you take. Thankfully with a fixed campsite at Dharansi Pass, you’ll just have to keep a day pack with water, lunch, an extra clothing layer and first aid. Right before reaching the pastureland of Debrugheta you’ll have to descend down close to 700mtr to reach the elevation of 3600mts. After getting to the core and taking pictures of Nanda Devi Peak, start hiking back to Dharansi.

Fact Check: Only 500 seasoned trekkers are allowed to enter the core zone upto Dharansi Pass every year from May to October.

Day 12: Dharansi Pass Camp – Hitoli
Trek: 12kms
We trek all the way down to Jhandidhar and divert the route towards Tolma intersection to the vegetation and treeline. Couple of kilometers from Jhandi Dhar we will reach the campsite of Hitoli.

Day 13: Hitoli – Surai Thotha – Joshimath
Trek: 8kms | Drive: 30kms
Trek down from Hitoli to Tolma Village through the shades of old and wise deodar trees. You’ll reach Tolma Village after trekking for 5kms and further walk down 3kms to reach Surai Thotha roadhead. Hop into the cab and drive to Joshimath after completing your Chhota Vanvaas surrounding the guarding mountains of Nanda Devi Sanctuary.

Day 14: Joshimath to Rishikesh/Dehradun
Drive: 253kms
Drive back to Rishikesh or Dehradun after breakfast.