Pangarchulla becomes a beautiful climbing objective in the spring after having accumulated snow over the winter. An easy low peak which gives a good feel of a climb; plodding the crisp morning snow with amazing views of high mountains. This trip offers a challenge and loads of photo opportunities. Just perfect for anyone trying to wet their feet with their first Himalayan Summit.
Fly in to the Jolly Grant Airport by 10AM. Board waiting vehicles to be driven straight to Pipalkoti (7 hrs drive). The drive takes one into the rugged countryside of the Garhwal along the Alaknanda River. Drive past a few holy confluences, and break for the night at a basic transit hotel in Pipalkoti.
Post breakfast drive 48kms to Auli, one gets to see a distinct profile of Nanda Devi at the head of the sanctuary. The walk takes you through old forests of oak and rhododendron to reach the picturesque meadows of Gorson. We camp at Gorson, and go for afternoon walk to explore the vast meadows.
Have a relaxed start. Post breakfast carry on towards Tali. The trail climbs diagonally up on the Gorson Bugyal and then traverses down to the forest. We camp a little ahead of a small water body at Tali.
Today the trail ascends the ridge above Tali and cairns mark our track. Just below the high point on the ridge, the trail leads through a large meadow affording spectacular views of the Himalayas. North of Joshimath is the Chaukhamba range, Nilkanth (6596m) and Narayan Parbat (5965m), while Mana peak (7272m),Kamet (7756m) and Abi Gamin (7355m) extend to the Tibetan border. In the middle foreground, the main Himalayan chain in the vicinity of the Bhyundar valley and Hem Kund includes Nilgiri Parbat (6474m), Rataban (6166m), Ghori Parbat (6708m) and Hathi Parbat (6727m). Dunagairi (7066m) dominates the peaks to the north of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Kuari pass (3690m) is by no means demanding – we have our lunch here, catch some patchy phone signal and then descent an hour to the base camp at Khulara.
Have an easy start. After breakfast get ready in your climbing gear and start plodding up towards the high camp. Most of the walk goes on a moderate gradient on the snow covered North face with great views of the high mountains. A short traverse will bring us to the advanced base camp.
Wake up early to be up on the summit to see the sunrise on a wide Himalayan panorama. The walk up to the summit at 4575m would take a couple of hours and we descend to be in time for hot lunch at base camp. Evening party!
The last day of the trip is a descent all the way down to Tapovan. It’s about a 3 hour drive from here to the comforts of the hotel in Pipalkoti.
After an early morning breakfast set out for the long 7 hr drive to reach Haridwar/Airport in the evening. Reach Delhi by the night. Trip ends!
Invite your friends: 
A bunch of us friends recently got in touch with Aquaterra Adventures to set up a whitewater rafting trip on the Tons River in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Aquaterra team were excellent in every way: they were superbly efficient, highly reassuringly safe and extremely warm, friendly and hospitable.
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There isn’t a more classy example of a team that is so well organised, courteous, warm and welcoming! The arrangements right from the camping sights, food, refreshments and stay were so extremely comfortable, of-course the food and the variety offered just beat everything else.
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Camp Bagi (near Mori, Uttarakhand) is a beautifully located and professionally maintained wilderness camping site. Operated by Aquaterra, the gold standard in adventure tours in India, it offered us a highly memorable rafting, hiking and camping experience over the 4 days that we stayed there (May 28-31, 2019)
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Great job by the team, especially Rana. We went with 2 kids aged 2.5 yrs and 6.5 yrs and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My elder one loved the trek and the rafting experience was great too! Definitely recommend it for others.
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The Auden’s Col Trek is the Holy Grail of trekking in the Himalayan region of Garhwal in Uttarakhand, offering the finest multi-terrain challenge you will encounter.
The Auden’s Col is situated on the connecting ridge of Gangotri III (6577 m) and Jogin I (6465 m), small depression between the two mighty massifs – we approach the Col from Rudugaira glacier and descend through the ice falls and the heavily crevassed Khatling glacier. We start our expedition by driving up the Bhagirathi valley right till the end of the road at Gangotri. From here we move south towards the Gangotri range establishing a series of camps.
A perfect mixture of adventure, culture and beauty.
Beautiful landscapes, spot some high altitude wildlife, moderate terrain, beautiful high altitude meadows, wild yaks and a 5150m pass all make this trek a bucket list item.
The Great Lakes of Kashmir trek is set in an almost heavenly arena of high mountain vistas, endless pasturelands, and of course, the great lakes. Arguably the best way to witness the beauty of the Kashmir Himalaya, you will be rewarded with a palette of colours every single day that you walk on this trail. The relaxing terrain, deep blue coloured mountains and lush flower filled meadows make the going extremely pleasant.
The Parang La trail follows the traditional trade route between the people of Spiti, Changthang and Tibet. It begins after the high-altitude meadows of Kibber, breeding ground of the famous Spiti horses and also known to be snow leopard country. A challenging trek for the enthusiastic walker in one of the more spectacular areas of Ladakh,the trail descends the Kibber gorge and then climbs over the Parang la (5600 m).Parang La is the source of the Pare Chu river, the only river that has its source in India, flows into Tibet and enters the country again in Spiti. Trekking across the pass, brings one to an almost incredible change of scenery as we walk towards the Rupshu plains of Changthang, known for the abundance of Kiangs (Tibetan Wild Ass).
On the last two days, we camp on spectacular campsites, one being on the southern edge of the Tso Moriri(4522m), a high-altitude lake 26 Km long and nearly 5 Km wide. This lake is also the breeding ground for the bar-headed geese, black-necked crane and the Brahminy ducks. We also visit one of the Changpa settlements in a bowl, high above Karzog, where they breed pashmina, one of the major trade items in these high passes.
Trek through quaint villages, alpine meadows covered with wildflowers, moraine ridges and glacier basins to get magnificent views of Swargarohini – I, II, III, Bandarpoonch and Blackpeak – all this make for an excellent hike in early spring and the post monsoon.
Meandering through the Govind Vihar sanctuary, Har Ki Dun Valley is rich culturally and a paradise for bird watchers and nature lovers. Mythologically, it is the same trail taken by the Pandavas on their route to Heaven through the domineering massif of Swargarohini.
Trek through quaint villages, alpine meadows covered with wildflowers, moraine ridges and glacier basins to get magnificent views of Swargarohini – I, II, III, Bandarpoonch and Blackpeak – all this make for an excellent hike in early spring and the post monsoon.
Amazing scenery, world class whitewater make this a premier expedition for the white water paddler. We run several rapids ranging from Class III to Class IV+/V, with whitewater sections separated by maybe a hundred yards or less of flat water. It aims to propagate the sheer adrenaline and magic of taking on 40 kms of quality whitewater from Gyunhatti till Tiuni, in what could possibly be, one of the finest whitewater experiences possible. Adrenaline pumping river days are followed by relaxed afternoons, to be spent under leafy alders and taking short hikes into the alpine forests.
Dodital is said to be the birth place of Lord Ganesh, and is also the source of the Assi Ganga, a tributary to the Bhagirathi. It is named after the rare Dodi (Himalayan Trout) that can be found in this lake. A moderate trek which starts from the Bhagirathi valley, goes up to the lake of Dodital (wrapped in perfect wilderness) to the alpine meadows and tops out at Darwa Pass (4150m). Traditionally this trek has been continuously used by the Gujjars, the herdsmen who get their buffalos to the high meadows every summer and occasionally by the pilgrims/sadhus walking between Gangotri and Yamunotri.
Trek through quaint villages, alpine meadows covered with wildflowers, moraine ridges and glacier basins to get magnificent views of Swargarohini – I, II, III, Bandarpoonch and Blackpeak – all this make for an excellent hike in early spring and the post monsoon.
Pangarchulla becomes a beautiful climbing objective in the spring after having accumulated snow over the winter. An easy low peak which gives a good feel of a climb; plodding the crisp morning snow with amazing views of high mountains. This trip offers a challenge and loads of photo opportunities. Just perfect for anyone trying to wet their feet with their first Himalayan Summit.
