The Kuari Pass Trek, nestled in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India, is a mesmerizing journey through lush forests, charming villages, and breathtaking alpine meadows. This exhilarating trail offers panoramic views of towering peaks like Nanda Devi, Trishul, and Dronagiri, showcasing nature’s grandeur at every turn. Trekking through diverse landscapes, from dense forests teeming with wildlife to open meadows adorned with vibrant flowers, adventurers can immerse themselves in the raw beauty of the Himalayas. The summit at Kuari Pass unveils an awe-inspiring vista, making this trek a soul-stirring experience for nature lovers and avid trekkers alike.
Overview
To begin, Kuari Pass is a four-day hike (6 days when you include the travel days from Rishikesh). The trek begins in Dhak, a small village near Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region.It is located in the Nanda Devi National Park. Kuari Pass is an easy-moderate trek that is suitable for those who are new to the Himalayas, a near-perfect trek takes you through ancient forests filled with oaks and rhododendrons. Just as your eyes are getting used to the tree canopy above, the trail opens into meadows. This interplay of different kinds of landscapes makes the trek very exciting. You even get to see the clearest view of the full face of Mt. Nanda Devi (25,673 feet) and Mt. Dronagiri (23,182 feet).
Trek basic details:
- Trek length : 33 Km
- Highest Attitude : 12750 ft
Itinerary
You will be staying for the night at Joshimath, a good warm dinner will be waiting for you as you arrive.
After a hearty breakfast, you'll walk up the dusty trails to Tugashi village, where you'll find your first source of water. It's a charming little village where you can see how the locals live their traditional lives. The landscape changes as you ascend from Tugashi village, and you'll find yourself walking through a beautiful oak forest. Every now and then, the forest gives way to a clearing or a meadow. Around 1 p.m., you'll stop for lunch at Gulling, relax, and prepare our Campsite here. Gulling is located in the heart of the forest, and you'll be glad to be there because of the picturesque landscape.
Today get ready for a climb to Tali Campsite. The climb isn't particularly steep, but you'll be walking uphill for the next four kilometers. Tali campsite is nestled in the heart of the forest, and you'll be glad you arrived because a team will greet you with hot drinks and snacks.
Today is going to be one of the most memorable days of your life. It'll be a lot better than the day before because you'll be going up and down hills and snow slopes (in the winter months). The magnificent views of the mountains around you, the snowfield you'll cross, and the feeling of being on top of the world at Kuari Top will all leave you speechless. Kuari Top, the highest point on the trail, takes about 4 hours to reach. Peaks such as Neelkantha, Nanda Devi, Hathi Ghoda Parvat, Dronagiri, Pangarchulla, and Chaukhamba can be seen today. We retrace the same path to Tali by late afternoon after spending some time at the pass.
Get up early in the morning. Enjoy the beautiful sunrise & have your breakfast in the beautiful Himalayas. We will start descending from Dhak to Joshimath which involves a 9 km trek & a 13 km car dive. Reach Joshimath by the evening & enjoy your last day on the trek.
Includes / Excludes
Inclusions
- Stays for all night in homestays, tents, or hostels, on triple or quad sharing.
- From Dinner on the first night to brunch on the last day. (3 meals a day).
- Fees for guide, chef, porter (carrying camping gear and tent equipment).
- Entrance fees to the forest.
Exclusions
- Transportation or stays to and at Dehradun.
- In case of an emergency, all kinds of assistance will be provided, but the cost is to be borne by guests.
- Any meal or dish ordered apart from those mentioned earlier.
- Laundry, tips, shopping, porterage & bills of any nature of personal use.
- Any expenses or surcharge occurred due to bad weather or other emergencies or due to a change of dates.
- Travel insurance, medical insurance, or Covid test fees.
Things to carry and other policies:
Things to carry for the trek:
- Footwear: The trekking boots which must be waterproof and snowproof, normal boots, floaters, and woolen socks.
- Backpack: (50 ltr), Daypack (20-30 ltr), Duffel bag.
- Clothes: Jacket and trousers that are both waterproof and breathable. Jacket (synthetic or down feather fleece), synthetic insulated trousers, poncho, sweatshirt, inner thermal (upper & lower), fleece, t-shirts, cotton trekking pants, shorts
- Season-wise Clothes: Hand and head protection include liner gloves, bandannas, sun hats, woolen caps, and face masks, among other things.
- Accessories: Sunglasses/goggles, anti-glare lenses, water bottle, hydra bag, and headlamp with spare bulb and extra batteries are all recommended.
- Trekking Gears: Toolkit for an emergency. Sunscreen, a toiletry pack, water purification pills, Ziploc packs, ear plugs, a first-aid kit, and the necessary medications are all recommended.
- Camping Equipment: Sleeping bags of lining (extreme -5 to +5 Celsius if you have one), trekking sticks, and so on.
- Warm top/light micro fleece pullover/full sleeve T-shirt – 2/3
- Water resistant/repellent trekking pants with an inner lining for added warmth- 2 High-quality windproof/water-resistant outer shell (jacket) with a proper hood
- Thick Fleece / Full-sleeve Woollen Jumper, Down Jacket with at least 600 fill capacity Innerwear with a thermal component (upper and lower)
- Woolen hat, inner fleece gloves, and outer water-resistant gloves
- 4–5 pairs of thick woolen socks and standard socks, scarf/muffler (optional)
- Waterproof Trekking/Hiking shoes with a thick heel and high ankles that are comfortable to wear. Sneakers/sports shoes are ideal for camp.
- Poncho or raincoat. A small, light-weight towel
- A hydration pack and an insulated water bottle (optional)
- Sunglasses with UV cover and the potential to cut light, as well as a cap or floppy hat to shield the strong sun off your skin (important when traversing through snow)
- Trekking pole or sturdy walking stick Lip Balm, Sunscreen Lotion
- Flashlight/torch (with extra batteries) Medications, if any special prescription is needed Toiletries for personal use
- Carry a rain cover over your luggage • Day pack/small bag that you can carry on your back all day to keep your essentials in
Keep a few poly bags or plastic containers in your bag to place your things in if you need to in case of heavy weather.
Personal Medical Kit (MANDATORY FOR ALL)
- 10 Diamox tablets (to prevent AMS)
- Nifedipine – 5 pills Dexamethasone – one strip
- 6 tablets of Crocin (fever)
- 4 tablets of avomine (motion sickness) 4 capsules of Anvil 25mg (allergies)
- 4 tablets of Combiflam (Pain killer)
- 6 tablets each of Norflox TZ and Lomofen (diarrhea) 10 tablets of Digene (acidity)
- 10 Omez/Rantadine capsules (antacids) 3 to 5 meters of crepe bandage
- 1 tiny roll of gauze 10 strips of bandage 1 small roll of cotton 10 packets of ORS
- Moov spray Betadine or other antiseptic creams (aches, & sprains)
- If you’re vulnerable to knee injuries, you should wear a knee cap.
Powder with antifungal properties
Payment terms & policies:
- 50% of the total package value is to be paid in advance.
- Other 50% complete payment at least 7 days before DOJ.
- Travel ticket fares are to be paid in full in advance as per the client’s requirements.Change of date up to 10 days before DOJ on extra chargeable as applicable
General terms & conditions:
- The above-mentioned Itinerary is completely interdependent on weather conditions, so please make sure you pay heed to the cab driver’s suggestions.
- The cab and the driver are not available for personal purposes, you can always ask to hire with payment as agreeable by the driver and owner.
- The meals are solely on the buffet system, anything ordered apart from the buffet will have to be paid directly by the guests.
- Just Traventure will not be held responsible for delays in Flights or Buses. Please make sure you take considerable time to manage your availability at the prerequisite timing
- Rates mentioned above are valid for Indian nationals on independent booking or confirmation only after initial payment/booking amount.
- Hotel rooms shall be booked in the base category of the hotel, if an aforementioned hotel is out of room the room shall be booked in a similar hotel with proper intimation to the client.
- Rates may change with changes in room category and travel preferences. It will be intimated prior to the booking.
- Please take full responsibility for your belongings as the driver and JUST Traventure cannot be held responsible for losses that occurred on the trip.
- Just Traventure assumes no responsibility for any malfunction/wear and tear to your clothes, supplies, or other belongings while in the camp/hotel. Just traventure is not responsible for any injuries caused during the trip due to any unforeseeable circumstances.
- Just traventure is not responsible for any loss of personal belongings and or damage to camp/hotel properties, the latter will have to be completely borne by the guests.
- Packages price does not include any meals apart from the above-mentioned, cost for tips, medications, and satellite calls. Other transportation assistance apart from what is mentioned above. All other expenses are to be borne by the guests.
Cancelation & Refund policies.
- A flat 20% cancellation fee is levied on any cancellation beyond 24 hours from the payment confirmation.
- A 50% Cancellation fee is levied if canceled on or after 25 days before DOJ.
- A 90% cancellation fee is levied if canceled on or after 7 days before DOJ.
- In case of a no-show, 100% of the total value is non-refundable.
- Travel ticket cancellation will be solely based on government norms or the concerned company’s criterion.
- No refund shall be applicable on unutilized services once the time window has passed.
- If a trip is canceled at the last minute due to a natural disaster or unforeseeable circumstances (such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, or attacks), Just Traventure will have a voucher issued for up to 60% value of the booking. The voucher can be used for the same or a different package over a year.