• 1 Week trek
• Camping
• Fall Treks
• Garhwal Treks
• Moderate Grade Treks in Himalayas
• Spring Treks
• Summer Treks
• Uttarakhand
• Winter Treks

Pangarchulla peak trek with Kuari Pass:

Pangarchulla trek route offers you one of the most captivating high mountain views of Indian Himalayas along with a satisfaction of climbing to a summit at ~ 15000 ft. The peak stands tall in the vicinity and present unmatched Panorama of central Garhwal peaks at a stretch of 180°. You can spot Nanda Devi clearly to your north east to all major peaks of Badrinath valley and finally stretching to Kedarnath valley peaks on west. Nanda Devi, Dronagiri, Changabang, Rishi, Mukut, Kamet, Abi Gamin, Mana, Hathi, Ghoda, Neelkanth and Chaukhamba massif to name a few!

Starting from October weather becomes clear and you can view mesmerising vista throughout the trek.

Exquisite campsites add more charm and delight. You will camp inside deep conifer forest, on the fringe of the jungle and alpine meadows, locally called Bugyal. Note that at present we can’t camp on alpine meadows.

This is not all! Once the tree line ends, landscape switch into fur flung meadows. From Khullara to Kuari pass, you will walk on these grassy slopes. Towards the end of the trek, you will cross Gurson Bugyal, a prominent meadows of the Himalayas.

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1:  Drive from Rishikesh to Joshimath – 10/11 hours – 250 Km. Lodge.
Day 2: Drive to Karchi village (7500 ft) via Dhak – 15 Km, 45 minutes.  Then trek to Khullara (11,1000 ft) – 11  Km, 6/7 hours. Camp.
Day 3: Visit Kuari Pass (12630 ft) and return to Khullara – 8 Km- 6/7 hours. Camp.
Day 4: Khullara (11,100 ft) to Pangarchulla summit (14,925 ft), 6 hours and back to Khullara – total 12 Km – 12/14 hours. A strenuous and challenging summit day. Camp
Day 5: Khullara (11,100 ft) to Auli (8600 ft) via Gurson Bugyal, 5/6 hours – 10 Km – drive to Joshimath 45 mins/14 Km. Lodge.
Day 6: Drive from Joshimath to Haridwar – 280 Km – 11/12 hours.

Important Notes on itinerary:

• Our 6 days itinerary includes both Pangarchulla peak climb and visiting the actual Kuari pass. However it depends on the performance of the team, in addition to snow and weather conditions. Understand that Pangarchulla summit is a possibility when you are highly fit and well acclimatised on the mountain and weather is with you.
• From Oct 2018, due to an order from Uttarakhand High Court, one is NOT allowed to camp on alpine meadows/grasslands, locally called “Bugyal”. In this trek our high camp will be either at Gulling and Lower Khullara. We will visit Kuari Pass and attempt Pangarchulla in two successive days.
• Often it is convenient to reach Rishikesh anytime on Day 0. Either you can fly to Dehradun (DED, Jolly Grant airport) which is only 1 hour drive from Rishikesh. or you can get Volvo bus services (morning and overnight) from ISBT Kashmiri Gate Delhi to Rishikesh (5/6 hours). Arrange your stay in Rishikesh accordingly.
• Trekkers need to reach Haridwar on Day 1 morning by 6 am latest or the night before. Similarly book your return tickets from Rishikesh/Haridwar on Day 6 evening, 7/8 pm in the evening or later.

Altitude and distance profile graph for Pangarchulla peak trek:

Check the below pictorial representation for Pangarchulla trek route tog get an idea of the climb.

Note: After the camping restrictions imposed from 2018 post monsoon, we can camp up to Khulara area. From here Pangarchulla summit is quite a climb. A reasonably fit person should take anything between 12 to 16 hours for a summit push and return in favourable conditions.

Is Pangarchulla trek possible during winters?

As they say nothing is impossible, but indeed difficult and strenuous. Let us understand this properly:

Pangarchulla summit gets a double whammy during winters due to:

1) Fresh snow

Being north of Kuari Pass and close to the high mountains, this region normally receives early snowfall. This can be as early as the beginning of November. From December usually snow fall will be more frequent and deposited snow will make it strenuous. Furthermore, Pangarchulla peak summit is at ~4550 m/14925 ft, which is high altitude even in Himalayan standards. In winters expect knee deep or even more fresh snow towards the summit. This will certainly be very taxing. 1 Km of walk can be very likely to be as good as 2 Km or more.

To summarise, prepare for 12 to 16 hours of a very long and strenuous day with respect to both physical and clothing perspective (carry good waterproof trekking shoes, windproof cum waterproof and head torch). Here we don’t account for bad weather/additional snowfall during trek!

2) Campsite restriction:

As already said we camp at Khulara which is the highest permitted campsite on this side of the trail. From Khulara to Pangarchulla summit is an altitude gain of approx 3800 ft/1150 m. This is strenuous even without snow. And after the summit you have to descend all the way back to Khulara.

So hopefully you are now well aware of the difficulties that you may face during a winter summit attempt.

Best time and season to attempt Pangarchulla peak:

Spring summer: Mid April to June end. Earlier in the season, more will be the residual snow from winter. As the season will progress, snow will melt. Mid May to mid of June is normally better and conducive for the summit.

Autumn/Fall: September to mid of November. Monsoon will end by August but better to wait 2 weeks in case of residual monsoon. Mid September to end of October is your best bet to reach Pangarchulla summit in this season. From mid November onward chances to reach the summit decreases significantly.

Clothing and expected temperature in Pangarchulla trek:

It is important to carry proper clothing in a high altitude trail like this. Campsite temperatures can be freezing in early spring or late autumn.

Three layers of clothing is mandatory in the campsite while outside tent.

a) A thermal base layer (warm woolly-cot material).
b) A warm jacket (Fleece/Synthetic/Down jacket ) as middle layer.
c) A windproof cum waterproof with hood as the outer layer.

You may not require the thermal base layer from May to October.

Don’t forget to check and download the “list of things that you need to carry during Pangarchulla peak trek“.

Spring/summer temperature: Day time weather remains warm and pleasant. Night/early morning temperatures will be cool or cold on varying altitude.

Joshimath: 15°C (April) to 25°C (June)
Guling: 10°C  to 15°C .
Lower Khullara: 0°C to 5° C.

Autumn/Fall temperature: From October daytime temp remains cool and nights are cold.  Late night/early morning  temperatures can easily be freezing or even lower. Though inside tent the temperature will be somewhat 8°C  10°C warmer than outside.

Joshimath: 20°C (Sep) to 10°C (Nov)
Guling: 10°C  to 0°C .
Lower Khullara: 5°C to -5° C.

Access to Pangarchulla peak trek base (Joshimath):

We will arrange a pickup  from Rishikesh (ISBT or Tapovan checkpost at Rishikesh) to Joshimath and drop from Joshimath to Haridwar. This will be shared by the team members on actual basis and paid directly to the driver. The fare is ₹ 7500 for a Tata Sumo/Mahindra Maxx one way. This can accommodate 6 to 8 people. A Tempo Traveller charges ₹ 10500 (12-14 seat) one way. This is NOT included in TREK FEE.

To reach the trek base Joshimath independently/public transportation check the details in GETTING THERE tab.

Here is a road map with major points enroute from Haridwar to Joshimath. We will start from Rishikesh.

Why treks with HT?

Duration	6D/5N
Grade	Moderate
Highest Point	4550 m/14925 ft
Physicality	7/10
Trail Length	40 Km
Expertise:	10 years on ground experience
Support staff:	Qualified local & office staff
Group size:	Small groups up to 15
Insurance:	Travel insured trek and tour itinerary
Easy Bookings:	25% Booking Deposit