Kuari Pass Trek- The best winter trek. (3670M)

Kuari Pass

 

 

About Kuari Pass Trek

Kuari Pass is one of the best treks for beginners. Kuari Pass is also known as Lord Curzon’s trial. Kuari is one of the popular treks in the Himalayas. In winters, the beauty of the trek is amazing. The best part of this trek is that you can see 7000 meters of mountains to your front. The trek passes through the thick alpine forests of oak and conifer. The trek to Kuari Pass is thus connected with each moment of adventure. The Trek offers a splendid view of the Himalayas. From the trek, you can see a magnificent sight of the Chaukhamba range 7100m, Kamet 7500m, Dronagiri 7066m, Hath-Godhi 6705m, Nanda Devi 7810m, Neelkanth 6583m.

Day 1- Dehradun to Joshimath Journey

I started my journey from Dehradun around 5 AM. I traveled sharing a cab to Joshimath. It’s around 8-9 hours of journey from Dehradun. Buses take more time so I preferred sharing a cab which takes around 700 rs from Dehradun. I reached around Joshimath at 3 PM and stayed in the Birla guest house. I trekked with Riding Solo (a trekking company). They arranged everything for this trek. A team member of Riding Solo was there Pankaj Ji. He managed everything on this trek from stay, camping, food & all the equipment is required for trekking. I just went into my room, took a rest, and explored the market of Joshimath. From Joshimath, there are a lot of treks you can go to Hemkund Sahib, Valley Flowers, Auli, Badrinath Dham, and Mana village. You can also visit the beautiful Narasimha temple.

Day 2- Dhak village to Guling campsite

All set for the Kuari Pass trek. It was a team of 8 people for this trek with me. From Joshimath to Dhak village, it is around 30 minutes of a journey by Taxi. The trek started from Dhak village. We reached the village around 11 AM and started our journey towards the Kuari Pass and our first campsite was gulling. It’s just a 4 km trek to the Guling campsite. The trek is beautiful and hiking to the Guling campsite is so easy. We reached the campsite around 3 PM. The day could be concluded with a night of camping under the starry sky around the vibrant flora or white layer of snow depending on what time of year you trek. During my time, it was very cold at night because of winters. The temperature varied from 0 to -5. 3-4 layers of upper and lower body clothes are a must if you are trekking in winter. Somehow we managed to sleep as we were not fully prepared either.

Day 3- Guling Campsite to khulara campsite

Good Morning from the Gulling campsite. The beautiful mountain peaks are just shining. We started towards our next campsite that was Khulara. We trekked through dense forest. This was just awesome. Himalayas Greatest Mountains were in front of me. It was a 6 km steep ascent through the coniferous forest, which had giant pines, oaks, walnut trees. The trail having stunning views of Mt. Neelkanth, Mt. Chaukhamba, Mt. Dhonagiri, Hathi-Gora Peak all are visible from khulara campsite. This is one of my favorite campsites. The views are just stunning. It takes around 3-4 hours to reach the Khulara from Gulling campsite. During the night temperature drops downs to -5 and becomes very challenging for new people who are facing this condition for the first time in their lives.

Day 4- khulara campsite to Kuari Pass & Trek down till Dhak village.

Morning from Khulara campsite. Now on the way Kuari pass. We started our trek around 8 AM and we carried day bags with water bottles and packed lunch because we needed to come back to Khulara campsite in the afternoon or evening. Now the views are just stunning, the route is just covered with snow. I can’t explain the beauty of this trek. Himalayan peaks are more visible now. We reached Kuari Pass around 11 AM. It’s an easy hike for anyone who has done some treks in the Himalayas. The views are just stunning from the pass and we had lunch there and enjoyed the views of the valley. Now we started the downhill trek and we wanted to reach Dhak village today. We reached Khulara campsite around 2 PM and then trekked again towards Dhak village. We stayed at a homestay for the last 2 days that was also amazing for camping in cold.

Day 5- Dhak Village to joshimath.

Good Morning From Dhak Village. We had our breakfast and waited for a taxi towards Joshimath. There is a place in between Joshimath and Dhak village called Tapovan. Hot water springs are there. I think everyone needs to go there after the trek and get a bath there. Overall amazing experience in this trek. One of the beautiful winter treks I have had.

Tips for this Trek.

1. Dec, Feb & March good time for winter experience (avoid January)
2. High Ankle Trekking shoes recommended.
3. Atleast 4 layering required specially in winteres.
4. Fleece, inners, tshirts and down jacket.
5. carry dry fruits & other energy bars.
6. sunscreen,sunblock & Lipbalms.

• Instagram