Kuari Pass or Curzon Trail Trek, Garhwal is one of the most beautiful trekking destinations not just in Western Himalayas but in the whole of Himalayas. Lord Curzon one of the Viceroys of India during British Raj undertook several treks during 1905 in Garhwal Himalayas and one of them was Kuaripass trek. He trekked from Ghat crossing Kuaripass to Joshimath immortalizing the trek as Curzon’s Trail. It is one of the most desirable trekking destinations in western Himalayas today. Though whole of the trek is very scenic and through picturesque locales, the high point of this trek is panoramic view of the Nanda Devi (7812 m) mountain range which is the second highest Himalayan peak in India.
Apart from enjoying the bounty of the nature, flora, fauna, avifauna, alluring highland meadows locally called ‘Bhugyal’ and imposing view of mountains of the western Himalayas – one will also get to see life and culture of the region, interaction with locals who are warm and hospitable will give you more insight of their life, encounter with Shepherds who migrates with their herds of ships from higher to the lower and lower to higher elevation depending on the season.
Kuaripass trek is one of the most flexible trekking destinations of Garhwal Himalayas, in fact this trek can be done in number of combinations from over fortnight long to five days short trek.
Day 01 - Arrival Delhi
Meet and transfer to hotel. Overnight in hotel.
Day 02 – Delhi
Proceed on a full day sightseeing tour of Delhi. Capital of India where history has seamlessly given space to modernity without losing its presence. One of the largest cities in the world, it is dotted with imposing monuments of Hindu, Mughal and Colonial era.
Visit Jama Masjid the largest mosque of India which can accommodate 25000 people at a time for offering prayer. Qutab Minar one of the tallest break minarets in the world, Humayun Tomb considered to be one of the forerunners of the Taj Mahal. Drive pass India Gate and other government buildings stopping by President House to witness Indo-Saracenic architectures. A visit to Raj Ghat (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial) will be a part of the sightseeing.
Apart from visiting historic buildings one gets to take cycle rickshaw ride through the narrow alleyways of Chandni Chowk is an experience by itself. Once was a flamboyant bazaar (market place) for the novels of the Mughal era, it today is the largest wholesale market of Asia.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 03 – Delhi to Dehradun
Early morning transfer to railway station to take a train to Dehradun.
Arrival Dehradun and transfer to homestay/ hotel.
Afternoon take a small hike in the outskirts of Dehradun which will take you to one of the most historic places of Dehradun ‘Khalanga War Memorial’ which changed the history of Garhwal. It is here the fierce battle of Nalapani took place between Gorkhas and British East India Company.
Overnight at homestay/ hotel.
Day 04 – Dehradun to Karnaprayag
Morning drive to Karnaprayag (207 Km). Drive will be through hills of Shivalik to the higher elevation of Western Himalayas passing holy towns of Devprayag, Rudraprayag. There are five confluences of the Alaknanda River and Karnaprayag is one of them. It is one of holy pilgrimage for Hindus and associated with one of Hindu mythology ‘Mahabharat’.
Overnight in a guest house.
Day 05 – Karnaprayag to Ghat and Ghunni (Trekking)
Morning, drive a short distance to Ghat-Selu Bagar which is the starting point of the our Kuaripass Trek. Meet your support team here and start trek ascending towards Ghunni. A well-defined trail winds up to the ridge passing clusters of settlements and villages to reach to an open plateau above Ghunni village which is our campsite for today which at an altitude of 1900m. We will end our day early today as tomorrow is a long day.
Overnight in tents.
Trekking distance and time: 6kms/2-3 Hrs.
Day 06 – Ghunni to Jhinjhi Village (Trekking)
You will start early today as today is going to be long, however, today also is a day when you will start getting acquainted with regular view of the snow-capped mountains. Start ascending through winding trail towards the ridge which is towering above. Upon crossing the ridge you will reach an open meadow that offers and stunning view of Nanda Ghunti and Chaukhamba peaks of Nandadevi range in one side and bird eye view of Rammi and Ghunni village down the valley. Continue ascending through Rhododendron Forest and grazing pastures – it is an interesting sight to see herd of sheep controlled by dogs and shepherds together if one has an encounter with them. Trail continues to ascend for sometime and gets gentle to take you to an open highland meadow commanding a stunning view of Nanda Ghunti. Trail starts getting gentle from here to take you to Vinayak Pass which is marked by a Ganesh Temple and prayer flags. Apart from stunning view of the eastern Himalayan peaks it offers a view of Kuaripass at a distance. Trail starts descending from here gently and steep at times passing through Sem Kharak to reach our campsite for the day Jhinjhi village.
Overnight in tents.
Trekking distance and time: 13 kms/6-7 Hrs.
Day 07 – Jhinjhi to Pana Village
We will resume our trek in the morning descending for an hour towards Birahi Ganga. You will have opportunity to witness the life style of the people in the remote hamlet in Garhwal. As you continue descending down the valley you will notice that what sounded like a gentle flow of the brook in the campsite turning into a roar and it keeps increasing till you reach the river. The river is adorned with a suspension bridge that swings as you walk over it.
Stop at the bridge to enjoy the beauty of the place and relax your muscles for a steep climb through zig zag trail towards the next ridge which is awaiting us on the other side of the bridge. The climb on the first phase is quite steep and then turns into a gentle gradient through clusters of Rhododendron until you reach the ridge. Your hard work is compensated by the landscape of the place. A little ahead of the ridge is Panna Village where we will end our day. Located at an altitude of 2600m Panna is a one of the bustling villages you will pass through. It is quite overwhelming to see so many people living here despite hardship and deprived of modern-day communications.
Trekking distance and time: 08 kms/4-5 Hrs.
Overnight in tents.
Day 08 – Pana to Dakhwani
Start your day walking on the trail with moderate ascend for about three quarter of an hour to the saddle of the ridge. From the top continue walking through the Rhododendron forests to an open highland meadow of Sartoli grazing ground for moving sheep herds and camp site for the shepherds. Meadow offers a sight of Kuaripass at a distance that dominates the horizon. The trail from here descends for some time till Domabhiti that boasts a rivulet with loose moraine. From here the ascend starts through steep trail with a series of switchbacks till the ridge top. The place is adorned with Rhododendron forests. A gentle ascends from here for an hour from here on a scenic trail will take you to Dakwani (3300m) your campsite for the night.
Trekking distance and time: 14 kms/5-6 Hrs.
Overnight in tents.
Day 09 – Dakhwani to Tali via Kuari Pass
Start your day early to enjoy the enthralling view of the pass from your campsite, followed by ascend through the woods until the tree line ends and shrub line starts. Continue trek traversing through zig-zag switchbacks a challenging steep climb to reach the Kuari Pass (3800m). Stunning view of greater Himalayas awaits as you reach the top. Some of the tallest peaks of not just Garhwal Himalayas but in India are visible from here, some of them are Nandadevi, Kamet, Neelkanth, Hathi and Ghori Parvat, Chaukhamba etc. In fact Kuari Pass offers the best view of Nanda Devi range.
After spending time in the pass continue trek ascending towards the saddle and then descends towards Tali your campsite for the night passing through picturesque landscape consists of pasture land and forests.
Trekking distance and time: 09 kms/5-6 Hrs.
Overnight in tents.
Day 10 – Tali to Auli (end Trek) and Joshimath
After an easy morning start your trek for the day ascending on a gradual trail on the ridge which is narrow, hence it calls for cautious steps. Trail leads you to Gorson Bhugyal meadow (2550m) that offers a magnificent view of the surrounding Himalayas. Walk along the meadows while admiring the beauty of the imposing Nandadevi Range to end your trek at Auli.
Bead goodbye to the support staffs and take a short drive from here to Joshimath.
Joshimath is bustling market place which serves as market center for many villages around. It is also the gateway to some of the holy pilgrimage of Hindus and Sikhs.
Trekking distance and time: 10 kms/3-4 Hrs.
Overnight in a guest house/ tent.
Day 11 – Joshimath to Rishikesh
Morning depart Joshimath by road for Rishikesh (250 Km). Drive is through a picturesque locale. Arrive Rishikesh and check-in at hotel, take a hot shower and relax the rest of the day.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 12 – Rishikesh
Day free to explore the holy pilgrimage of Rishikesh. Lies on the right bank of the holy River Ganges, which is lifeline to around 50000 villages from its source to the end. Located at an altitude of 365m on the foothills of the Shivalik range being a place of peace and serenity, Rishikesh has always been a center for spiritual learning. Some of the important sites here are Triveni Ghat: one the most scared Ghats of Ganges, it is believed to be the confluence of three holy mythological rivers. Every morning and evening devotees gather here in large numbers to offer prayer. Lakshman Jula: built in 1992 a cable suspension bridge which swings along with the movement of the people who walk on it. Legend has it that Lakshaman the younger brother of Lord Rama had crossed the river at the same spot on a jute rope. An ancient Lakshaman temple also could be visited on the west bank of the river adjacent to bridge. Rishikesh is also dotted with Ashrams for religious learning.
Evening visit Triveni Ghat to see evening Aarti on the Ganges when a group of priests offer the reverence to Goddess Ganges on the bank beautifully synchronizing the movement of multilayer butter lamp in the rhythm drums and symbols while chanting the hymns of Veda. This will be followed by devotees floating lamps on river to show their reverence to the river creating an interesting sight.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 13 – Rishikesh to Delhi and Depart
In time drive to Delhi airport (260 Km) to board the flight for onward destination.
Note: As advised above Kuari Pass Trek can be customized to suit to your requirement.
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