Pangarchulla Peak Trek

• Altitude: 2,750 m/9,000 ft
• Drive from Pipalkoti to Tugashi Village is 15 km; Tugashi village to Gulling To is a 3 km trek (2 hrs)
• The trail is a mix of steep and gradual ascents, mostly through villages
• Hot lunch at campsite
• Water points available at villages in passing
• Accommodation in tent
• Peaks spotted: Dronagiri, Hathi Parvat, Ghodi Parvat

The next day, by 8 am we will set off for Tugashi village after having breakfast at the guest-house. From Tugashi the trek will begin. The drive from Pipalkoti to Dhak of around 1:30 minutes will introduce you to the mountain kingdom surrounding the town. After breakfast, load your rucksack in the van and we will drive towards Tugashi. The drive is short but scenic. Enjoy the first sights of Nanda Devi peak during your ride. Collect your refreshments and start the trek from Tugashi road-head marking the uphill bent towards the destination. Trek for 1 hour to the first village. The first half an hour part of the trek is through a motorable road and then it follows a stone-paved trail up the mountain.

The gradually ascending trail keeps the village on the right and takes a dusty, rocky hike of gradual ascents. You will pass through mountain villages like Kharchi, and Tugasi, giving you a glimpse into the peculiarities of mountain living, their dependence, and their close association with nature. Without any major difficulties, we reach Tugashi village from where the trail inclines by gushing streams. Feast your senses in the greenery of the farming steps cut across hills and the high mountains towering over from all around. The gradual gaining of altitude here must be supported by thorough hydration, therefore, you must keep filling your bottle at village water points.  You will come across shepherd clans, farmers, and other agrarian people in this village set in the backdrop of mountains. After immersing in the different flavors of life for some time here, we move towards our next stop- the hamlet of Gulling. During the trek, you can get wonderful sights of Dronagiri Parvat towards the left. This is a popular trek route as it is also the path that takes you to Kuari Pass and a few other treks. You may also see hydro-powered mills in the villages.

With the turn from Tugasi towards Gulling at 8990 ft, the scenario changes from stark and dusty to green. A thickly forested area kicks in after Gulling and traces of civilization start to blur away. The trek continues through forest cover to the Gulling Top campsite at 9600 ft. across 0.5 km from Gulling village. Along with this stretch, finally, the great mesmerizing snow peaks of Garhwal Himalayas pop their heads changing the whole vista to a heavenly one. Prominent in this dazzling panorama are Dronagiri, HathiParvat, and GhoriParvat. You can see widespread Golden Oak, Birch trees on your sides. Remember that the trail takes place inside the Nanda Devi National Park and it is a protected area so be respectful of the inhabitants as well as the flora and fauna of the region.  After lunch at the campsite, the sun takes a dip and the snow peaks take a golden sheen casting a spell of pure magic—the perfect time to catch a few exquisite shots! You have gained quite a bit of altitude today, so take short acclimatization walks in the evening around the campsite and return to your camps before dark.

• Altitude: 3,350 m/ 11,000 ft
• Trek Distance: 6 km | Duration: 5 hrs
• Altitude Gain: 600 m/ 2000 ft
• A steep ascent through Oak, Rhododendron (mostly pink and white), and walnut forest
• Lunch at campsite
• Accommodation in tent
• Peaks spotted: Nanda Devi, Kalanka, Changbang, Dronagiri, Hathi Parvat, Ghodi Parvat.

The next day’s trip is a straight ascent of approx 5 km spanning 4 hours approximately. The destination Camp I is a campsite in the clearing amid coniferous forests of blue pine, oaks, and rhododendron. While the climb is an ascending one, it is not as steep as the previous day’s.

We set out today after breakfast prepared mentally for a moderate hike. There will be numerous water points. The entire trail will be a muddy route. Since the trail is under dense forest cover there is no scope for big mountain sights. You will be surrounded by Oak forests on all sides on most part of today’s walk. Continue along the forested trail to eventually reach Camp I. Greeted with sharp curves with deep ravines gaping at one side, we move along never feeling cheated out of the beautiful vista promised. The forests seem to smile up suddenly here and there with rhododendrons blooming in thickets of pink and red. From a little inside the forested trail, snow becomes part of the scene. Rich growth of Silver Birch and Spruce hovers over the snow-covered forest floor making Pangarchulla an in-depth snow trek. Late into the day, Camp-I is reached. Lunch tastes extra delicious today after this testing trek. The afternoon and evening can be reserved for acclimatization and relaxed walks around the clearing. The acclimatization walk is till Khullara meadows, which takes around 40 minutes to reach there. This will be one of the best walks, with fewer efforts you will be standing in front of an ocean of Kamet, Mana Parvat, Deoban, Hati Parvat, Garud, Trishul, Dronagiri peaks. Khullara Top is a part of Lord Curzon’s Trail and it gives 360-degree views of the Himalayan peaks. After short acclimatization walks, return back to the campsite before sundown. Retire in your tents at night. At higher altitudes, you need to give your body as much rest as possible.

• Altitude: 3,800 m/ 12,500 ft
• Approx. 7-8 km trek, 5-6 hrs (3-4 km away)
• The first half is a steep ascent and the second half is a gradual ascent
• Wide meadows with golden to bright green grass cover to cross in the summer that turns into rolling snowfields in the winter.
• Khullara top to a broken ridge with frozen stream (traverse walk) (3,700 m/ 12,200 ft)
• Broken bridge to Kuari Pass (strenuous climb) (3,800 m/ 12,500 ft)
• Carry enough water (no water source on the way)
• Early morning breakfast and start trek to Kuari Pass
• Special care for protection from the harsh sun is required in these open meadows.
• Peaks spotted: Kedrantah Peak, Kedardome, Chaukhambha, Balakun, Neelkantha, Mukut Parvat, Kamet, Abhi Gamin, Mana I, Ghodi Parvat, Hathi Parvat, Dronagiri, Kalanka, Changbang, Nanda Devi and Nanda Ghunti.

Starting after breakfast with packed lunch from Camp I, we make our way, skirting the forest lands towards Kuari Top, and some 40 minutes into the trail, the scenery changes from tree-covered shadowy trails to open meadows. When you reach Khullara top in another 1 hour, you follow Lord Curzon\'s trail towards Kuari Pass. From Khullara top you can see 3 trails heading out, the right going to Tali downwards, the left uphill trail going to Pangarchulla, left downhill to Kuari Pass. We will take the route to Kuari Pass. Khullara is connected to Lord Curzon’s trail by means of a forest ridge. Keep trudging on the Lord Curzon trail for 20 min and open Gelgad meadows will come into sight. This is another spot to capture the mighty Himalayan peaks like Chaukhamba, Neelkantha, etc. Keep walking for another 20 minutes into the trail and you will encounter the famous broken bridge. Here you can find one water point if luckily it is not frozen. Take a few deep breaths and get ready for a steep ascent until Kuari Pass. For the safe side, keep water bottles with you on this trek.

Watch out for the Pangarchulla on the left as you arrive closer to it. Some of the prominent peaks visible are Chaukhamba, Mt. Kamet, and Neelkantha, Mana, Deoban, Hati Parvat, Garud, Trishul, and Dronagiri.

Have your lunch on the wonderful pass relishing the view and return back to Camp I.

• Altitude: 4,600 m/ 15,100 ft
• Trek Distance: 14 km | Duration: 10 - 11 hrs
• Challenging and steep climb
• Start trekking at 3:00 am as turnaround time is 8:00 am
• Peaks spotted: Nanda Ghunti, Trishul, Nanda Devi, Kalanka, Changbang, Dronagiri, Hathi Parvat, Ghodi Parvat, Mana, Kamet, Abl Gamin, Neelkanth, Chaukhamba Massif, and many more.

On this big day, we start early in the morning,  at the crack of dawn, and set off on fresh snow for the summit hike. It is necessary to be equipped with at least 2 liters of water as there are no water sources from here. Multiple steep climbing points on the way make this stretch laborious. The trail will be the same till Lord Curzon\\\\s trail and you will reach here in one and half hours, same as the previous day.

The first 30 minutes of the ascent is a thorough ridge climb which you will know has ended when a vision Pangarchulla Main and auxiliary peaks rise right up ahead. While the climb may be strenuous the fluorescent sunrise on the left will boost your confidence. After the ridge walk, level snow grounds spread ahead giving you a scope to catch your breath. You can observe a snow gully above you in the middle, this is the point you have to reach. For this region and further up, your group may require cutting through the thick carpet of snow manually—an exhaustive task assigned to the one who leads. In May, June the snow usually melts leaving behind a carpet of boulders. Again if there are a few traces of snow, watch out while stepping on the snow. Your foot may go deep sometimes pertaining to the rocks below. Before reaching the base of Pangarchulla Main, enjoy this level snow patch from where you will get a terrific detailed view of the Chaukhamba massif, flanked by Mana, Kamet, Hati-Ghodi, and other snow caps. We request trekkers not to ask for sliding as it is dangerous on these slopes.

Your trek leader will get you all set for rope up. You will be given a choice to continue or stop here.  The onward approach to the Pangarchulla Summit is going to be laborious. From the base of Pangarchulla Main Peak, once again comes a steep ridge climb. At about a distance of 100 meters, the knife ridge begins. The knife-edge cut in the middle of the ridge should be avoided as you step. Crampons are highly advisable as they will minimize the chances of slipping on the ice. Expect high squalling wind with currents. We expect to reach the summit by 10 am, at the most. Any more delays are not allowed because the snow begins to melt, making the reverse trail slippery. On loose snow, the microspikes do not work efficiently. You will have to scale a cluster of 6 mountain ridges to arrive at the summit of Pangarchulla. Sometimes, ice carving with an ice ax is required and our technical team will guide and assist you through the same.

At the summit point, you will come face to face with the Garhwal snow peaks in all their glory, especially Nanda Ghunti on the left, Chaukhamba on right, which will come to the fore for the first time with all the detailed ridge lines revealed. The top is marked by a small temple. From the summit, one gets a 360-degree view of the Garhwal Himalayas, with Nanda Ghunti, Trishuli, Chang Bang, Dronagiri, GarudParvat, Lampak 1,2, Hathi, Gauri, Mana, Kamet on the right and Neelkanth, Chaukhamba, Kedardome, etc. on the left side. After enjoying your victory for 15 minutes we descend and have lunch at the base. The descent takes about 3 to 4 hrs, take care while descending on the snow.  From late May to December, the snow melts making it a rocky moraine climb and in these months, it is easier to scale the ridge and takes less time. However, the glorious snow-covered summit is an extraordinary sight to behold.

• Altitude: 1,900 m/ 6,200 ft
• Trek Distance: 5 km | Duration: 5 hrs
• Drive Distance: 30 km to Pipalkoti
• Breakfast at Camp I
• Trek to Tugasi village
• Drive from Tugasi village to Pipalkoti
• Packed lunch on the way
• Reach Pipalkoti by late evening
•  Pipalkoti (tea, debriefing, dinner)
• Clean drinking water for filling your bottles will be available at Tugasi village
• Accommodation: guesthouse

On the way down from Camp-I, one by one the snow peaks will pop out of view, and the same old village trails will remind you of the end of the journey. It’s an easy trek down to Tugashi village. An hour and a half of trekking through dense forest covers will bring us to our first campsite and another hour and a half, and you will reach Tugashi village From Tugashi, a car ride into the dusk will take you back to civilization at the Pipalkoti guest-house. Dinner and overnight stay in Pipalkoti.

• Drive DIstance: 252 km
• The ride will commence at 6 am, reaching the destination at around 6 pm
• Breakfast and lunch will be on the way at a roadside inn, exclusive of charges

 

Note: On day 7, you will reach Rishikesh between 5 and 6 pm. You can book your further travel after 7 pm.

After sleeping over the unforgettable experience of scaling Pangarchulla, today we go back city-wards. Your car will be waiting at 6 in the morning. Bidding adieu to the gaze of the hills, you will descend down to civilization reaching Rishikesh by 5 in the evening in time for your overnight journey back. Along the journey back from Pipalkoti, Mother Nature will be your constant companion. If you are planning to book your further journey the same day please make the bookings after 7 pm to account for any unexpected delays on the road.