Kuari Pass Trek on Curzon’s trail Trek

Pickup from Haridwar in the morning and reach Ramni (~ 2200 m/7200 ft) which is 260 Km away. The journey may take around 12 hours with a break or two. The entire journey is along the Ganges and its major tributaries and touching several confluence points named as Prayag, e.g. Devprayag (Bhagirathi and Alaknanda), Rudraprayag (Alaknanda and Mandakini), Karnaprayag (Alaknanda and Pindar).The road till Nandaprayag (Alaknanda and Nandakini) is the one which leads to Badrinath and we take a detour from Nandaprayag to the right and get into the Nandakini valley to reach the small town called Ghat. From here the road starts gaining altitude and we reach the last road on this side to the small village called Ramni. We camp for the night.

Our trek starts from today.

Today we continue our trek to Pana village (~ 2400 m, 8000 ft). Starting from Jhinji, we descend till Jhinji Pool to cross the Birahi Ganga River. This bridge is referred “Curzon’s bridge” and needs a special mention for its long length and cabled suspension type. On the left the Birahi valley is wide open with several villages seen at a distance and an exit route goes to a place called Birahi (via Durmi village)which is near Chamoli town. After crossing the bridge we start gradually climbing up till we reach a vantage point from where the trail turns right. Surrounding is rich with thick vegetation and Pana village can be seen on the other side of the hill. We encircle the trail on a level track and reach a camping ground called Kaliaghat before Pana. Continue to walk and slowly cross the last village of the route. We climb further up and camp at the top of the Pana village.and and then a gradual climb to the last village in this route named Pana. Distance around 10 km and can take 5/6 hrs. Overnight in tent.

Start in the morning to trek to our today’s destination Dakwani (~ 3450 m/11315 ft). We start gradually climbing the ridge for the Pana top and then a wide open vista opens up. Now we enter into the grazing ground of Sartoli which is in a lower elevation to that of Pana top. There are several shepherd huts on this meadow who stay till the end of September before cold starts to set in. On a clear day you can see the Kuari pass clearly from this place.Crossing the meadow we descend to a side stream and cross the bridge at Domabhiti. From this point the switchback climb starts. This climb can be tiring due to scorching sun. After an hour and half we come to a small clearing called Falchwani. Crossing another small bridge the trail starts climbing again keeping the stream on right.After climbing for an hour the tree line starts receding. Finally we enter into the open pastures and camp at Dakwani. This place is specially notable for Himalayan Monal which is the state bird of Uttarakhand. Distance is 11 Km and may take 5 to 6 hrs.

We Start early in the morning to reach Kuari Pass (~3850 m/12360 ft) and get the mesmerising views of the surrounding Himalaya. The pass is formed by two ridges bent in an arch shape and is clearly visible from Dakwani. The climb is moderately steep and can take around one and half hour. As we go higher the lower level of oxygen is felt. Once we reach the Pass, a panorama of massive snow clad peaks accompanied with far stretched Bugyal (alpine meadows) open up. Straight ahead is the twin peak of Hathi Parvat and Ghori Parvat. On a clear day one can witness the sheer expanse of great Himalayan range spanning from Kumaon side (in the right ) to the Garhwal ranges farthest till Gangotri (on the left). We take a right from the pass and encircle the track to reach the opposite side. On the way we cross a small camping ground called Kuari Khana and a Place Khulara from where a trail descends on our right to Tapovan. From here we see the broad Dhauli Ganga valley to our right. We continue on the left trail and then descend to a a small pond, often called Tali Lake. From here we continue down and get inside the pine forest to camp for the night. (~3300 m/10825 ft).

We enter into the forest of Oak and Rhododendrons till we come to a clearing. We climb a little on the grassy slope and traverse to reach Gurson Bugyal. On our right the chain of high Himalayan peaks loom throughout. After crossing the meadows, tree line reappears. There is a small clearing after finishing the meadows surrounded with trees and desolated camp of police, which is a potential camping ground. There is a small temple beside the trail nearby. We continue further down to reach Auli top where we find a forest check post and the famous Auli cable car station. From here we descend for another half an hour to reach the car road head. Wait for the car and drive to Joshimath which is 14 Km away. Lodge accommodation at Joshimath.

In the morning take a car back back to Haridwar via Chamoli, Karnaprayag and Devprayag. It may take up to 12 hrs to cover the distance of 275 Km. The trip ends at Haridwar.