Day 1: Arrival in India
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Spend the afternoon and evening relaxing in your hotel room or taking in the sights of Delhi. Overnight Hotel.
Day 2: Delhi to Rishikesh (330 m): 5/6 hrs
After breakfast transfer to the train station and board the morning train departing New Delhi at 7:00 a.m. Reach Haridwar at 11:30 a.m. Transfer to our beach camp on the river Ganges near Rishikesh, a bustling pilgrim township, a popular meditation centre and the Yoga Capital of the world. Spend the afternoon rafting or explore the township and attend the aarti (evening prayers) by the banks of the river Ganges. Overnight camp.
Day 3: Drive Rishikesh to Joshimath (1560 m): 8/9 hrs
The drive takes us into the rugged country of the Garhwal Himalaya along the Alaknanda river. Going past a few holy confluences, the road keeps ascending to the small township of Joshimath, which is the base for the Indian Army and the India-Tibet Border police for this area.
Day 4: Joshimath to Tali (3310 m): 5/6 hrs
We take the cable car up to the ski slopes of Auli (2750 m). From Auli one gets to see a distinct profile of Nanda Devi (7817 m) at the head of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. The walk takes one through the forests of oak and rhododendron to reach the meadows of Gorson. From here the trail descends steeply to the forest and we camp by a small water body at Tali. Overnight Camp.
Day 5: Tali to Khulara (3395 m) via the Kuari Pass (3840 m): 5/6 hrs
Today the trail ascends the ridge above Tali and cairns mark our track. Just below the pass, the trail leads through a large meadow, affording spectacular views of the Himalaya. To the north of Joshimath is the Chaukhamba Range: Nilkanth (6596 m) and Narayan Parbat (5965 m), while Mana (7272 m), Kamet (7756 m) and Abigamin (7355 m) extend to the Tibetan border. In the middle foreground, the main Himalayan chain in the vicinity of the Bhyundar valley and Hem Kund includes Nilgiri Parbat (6474 m), Rataban (6166 m), Ghori Parbat (6708 m) and Hathi Parbat (6727 m). Dunagairi (7066 m) dominates the peaks to the north of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. We have lunch at the Kuari pass (3840 m) before descending for one hour to reach the base camp at Khulara.
Day 6: Khulara Base Camp to Advanced Base Camp (4000 m): 3/4 hrs
After breakfast we start moving up towards the high camp with a height gain of 605 m. Most of the walk is of moderate gradient on the snow covered north face of the mountain slopes with great views of the high mountains on the horizon. A short traverse will bring us to the advanced base camp.
Day 7: Advanced Base Camp to Summit and back to Khulara Base Camp: 3/4 hrs
Wake up early to be up on the summit to see the sunrise over the Himalaya. Loads of photo opportunities! The walk up to the summit will take a couple of hours and we descend in time for hot lunch at base camp. Evening celebration and party in honour of a successful summit!
Day 8: Khulara to Tapovan (1905 m) 4/5 hrs, and drive to Pipalkoti (1330 m): 3hrs
The last day of the trek is all downhill to Tapovan. This is a relatively easy walk, passing through one or two nice villages. We then drive from here to the comforts of the hotel in Pipalkoti.
Day 9: Pipalkoti to Delhi: 13 hrs
After an early morning breakfast we set out on an eight hour drive, reaching Haridwar in the evening. Board the evening train leaving at 6:10 p.m. and reach Delhi by 10:40pm. Transfer to the Hotel.
Day 10: Depart India
After breakfast depart to the international airport for your flight home. Trip ends.
