DESTINATION PINDARI GLACIER, KAFNI GLACIER

TIME TO VISIT - Mid April to End of June
- September and October

GUIDE
- DEBU Guide(He has 4 sons who are also Guides)

Devendra Prasad (DEBU GUIDE)
Vill - Khati
VIA - PINDARI Route,Khati
PO - BHARARI
DISTRICT - BAGESHWAR
PIN - 263679
UTTARAKHAND
INDIA
PHONE - HOTEL SIDDHARTH (Bageshwar) - 05963220114. We called here and left my number,he called back.
- His second number - 09411049694

I got some other contacts
Bharat - 05963211189
Puran Singh - 05963213070 (Hotel Sangam - Khati )


SHORT ITINERARY
NIGHT 1. Delhi to Kathgodam (Train at 10 PM at Delhi/DLI. Reaches Kathgodam at 6 AM)
DAY 1. Kathgodam to Bageshwar (200 kms.- 6 hours approx -Rs 200 by cab)
Bageshwar to Song (40 kms - Bus - Rs 35)
Song to Loharkhet ( 5 kms - Jeep - Rs 50 / or Trek 3 kms for free)

DAY 2. Loharkhet to Dhakuri(11 kms) - TREK STARTS
Dhakuri to Khati (8 kms)
DAY 3. Khati to Dwali (12 kms)
Dwali to Phurkiya (7 kms)
DAY 4. Phurkiya to Zero Point (7 kms)
Zero Point to Phurkiya (7 kms)
Phurkiya to Dwali(7 kms)
DAY 5. Dwali to Kafni(12 kms)
Kafni to Dwali(12 kms)
DAY 6. Dwali to Khati(12 kms)
Khati to Dhakuri(8 kms)
DAY 7. Dhakuri to Loharkhet(11 kms)
Loharkhet to Song(3 kms) - TREK ENDS
Song to Bageshwar
DAY 8. Bageshwar to Kathgodam
NIGHT Kathgodam to Delhi



LONG ITINERARY
SATURDAY 16th May,2009 - Reached Delhi
DELHI To KATHGODAM (Night train from Old Delhi/DLI. Alternative is DELHI to HALDWANI which is one stop before Kathgodam)

SUNDAY 17th May,2009 - Train reaches Kathgodam/Haldwani(just 5 kms apart) at 6'o clock in the morning.
- Outside station there are buses and cabs(mostly Mahindra Bolero) and shared cabs available.
KATHGODAM To BAGESHWAR by Cab ( Rate is Rs 200 per head. Takes 6 hours approx for 200 kms)
- Bageshwar is last place you can find chicken curry here
Lunch at BAGESHWAR
BAGESHWAR To SONG by Bus ( Very few cabs and very slow buses. Takes 2 hours at least for approx 40 kms)
SONG To LOHARKHET by Cab ( There is a single Jeep which takes Rs 50 per head for a 5 km ride uphill. Alternately you can trek uphill for 3 kms short route)
Night Halt - Only KMVN(Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam) house available.
Facilities -> At least 30 people can stay inside. They provide clean beds,pillows,good blankets. There are huge bathrooms with water stored in drums(hence to be used judiciously)
(Rent is Rs 150 per head). They are still expanding.
-> The chowkidar prepares food at a makeshift kitchen. Rate is Rs 40 per meal, Rs 20 per breakfast/snacks and Rs 5 for tea
-> Forest Entry takes Rs 60 per head( A person comes to collect ( else you can blissfully give a miss)
-> There are a lot of places to pitch tent inside the boundary wall of KMVN.Just need tent,sleeping bags and mat. Other facilities like common toilet and food are available.

MONDAY 18th May,2009 -
LOHARKHET To DHAKURI - A steep walk up the slope for 11 kms.
- After 1 KM there is a resting place.
- After 3 kms there is the first tea stall
- After 6 kms there is the second and last tea stall
- After 8 kms there is a small memorial stone
- After 10 kms you reach the top of a hill where there is a temple, a signboard with distances and at the distance one can see DHAKURI
- After 11 kms you reach DHAKURI. There are 2 hotels here. Both KMVN and PWD(Rs 55 per head) have staying facilities.
Lunch at DHAKURI
DHAKURI To KHATI - A moderate walk of 8 kms
- First 3 kms just slopes down. First tea stall can be seen even after 2 kms
- Next 2 kms is alternately smooth or down , few tea stalls and a village called UMLI to be crossed. Lots of habitation can be seen
- At 7 kms Hotel Anpona is present which provides decent tea. Lodging and Fooding available here.
- At 8 kms reach KHATI , Hotel Sangam is the first one to catch the eye. Clean rooms and decent food.
- Khati is last place you can have egg curry. It gets rare from here and very expensive
- The KMVN hut is 0.5 KM after crossing the KHATI village. Also that is a steep climb.
Night Halt - Many options from Hotel Anpona,Hotel Sangam,KMVN and I heard there were few others. Max cost is at KMVN for Rs 150 per head.


TUESDAY 19th May,2009
KHATI To DWALI - A pleasant walk across the forests for 12 kms
- First 6 kms has very few ups and downs.Tea stall present at 6 kms
- Bridge to cross river at 6 kms and 1km uphill trek
- The rest of the trek is moderate again till DWALI
- There are 2 HOTELS in DWALI to eat
Lunch at DWALI
- There is a KMVN hut and there is a PWD hut at DWALI. Food,Lodging rates are similar.
DWALI To PHURKIYA - A steep climb of 7 kms
- After 3 kms there is a valley, roads are very steep here in absense of any proper rocky paths. But very safe as its plains and grass all around
- It gets colder by the minute and rains in the afternoon almost everday.
- No tea stall nothing on this route till Phurkiya
Night Halt - Only 2 options KMVN and PWD.(Rates Rs 150 and Rs 55 respectively).Food rates similar like Rs 40 for meals, Rs 25 for maggi etc
- For people wanting to pitch tents can go slightly more( 0.5 km) and pitch tents in a valley
- For more adventurous people(like us) one can go from PHURKIYA To BABA's ashram ( 6 kms steep climb uphill). Baba can accomodate few persons probably a couple. Also lots of places to pitch tent here.
- It is very cold at Phurkiya and gets colder as you go up

WEDNESDAY 20th May,2009
PHURKIYA to ZERO POINT - A steep climb 7 km uphill. No luggage to be carried
- At 3 kms there is a turn and its mentioned its 3 kms
- At 6 kms PINDARI BABA ( Swami Dharmananad's Ashram) where one can rest and have tea
- At 7 kms ZERO POINT where the road ends abruptly and makes further progress quite impossible.
ZERO POINT to PHURKIYA - Again one can stop on their way down to BABA's ashram. BABA takes no money, one can donate at the donation box

PHURKIYA To DWALI - A downward slope. Pickup luggage left at PHURKIYA KMVN.
- The climb down is smooth except at the valley ,where it can get worse
- Lots of places to sit and rest. Road is smooth , one can reach very quickly
Lunch at DWALI ( ALternately one can have it at PHURKIYA and come down)
Night Halt at DWALI - PWD has only beds, no bedcover or pillow or blankets. Window glass is broken, room is not carpeted like KMVN. Bathroom has no water storage drum, just a balti and mug.
- PWD has fireplace facility ( KMVN's also have) but one needs to figure out how to get wood and make it
- Food quality at DWALI is the worst and also costly
If one is going towards Kafni, once can try out the Zilla Parishad guesthouse at 5kms from DWALI

THURSDAY 21st May,2009
DWALI to KAFNI - A steep climb of 12 kms. No luggage to be carried. No mule dung on this road.
- If you can arrange, chowkidar at DWALI,Tara Singh will prepare and pack lunch/breakfast for Kafni travel
- First 5 kms are very steep, tough. Roads twist and turn and destroyed by avalanches and landslides.
- At 5 kms Zilla Parishad has a guesthouse. Fooding and Lodging available here
- At 6 kms the great Kafni Bugiyal starts. Walking uphill becomes moderate and pleasant.
- At 8 kms KMVN is constructing a new Rest House
- At 12 kms one meets the first glacier , Kafni 1
- At 14 kms one can go and see the second big glacier Kafni 2. Roads vanish after this.
KAFNI to DWALI
Lunch at Zilla Parishad Guest house
- Lodging is costlier here ( Rs 100 per head just for staying, blankets etc available at extra cost)
- Food is basic khichdri, maggi etc at rates similar to Dwali or Phurkiya
- Tents can be pitched here and open air for bathrooms.
- The return journey to DWALI is smooth as there are very few visitors to KAFNI
- One can see big herds of goats and sheep from nearby villages
Night Halt at DWALI

FRIDAY 22nd May,2009
DWALI to KHATI - A pleasant walk again. This time it was mostly downhill and rest of it smooth
- Again tea at 6 km ,midway
Lunch at Khati
- We had Lunch at DEBUda's house
KHATI to DHAKURI - A pleasant walk first 3 kms , moderate climb
- At 5 kms one can get the last few tea stalls
- Last 3 kms are steep climb up
Night Halt at DHAKURI - Food and facilities good at KMVN

SATURDAY 23rd May,2009
DHAKURI To LOHARKHET - First 1 km is a tough uphill
- After the temple at DHAKURI top it is a downhill all way. Tea stall at 6kms
- Second Tea stall at 9 kms
LOHARKHET To SONG - One can take Jeep. Alternately one can trek downhill for 3 kms
- Song has a bus stand and Jeep stand and a few shops. Catch a bus/Jeep to Bageshwar
Lunch at Bageshwar
Night Halt at BAGESHWAR - Alternately one can go to Garur or Almora or Nainital. It is even possible to go to Kathgodam.
- But, it is advisable to keep a day in buffer

SUNDAY 24th May,2009
BAGESHWAR to KATHGODAM - Lunch on the way.Last cab from BAGESHWAR to reach KATHGODAM is at 1 PM. Do not wait ,these are highly erratic.
- Train(RANIKHET EXPRESS) leaves KATHGODAM for DELHI at 8:40 PM



THINGS TO CARRY FOR THIS TREK