Pangarchulla Peak Trek
The Pangarchulla peak is a beautiful introductory peak. The trek poses just the right amount of challenge and is ideal for hikers who want to get a taste of climbing. The peak is at 14700 ft and can have a lot of snow till as late as May. The trail to Pangarchulla Peak has a variety of terrains. From Lush green farms to dense jungle and then a pristine white snow covered landscape. The views of peaks like Vasudhara falls, Mana, Mandir, Ghodi, Hathi, Barmal, Lampak Massif, Dronagiri, Nanda-Devi, and Bertholi can leave you feeling modest. The trek is led by a certified mountaineer and may require the use of technical climbing gears such as ropes, crampons, ice axe, harnesses etc. An orientation and skill training on the use of the technical gear would be provided during the trek itself as and when required.
Pangarchulla Peak is a moderate level trek i.e. it requires more strength and endurance than easy level treks. It is recommended that you first gain an experience of trekking to altitudes higher than 3000 metres, and then move one level up with this trek. However, if you are a beginner but committed to prepare, then you need at least 2-3 months to prepare physically & mentally for this trek. For details on trek difficulty level, please read on Bikat Rating Scale.
You must have done a small trek of 2-3 days before and hiked to an altitude of more than 3000 meters.
Click here for text packing list.
Dhak Village is the last point on road for trek which is about 10 kilometre away from Joshimath. Joshimath is a small town, 290 km away from Haridwar, Uttrakhand. There are direct buses to Joshimath from Dehradun & Haridwar/Rishikesh. They leave early in the morning. One can also hire a private taxi from Haridwar, Rishikesh, or Dehradun to get to Joshimath.
Haridwar is easily accessible through road, rail, and air transport.
By Road:
There are no direct buses to Joshimath from Delhi. There You can take overnight UKRTC buses and Volvos available from ISBT Kashmere Gate, Delhi to Haridwar. The distance from Delhi to Haridwar is about 222 km. You can also hire a taxi or outstation cab from Delhi to Haridwar.
By Rail:
The nearest railway station to Joshimath is 187 km away in Haridwar. There are a number of trains running between Delhi and Haridwar like Dehradun Express, Nanda Devi Express. It is advisable to make your train bookings a month in advance.
By Air:
The nearest airport from Joshimath is Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun which is 272 km away from Joshimath. You can reach Dehradun from New Delhi by flight.
Once your trek is completed, there are many places in Joshimath that you can visit. Nanda Devi National Park, a UNESCO heritage site, is where you get to spot some of the endangered species. Narsingh Temple is a sacred place in Joshimath visited by pilgrims in huge number. The temple is a part of Sapt Badri. Visit Shri Shankaracharya Math which is one of the four monasteries founded by famous Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya. Kalpvriksh in Joshimath is a 1200 year old Mulberry is considered to be the oldest in India. The tree remains evergreen throughout the year and never sheds a leaf.
March-May, September-October.
You will find network at Joshimath, after which there is poor connectivity. You may find weak signals at Lata. Beyond this you will only find network at Auli
The minimum age limit is 13 years. However, minors aged between 13 to 17 should be accompanied with their parents or guardians. If you are above the age of 60, kindly carry a medical certificate from your doctor that deem you fit for adventure activities like trekking.
When you arrive in Joshimath on the first day and on the last day of the trek, your stay will be made at local guest house.The rooms will be provided on twin sharing basis. You will receive the details of your accommodation through email few days prior the trek. On trekking days, all the trekkers will be accommodated in twin or triple sharing tents. Along with this, there will be also be a toilet tent and a dining tent installed at every campsite as we roll.
We provide 4 seasons tents by Gipfel for higher altitudes which can easily withstand heavy snowfall and storms. They are spacious enough to accomodate 3 people at once with a vestibule to place the backpacks. Our sleeping bags are made up of Heatseeker Pro synthetic insulation that can provide you comfort in -10 degrees celsius. We also use additional fleece liners to have thermal efficiency even in the extreme temperatures of -17 degrees Celsius. If you carry your own sleeping bag, you will get a cashback reward provided that you inform us as soon as you have booked your trek.
Toilet tents will be provided to you on the trek.These are portable toilets tents where a deep pit will be dug. A shovel will be provided inside the tent to cover the waste after you have made your business. You can take a toilet roll inside. Make sure you dig used toilet paper along with the waste. Though water is recommended in place of toilet paper. Please refrain from using wet wipes as they are non-biodegradable. There will be no facility for bathing on the trek. Go through our blog section for tips on how to maintain personal hygiene on treks.
You will be provided with good quality gaiters and microspikes from us depending upon the situation of the snow. Our trek leaders will also be carrying ropes and ice axe.
Vegetarian food will be served throughout the trek. The only non-vegetarian item served on our treks are eggs. Our kitchen staff follows a proper menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner which has been designed in order to fulfil the nutritional requirements of the participants. There will be milk, poha, eggs, muesli/corn flakes, bread and butter served for breakfast. Rice or simple roti sabzi will be packed for lunch. In dinner, you will have dal, egg curry or any other vegetarian dish along with rice, roti, and a dessert item. Packed lunch will be provided to you on the days you are trekking. You are requested to carry your own tiffin box and a mug to consume food. The meals consumed on journey and arrival day are not included in our cost.
You can rent following items from us- Trekking Pole, Trekking Shoes, Fleece Jacket, Rucksack
During April-May, the day temperature will range from 14-18 degrees Celsius. The nights will get cold dropping the temperature to 0 to -6 degrees Celsius. There will be a further drop in the temperature by a degree or two in October and November. Higher the altitude you gain, the colder it gets.
You can expect snows in the during the months of April and May. There is heavy snowfall in this region post November which makes this trek inaccessible.
If you want to offload your rucksack, you will have to make a request for offloading a few days prior the trek through an email so that arrangement can be made in advance. You will be charged per day for offloading your rucksack. In case you decide to offload on the spot, you may have to pay a higher price than usual. However offloading your rucksack is not recommended since it is not a safe practice.
A team of participant will be led by a course certified trek leader and a local guide. All participants are requested to abide by what their leader says. There will also be a team of kitchen staff and porters on the trek. We maintain 1:8 ratio of trek leader and participants. All our trek leaders and staff have a certified training in first-aid and rescue operation.
Yes, trekking pole is necessary. If you don’t want to buy one, you can rent it from us on minimal daily basis charges. You can request the renting link from us.
Joshimath is a small town with a very small market. Please do not leave anything for last minute buying.
Yes, it is absolutely safe for a solo woman to travel in fix departures. Women on the trek will be sharing tent with each other. In case you are the only woman on the trek, you will be given a separate tent.
Yes, e-certificates will be given at the end of each trek provided that you completed it. It will bear your name, the trek, and the maximum altitude you achieved on the trek.
We have one pick-up point: Dehradun ISBT. The dropping point remains the same.
Expect to reach Joshimath late in the evening where arrangements for overnight stay will be made at a local hotel. Make sure your bus bookings from here are on the next day.
