Tour Nanda Devi Base Camp - Major Mountain Expedition, Haridwar Himalaya India

Nanda Devi, whose name means Blessed Goddess, is the highest mountain in India. It is a great white double pyramid overlooking the sacred Garhwal region. Nanda Devi rises from a vast ring of high mountains that form the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, an amphitheater seventy miles in circumference and 6000m high, surrounding the Rishiganga valley. Only once in this giant cirque does the elevation drop below 5200 m.

Repeated early efforts to reach the inner sanctuary failed. Bill Tilman finally reached the sanctuary in 1934 with Eric Shipton, then Tilman climbed to the summit in 1936 with No ‘l Odell. With this ascent, Nanda Devi became the highest peak attained by man, a record which remained until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna.

Elevation	25645 ft. /7817 m.
Country:	India
Continent:	Asia
Latitude:	30.3833
Longitude:	79.9667
Difficulty:	Major Mountain Expedition
Best months for Camping:	July, August, September
Convenient Center:	Haridwar, India
Nearest major airport:	Delhi, India
Tour Duration:	13 Nights and 14 Days
Places Covered:	Delhi - Haridwar - Devprayag - Mundoli - Nanda Ghunti - Kanol - Nandakini Valley - Kuari Pass - Tapovan

Day 01 : Delhi-Haridwar-Devprayag
We arrive New Delhi early morning and transfer to the hotel. We then take the early morning train to Haridwar, one of the most holy Hindu towns on the banks of the Ganges. We then continue by road to the small hamlet of Devprayag perched above the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers. A visit to the saddhus on the riverbank for a good weather blessing is a must! Simple guesthouse.

Day 02 : Devprayag - Mundoli
We follows the gently winding road into the heart of the Garhwal foothills, past Rudraprayag with its memorial stone to Jim Corbett and the infamous man eating leopard and onwards up the Pindar valley. We camp above the road-head near Mundoli. Camp.

Day 03: Mundoli
An excellent start to our journey as we trek through rhododendron forest, hand-tilled fields and small, friendly villages. We camp near an old Forest Rest House with impressively large deodar. Over night stay in the Camp.

Day 04 : Mundoli - Nanda Ghunti
Today involves a long climb to the magnificent bugyal or grazing meadow of Bedni. Here we are rewarded with startling views of Trisul (7120m) and Nanda Ghunti (6390m). A tougher day of steep ascent and descent. Over night stay in the Camp.

Day 05 : Nanda Ghunti - Kanol
Classic walking today as we head north through Rolling Meadows bordered with ancient rhododendron trees that give the most wonderful display of colour in spring. The trails are good and the scenery magnificent. We camp near a river beside the village of Kanol. Camp.

Day 06 : Kanol
A tough morning as we make the long descent to the Nandakini River. A welcome paddle in the clear water to sooth our feet whilst the porters set up camp & over night stay.

Day 07: Kanol - Nandakini Valley
We start the day by trekking up and out of the Nandakini valley, a tough but rewarding climb along good trails. Birds of prey such as Lammergeyer, Golden Eagle and Himalayan Griffon are common in this area. The day's efforts are well worth it as we camp in peaceful and wonderfully flat meadow for the night. Over night stay in the Camp.

Day 08: Nandakini Valley - Nanda Devi
A day traversing one of the main valleys that radiate out from the Inner Sanctuary of Nanda Devi. A steep descent takes us to our interesting campsite above the gorge of the Bhagirathi & over night stay.

Day 09: Nanda Devi - Kauri Pass
We cross the river on a splendid suspension bridge. Shipton and Tilman were not so fortunate and had to improvise a crossing out of fallen tree trunks and rope.... From the river we climb steeply to a level trail that takes us to our next campground, in sight of the Kuari Pass. Over night stay in the Camp.

Day 10: Kuari Pass
An easier day as we make camp at Dhakwani near the base of the Kauri Pass in preparation for an early start tomorrow & over night stay in the Camp.

Day 11: Kuari Pass
We make a pre-dawn start for the pass to gain the best views. Climbing in the footsteps of Shipton and Tilman, we follow the zigzag path to the top of the pass (3658m). The route is not difficult and the views that unfold at the top are unrivalled anywhere in the Himalayas. A stunning panorama of snow covered 6000 and 7000m peaks stretches as far as the eye can see. After savoring this moment we descend to a sheltered grazing meadow to watch the peaks fade into the twilight. Camp.

Day 12: Kuari-Pass - Tapovan
The final day of our classic trek. We descend further towards the Alaknanda valley and the small settlement of Tapovan where we rejoin our transport for the short ride to Josimath, an important halting point for Shipton and Tilman during their explorations. Overnight at Hotel or Guesthouse.

Day 13: Tapovan - Devprayag
A long day of driving as we follow the river to the Alaknanda valley southwest on to Devprayag. Overnight at Hotel or guesthouse.

Day 14: Devprayag - Haridwar - Delhi
We continue our journey to Delhi via Haridwar where we take the train on to Delhi (if tickets are unavailable due to pilgrims we will continue by road). We arrive in Delhi in time for last minute souvenir hunting and an enjoyable meal in one of the many excellent restaurants. Overnight at Hotel.

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