Indiahikes opens up new Kedarkantha route

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Indiahikes opens up new Kedarkantha route

Category News

By Aswati Anand

2017-03-03

We have opened a new route to Kedarkantha

We have exciting news for our Kedarkantha trekkers. We will be taking a new route this season. The new route, which starts from Naitwar, goes through lovely oaks and pines, fantastic clearings and has superb access to the summit.

Why have we changed the route?

Kedarkantha, not without reason, is an extremely popular trek. With its popularity, the trail has been getting extremely crowded. Here are some of the reviews we received. “I felt there’s too much traffic on the mountain. We summitted with 250 other people. Campsites are crowded as well.” “Other organisations play loud music. It’s so annoying. I come to the mountains for peace and tranquility. The whole purpose is broken when people like these are right beside our campsites. IH’s crowd is great but can you do something about these other people?”

We agree with our trekkers. Most other organisations don’t limit their batch sizes.  Which is why we explored a new route this winter. It took a long time to find the perfect route that would match up to the old route.

At Indiahikes, we firmly believe that new routes must be explored and brought out to the world. Every trail has something new to offer.

Why you’ll fall in love with this new route

With the new route, we want to give our trekkers the feel of walking on a virgin trail. Most trekkers might be worried about not camping at the Juda Ka Talab campsite. But here’s the best part. You go through the virgin trails in this fresh route and get to camp at the famous Juda Ka Talab and see Sankri. You get the best of both worlds. Here’s what the itinerary looks like. 

Day 1Dehradun to Naitwar
Day 2Naitwar to Jalouta
Day 3Jalouta to Pukhrola (new Kedarkantha Base)
Day 4Pukhrola to Kedarkantha Summit; descend to Juda Ka Talaab
Day 5Juda Ka Talaab to Sankri
Day 6Sankri to Dehradun

The new trail hits the old route at Talkhetra (old Kedarkantha Base Camp), goes down to Juda Ka Talaab and ends at Sankri. 

If you’re still not convinced, look at the pictures below. The January 2nd batch of Kedarkantha did this trail with our Trek leader Gurdit Singh.

A stormy day at Kedarkantha. Picture by our trekker Chandrasekhar R

The lovely forests on our new route! Picture by Chandrashekhar R

Right out of a book! Picture by Chandrashekhar R

Aswati Anand

About the author

Aswati Anand is a journalist in love with the Himalayas. She is interested in stories of resilience from difficult terrains and sustainable living. When not mooning over the mountains, she can be seen doodling in her sketchbook.