Kedarkantha Summer Camp

The trek begins at Kotgaon. The journey takes you past Mori and Purola. You see beautiful valleys and forest cover throughout the journey.

At the Naitwar Barrier, you need to take permission. A government-issued ID is essential for this. Take the road that goes straight towards Sankri. Take a right turn in about 30 minutes.

This takes you to Kotgaon surrounded by small hamlets called Shialdi, Paisar, Guradi, Suchan Gaon, Dargar Gaon and Dewara. The guest house where you will be staying is in Shialdi.

Roam around this quaint village and be enchanted by the sound of the Tons river.

The trek starts from Kotgaon. Start off from the road that goes towards right from the Kotgaon campus. About a kilometre of walk on the road leads to a small suspension bridge. Watch out for the beautiful views of the valley on your left. Just before the suspension bridge, the trail deviates towards the right. Take this trail. 

Now, you enter the dense forest. This is a beautiful section predominantly of oak trees. Gradually ascend in the dense jungle for about an hour. You come across a small clearing surrounded by bushes and trees. This is your first resting point. 

The forest section continues. It’s a bit of an ascent from here. Savor every bit of it. Listen to the sound of the wind, chirping birds and the rustling of leaves. In another hour, you reach Mohlani meadows. This is a huge clearing and opens up on one side to the grand views of the hills. It is surrounded by tall pine trees on other sides. There is a small Matrishakti Mandir. There is a water source too. Replenish your water supplies here. 

Continue in the forest section again for half an hour to reach another small clearing. From here, it’s a bit of a descent. Listen to the sounds of the gushing water stream. Within a few minutes, you come across a small wooden bridge. Cross the bridge and start ascending. About 15-20 minutes of gradual ascent from here takes you to the Khujaai campsite.

The Khujaai campsite is a huge clearing in the middle of dense forest. This is where you spend the rest of the day. Explore around a bit. To your right, you can see the next day’s trail. To your left, there is a cattle space and shepherds’ huts. A little ahead from this is a space where there are a lot of boulders. You can sit and enjoy the view from here. If the weather permits, do not miss out on views of the starlit sky at night.

This day, children will stay at Khujaai campsite. It's a campsite nestled in the forest and is a perfect place to connect children with nature.

Children will explore forests around Khujaai, participate in bird watching and nature journaling.

Start the trek from the trail that goes to the right in the south-west direction from Khujaai. About a kilometre of an ascent in the forest section takes you to Tatalona meadows. It’s a beautiful clearing. Rest here for sometime. 

From the meadows, about 600 metres of a descent takes you to a water stream. The gushing stream, the boulders and all of this in the middle of a dense forest makes it a beautiful setting. 

Cross this stream. The trail further is again an ascent in the forest section. It can get slippery when it rains. So be mindful of your footing. In about 20 minutes you will reach another small clearing.

Take a steep right turn here. The trail now is through boulders. About another 100 metres of a descent takes you to another water stream. Cross this stream and start your final ascent to the Dhoka campsite. It’s another 700 metres of an ascent in the forest section.

Dhoka in Garhwali means “meadow with a big boulder”. Aptly, it is a huge meadow with one big boulder at one end. From here onwards, snow-clad mountains start making their appearance. Do not miss the alpen glow on these peaks during sunset. You can also see Kedarkantha summit up ahead of you.

Take a good rest as tomorrow will be a long day.

There is a trail on the right of Dhoka campsite. Start ascending on this trail. Soon, you will reach a section of beautiful rhododendron trees. Meander your way through them to reach a clearing in about 500 metres. 

Now you are almost out of the treeline. Continue ascending on a grassy trail. The trail slowly transitions from grassy to muddy. Be cautious as it could get slippery. Ascend in a zigzag manner. 

You will soon reach a point where the trail from Sankri joins. It’s a steep ascent from here onwards to all the way up to the summit. You see the Phulara ridge on your left from here. It takes around 2.5-3 hours to reach the summit from Dhoka.

Once you are at the summit, you’re surrounded by the mountain ranges and valleys. You see the Rupin and Har ki Dun valleys.  You see Mt Swargarohini, Mt Bandarpoonch and Mt Kalanag predominantly. You see Jaonli, Gangotri, Draupadi Ka Danda and Jorkanden peaks at a distance.

After spending some time at the summit, retrace your way back to Dhoka.

Retrace your way back to Khujaai, the first campsite of the trek.

It's a lovely trail in the forest and quite rejuvenating after a tiring summit climb.

From Khujaai, you find a trail going further down. It’s a descent all the way to the Kotgaon.

It’s a narrow trail in the dense forest section, consisting predominantly of oak trees. Savour the forest walk for one last time as today is the last day of your trek. 

All children will be dropped back to Dehradun Airport by 3 pm.
If you are planning to pick up your child from Dehradun Airport, please be there by 3 pm. If you are opting for chaperone services, the chaperones will accompany your child till Bangalore/Mumbai airport.