Kedarkantha Trek

A 220 km drive, roughly 10 hours, along the Tons river valley. Day one is entirely road — you'll pass through Mussoorie, Naugaon, and Purola, with the road narrowing noticeably after Naugaon as you gain altitude. By the time you reach Sankri you're already close to 1,900 m, and it shows in the air. Sankri is a working Garhwali village, not a resort town — a guesthouse, a few shops, and a trek-leader briefing that walks the group through the next four days and checks everyone's gear before it gets dark.

A 4 km climb to about 9,100 ft through dense pine and oak forest. This is the steepest single stretch of the whole trek, so the trick is pacing yourself in the first hour rather than pushing hard early. The payoff is a lake that's usually frozen solid through peak winter, ringed by pine trees with almost no wind at ground level once you're camped. First night in tents, and for most people, the first time sleeping on snow.

Another 4 km, but the gradient is kinder and the forest thins out into open meadow, climbing to about 11,250 ft. This is the first point on the trek where the summit ridge comes into full view — as much a psychological marker as a physical one. Base camp sits in an open bowl with peaks on most sides, and it's usually the spot people take the most photos before summit day.

The day the whole trek is built around. Departure is around 2 AM so the group reaches the 12,500-ft summit in time for sunrise — the final stretch is steep, and it's the coldest, windiest point of the entire trek, so every layer you brought goes on before leaving camp. The reward is a 360-degree view taking in Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch, and Kalanag, with the light changing fast in the first twenty minutes after sunrise. The group doesn't stop at the summit — it's a long descent back past base camp, all the way down to Juda-ka-Talab, making this the longest day on the trek by distance and hours on your feet. Depending on snow conditions, the descent often turns into some sliding on the packed sections.

A shorter 4 km descent back to Sankri through the same forest trail you climbed on Day 2, followed by the 220 km drive back to Dehradun. Trek officially ends in Dehradun by evening.