Uttarakhand · India
Kedarkantha
The winter summit for first-timers
The trek
A clean, achievable winter summit through snow-laden pine — the trek most people remember as their first.
Kedarkantha is the trek we hand to people who have never slept above the treeline, and it is the one they talk about for years afterwards. It asks for honest fitness rather than mountaineering experience, and in exchange it delivers one of the most complete winter days anywhere in the Indian Himalaya: a headlamp start in the dark and the cold, a summit ridge that ignites with the first light, and a clean three-hundred-degree sweep across Garhwal's biggest peaks.
From the timber-and-slate village of Sankri the trail climbs steadily through cathedral stands of oak and silver-trunked pine, opening onto a chain of clearings — Juda-ka-Talab with its frozen lake, the wide Kedarkantha base meadow — where the snow lies deep and untouched from December into March. Campfires crackle under a sky thick with stars, and the only soundtrack is wind in the conifers.
There is nothing technical on the mountain. The difficulty is simply the work of walking uphill in deep snow and thin, cold air, made gentler by an itinerary that gains height in patient, well-judged steps. It is the perfect first answer to the question every new trekker asks: can I really stand on a Himalayan summit in winter?
Highlights
- A genuine 12,500 ft winter summit with no technical climbing or ropework
- The frozen clearing of Juda-ka-Talab and snowbound meadow campsites
- A summit sunrise over Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch, Black Peak and Ranglana
- Forest camps beneath old-growth oak and pine, deep in powder snow
- A patiently graded ascent that makes the high point achievable for fit beginners
From
₹9,499
per person
- Free reschedule up to 21 days out
- Small groups, certified mountain leaders
- Oximeter, oxygen & evacuation plan on every route
Day by day
The itinerary
6 days from Sankri. Tap any day to read the detail — distances and altitudes are planning figures and may shift with conditions.
The day is spent on the road, climbing steadily out of the Doon valley and up alongside the Tons river through Mussoorie, Nainbagh, Purola and Mori. The route threads apple orchards, pine forest and terraced hillsides, gaining height through a string of mountain towns before reaching Sankri, a timber-and-slate village perched at the edge of the Govind wildlife sanctuary that serves as the trailhead. You settle into a guesthouse here at around 6,400 ft, with the first close views of the surrounding ridges and the Swargarohini massif catching the last light on the horizon. It is a long but scenic transfer, and an early evening helps you rest before the trek begins in earnest.
What's included
- Forest huts and twin/triple-sharing tents
- All meals on the trek (veg, freshly cooked)
- Certified trek leader, guides and support staff
- Microspikes, gaiters and safety equipment
- First-aid, oximeter and emergency oxygen
Not included
- Transport to and from Sankri (optional add-on)
- Personal trekking gear and insurance
- Anything not listed under inclusions
In the field
The country you'll walk
Ready when you are
Walk Kedarkantha with us
Small groups, honest briefings and a crew that has done this route many times over. From ₹9,499 per person.
Keep exploring
