Himalayan photo stories: Trek to Pindari and Kafni Glaciers

A beautiful village en-route to the peaks.

It was in May 2013 when I packed my bags (and camera) for my first ever Himalayan trekking experience.

Earlier that year, I received an email from a friend that contained details of a trek to Pindari Kafni Glacier. It immediately sparked my interest. Located in the Kumaon region of Uttaranchal, Pindari and Kafni are two beautiful glaciers.

Up until then, I had done a few treks in and around Pune, specifically in the beautiful Sahyadri mountain range (Western Ghats). I felt ready to embark on a Himalayan adventure.

A few quick facts about the trek

• Organised by Nisarg Bhraman, Mumbai
• Trek difficulty level: Easy

The whole experience from start to finish lasted 10 days and comprised of 11 members. As we took long walks through the mountains, our group encountered huge landslides along the way. We were fortunate to escape devastating floods that hit the region just a couple days after the trek ended.

Here are a few moments captured in photos that I’d like to share with you:

A photo montage of people from the mountains. Pindari Baba (bottom centre) happily served us tea as we made our way to Pindari glacier. Just before we bade him good-bye, he handed over visiting cards that had his email address on it. If I remember correctly, it was pindari.baba@<some-famous-email-provider>.com. Tech savvy, me likes! :D

We walked…and walked…and walked through some surreally beautiful scapes. ❤

A glimpse of the glacier.

We took several brakes during the course of the trek to catch our breath, reflect, and admire the mountains. A co-trekker (left) was absorbed in reading “The Immortals of Meluha”. He (or maybe someone else?) had brought this book along and everyone took turns to read it. Perhaps it was the beauty of the mountains that made the book more mystical. That’s me in the photo on the right, “reflecting” :D

During the trek, I developed an interest in #macrophotography and was generously given lessons by the trek leader Samir.

And finally, we see the Grand Kafni Glacier…

Sigh!

A few boring notes before I end:

Trek itinerary

Delhi to Kathgodam (Train)

Kathgodam to Song (Drive)

Song to Loharkhet
A small hamlet on the banks of river Saryu | Trek | 04 kms

Loharkhet to Dhakuri
A moderate intensity and mainly uphill walk | Trek | 11 kms
We stopped at the beautiful Dhakuri campsite to acclimatise to the altitude

Dhakuri to Khati
Khati is the biggest village on the trek to Pindari. The village lies at the confluence of Pindari and Sundardhunga Rivers; with the entirety of the route passing through lovely landscapes, rhododendron lined paths and majestic peaks | Trek | 8 kms

Khati to Khatiya
The mountain greenery is at its luscious best here. Keep an eye out for Himalayan birds and wildlife for some great photos| Trek | 16 kms

Khatiya to Kafni glacier and back to Dwali
The Kafni glacier lies to the left of Pindar valley and Nandakot. The main Himalayan summits visible from Kafni are Nandakot (6,806 m) and Nanda Bhanar (6,104 m) | Trek | 19 kms

Dwali to Phurkiya
Trek | 05 kms

Phurkiya to Pindari Glacier & back
The Pindari Glacier measures 3 kms x 0.25 kms (length x breadth). It owes its existence to the vast quantities of snow precipitated from Nanda Devi and other lofty summits of the Greater Himalayan range. It takes its name from the Pindar River, which originates in the trails passing above the glacier | Trek | 19 kms

Dwali to Khati to Dhakuri
Trek | 18 kms

Dhakuri to Song
Trek | 14 kms

and finally, Song to Nainital
Drive | 175 kms

This is the first story (of many) in my trek journal series titled Himalayan Photo Stories.
Here are all the stories in the series:
Trek to Pindari-Kafni glaciers
Trek to Goecha La Pass
Roopkund
Trek to Sandakphu
Kashmir Great Lakes