TRAILL'S PASS

TRAILL'S PASS

India, Uttarakhand


TBA          
Trip leader
default

We suggest that you use the Inquire Now button for further details.

White Magic first crossed this legendary pass in Oct, 2015. That happened to be the 14th recorded crossing ever from the time it was first crossed in 1830 by an expedition team organized by George William Traill, the 2nd British Commissioner of Kumaon and after whom the pass gets its name. Locally it is called Pindari Kanda and is located at the head of Pindari glacier on the main chain of the Kumaon Himalaya between Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot at a height of 5312m and divides the regions of Garhwal and Kumaon. The pass connects Pindari Valley with the Lawan Valley (Nanda Devi East BC).  The glaciers on either side of the pass, give rise to big rivers namely the Pindar from Pindari glacier and Gori Ganga from Lawan Gad.
The no. of times the pass has been successfully crossed stands testimony to the fact that crossing the pass is a tough undertaking and can be done only by a well prepared, motivated mountaineering team. It is an exceptional adventure filled with the delight of being so close to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary with all the mighty Garhwal giants including the Nanda Devi herself.

Itinerary

Show Detailed Itinerary
Our journey starts with boarding an early morning train to Kathgodam followed by a 3 hour drive to the beautiful hill station of Kausani in the lower Kumaon Himalayas. Overnight Hotel.
Early morning after breakfast, a 4-5 hour drive takes us to Kharkiya, starting point of the trek. Kharkiya is a small human settlement at the entry of the Pindari Valley. From Kharkiya a short trek of about 2 hours takes us to Khati, one of the biggest and richest villages in the Pindari valley and also our destination for the day. Overnight camp.
From Khati we start our trek following the river Pindar to its source to reach Dwali, the confluence of river Pindar and river Kafani. On a clear day we get magnificent views of the summit of Nanda Devi East and the 300m rock wall at the approach of Traill’s pass. Overnight camp.
The trail to the base camp starts following the river Pindar to its source, crossing thick forests of Rhododendrons, oak and walnuts. We walk following the river up to a point where we cross the main stream and then steeply climb to reach the Base Camp, surrounded by Mt Changuch, Pindari glacier and many other peaks of the valley. Overnight Camp.
The day is free for acclimatization and our staff will ferry our loads up to the advance base camp on the mountain. Overnight Camp.
Today we will ferry our final loads and will shift to the Advance Base Camp, an open meadow also popularly known as Thakta Kharak Camp. The trail climbs up steeply through a grassy slope to a point from where we descend to a local stream to climb up again to the ABC. The ABC offers spectacular views of the Pindari Valley giants and also of the huge Pindari Ice Fall. Overnight Camp.
Our team will ferry the loads further to Camp 1 today. This day can be used for complete rest or short walks for acclimatization around the Thakta Kharak Camp. Overnight Camp.
We have another free day to adjust ourselves to the altitude and to ferry our loads to establish Camp 1. Our climbing Team will ascend further more from the camp 1 to fix ropes on the rock wall. Overnight Camp.
We will move up to the camp 1 today with our final loads. It is a gradual climb at the start followed by a steep climb on a rocky patch to reach a small plateau where we set up our Camp 1. Our climbing team will finalize the fixing of the ropes on the rock wall today. Overnight Camp.
We start our day ascending on the glacier to reach the base of the rock wall. The wall is approx 300m in height and is a mix of rocks, snow and ice and is challenging at some parts. We will set up our Camp 2 at the top of the wall. The climb up to the Camp 2 is challenging and tiring but at the end rewards us with first view of Traill’s Pass along with the panoramic views of Pindari Valley and Johar Valley. Overnight Camp.
Today starts with crossing the huge Ice fields of the Pindari and Nanda Khat Glacier to reach Traill’s Pass, surrounded by high mountains. Traill’s Pass offers spectacular panoramic views of Nanda Devi and Nanda Devi East, Nanda Lapak, Changuch, Nanda Khat, Raj-Rambha, Sutela and many other peaks around. From the Pass we descend near vertical ice and snow walls to reach the moraine of the Nanda Ghunti glacier at the base of the pass. Overnight camp.
A short walk over the moraine takes us to the fields of Bhadeli Gwar, used as a base camp for climbing Nanda Devi East and other peaks in the valley. Being a short day of walking the remaining day can be used to lay back and enjoy the sudden change in the landscape. Peaks like Nanda Devi East, Nanda Kot, Changuch and Kuchela Dhura dominates the view, providing a perfect contrast with the green fields all around. Overnight Camp.
Following the River Lawan we start descending from the Nanda Devi East base camp towards Rata Gangal, a small shepherd camp along the river Lawan. Overnight camp.
Descending further from our camp at Rata Gangal we reach Lawan Village. Here we cross the river Salang over a makeshift bridge to reach the village Martoli, the biggest but abandoned village in the valley. Being very close to Indo-Tibet border village Martoli played a major role in the ancient trading on The Silk Route but now very few families live here. Overnight camp.
The day is free for rest and local sightseeing around the village. Overnight Camp
We walk following the river to reach our camp at Nahar Devi. Nahar Devi also has a small cluster of shops where the locals come by in evening, a great place to share your adventure and to make new friends. Overnight Camp.
Following the River Gori Ganga we reach Rargari our destination for the day. Overnight Camp.
Crossing the Meen Singh Top, the trail takes us to the small village of Lilam along the banks of river Gori Ganga and later to Dhaba, the ending point of our trek. From here a short drive of 1 hour brings us to Munsiyari. Overnight Hotel.
Drive to DhaulChinna. Overnight Hotel
Drive to Kathgodam via Almora, Bhowali and Bhimtal and later board the train to Delhi. Trip ends!

Trip Cost

On Request

DELHI TO DELHI , TWIN SHARING
TRIP COST INCLUDES

On Request

TRIP COST EXCLUDES

On Request

Cancellation terms

If it becomes necessary to cancel your trip, you must notify the office immediately in writing. The following terms would be applicable.

 

  • - More than 60 days prior to departure -  we will refund the entire amount received by us minus a processing fee.
     
  • - Less than 60 days prior to departure -  25% of the Trip Cost as the cancellation charges and we will refund the balance.
     
  • - Less than 45 days prior to departure -  50% of the Trip Cost as the cancellation charges and we will refund the balance.
     
  • - Less than 30 days prior to departure - 50% of the Trip Cost as cancellation charges and the balance amount would be held as a credit towards a future trip taken within 1 year from the date of cancellation. 
     
  • - Less than 21 days - the entire amount would be forfeited.

What to expect

This is a technical trek but deserves a rating of a climbing expedition as the challenges and technicality required on Traills pass is similar or more than a lot of 6000m peaks. Below is what you can expect on the trip.

"These climbs generally have a short approach march and a challenging summit day which is attempted from a base camp or an advance base camp. The climb will require basic climbing skills and would involve being roped up on glacial terrain and climbing with mountaineering boots and crampons in excess  of 10hours on the summit night. Some climbs even require you to climb on fixed ropes with an ascender on steep terrain. The level of difficulty both physically and technically is a notch above a trekking peak."

 

Photo Album - 2015

We suggest that you use the Inquire Now button for further details.

Similar trips

PANPATIA COL


18 May - 30 May 2024

View Trip

ACROSS DHUMDHAR KANDI PASS


01 Jun - 15 Jun 2024

View Trip

POAT LA (5490m) TREK


22 Jun - 6 Jul 2024

View Trip