Gangotri Three Passes Trek Expedition

The Gangotri Three Passes trek is a 19-day private traverse from Gangotri to Kedarnath over Patangani Dhar, Auden's Col (5,490 m) and Mayali Pass. It is semi-technical and meant for experienced trekkers.

You leave Gangotri, at 3,048 m, for Bhoj Kharak and Kedar Kharak, then climb to Jogin ABC with a day for Kedar Tal. Patangani Dhar Base Camp comes next, then the first pass and a drop to Dhabba. Minimal alpine camps lead to Auden's Col, a long day over the col to the Khatling Glacier, and the moraine down to the Bhilangna snout and Tambakund. A climb to Masar Tal brings you to Mayali Pass and Vasuki Tal. The last days go down to Kedarnath and Gaurikund.

It is a trek of moraine, scree, snow slopes and crevassed glacier, with long stretches of remote camping and almost no habitation once you are properly on the route. Thalay Sagar, Bhagirathi Parvat I, Bhrigupanth and Kedarnath Dome are the big peaks of the region. The pass days run 7 to 10 hours, and the nights above 4,800 m are the highest of the trek.

It rewards patience. Four rest or reserve days are spread through the route, so the trek is paced by how you are doing, not by a fixed pace on the calendar.

• Days: 19 days, 18 nights, including two flexible reserve days.
• Top altitude: Auden's Col, 5,490 m.
• Getting there: from Dehradun (Jolly Grant) airport and back.
• Grade: Challenging+.
• Season: May, June and September.

Acclimatisation is built into the first days, and a flexible reserve day follows each of the two big crossings, so weather or tired legs don't force a bad decision.

The group is private. We provide the snow and glacier gear the conditions call for, and we arrange the permits.

• Three passes, one line: Patangani Dhar, Auden's Col (5,490 m) and Mayali Pass (5,108 m), crossed on separate days on a single Gangotri to Kedarnath traverse.
• Auden's Col day: a long, technical walk from Auden's Col Base Camp at 4,750 m over the col to the Khatling Glacier, with a flexible reserve day waiting after it.
• Kedar Tal: a day at Jogin ABC (4,920 m) with the Kedar Tal (4,708 m) excursion, early on while you are still acclimatising.
• Glacier country: the Khatling Glacier, with Jogin Bamak, Ratnagiri Glacier and Rudragaira Bamak in the mapped landscape around it.
• Masar Tal and Masar Top: a rest day at 4,568 m with a short climb to Masar Top at 4,900 m before Mayali Pass.
• Mayali Pass and Vasuki Tal: a long, exposed crossing at 5,108 m, a camp at Vasuki Tal, and a second reserve day to protect the descent.
• Big peaks overhead: Thalay Sagar (6,904 m), Bhagirathi Parvat I (6,856 m), Bhrigupanth (6,772 m) and Kedarnath Dome (6,831 m) are mapped along the route.
• Four river basins: the mapped rivers are the Bhagirathi, Bhilangana, Vasuki Ganga and Kedar Ganga, and the route ends toward the Mandakini.
• Gangotri to Kedarnath: the walk starts at Gangotri and finishes at Kedarnath, at 3,583 m, before the descent to Gaurikund.

Auden's Col, at 5,490 m, is the high point of the Gangotri Three Passes trek and the hardest day on it. The col is named after Sir John Bicknell Auden. Here it is one crossing among three, and the route is planned around it.

The days around it

Day 7 crosses Patangani Dhar and ends at Dhabba, at 4,000 m. On day 8 you walk 4 to 5 hours and 7 km up to Auden's Col Base Camp at 4,750 m, a minimal alpine camp. We keep the camp routine quick and disciplined at this height, and you pack your gloves and eyewear the night before, not in the morning.

The crossing

Day 9 runs from Auden's Col Base Camp over the col and down to the Khatling Glacier Camp at 4,860 m. It is 8 to 10 hours and about 10 km. The terrain is ice, snow slopes and crevassed glacier, and the day is long. The team moves together, roped where needed.

We provide the gear that the conditions call for: microspikes or crampons, ice axes, helmets and gaiters. You don't have to bring any of it. Using it is practised on the way, on the earlier snow and moraine, not on extra days.

The reserve day

Day 10 is a flexible reserve day at the Khatling Glacier Camp. If the col runs late or the group is tired, the day absorbs it. If all goes smoothly, it is a day to rest, reset the camp and look at the route ahead. We would rather you had it and didn't use it.

Is it right for you?

This is for trekkers who have already crossed high passes and slept above 4,500 m. If you want to do Auden's Col as a crossing on its own, with a different start and finish, see the Auden's Col trek. If you are not sure whether you are ready, write to us with your experience and we will tell you honestly.

The Gangotri Three Passes trek reaches its first pass on day 7. The six days before it are what make that day manageable.

Gangotri and Surya Kund

Day 1 is the road to Gangotri, at 3,048 m, a long drive from Dehradun airport. Day 2 is a rest day in Gangotri with a short excursion to Surya Kund at 3,070 m, 2 to 3 hours and 3 km. It is easy by design. Drink steadily, sort your gear and check it with the team.

Up the valley

Day 3 is a relaxed 4 to 5 hours and 7 km to Bhoj Kharak at 3,496 m, camping. Day 4 is shorter, 2 to 3 hours and 3 km, but gains more height, to Kedar Kharak at 4,279 m. The gain is sharper than the day before, so we walk steady.

Jogin ABC and Kedar Tal

Day 5 goes from Kedar Kharak to Jogin ABC at 4,920 m, 4 to 6 hours and 8 km, with an excursion to Kedar Tal at 4,708 m on the way. We don't camp at Kedar Tal itself. We carry only essentials for the upper basin, then continue to camp. It is the highest sleeping altitude on the route, and you meet it in daylight with several nights of build-up behind you.

Back down, then up

Day 6 returns via Kedar Kharak to Patangani Dhar Base Camp at 4,500 m, 5 to 7 hours and 7 km. This is a lower camp than the night before. We break camp early, keep feet dry and check straps and boots, because day 7 is the first pass.

If you want a gentler look at the same valley first, the Kedar Tal trek covers the Kedar Tal side. Gangotri Three Passes is not a first high-altitude trek, and the early days are the best place to find out how your body is handling the height.

Tell us about your earlier altitude and we'll talk it through.

After Auden's Col the character of the trek changes. For three days you are in glacier country, then back into forest and meadow. The route runs through the Khatling Glacier system, in a landscape mapped with Jogin Bamak, Ratnagiri Glacier and Rudragaira Bamak.

Khatling Glacier Camp

Day 9 ends at the Khatling Glacier Camp, at 4,860 m, a minimal alpine camp. Day 10, the reserve day, is spent here if it is needed. The itinerary shows 1 hour and 1 km for the day, because it is a rest and reset day, not a walking day.

Down to the snout

Day 11 goes from the glacier camp to the Bhilangna Snout Camp at 4,025 m, 5 to 6 hours and 8 km. The Bhilangana river rises from this glacier, and you walk down toward its snout. The ground is moraine and loose rock, and footing needs attention. Water sections are crossed only on the leader's instruction. The descent of about 835 m is a relief after the col, but a tiring one.

Tambakund and Chowki

Day 12 is a transition day to Chowki at 3,620 m via Tambakund, 5 to 6 hours and 10 km. It is where you regain rhythm after the glacier. There are wet crossings, so dry your socks and feet at the end of the day.

Then up again

Day 13 climbs from Chowki to Masar Tal at 4,568 m, 4 to 5 hours and 8 km. The altitude returns quickly, so pace matters again. Reach camp early and keep the afternoon quiet.

The river names along this stretch, the Bhilangana among them, are worth knowing if you like to read the map as you walk. The mapped rivers on the whole route are the Bhagirathi, Kedar Ganga, Bhilangana and Vasuki Ganga, with the Mandakini at the end.

If you want to see this glacier and the col without the full three-pass traverse, the Mayali Pass trek covers the Khatling side.

The third pass of the Gangotri Three Passes trek, Mayali Pass at 5,108 m, comes late. By day 15 you have already crossed Patangani Dhar and Auden's Col, so the day is planned for a tired, well-acclimatised group.

Masar Tal and Masar Top

Day 13 ends at Masar Tal, at 4,568 m. Day 14 stays at Masar Tal and is a recovery day with an excursion to Masar Top at 4,900 m, 3 to 4 hours and 5 km. The climb is kept short and controlled, and then you descend to rest. In the afternoon you prepare for the final high pass.

Mayali Pass day

Day 15 goes from Masar Tal over Mayali Pass to Vasuki Tal, 7 to 8 hours and about 14 km. It is long and exposed, so we leave camp early and keep a windproof shell within reach on both the climb and the descent.

The second reserve day

Day 16 is a flexible reserve day at Vasuki Tal. It protects the descent plan after Mayali Pass, and we use it only if the weather or the condition of the group asks for restraint.

Out to Kedarnath

Day 17 goes from Vasuki Tal to Kedarnath, at 3,583 m, 4 to 5 hours and 8 km. It is shorter, but descent footing needs focus. Kedarnath is a hotel night, and a proper wash after the camp days. Day 18 is 6 to 7 hours and 16 km down to Gaurikund, at 1,982 m. Use trekking poles for your knees. Day 19 is the drive back to Dehradun airport.

Gaurikund is a yatra place. Roads there can be closed by landslides, most often from late June to mid-September, and the temple closes for winter around Bhai Dooj in October or November. Keep at least one spare day between Gaurikund and any onward flight or train.

For the pass as a shorter objective, see the Mayali Pass and Khatling Glacier trek.

The Gangotri Three Passes trek is a long, committing traverse, and the way we run it is shaped by that.

Private, and from the airport

Your group is private. We pick you up at Dehradun (Jolly Grant) airport and drop you back there at the end, and we arrange the permits. The trek runs 19 days and 18 nights, and that includes two flexible reserve days, one after Auden's Col and one after Mayali Pass.

Why two reserve days

The two big crossings are long days. A reserve day after each one means weather or a slow day doesn't squeeze the days that follow. The Gangotri rest day and the Masar Tal recovery day add acclimatisation, and the first six days climb gradually before Patangani Dhar.

When to go

The best months are May, June and September. Both seasons work, and they feel different. May and June usually bring more snow cover on the passes. September is generally clearer, with more open moraine. The monsoon months are not for this trek.

The gear

We provide microspikes or crampons, ice axes, helmets and gaiters as the snow and terrain need, and rope up where it's necessary.

Who it suits

Trekkers who have already crossed high passes, are comfortable on moraine and snow, and are happy with days of 7 to 10 hours. It is not a first Himalayan pass. Nights go as high as 4,920 m. If you are building toward it, the Gangotri Vasuki Tal trek or the Auden's Col trek are natural steps.

We carry our waste down, pay the local team fairly, and turn back when it is right.

Tell us your dates, your experience and your pace, and we'll shape the days with you.