Kedarkantha Short Hardcore Trek
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(click to read detailed route briefing, elevation graph, altitude time info and photos from the day)
▼ Day 1Arrival DaySankri 1920m
Arrive In Sankri
Overnight In: Sankri (1920m )
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Evening Tea Snacks, Soup, Dinner, Dessert, Hot Drinks
Cost Of Transport Included: NO
Sankri is 190 kilometres from Dehradun and it takes about 7 - 8 hours in a private taxi to reach Sanri from Dehradun. On the other hand, it takes about 10 hours by bus. It is advisable that you reach Dehradun in the morning hours before 630 AM to take the bus. The best is the Uttrakhand Volvo buses from Delhi ISBT Kashmere Gate. Nandadevi express also reaches Dehradun in the morning. If you are flying to Dehradun, then you must note that Dehradun airport is about 40 minutes drive from Dehradun city and to take the bus, you need to land by 6AM. If you decide to hire a cab to Sankri directly from the airport to Sankri, its the best. We can arrange for the cab to pick you up from the airport itself. It is advisable that in this case, you reach Dehradun no later than 11 AM in order to reach Sankri on time. Our team will be expecting you by 530 PM in Sankri.
On arrival, we will allot your rooms and serve you with a welcome drink and light snacks. After you settle down, we will do the Team Introduction and briefing where we will explain the trek protocols and other details. After your dinner, we will give out your equipment for packing your stuff and keep things ready for tomorrow.
- Day 1
- 435 - Dehradoon
- Day 1
- 1550 - Purola
- Day 1
- 1150 - Mori
- Day 1
- 1920 - Sankri
200Km, 7 - 8hrs.▲ Day 2Trekking DayKedarkantha BC 3400m
From Sankri (1920m ) To Kedarkantha BC (3400m ), Via - Juda ka Taalab (2700m ) - 4 Hrs. 9 Kms
Overnight In: Kedarkantha BC (3400m )
Accommodation: Camping
Meals Included: Evening Tea Snacks, Soup, Dinner, Dessert, Hot Drinks
Being the first day, we might not be used to today's routine. We will call you for morning tea around 630 AM and serve breakfast by 8AM. We will expect you to be ready by the time breakfast is served. We start our trek after a small team briefing at around 9 AM. You need to fill your water bottles before you leave. You may keep extra luggage in Sankri itself before leaving for the trek..
We start our ridge walk for the day and it takes us about 5 - 6 hours of leisurely walk to reach our camp for the night, that is Kedarkantha Base Camp. We go via Juda Ka Taalab lake and spend some time there near the lake. After we reach our composite, we are served with Hit Lunch and then we take a little rest in our tents. From this campsite, the peak of Kedarkantha is visible straight in front and you can see and analyse your challenge for tomorrow's morning. We need to prepare well and be quick to walk on hard snow which will make it quicker as compared to softer snow.
In the evening, we will test our equipment like gaiters, microspikes, etc. A demo will be given on how to use them and then we start wearing them on as this practice will help us get ready quickly tomorrow since we will start the trek before dawn to perfectly time our reaching the summit. That's where the real Himalayan High is after all !! We take short walks nearby with the gears and if required, few snow techniques will also be displayed to you for using it when necessary. Tonight, we have early dinner and get into our tents just after the sunset.
- Day 2
- 1920 - Sankri
- Day 2
- 2700 - Juda ka Taalab
- Day 2
- 3400 - Kedarkantha BC
9Km, 4hrs.▲ Day 3Summit DaySankri 1920m
Summit Hargaon. Return To Sankri - 7 Hrs. 15 Kms
Overnight In: Sankri (1920m )
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals Included: Morning Tea, Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Tea Snacks, Soup, Dinner, Dessert, Hot Drinks
Today is the most important day for us as we would be summiting the Kedarkantha Peak. Today the conditions of the trek and the timings will be very sharp. In order to summit the peak at the time of dawn to witness the exhilarating beauty of the sunrise over the beautiful valley, we start the trek at around 330 AM in the morning. We camp high up in the base camp to shorten the distance to the summit. With a quick breakfast of hot porridge, coffee and few quick munches for the trek, we start the trek with our headlamps on. For photographers, this creates an excellent shot with a trail of light climbing the white peak glowing in the dark !! It takes about 2 hours to reach the summit from the base camp. The trek is difficult and few short sections are very steep. Snow, wind, cold and altitude adds up to the difficulty. Teamwork and spirit make it easy to negate the difficulties and we make it all the way to the top. The wind on the top is very hard and we return back soon. The return trek to base camp is made easier by sliding on the snow. It takes about an hour to reach back to Base Camp.
After reaching base camp, we pack our gears and leave for Sankri. We have lunch in our Juda Ka Taalab camp and then head back to Sankri via the Hargaon route. Since the entire route is an easy descend and our walking speed increases, we finish the trek much quicker than the climb.
- Day 3
- 3400 - Kedarkantha BC
- Day 3
- 2700 - Hargaon
- Day 3
- 1920 - Sankri
15Km, 7hrs.▲ Day 4Departure DayDehradun 315m
From Sankri (1920m ) To Dehradun (315m ) - 7 Hrs. 190 Kms
Accommodation: None
Meals Included: Morning tea, Breakfast
Cost Of Transport Included: NO
departure day
- Day 4
- 1920 - Sankri
- Day 4
- 315 - Dehradun
190Km, 7hrs.
Kedarkantha Short Hardcore Trek - Why Its A Must-Do
- The Kedarkantha Short Trek is one of our very popular treks and hardcore trekkers just love it. Trekkers who choose to do this hardcore version of the trek are actually bored of the slow-paced itinerary which all other trek organisers arrange.
- Kedarkantha is one of the prettiest winter and snow treks in our Himalayas and needs no introduction. However, it is a short trek of just 24 kilometres and in the correct sense, should be doable in 2 days - 1 day for ascending and another day for the summit and then descend.
- Although short, this trek isn't an easy one, especially for a Beginner, as it involves a steep ridge walking straight away from the start of the trek as it climbs the ridge to the summit of the Kedarkantha Peak. The descend from the summit of the Kedarkantha Peak is a steep one which tests your leg and core muscle strength with real-time mountain challenge. Hence, it's not an easy task.
- Although difficult to be done in 2 days, many people who are fit and strong can do it and we have been supporting them right from the beginning of Himalayan High's journey.
- Our itinerary for Hardcore and Short version of the Kedarkantha Trek definitely help someone who possesses good fitness and has lesser time on hand, or someone who wants to explore more in lesser time.
Can Kedarkantha Trek Be Done In 2 Days?
- Yes, Kedarkantha is just a 24 Km trek which makes it easy to complete it in just 2 days. It needs to be understood that on normal Himalayan Treks, walking 10 - 13 kilometres in a single day is considered normal. The same applies to the Kedarkantha trek as well.
- However, doing it in 2 days requires a good amount of fitness and stamina. It's definitely not as easy as the KEDARKANTHA POPULAR TREK which is done over 4 trekking days and 3 nights of camping. Alternatively, this trek has only 1 night of camping.
- The day's trek involves walking on the ridge climbing continuously till we reach base camp.
- The distance to the first camp of Kedarkantha Base Camp is about 9 Km and takes about 5 hours of the steep climb to reach the campsite. On the next day, its the climb to the summit of the Kedarkantha Peak, which is about 3 km only and takes about 2 hours to reach the summit. Once you reach the summit, the remaining trek is all about descending down and is comparatively much easier as you need no extra effort to walk downhill. Descending is very quick and we reach Sankri around 2 PM.
- On any Himalayan trek, walking 6- 7 hours is a common thing. In fact, walking for only 2 - 3 hours is uncommon which happens in the longer version of the Kedarkantha trek. So basically if you are a fit trekker, you can do it very easily.
Who Should Do This Trek?
- Someone who is generally fit and possesses good stamina and endurance can choose to do this trek. This will not just help you test your physical stamina, but will also save you the vital number of days and money as well.
- Someone who is not that fit but wants to test himself/herself to the challenges presented by the Kedarkantha Peak and its extreme natural conditions.
- Someone who has less number of days to spare for the trek or want to explore more in lesser time.
- Someone who do not like the crowd and nonsense trekkers on the trek route who spam continuously with loud music, feasting, drinking, making huge campfires, shouting loud and looking for partners.
- Experienced trekkers who have matured over time as a raw Himalayan adventurer.
- Having said the above, it has to be noted explicitly that this trek is not for everyone. Those who are not used to discomfort, less used to exercises, and do not have good stamina should choose the usual leisure trek to Kedarkantha as that's the one everyone can do.
- When we are asked to measure the required stamina, we would say someone who could complete a 10K marathon. Need not come first or second! Just need to have the stamina and mental strength to complete it
Who Should NOT DO This Trek?
- If you looking for an easier trek which people usually write about the Kedarkantha Trek, then this itinerary is not easy. It requires good stamina and endurance to complete this trek.
- If you are not confident of your fitness and do not possess good stamina then you should do the longer version of the Kedakanha Trek. For an idea, good stamina would mean being able to complete a 6k marathon with ease. Not win, just be able to complete it.
- If you are looking at us to arrange campfires, games, dance parties, drink and smoke, play loud music, etc, then you should stay far far away from us, not just this trek.
Altitude and Acclimatization Profile For The Kedarkantha Short Hardcore Trek
- Day 1
- D1Dehradoon
- Day 1
- Purola
- Day 1
- Mori
- Day 2
- D2Sankri
- Day 2
- Juda ka Taalab
- Day 3
- D3Kedarkantha BC
- Day 3
- Hargaon
- Day 4
- D4Sankri
- Day 5
- Dehradun
Thursday, June 12, 2025 2:32:55 AM
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