Kafni Glacier Trek

The Kafni Glacier trek is an 8-day walk in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, from Kathgodam and back, with the glacier at 3,895 m as its high point. It runs through the outer forests of Nanda Devi National Park and ends facing Nanda Kot.

A long drive through Almora and Bageshwar brings you to Loharkhet. Next morning you climb through forest to the Dhakuri Pass and camp on the Dhakuri meadow, with Nanda Kot, Changuch and the Sunderdhunga peaks in view. Then the trail drops through villages and open meadows to Khati and follows the Pindar upstream, through fir, birch and rhododendron, to Dwali, where the Pindar and the Kafni rivers meet. Left goes to Pindari; you turn right up the Kafni river to Khatia, and the next day walk to the glacier snout and back to Dwali. Then you retrace to Khati and Kharkiya and drive to Kathgodam.

The walking is not hard, but the days are real: the Dhakuri climb of about 900 to 1,000 m on day 2, and 6 to 7 hours to the glacier and back on day 6. The highest night is at Khatia, 3,314 m. The Kafni snout is where the Kafni river begins, and from there Nanda Kot stands in front of you. Khati, with its huts and guest houses, gives a look at village life in Kumaon on the way in and out.

• Days: 8 days, 7 nights, Kathgodam to Kathgodam. Camping on the trail.
• Grade: moderate. Most days are 4 to 6 hours; the glacier day is 6 to 7.
• Best months: May, June, September and October.

We walk the Dhakuri Pass rather than skip it on the newer jeep road. The pass top gives the widest view of the trek.

Looking for both valleys in one trip? See the Pindari Kafni Glacier trek.

• Dhakuri Pass at 2,940 m: a steady forest climb on day 2 opens a panorama of Maiktoli, Mrigthuni, Nanda Khat, Changuch, Nanda Bhanar and Nanda Kot, with the Dharma valley peaks and the Nepal border range far to the right.
• The Dhakuri campsite: a wide meadow camp at 2,650 m, just below the pass. The newer jeep road skips it; we don't.
• Khati village: a small Kumaon settlement with a mountain backdrop, huts and guest houses, and a good look at village life on the way in and out.
• The Pindar valley: a long day through forest, following the river upstream from Khati, where the trail parts company with the Sunderdhunga route.
• Dwali, where two rivers meet: the Pindar and the Kafni join here. The left trail goes to Pindari Glacier, the right trail to Kafni.
• Forest of the outer Nanda Devi National Park: fir, birch and rhododendron for much of the walk, opening into meadow.
• Kafni Glacier at 3,895 m: you walk to the snout, where the Kafni river begins, with Nanda Kot in front of you.
• A moderate glacier trek: the highest night is at Khatia, 3,314 m, so the trek stays well within reach for a fit walker.

Day 2 of the Kafni Glacier trek is the one that sets the tone. From Loharkhet you climb about 900 to 1,000 m through forest to the Dhakuri Pass, 2,940 m. It is a steep walk of 5 to 6 hours and 11 km, and it comes straight after the long drive, which is why we spend the night at Loharkhet and start early.

The reward is the pass top. On the left are the peaks of the Sunderdhunga valley: Maiktoli, Mrigthuni and Devtoli. They ease into the peaks around the Pindar valley, Nanda Khat, Changuch, Nanda Bhanar and Nanda Kot. Turn right and the view runs on to Rajrambha and Ngalaphu above the Dharma valley, and on a clear day to peaks on the Nepal border such as Api and Jethibahurani. We rest here long enough to learn the skyline before we go down.

From the pass it is a short descent to the Dhakuri campsite, 2,650 m, a wide meadow with the same panorama in front of the tents.

Why we walk it

A newer jeep road now reaches Kharkiya, near Khati, and with it you can skip Dhakuri completely and start the trek at Khati after about 5 km of gentle walking. It saves time, and for a trek of this length we think it costs too much. Dhakuri is one of the best campsites in this part of Kumaon, and the pass is the one real climb of the trek, which also puts some walking in your legs early. If you are short of days, tell us and we can talk it through.

Day 3: down to Khati

The next day is gentler, about 4 hours and 8 km. The trail runs through forest and open meadow, mostly downhill with a few short climbs, past Bagdanu, Kharkiya, Umula, Jaikuni and Dau, and into Khati at 2,230 m.

Tell us your fitness and experience and we will help you decide how to pace the first two days.

Khati is the last real village on this trek and the one most worth your time. It is a small settlement set against a backdrop of Himalayan peaks, and it has a few huts, private guest houses and a tourist rest house. It is the start of the Pindar valley trails, and the place where the walk turns from road and village country into forest and river.

The villages you pass on day 3, and Khati itself, show how people here farm and live at this altitude. Take the time on arrival to walk around.

The trail to Dwali

Day 4 is a long, steady day of 5 to 6 hours and 12 km. At Khati the trail separates from the route to the Sunderdhunga valley and follows the Pindar river upstream through forest. If you want to know that other valley, it has its own trek, the Sunderdhunga trek.

You camp at Dwali, 2,632 m, a common campsite at the confluence of the Pindar and the Kafni. Each river comes down from its own glacier. A PWD rest house marks the place. From here the trail on the left goes to the Pindari Glacier and the trail on the right goes to the Kafni Glacier.

Practical points

• Money: Kapkot and Bharadi are the last towns with ATMs. Draw cash before you go up.
• Signal: beyond them it is patchy, often BSNL only. Tell people at home to expect quiet days.
• Terrain: forest, meadow, ravine and, at the top, glacial moraine.

The same trail takes you back on day 7: Dwali to Khati and on to the roadhead at Kharkiya, 5 to 6 hours and 16 km.

The Kafni Glacier is reached in two days from Dwali, and the way we set them is deliberate. Day 5 is short: about 3 hours and 6 km up the Kafni river to camp at Khatia, 3,314 m. You arrive in good time, rest, and wake up already above 3,000 m for the long day.

Glacier day

On day 6 you walk from Khatia to the snout of the Kafni Glacier, 3,895 m, and return to Dwali for the night. It is about 18 km and 6 to 7 hours in all, so it is the longest day of the trek, and the one where an early start matters. Carry lunch, water, a warm layer and a rain layer in your daypack, and wear shoes you trust on moraine.

The glacier snout is where the Kafni river begins. The Kafni is a tributary of the Pindar, and you have followed it up from the meeting point at Dwali, so you can see the whole chain: glacier, stream, river. The route gives promising views of Nanda Kot, which is the mountain that faces you at the end.

Season

The best months are May, June, September and October. In spring and early summer there may be more snow cover on the upper section. In autumn the moraine is open, the weather steadier and the sky usually clearer. Both seasons work. From December to February heavy snow usually closes the trail beyond Loharkhet.

The trek stays below 4,000 m, and the highest night is at Khatia. Even so, we keep the days short and the profile gradual. If you are reading this to judge your fitness, a regular cardio routine in the weeks before is what we ask for.

Three of our treks share the first four days of ground in Kumaon: Kathgodam, Loharkhet, Dhakuri, Khati and the Pindar valley up to Dwali. They split at Dwali, and it is worth choosing before you book.

• Kafni Glacier trek (this page): 8 days. At Dwali you turn right up the Kafni river, camp at Khatia, and reach the glacier snout at 3,895 m, facing Nanda Kot. It is a moderate trek.
• Pindari Glacier trek: takes the left fork from Dwali, up the Pindar valley to its own glacier.
• Pindari Kafni Glacier trek: covers both valleys in one trip, for those who want to see both glaciers.

How to choose

If you want one glacier and one valley, with unhurried days and a quiet trail, the Kafni is a very good fit. The Kafni valley is the right-hand fork, and the trek keeps its highest night at 3,314 m. If you would rather see the Pindar glacier, or if you are weighing both, look at the other two pages: they share the road and the villages up to Dwali.

What differs is what happens after Dwali.

Same start, same logistics

All three leave from Kathgodam and use the road through Almora and Bageshwar to Loharkhet. The trek beyond Loharkhet needs a forest entry permit, issued in Bageshwar, and we arrange it. The Kafni trek's best months are May, June, September and October.

If you are not sure which valley fits your dates and fitness, tell us and we will help you choose.

The Kafni Glacier trek is a simple route to plan, but the road is long and the days are shaped by it. This is how we run it.

The drive

Day 1 is a full day on the road. We pick you up at Kathgodam and drive about 225 km, 8 to 9 hours, via Almora and Bageshwar to Loharkhet, in the Saryu valley of Bageshwar district. Beyond Kapkot the road is narrower and slower, and we aim to reach Loharkhet in daylight. A team member meets you at the hotel, we share a light snack and tea, go through the trek, and have an early dinner. Kathgodam is the railhead; the nearest airport is Pantnagar.

On day 8 the drive back is about 220 km, 7 to 8 hours, from Kharkiya to Kathgodam. Do not book a tight onward flight or train on the same evening. Landslides on these roads between June and September are the usual cause of long delays, so keep a spare day at the end of your trip.

Permit and group

The trek beyond Loharkhet needs a forest entry permit, issued in Bageshwar. We arrange it. Your group is private, usually 2 to 10, with a local team.

Pace and altitude

The sleeping heights go: Loharkhet at the start, then Dhakuri 2,650 m, Khati 2,230 m, Dwali 2,632 m, Khatia 3,314 m, back to Dwali, and down. The highest night is at Khatia, with the glacier at 3,895 m reached as a day walk from there. Day 5 is a short 3-hour walk, so you reach the glacier day rested.

Who it suits

It suits walkers who are fit, like forest and village walking, and want a glacier in the Nanda Devi region without extreme altitude. If you want longer, more remote or higher ground, look at our other Kumaon treks.

Tell us your dates, experience and pace, and we will shape the days.