Trek To Panwali Kantha

Originally Posted by VAIBHAV KAUL

By the way, have you ever climbed Bajranga (southeast of Maggu)?
If you have, is its accessible face too steep?

Originally Posted by VAIBHAV KAUL

Hullow!
I'm new to the forum.
The articles on this site are very informative.
Thank you.

Is it possible do the Triyuginarayan-Maggu Chatti-Panwali-Ghuttu trek without a local guide?

Originally Posted by tarungoel

Is it possible to cover Panwali Kantha trekk in April/May ?. Has any one done this before?. Please let me know, if someone is planning for this year?

Originally Posted by Sadanand Kamath

The two peaks, I guess, are Thalya Sagar and Kedar Dome.

Sadanand

Originally Posted by VAIBHAV KAUL

I always thought that one of the two peaks was Meru. But perhaps it is elsewhere. Do you know the exact location of Meru? From where in the Bhilangana area can it be seen?

Originally Posted by Sadanand Kamath

Hi trekkers and mountain lovers,

I would like to suggest the trek to Panwali Kantha (Pass) especially for those who have not been to this trek so far. The trek is of a moderate grade involving steep climbs and descends. There is a well laid down track in most of the places as this route was used in ancient times by pilgrims coming from Gangotri for Kedarnath when roads and vehicles did not exist. With the advent of roads and vehicles, pilgrims have virtually discarded this route. But this is a boon to the trekkers as the route is not crowded at all. The trek passes through many grassy land and high altitude bugyals. At Pnawali Kantha, trekkers can get a rare occasion of viewing Garhwal himalayan peaks on the one side and many bugyals on the mountain tops on the other side.

Since a lot had been heard about Panwali Kantha (3960m), we decided to replicate the old pilgrimage route to Kedarnath by doing this trek in October 1999. Autumn is the time when the chances of rains are less and one can get a clear sky most of the time. We did not encounter any rain throughout the trek and the climate was pleasant except at Panwali Kantha where it was very cold. We were a group of 4 persons - the youngest being 53(myself) and oldest being 64. This is just to give an idea that this trek can be attempted by any healthy individual. We took two porters from Uttarkashi who were familiar with this route to carry some of our luggage. Details of the trek done by us are as under:

Day 1 UattarKashi to Lata (1478m) 22km Jeep
Lata to Belak (2439m) 15km Trek
The trek is on a well marked path through forest after which there is a gradual climb through many grassy land to reach Belak. Stayed in a Shepherd's hut where we also had food.

Day 2 Belak to Budhakedar (1524m) 17km Trek
The trek is on a level ground upto Jhala after which there is a steep descend to Budhakedar. On the way, there are shepherds' huts where one can have tea/milk. Stayed in a lodge with very basic facilities. Food was available in some tea shops.

Day 3 Budhakedar to Guttu (1590m) 16km Trek
The trek is again on a level ground upto Benekhal hemlet where there is a Shiva temple situated at the end of a large grassy land. Thereafter there is a steep climb upto Bhaironchetti (2580m) followed by equally steep descend to Guttu (1590m). Guttu is a last road head for treks to Khatling Glacier, Sahastrtal, Masartal, Bhawani Bugyal and Kyaki Bugyal. Stayed in GMVN Rest House in Guttu. Food was available in some hotels.

Day 4 Guttu to Panwali Kantha (3960m) 18km TrekThe trek is a long one involving steep climbs on high mountains followed by walk on grassy lands punctuated by birch trees. From the top of the Panwali Pass, one can have a fine view of Garhwal himalyan peaks and also bugyals located on the mountain tops on a clear day. About 2kms down the Pass, there is a summer settlements of Shepherds with about dozen huts and a Dharamshala where we stayed for overnight. Food was available from some of the Shepherds' huts. This is the only place where we used our sleeping bags as night was extremely cold. It will be a good idea to spend one more day at Panwali to explore many bugyals in this area.

Day 5 Panwali to Trijuginarayan (1982m) 21km Trek
This is the longest stretch of trek for us as we decided not to stay overnight at Magguchetti as this village has been abondoned after pilgrims stopped coming through this route and staying here would require tents and food arrangements. The trek from Panwali to Kankhalikhal (11km) is more or less on a level ground on high mountain ridges. Thereafter, there is a gradual descend to Magguchetti from the mountain tops and to and Trijuginarayan (10 kms). Stayed in a Dharamshala. Food options in Trijuginarayan is relatively better because it is a pilgrimage centre.

The trek can be terminated at Trijuginarayan and one can take a jeep to Guptakashi (38 km) from where buses are available to Rishikesh/Haridwar. We, however, continued our trek to Kedarnath.

There are two other options for this trek. (i) Trijuginarayan-Magguchetti-Panwali Kantha-Guttu and (ii) Guttu-Panwali Kantha-Magguchetti-Trijuginarayan. In these two options though the number of trekking days are reduced, the flip side is that one may find it difficult to adjust to the high altitude in a single day. Moreover, in this route, tents and food arrangements may have to be made for stay at Magguchetti.

I hope the information provided in this post is useful to those who plan to trek Panwali Kantha in the near future. I will be happy to provide any further information on this trek. I am sure many IMers must have done this trek in recent times whose latest inputs for this trek will also be useful.

I have uploaded some pictures of this trek at:
www.indiamike.com/photopost/member.php/uid/20752

Happy trekking,

Sadanand

Originally Posted by Shikkha

Hello Mr. Kamath,

It is so good to see avid travellers like you enriching a forum like this one. Am really fond of travelling however am still a beginner. Looking forward to learn from your rich experience.

Any places you recommend we should see in Mukteshwar beside Chauthi Ki Jaali, the temple and the IVRI Institute. Some hidden gems!!

And also we are planning to go to Bhimtal on our way back. Booked our stay at the Mountain Club. Any suggestions on the place or the Hotel??

Any Volvos on the Delhi-Nainital route. So far our train tickets are not confirmed. Just to be on the safer side.

Will appreciate your help. Thanks

Originally Posted by VAIBHAV KAUL

There is a beautiful walk from the Mountain Club, Bhimtal to Sattal through the oak forest there. The Manager there should be able to arrange for the walk and provide a guide.

You could also walk from Mukteshwar to Sitla Estate, or from Mukteshwar to Almora on the next range. Isn't that place in Mukteshwar called Chauli ki Jali?

Originally Posted by Dilliwala

The suggestion is to post your Qs in the correct threads. This one is about trekking to Panwali Kantha - no one is going to look in here to answer Qs on Kumaon or VOF. There are plenty of threads on those in the UP/UA sub-forum, take a look around and post in one of them, you have a much better chance of getting answers then.