Garhwal & Kumaon: A Trekker's and Visitor's Guide

Almost at the centre of the Himalayan chain culminating in Nanda Devi. Garhwal consists of rugged mountains and valleys; Kumaon is more gentle. Easily accessible, the region includes some of India’s most sacred sites. 30 routes from short and straightforward to very strenuous treks with glaciers and cols to cross at 5000m.

Garhwal and Kumaon, known together as Uttarakhand, are the mountain regions of Uttar Pradesh in India, bordering Nepal and Tibet. They are situated almost at the centre of the great Himalayan chain with more than 250 peaks above 5500m high, culminating with Nanda Devi (7916m).

Garhwal consists of a succession of steep mountain ridges divided from each other by deep, narrow glens. A traveller entering Garhwal from Kumaon is at once struck by the more rugged character of the scenery which is in striking contrast to the milder Kumaon hills.

This comprehensive guide not only covers the trekking but the history and society of the region, flora and fauna, hill stations and temples.

There is nothing that one cannot discover in Uttarakhand. The devotionally adorned temples with their pinnacles soaring into cosmic blue tend to heighten in mankind an ecstatic sense of complete surrender to the Absolute Being, and the blue-emerald lakes, majestic waterfalls, meandering rivers, undulating meadows, rich, thick forest, incredible mountains, and interesting villagers are a glorious combination. Having been closed to explorations and treks for about three decades from the early 1950s, Uttarakhand is gradually opening its doors to adventure lovers.