Kedarkantha Trek

You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join, and reservations close 7 days before the start date. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay it by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees, and the price shown for each date is what you pay.

Yes, this trip is built for people joining alone. Travellers are aged 18 to 40, most on their own and some with a friend, and you share a trekking tent and a Sankri guesthouse room with a traveller of the same gender. You don't need prior trekking experience, just the fitness covered below. The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates, and it's never more than 12, which keeps the group manageable on narrow winter trail sections.

The Trip Host treks with the group for all 6 days, handles the day-to-day logistics with the local trek team, and is the person you go to if anything goes wrong. A local guide, cook and porters handle the technical side of the trek: setting the pace on snow, cooking at camp and carrying the group gear.

It starts at our guesthouse in Dehradun on the morning of Day 1, and we send the address when you book. It ends back in Dehradun on the evening of Day 6. Fly into Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport, or take a train to Dehradun railway station; both have good connections from Delhi. Book to arrive the day before Day 1, or on the morning of Day 1 if your flight or train lands early.

Yes. The trek runs through the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and the Sankri forest range, so it needs a forest entry permit and a camping fee. Our local trek team arranges both as part of the trip price. Fees are set by the Uttarakhand forest department and can change year to year; we confirm current rates before each departure.

In the snow season, December to April. Snow cover is heaviest and most reliable from December to February; by March and April the lower trail can be partly clear, though the summit ridge usually still holds snow.

Yes. Most nationalities need a visa for India, and most can apply for an e-Visa online on the official site, indianvisaonline.gov.in. You also have to submit India's free online e-Arrival card within 72 hours before you fly. Rules change, so check the current requirements for your passport before you book flights.

A simple guesthouse in Sankri on the first and last nights, with shared or attached bathrooms depending on availability, and trekking tents on snow at Juda Ka Talab and Kedarkantha Base Camp for the three nights in between. Camp toilets are basic: tents set up away from the sleeping area. Washing is with wet wipes or a bowl of warm water the crew brings around, since running water freezes at camp. It's part of what a winter trek is, and we'd rather tell you upfront than promise more than there is.

Full winter layers: a down jacket, thermals, a fleece, a waterproof shell, insulated trekking boots broken in before you travel, gaiters, waterproof gloves and a warm hat. Bring a headlamp, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen for the snow glare, and a reusable water bottle. You need your own boots, thermals and a few personal items, but a sub-zero sleeping bag, trekking poles, microspikes and gaiters can usually be rented in Sankri or Dehradun. We send a full kit list and confirm current rental options when you book.

You should be able to jog 5 kilometres in about 35 minutes, or walk briskly uphill for 3 to 4 hours on consecutive days, before you join. Kedarkantha is sold as a beginner trek, but it's still 3 days of real climbing in snow and cold, and the summit day ends with a steep final push. If you haven't done a multi-day trek before, a few weekend hikes with a loaded daypack in the months before you travel make a real difference.

Kedarkantha's summit at 3,800 metres is high enough that acute mountain sickness can affect anyone, regardless of fitness. The route gains height gradually over three days rather than rushing to altitude, which helps, but you should still know the warning signs: headache, nausea, dizziness or unusual breathlessness. Tell your guide immediately if you feel unwell. If symptoms don't improve with rest, the rule is to descend rather than push on, and the guide has the final call on whether that's needed.

Yes, it's a condition of joining, and it must cover trekking at altitudes up to at least 4,500 metres. Many standard travel policies exclude trekking above a set altitude or don't cover trekking at all, so check the policy wording before you buy. This is your own insurance, not something we provide.