Khatling Glacier Trek via Malla Village
15 Days / 14 Nights
Bhatwari to GaurikundWhat's included?
Meals
Guide
Stay 15 Days / 14 Nights Bhatwari to GaurikundMealsGuideStayAlong with the captivating Bhilangana Valley, the high-altitude Khatling Glacier trek offers one of the most distinct scenes throughout its trails. Its routes pass through scenic villages, grassy meadows, crystal clear lakes, glacier moraines, ice sheets, snow-capped mountains, and captivating flora and fauna.
It is the perfect trek for adventure lovers looking for thrill and peace in nature. The initial track is easy but once you start gaining significant altitude, it gets difficult. Hence, the trek is recommended for those who have experience in high-altitude trekking.
The trek route from Mallu Village to Khatling Glacier takes you through the breathtaking landscape, pristine lakes, and the holy temple of Kedarnath. The route is challenging and longer than the Ghuttu-Khatling route.
The trek route from Malla Village to Khatling Glacier is as follows-
Malla – Sila Village – Sillachan/Gairi Camp – Kush Kalyan – Kyarki Khal – Parital – Sahasratal – Kalyani – Kharsoli – Tambakund – Khatling Glacier – Tambakund – Masar Tal – Vasuki Tal – Kedarnath – Gaurikund
Start your journey from Delhi early in the morning as the travel distance between Delhi and Uttarkashi is 398 km with a travel time of about 11-12 hrs. Malla lies 27 km ahead of Uttarkashi and it will take around 1 hr to reach Malla from Uttarkashi.
The auspicious Bhagirathi River flows calmly through the village.
As Malla serves as the base camp for Khatling Glacier trek, you will begin your trek from here today. The trek begins after crossing a bridge above the Bhagirathi River. The trail goes through the picturesque Sila Village located at an elevation of 2,000 m.
Gairi Camp lies ahead of the village and is encompassed with dense forests and snow-clad mountains. On your way, you’ll come across cattle grazers, small huts, and beautiful wild flora and fauna.
After a healthy breakfast, you will start your trek towards the stunning meadows of Kush Kalyan. The enthralling walk through the forests, colourful meadows, and small streams with the snow-capped peaks set beautifully at the background is the highlight of this trek.
The campsite of Kush Kalyan offers a heavenly scene which is enough to soak all the tiredness of the trek.
The trek towards Kyarki Khal goes through verdant Kush Kalyan meadow, the ridge leading to Bhowani Bugyal, captivating waterfalls, and an amazing landscape.
The camping site of Kyarki Khal lies beside a small stream and offers panoramic views of the surrounding Himalayas.
Today you will come across the first lake of your journey – Pari tal. The long trail goes through meadows, dense forests, and several ridges. According to legend, during Satyug, fairies would try to please the gods when they wandered through this area.
Hence, the name Parital, where Pari means fairy and Tal means lake. The serene lake is surrounded by a mesmerizing environment that makes for an ideal campsite.
The trail to Sahasratal goes via Taddiudyar and is quite difficult. Being one of the largest lakes in Garhwal Himalayas, Sahastra Tal is set at a heavenly location. From here, you will see stunning views of the peaks of Jogin group, Kirti Stambh, and Meru. The rare Brahmakamal can be found here.
You will have your dinner and camp at this heavenly location.
Today you will climb down from the Sahasratal top to the beautiful valley where Kalyani is located. The trail goes through ridges enveloped in dense forests.
The trek route from Kalyani to Kharsoli passes through a vast open area known as Birodh, verdant meadows, rhododendron and birch forests. Kharsoli is a large meadow which once used to full of greenery.
The route to Tambakund goes through varying landscapes. You will start your trek through lush meadows with beautiful sights of snow-capped mountains and waterfalls. After some ascents, you will reach a rough area devoid of vegetation. You will reach Tambakund after traversing through this area.
The trekking distance from Tambakund to Khatling glacier is 3 km. You will walk across the river bank and over the wooden bridge made by the shepherds and ascent towards the beautiful blooming meadow of Chowki. Chowki is a meadow full of life where you will see shepherds with their sheep, lush green grasses, and various wildflowers including the renowned Bhramakamal.
Surrounded by snow-clad mountains, Khatling Glacier stands tall at an elevation of 3,900 m at an extremely picturesque location. You will trek till a point known as “Zero Point”. You can choose to go beyond this point and explore the glacier but you will need at least 2 days to complete a thorough tour of the glacier.
After spending some time taking in and exploring the surrounding areas of the glacier, you will return to Tambakund. You can choose to camp either at Chowki or Tambakund.
The trek to the high altitude lake of Masar Tal is accompanied by beautiful sights of Khatling glacier, Bhimtal, and the milky white water of Doodhganga River. The pristine lake of Masar Tal is surrounded by dense forests and is seated amongst meandering meadows. The campsite at Masar Tal is set at a location from where you can enjoy the surroundings heartily.
The trek from Masar Tal to Vasuki Tal (4,135 m) is a long arduous one which goes through Mayali Pass (5,400 m). You will traverse through Mayali glacier, Painya Tal, Teen Tal, boulders, loose moraines, and finally reach the tranquilizing lake of Vasuki Tal.
Vasuki Tal is a holy lake and resembles the snake Vasuki of Lord Shiva. It is also believed that Lord Vishnu bathed in this lake during the auspicious occasion of Rakhsbandhan.
Vasuki Ganga River which joins River Mandakini at Sonprayag emerges for Vasuki Tal. The campsite at Vasuki Tal is surrounded by lush greenery and various flora including the legendary Brahmakamal.
The trek from Vasuki Tal to Kedarnath starts with an ascent till Vasuki Top and then continues with descent throughout Kedarnath. The magnificent Kedarnath peak, Kedarnath Temple, Meru, Manda, and Sumeru Parbat are clearly visible from Vasuki Top.
Kedarnath Temple which literally means “Abode of Lord Shiva” is a highly revered Hindu Temple and forms one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Relish the divine experience of visiting Kedarnath Temple and stay overnight at Kedarnath.
Today will be your last day of trekking. You will trek down to the road head of Gaurikund. The place of Gaurikund is dedicated to Goddess Parvati as it is believed that Goddess Parvati meditated at this very place to gain Lord Shiva as her husband. Gauri is another name of Goddess Parvati.
You can spend the evening exploring Gaurikund and celebrating the completion of a successful trek.
This is the last day of your amazing trip. Departure from Gaurikund.
Note: Important Things to Carry during trekking
For more information, you can contact our travel advisor on Email/Call/WhatsApp
Why we prefer private and small groups? We love to trek in smaller private groups as we believe that it gives the best ambience to experience the Himalayan spirituality, serenity, solitude and rawness. Small groups are also eco friendly, less noisy, safe, friendly, easy to manage and more caring towards each other. Most importantly, private groups are more focused towards their objective which is to enjoy being in the nature. We specialize in arranging customized private groups catering to the specific needs.
Seeded in 2003, eUttaranchal is a travel company specializing in Char Dham Helicopter Tours and Trekking across Uttarakhand. We are registered as an Adventure Tour Operator with Uttarakhand Tourism. We are also one of the most followed pages of Uttarakhand on social media.
