Kedarkantha Trek
also Kedarkantha Summit
Kedarkantha is a 6-day trek in Govind WLS, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, topping out at 3,800 m. On TrekBaba's normalized scale — the same formula applied to every trek in this catalogue — it scores 29.1/100, which puts it in the Easy band: a first Himalayan trek is realistic here if you can walk for several hours a day. Operators usually market it as "Easy/Moderate"; the gap between that label and the computed grade is exactly why the grade exists. With a high point of 3,800 m, acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a real possibility on the summit or pass day — ascend steadily and watch for headaches.
Operator says Easy/Moderate — normalized grade: Easy.
Photo: Kanthi Kiran · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Explore the route
Scrub the trail — satellite view, live altitude. 6.3 km
Approximate route. No surveyed track exists for this trek yet, so the line joins its real waypoint coordinates directly — treat it as a shape, not a trail. Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics | Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Kedarkantha route, point by point
3 recorded points from Sankri to Kedarkantha Summit over about 6 km. Operators' day splits vary — compare them below.
- Day 1SankriRoadhead · 1,950 m
- Day 2Juda-ka-TalabCamp · 2,780 m
- Day 4Kedarkantha SummitSummit · 3,800 m8 peaks in view
Why Kedarkantha is graded Easy
- Max altitude 3,800 m — altitude is weighted 35% and non-linearly, because AMS risk climbs steeply above ~3,500 m.
- Total ascent 2,000 m over 6 days — how much climbing your legs actually do.
- Longest day 6 km (about 7 h) — one brutal day makes a trek harder than the average does.
- Trail type: graded — exposure (snow, scree, ice, pass crossings) is weighted 35%, the same as altitude.
Score 29.1/100. Bands: Easy <40 · Moderate <64 · Difficult <85 · Very Difficult ≥85. How the formula works. Next step up: Khaliya Top.
What you'll see from Kedarkantha Summit
From Kedarkantha Summit, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Swargarohini II (6,247 m), Swargarohini III (6,209 m), Swargarohini (6,252 m), Bandarpunch I (6,316 m), Kalanag (6,387 m) and Bandarpunch II (6,102 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Only peaks proven visible by line-of-sight over the terrain — not nearby-but-blocked ones — placed by true bearing and sized by how much they fill the view.
Dawn & dusk from Kedarkantha Summit
In August, sunrise breaks right behind Swargarohini III at 05:43 — from Kedarkantha Summit.
- Swargarohini III1°
- Swargarohini II2°
- Swargarohini2°
Nothing lines up this month.
Nothing lines up this month.
- Bandarpunch I13°
- Bandarpunch II13°
- Kalanag17°
- Swargarohini32°
- Swargarohini II32°
- Swargarohini III33°
Sun times and azimuths come from the NOAA solar-position equations for this viewpoint's GPS; the peak bearings are our own viewshed moat. Times assume a flat horizon — a ridge to your east delays real first light on the ground, often by 20–60 minutes, while a high summit opposite catches it a few minutes early. The 12° and 35° bands are editorial choices, not physics: a peak 90° from the sun is side-lit, which is often the better photograph.
Best time to do Kedarkantha
The best months for Kedarkantha are December–April. May–June and October–November are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–September are risky (Jul–Sep: forest leeches, slippery; views poor). Expect snow on the trail in December–April. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -18 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 12 °C in June.
Jul–Sep: forest leeches, slippery; views poor
What the thermometer actually does up there
Computed from 10 years of Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (2016–2025), with every sample point lapse-rate-downscaled to its true altitude — this is Kedarkantha Summit at 3,800 m, not the valley town. Temperatures are downscaled to the point; wet and snow days come back at the reanalysis grid scale (~10 km), so read them as weather over the area. A climate estimate, not a forecast.
Kedarkantha trek cost — operators compared
Kedarkantha costs ₹5,238–₹21,999 per person with an organised operator (14 of 17 listed operators publish a price; the cheapest captured is Trekkers of India). That works out to roughly ₹1,429 per trek day. Fees typically cover meals, tents and guides from the base village; transport from the railhead, gear rental and permits vary — see the inclusion grid below. Prices are read from each operator's own page (latest capture 2026-09-22) and link straight to it.
- ₹5,238as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹5,499as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- —
- ✓Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹5,499as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹5,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ✓Stay
- ·Permits
- ✓Gear
- ₹5,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹6,499as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ✓Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
Show 11 more operators
- ₹7,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹8,499as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹9,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹10,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Trek The Himalayas ↗ATOAI₹11,250as of 2026-09-22+₹4,250
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Easy
- ✓Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✗Permits
- ✗Gear
- Indiahikes ↗ATOAI₹11,450as of 2026-09-22+₹2,000
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Easy-Moderate
- ✗Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ✓Gear
- ₹21,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 5
- They grade it
- Easy to Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Operators self-declare difficulty. TrekBaba grades every trek by one formula — normalized: Easy. We link out to each operator; we never copy their words or photos. Prices were read from each operator's own page on the date shown — confirm with the operator before booking. Where we have read a price more than once, the sparkline is our own dated capture log, not the operator's.
Not affiliated with any operator. Prices are dated facts read from each operator's own page; confirm before paying. See every operator on the operators index.
How to reach Kedarkantha & staying safe
To reach Kedarkantha, the nearest railhead is Dehradun and the nearest airport is Dehradun (Jolly Grant). The road ends at Sankri, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Purola (carry cash; Sankri unreliable) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Sankri.
No dedicated acclimatization day is needed at this altitude, but a steady first day still helps. At its most remote point the route is about 4.7 hours from the nearest drivable road (near Kedarkantha Summit) — a floor for any evacuation, not a promise. The nearest hospital is CHC Purola / District Hospital Uttarkashi, 55 km from the trailhead. Water: Streams to Juda-ka-Talab; melt/carry higher.
How far you are from a road
Computed against our own route line and the OpenStreetMap drivable road network over Copernicus GLO-30 elevations: hours = (crowfly_km x 1.4) / 4.0 + max(0, elev_point - elev_road) / 600 [terrain factor 1.4, 4 km/h walking, 600 m/h descent]. It is a floor, not a promise — a real evacuation with a casualty is slower, and a crow-fly line ignores what stands between you and the road. Read it as relative remoteness: which part of this trek commits you. Nearest drivable ways: unnamed unclassified, Sankri-Taluka track.
Estimated, not measured. Remoteness is computed from our own route geometry against the OpenStreetMap drivable road network (motorway-track) and Copernicus GLO-30 elevations; mobile coverage is a terrain line-of-sight estimate, not a carrier guarantee. Treat both as planning aids.
OSM-mapped masts only, carrier unknown — a mast-in-sight proxy, not a coverage guarantee. Carrier-by-carrier coverage needs a cell-tower dump; no open, no-signup one exists today, so we publish nothing rather than guess.
Kedarkantha permits & restrictions
Permit required: Yes · Govind Wildlife Sanctuary (forest entry fee)
₹200 Indian / ₹600 non-Indian entry for 3 days–2 nights, each extra day ₹50 / ₹250, plus a refundable ₹50/day security deposit
Permit at the forest check post at Naitwar or Sankri before entering the protected area; ID proof compulsory, guide from a registered agency mandatory, keep the fee receipt (gwsandnp.in, read 2026-08-11)
Same permit, differential tariff — 3× the Indian entry fee and 5× the extra-day rate; no separate permit type or quota stated
⚠ Inside Govind WLS — camping at designated sites only
Crowding, and where to go instead
When the interest arrives, relative to this trek's own busiest month (December).
A percentile of trailing-12-month English Wikipedia pageviews for Kedarkantha (44 months observed)— measured within TrekBaba's own catalogue, bots excluded. It is a proxy for attention, not headcount.
Same state, within one difficulty band, and at least half the peaks — and quieter: it scores 7/100 against this trek's 80.
Kedarkantha trek FAQ
How difficult is the Kedarkantha trek?
Kedarkantha is graded Easy (29.1/100) on TrekBaba's normalized scale, which weighs max altitude (3,800 m), total ascent (2,000 m), the longest day (6 km) and terrain exposure identically for every trek. Operators label it "Easy/Moderate".
What is the best time to do Kedarkantha?
December–April. May–June and October–November are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–September are risky (Jul–Sep: forest leeches, slippery; views poor). Expect snow on the trail in December–April. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -18 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 12 °C in June.
How much does the Kedarkantha trek cost?
Between ₹5,238 and ₹21,999 per person with an operator, based on 14 published prices captured from operator pages (latest 2026-09-22). The cheapest listed is Trekkers of India.
How many days does Kedarkantha take?
6 days is the standard itinerary; operators run it as 5/6/7/8 days including travel from the base town. The longest walking day is 6 km (~7 h).
What is the maximum altitude of Kedarkantha?
3,800 m (12,467 ft), which TrekBaba rates as moderate AMS risk.
Is a permit required for Kedarkantha?
Yes — issued by Govind Wildlife Sanctuary (forest entry fee). ₹200 Indian / ₹600 non-Indian entry for 3 days–2 nights, each extra day ₹50 / ₹250, plus a refundable ₹50/day security deposit. Same permit, differential tariff — 3× the Indian entry fee and 5× the extra-day rate; no separate permit type or quota stated.
Which operators run Kedarkantha?
Trekkers of India, Trekup India, Trekos, Trekveda, MadTrek, Super Trekkers, Himalayan Hikers, Trekhievers, Danu Adventure, Bikat Adventures, Himalaya Shelter, Trek The Himalayas, Indiahikes, Trek Nomads, Moxtain, Trekmunk, Universal Adventures list Kedarkantha. Each is linked to its own trek page above with the captured price, days and inclusions.
How do I reach the Kedarkantha trailhead?
To reach Kedarkantha, the nearest railhead is Dehradun and the nearest airport is Dehradun (Jolly Grant). The road ends at Sankri, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before Purola (carry cash; Sankri unreliable) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Sankri.
Is Kedarkantha suitable for beginners?
Yes. Kedarkantha is in the Easy band and is a sensible first Himalayan trek, provided you can walk 6 km in a day with a daypack.
Which peaks can you see from Kedarkantha?
From Kedarkantha Summit, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Swargarohini II (6,247 m), Swargarohini III (6,209 m), Swargarohini (6,252 m), Bandarpunch I (6,316 m), Kalanag (6,387 m) and Bandarpunch II (6,102 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Treks like Kedarkantha
EasyUttarakhandDeoriatal–Chandrashila
Kedarnath WLS, Rudraprayag
6 days↑ 3,680 mfrom ₹3,100Mar–May and Oct–Nov
EasyUttarakhandBrahmatal
Roopkund area, Chamoli
6 days↑ 3,734 mfrom ₹4,762Dec–Mar
EasyUttarakhandPhulara Ridge
Govind Pashu Vihar, Uttarkashi
6 days↑ 3,700 mfrom ₹7,300Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov
EasyUttarakhandAli Bedni Bugyal
Roopkund trail, Chamoli
6 days↑ 3,560 mfrom ₹7,500Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov
Difficulty grade, peak horizon, per-camp climate, remoteness, sun alignment and the crowding index are all computed — the moats — and every one of them is an estimate, labelled as such where it appears. Found-fact and operator values are public approximations pending field + source verification, not citations. Peaks named on this page: Swargarohini II, Swargarohini III, Swargarohini, Bandarpunch I, Kalanag.