Gulabi Kantha Trek
Highest Altitude: 4023m (13200ft)
Location: Uttarkashi District
State/Country: Uttarakhand/ India
Base Village: Hanuman Chatti
Trek Open: Year Round
Total Distance: 26km
Number of Days: 4 Days
Difficulty Level: Easy - Moderate
Day 01 - Hanuman Chhati (2100m/6800ft) to Kandola Chhani (2700m/9800ft)
Date: 04-Jan-2026
Distance (Time): 5km (3H)
Mountain Villages
I woke up several times during the night and therefore it wasn't the best sleep I have had. May be it was the cold. It was still windy in the morning and that made it very cold. Hot water was not available at the guest house. I freshened up by washing my hands and face with freezing cold water. We were packed and ready by around 8:00AM. Parathas were served for breakfast.
Our trek lead Amit was still asleep and he seemed in no rush to leave as the trek on that day was going to be very short and easy. Around 9:00AM we began our trek. I had booked this trek through Himalayan hikers. I had done Har ki dun trek with this Sankri based organisers and had had a great time. Since they are local to Uttarakhand, they offer the best deals for any trek in the state. But this trek was organised through a local person called Pankaj. Pankaj hails from Barkot and a friend of his named Raman joined us on the trek. So it was a group of 4 trekkers.
Three dogs accompanied us from Hanuman Chatti and showed us the way. The first stretch of the trek involved a steep climb from Hanuman Chatti to Nishni village. We walked slowly, with enough breaks, as we had a lot of time in hand.
Nishni village is a peaceful settlement on a mountain plateau. There is a road reaching up to there from the other side.
The next stretch through the jungle was a gradual climb. We reached Kandola Chhani by noon. There are around 10-12 houses there. But almost all of the houses except the one belonging to our cook was locked. Villagers come here only during summer to farm and head back to their villages downhill, during winter.
As per the original plan, we were supposed to pitch a tent in the village. But Amit changed the plan and asked us if we were okay to spend the night in the house of our cook. It was also a guest house with rooms upstairs equipped with comfortable beds and razzais. Why would we not be okay with such a wonderful plan? We happily agreed.
While the lunch was being prepared, we enjoyed the beautiful view that was in front of us.
Around that time, we were visited by a forest officer who had gone uphill on a patrol. Initially, he seemed a bit rough in his speech to our trek lead and asked for permits etc. But his tone changed once he got on a call with Pankaj. In a lengthy conversation he spoke of how villagers of Nishni were complaining against him (Pankaj) for not offering jobs to the villagers. He also mentioned how he hates to climb mountains and he had struggled to climb up to Seema Thatch. He could not Make it till Gulabi Kantha. It was funny to see the change in his tone from the time he came to the time he left.
We were served hot lunch (Rice-Rajma). The tomato chutney they had prepared was delicious. Amit and the cook explained to us that the villagers had their dispute. The people of Nishni village want the trekking groups to camp in Nishni or stay in the homestays there. Also, they want their people to be appointed in the teams. However, Amit finds many of them still incompetent and unprofessional. They are however using the service of locals.
The trekking groups have recommended them to start a union for guides so that each time a trekking group goes up, a guide can be assigned from a specific village by turn. Many places have such unions. It was interesting for me to see the politics that govern us humans at various levels. Humans are divisive by nature and we tend to form sub-groups wherever we are.
After lunch, Manan and Bhavya took a nap and I got hooked to the book I was reading on my kindle - The hitchhiker's guide to galaxy. We were served Samosas along with some tea for evening snacks. The samosas were so good that for a moment we thought that they were bought from Hanuman Chatti. Govind, our cook and the owner of this lovely guesthouse is a master chef. We also took a short walk around the village.
In the evening, a camp fire was setup and we warmed our bones by the fire, while in front of us, the sky changed colours. It was a beautiful sunset to view from a perfect location.
For dinner, we had Roti - mushroom Sabji, Rice-Dal Makni and Kheer for dessert.
That night, I slept under two thick blankets. It was cosy in there and I had a very good sleep.
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