Your holiday starts at the hotel in Delhi. Delhi Airport transfers are provided. After lunch at the centrally-located hotel there will be a city tour to include the busy bazaars of Chandni Chowk, and the Moghul Red Fort. We will also see New Delhi's imposing avenues and the Lutyen's designed Government Houses. Returning to the hotel, your guide will take dinner with you and will provide an informal briefing about the days ahead.

After an early breakfast, we go to the railway station and board the train for the 4 hour journey to Haridwar. It is said that the journey is half the experience and certainly this is true here. Any journey on Indian Railways is a fascinating affair from the crowds and chaos of Delhi station platforms to the rustic scenes of life in the countryside as we pass through. Arriving in Haridwar at lunchtime, we continue our journey by road (1 hour) to Rishikesh, where we check in at our comfortable hotel. We have the afternoon to enjoy the atmosphere at this very special place. The most holy of Indian rivers, the Ganges flows through the town and it is at Rishikesh where its nature changes from tumbling waters to a more sedate and mighty flow as it leaves the Himalaya and heads across the Indian Plain. The town has many temples, shrines and ashrams and is a major place of pilgrimage and starting point for pilgrimages to Badrinath and Gangotri. Rishikesh became a well-known name outside of India when the Beatles came here in 1968 to visit their guru's ashram.

Today we have a reasonably long drive, but a spectacular one as we head up through the foothills of the Himalaya towards Nanda Devi. The roads are winding and we will stop off for lunch en route, possibly at Srinagar. It will take us 6 or 7 hours to cover the 163 kilometres to our destination at Rudrapayag, a small pilgrimage town at the confluence of the holy rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini which is venerated as one of the five sacred confluences or the 'Panch Prayag'. The town is named for a particular incarnation of Shiva appeared here as 'Rudra'. We will have time to look around the town and to walk down to the confluence of the two rivers.

Another exciting day of driving today, as we head northwards through the foothills of the Indian Himalaya. Once again, the drive (approx. 6 hours) is compensated by the stunning scenery. En route, we have some great views of Nanda Devi and surrounding peaks. The final stretch of our journey is on a rough jeep track which leads to our camping place close to Wan (2510m). Here, we meet our trek crew who will already have the camp set up.

Starting from our camp at Wan, we contour the hillside briefly and start climbing gradually through farmland and scattered houses. After climbing for about an hour, we arrive at a ridge top (Ran Ka Dhar, 2752m) marked by the last cluster of houses. From here, we first descend gently and then zigzag down to the Neel Ganga (a small river, 2607m), which we cross via a bridge. We start climbing and continue through the forested area all the way to camp at Geruli Patal (3209m), in a small secluded clearing.

From Geruli Patal, we continue our climb towards Bedni Bugyal. Crossing the tree line, we first reach a small top, Daulia Dhar, at 3448m. From here, the trail levels out to Bedni Bugyal (3509m). Reaching the scenic Bedni Bugyal, we climb a little further to join the ridge trail that follows the Ghora Lathunia Dhar and descend through the forest towards Wan. We descend to the temple near our previous campsite at Wan and then climb through the Upper Wan Village to a low pass (Kukina Dhar, 3124m). Over the pass, we walk down to camp above the Kanol Village at Gwaltoli.

Setting out from the stone and slate buildings of Kanol we pass through terraced fields of wheat and amaranthus (whose flour is used for flat breads such as chapattis) and then follow a lovely path through dense forest of oak and rhododendron, with lots of wild flower species; orchids, primulas and poinsettias. After a long descent to the Nandakini River, we follow a cliff-side path to a bridge which takes us across to our camp on the outskirts of the village of Sitiel where we camp on the riverbank (1750m).

Today, we ascend the hillside on the north of the Nandakini River, traversing the forested slopes and farmland to reach the small village of Jokhna. The steep trail begins to ease and we follow a balcony style path with views of distant settlements and the foothills. We pass through several villages and climb gradually to the larger settlement of Ghunni (2350m), followed by a steep ascent on a rocky path to camp in grazing areas on the hilltop below the Ramni Pass, with great views to the south.

We begin today with a gentle climb to a crossing point at the Ramni Pass (3080m), from where we look north to the Kuari Pass, our objective in 2 days time. We may see shepherds and their flocks of sheep and goats, and Langur monkeys in the forest lower down. Making a long descent into the headwaters of the Birehi Ganga River, we pass through more dense forest, with occasional clearings, in one of which above the village of Jhenjipani (2075m) we make our camp and have the afternoon to rest.

It is a steep descent from our camp to the picturesque village of Jhenjipani and then down to the suspension bridge across the Birehi Ganga. A steep, zig-zagging ascent takes us up and out of this narrow valley to a ridge at around (2300m). Here, the path levels out and we break for lunch. In the afternoon we contour around to our camp above the village of Pana. Today's walk leaves us with the afternoon free at camp to enjoy the views of the valley below. Altitude at camp above the village is 2700 metres.

Climbing further on a gradual trail we follow the ridge through the forests for about an hour and half we then get down into another valley from where we can once again get a glimpse of the Kuari pass. The trail opens to the Siyartoli meadow where we descend to a stream before climbing steeply up through the forest on a good zig zag path and set up camp before the pass at Dhakwani just above the treeline.

An early start today to take advantage of the clear morning weather for our ascent to the Kuari Pass (3650m). Following a steep zigzag path it takes one to one and a half hours to reach the first col (3520m) where the mountain panorama north of the pass opens up dramatically to show views from the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in the east to the Badrinath and Kedarnath peaks in the west. The view from the col is stunning, but it’s another 30 to 40 minute traverse to the top of the Kuari Pass proper from where you will see, in the words of Eric Shipton, one of the grandest mountain views in the world. The line up of peaks on view includes Dunagiri, Hathi Parbat, Ghori Parbat, Chaukamba, Nilkanth, Kedarnath, Berthatoli, Kamet and Trisul. Nanda Devi stays hidden for a little longer, but the outer peaks on the west of the sanctuary are all in view. After spending some time soaking up the views, we descend a few hundred metres from the pass and gain our first views of Nanda Devi. We descend just below the treeline to camp in the meadows at Chitrakanta at 3200 metres.

The breathtaking views are still with us, as we descend. After we leave the forest, we follow a narrow balcony path that traverses the hillside, and affords us with super views of Nanda Devi. The path soon opens up to wide meadows carpeted with flowers as we reach the Gorson ski slopes. We descend through forests to finally arrive at Auli (2755m). Here, we meet our transport and begin the journey out of the mountains. This starts with a steep, switchback descent to the bustling town of Joshimath, a resting place for pilgrims heading to and from nearby Badrinath, one of the most sacred places in India. Beyond Joshimath, we continue our drive for a little more than hour to the village of Pipalkoti, where we overnight at a basic, but comfortable hotel.

We will make an early start this morning ahead of a long drive on the main road which passes through the deep valley of the Alaknanda River to a junction with the Bhagirathi River near Devprayag. Beyond this confluence, the river becomes the Ganges. Passing Rishikesh, we reach our hotel in Haridwar after a journey (including lunch and other rest stops) of around 8 hours. We will be aiming to arrive in good time to witness the Ganga Aarti, a 'puja' or religious ceremony which has been practiced here for centuries. In fact the Ganga Aarti in Haridwar's Har-ki-Pauri is one of the most famous rituals in India. Shortly after sunset, the puja is performed in all of the temples lining the river at the same time with a cacophony of musical instruments and voices. Afterwards, offerings of lamps and flowers are made to the Ganges and it is a moving sight to watch hundreds of miniature lamps float along the river.

We have an early start to catch the morning train back to Delhi. Arriving in the city, we drive to our airport accessible hotel in time for lunch. Afternoon at leisure.

Your holiday ends after breakfast. Transfers to Delhi Airport are provided. To extend your holiday in India, why not pre-book a visit to Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama), to the Taj Mahal or a longer excursion taking in the whole of India's classic Golden Triangle. Contact our office for details.