Nanda Devi Sanctuary Trek

Joshimath · India

Expedition Grade25 daysAsia~£6,000 est.

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Overview

Nanda Devi, at 7,816 m the highest peak standing entirely within India, rises from a sanctuary ringed by a barrier of mountains — a dozen of them over 6,400 m — that defeated mountaineers for half a century until Shipton and Tilman forced the Rishi Gorge in 1934. The inner sanctuary has been closed to all visitors since 1983 to let a battered ecosystem recover, and that closure is what makes the region extraordinary today: blue sheep, musk deer and snow leopard numbers have rebounded in the core zone. What you can do is trek the sanctuary's rim on a strictly permitted quota route from Lata village — the ancient approach — climbing through birch and rhododendron to the meadows of Lata Kharak and on towards Dharansi Pass at about 4,250 m, where the great twin-summited wall of Nanda Devi finally reveals itself across the forbidden gorge. It remains one of the steepest, most demanding approaches in the Himalaya, and Lata keeps a living relationship with the goddess Nanda. Permits are limited and arranged through the forest department with guides hired from Lata itself — expect paperwork and fees that support the village. May-June and September-October dodge monsoon and snow; around £6,000 buys the full staffed, expedition-style trek.