The Panch Chulli peaks lie in Eastern Kumaon Himalaya and form the watershed between the Gori Ganga and Darma Valleys. The eastern approaches are through Sona and Meola Glaciers. The Uttari and Dakshini Balati glaciers guard the western approaches. Nestling snugly in the lap of the snow capped peaks of Panch Chulli, the Darma Valley in remote Pithoragarh district, bordering Nepal and Tibet, is endowed with extraordinary scenic beauty. Between mid-May and end June and from mid-September to end-October the Wayfarer group regularly organizes trekking trips to Punch Chulli Glacier and Darma Valley. The starting point of this adventure is the Wayfarer Mountain Resort at Munsyari from where we drive by jeep for around 95 kms. to the Indo-Nepal boarder town of Dharchulla. From this town a further drive of 35 kms. along the banks of the Dhauli Ganga river takes us to the village of Sobla. Here onwards it’s a 40 km. trail that passes through Dar, Bungling, Sela, Nagling, Baaling and Duktu / Dantu village in the Darma Valley before reaching Punch Chulli Glacier.

Day-0 : Take the overnight train from Old Delhi Railway Station to Kathgodam (Train No. 5013, Departure 22.40 hrs. IST)

Day-1 : Arrive at Kathgodam 06.30 hrs. Received by Wayfarer escort and transferred to a waiting vehicle after brief rest. Drive to Vijaypur (210 kms. 6 hrs.) Check in at Wayfarer Retreat.

Day-2 : After breakfast drive to Munsyari (115 kms., 4 hrs.) along a road that winds itself up to a height of 2748 mts. before descending into the glorious Munsyari valley. Check in at Wayfarer Mountain Resort for a good rest.

Day-3 : Drive from Munsyari to Sobla (130 kms./5 hrs.) : The Jeep track from Munsyari, initially, descends to Madkot Village which is on the banks of the rapidly flowing Gori Ganga river. From this point, the two hour drive to Jauljibi is particularly scenic. On the way are small villages called Chori Bagar, and Banga Pani. At Jauljibi there is the confluence of river Gori with Kali that crosses into India from Nepal at Dharchula. The route now travels northwards past Dharchula and Tawa Ghat and divests westward into a gorge following the Dhauli Ganga river up to Sobla. Sobla (1670m) is the entry point to the Darma Valley and is the starting point of our trek. Our destination is Dar Village (2134m) which is 5 kms. from Sobla. We pitch up here for the night.

Day-4 : Dar to Sela (2438 mts./12 kms.. 5 to 6 hrs.) : Today’s walk is long but easy. The mule track from Dar to Sela goes through hill sides of green pastoral land. The campsite is on the outskirts of Sela.

Day-5 : Sela to Baaling (2743 mts./11 kms.. 5 to 6 hrs.) : It is another relatively trouble free day. The trail to Baaling goes up and down hill sides but the altitude gained is moderate. The views of the distant glaciers is exciting and the temptation to push ahead is high. Nevertheless we camp here for the night, because we have a long march ahead of us the next day.

Day-6 : Baaling to Duktu (3048 mts./6 kms.. 3 hrs.) : Duktu and Dantu are two adjacent villages which are the last centres of human habitation in this part of Darma valley. The view of the Panch Chulli peaks from here is just magnificent. On the outskirts of Duktu is a huge meadow that provides a perfect setting for viewing the Panch Chulli glacier with the backdrop of the Panch Chulli peaks. This particular spot is almost picture perfect. We pitch up here for the night.

Day-7 : Duktu to Panch Chulli (4 kms. each way; 5 hrs.) : Today is a momentous day when we set out to explore the Panch Chulli glacier from our base camp at Duktu. The glacier projects outwards from the East face of Panch Chulli and a 4 kms. trek from the campsite along the Yuli river leads to the massive glacier itself. The place itself provides an incredible scenery of a sprawling meadow bordered by tall oak and birch trees with the Panch Chulli (6904 mts./22652 ft.) looming in the background.

Day-8 : Duktu to Nagling (2743 mts./11 kms.) : We start on return trek today. The trail from Duktu to Nagling is a gradual descent and the days’ walk takes around 5 hours.

Day-9 : Nagling to Bungling (12 kms.) : This is the last day of our walking. We arrive at Bungling by noon. From here after a brief rest we get on to a waiting jeep that drives us back to Munsyari.

Day-10 : Munsyari to Ranikhet (240 kms.) : It is time to bid farewell to Munsyari and its mountains. Today we board a vehicle that drives us to Ranikhet through Vijaypur, Bageshwar and Kausani. We check in for the night at Wayfarer Solitaire.

Day-11 : Ranikhet to Kathgodam (90 kms.) : Today is a day when we can chill out and relax. Late afternoon we board a vehicle that drives us to Kathgodam. There is also the option of leaving Ranikhet after breakfast and driving to the legendary Jim Corbett Park. The train to Delhi departs from Kathgodam at 20.40 hrs.