Kafni Glacier Trek
Bageshwar, Uttarakhand
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- Max altitude
- 3,860 m
- Days
- 8 days
- Distance
- 70 km
- Difficulty
- Difficult
No technical climbing, but the glacier day from Khatia is about 18 km over boulder fields and unstable moraine, the Kafni valley above Dwali has seen little trail repair since the 2013 floods, and early or late in the season the side streams turn to ice fields where steps have to be cut.
Photos
On the trail
The route
Day by day
Day 1
Kathgodam → Loharkhet (drive via Almora and Bageshwar)
554 m → 1,834 m
Day 2
Loharkhet → Dhakuri (via Dhakuri Pass)
1,834 m → 2,940 m → 2,650 m
Day 3
Dhakuri → Khati
2,650 m → 2,230 m
Day 4
Khati → Dwali
2,230 m → 2,632 m
Day 5
Dwali → Khatia
2,632 m → 3,314 m
Day 6 · highest point
Khatia → Dwali (via Kafni Glacier snout)
3,314 m → 3,860 m → 2,632 m
Day 7
Dwali → Kharkiya (via Khati)
2,632 m → 2,186 m
Day 8
Kharkiya → Kathgodam (drive via Bageshwar and Almora)
2,186 m → 554 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · Loharkhet
at 1,834 mLoading forecast…
High point · Kafni Glacier snout (Kafni zero point), above Khatia
at 3,860 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- Loharkhet (nearest town: Bageshwar (Kapkot is the last town on the road))
- Nearest railway
- Kathgodam (about 225 km from Loharkhet)
- Nearest airport
- Pantnagar Airport
- By road
- Kathgodam (about 225 km via Almora, Bageshwar, Kapkot and Song to Loharkhet); Bageshwar (shared jeeps to Song, Loharkhet and Kharkiya)
- Drive
- About 9 h from Kathgodam (Haldwani)
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹10,000–18,000
With an operator
₹15,000–31,000
Per person, ex-Kathgodam. Few operators publish a Kafni price. Bikat Adventures charges ₹14,500 + 5% GST (October 2026) for its 8-day Pindari trek that includes a Dwali-Kafni Glacier-Dwali side trip; Nirvana Trip's 10-day Kafni package (2017 brochure, ex-Delhi) was ₹25,999 + 18% tax; Himalayan High quotes on request only. Self-guided is an estimate: shared jeeps Kathgodam-Bageshwar-Loharkhet and back, guesthouse nights at Loharkhet, Dhakuri, Khati and Kharkiya, a hired tent and a local guide-porter for the nights at Dwali and Khatia (there is no stay beyond Dwali), food, and forest entry fees.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
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Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 36
Nights near 3,860 m can drop close to freezing even in summer. Pack one more warm layer than you think.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- BSNL only, and only up to Khati; no signal or internet in the Kafni valley.
- Last ATM
- Kapkot, on the road to Loharkhet (Bageshwar has more ATMs). Carry cash.
- Nearest hospital
- Kapkot for first aid; the district hospital at Bageshwar for anything serious
- Water
- Streams cross the trail all the way to Dwali and the Kafni stream runs beside the trail to Khatia; side streams can be frozen early and late in the season. Boil or treat all water.
Highlights
- Standing below the Kafni Glacier snout, an icefall pouring off the slopes of Nanda Kot (6,861 m), with Nanda Bhanar (6,236 m) close by
- Turning right at Dwali, the confluence of the Pindar and Kafni rivers, into a valley that sees far fewer trekkers than Pindari
- Camping at Khatia, the open grassy shelf above the tree line in the Kafni valley
- Dhakuri Pass and the Dhakuri meadows, with views of Maiktoli and the peaks of the Sunderdhunga valley
- Khati, the last village, with slate-roofed houses and terraced fields
Risks
- Trail condition: a Drishti IAS current-affairs note of 15 November 2025 says the Kafni route has been largely abandoned and unsafe since the 2013 floods, with bridges and trail sections still broken. Confirm the current state with the Bageshwar forest office or an operator who has run it this season before you go.
- Ice fields: early or late in the season the side streams above Dwali freeze into slopes of ice; a 2009 trip report turned back about 3 km short of the glacier after cutting steps for hours. Carry microspikes and go with a guide who has an ice axe.
- July-August monsoon: floods on the Kafni river, landslides, leeches and road blocks; Himalayan Dream Treks calls the trek inaccessible in the monsoon.
- No shelter beyond Dwali: Khatia is a camp only, so you need your own tent, stove and food for two nights.
- The glacier day is long (about 18 km Khatia-glacier-Dwali) over boulders and moving moraine; start at first light and turn back if the weather closes in.
Know before you go
Questions
Is the Kafni Glacier trail open now?
There is no formal closure order, and Himalayan High and Bikat Adventures still list the route. But a Drishti IAS note from November 2025 reports that the trail and bridges damaged in the 2013 floods were never fully repaired and that the route is largely abandoned. Check with the forest office at Bageshwar or an operator who has run it this season before planning.
How is the Kafni Glacier trek different from Pindari Glacier?
Both follow the same trail from Loharkhet through Dhakuri and Khati to Dwali. At Dwali the Pindari route goes left along the Pindar river to Phurkia and Zero Point; the Kafni route goes right along the Kafni river to Khatia and the Kafni Glacier snout. Kafni is higher, rougher and much less visited, and has no guesthouse after Dwali.
What is the best time for the Kafni Glacier trek?
May to June and September to October. Avoid July and August for monsoon floods and landslides, and winter, when heavy snow covers the trail above Dwali. In May and late October expect ice on the side streams.
Can I combine Kafni with the Pindari Glacier trek?
Yes. Most operators sell a combined trip of about 10 days that visits Pindari Zero Point from Phurkia and then Kafni from Dwali, for example Himalayan High's 10-day Pindari Kafni trek and Bikat Adventures' 8-day Pindari trek with a Kafni side trip.
Do I need a permit for the Kafni Glacier trek?
No mountaineering permit is needed. A forest entry fee is collected for the Pindar valley, but we could not find an official current fee, so confirm it at the forest office in Bageshwar or at the check-post before you start.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: BageshwarUttarakhand
- Nearest hospital
- Kapkot for first aid; the district hospital at Bageshwar for anything serious
- Last ATM
- Kapkot, on the road to Loharkhet (Bageshwar has more ATMs). Carry cash.
- Phone network
- BSNL only, and only up to Khati; no signal or internet in the Kafni valley.
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Kafni Glacier
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Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- Kafni Glacier Trek — Himalayan High
- Glaciers in Uttarakhand - Glacier Treks in Garhwal & Kumaon — Himalayan Dream Treks
- Kafni Glacier Trek — Tour My India
- Kafni Glacier Trek Difficulty Level — TrekGo
- Kafni Glacier Trek for 9N 10D — Nirvana Trip
- Pindari Glacier Trek (with Kafni Glacier side trip) — Bikat Adventures
- Kafni Glacier — Wikipedia
- An icy trail (The Telegraph, 2009) — Rangan Datta
- Kafni Glacier (15 Nov 2025) — Drishti IAS
Photos: Anuragkjain at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0; Yann, CC BY-SA 4.0
