KHALIYA TOP TREK

• Start point and endpoint: Kathgodam to Munsiyari
• Altitude gain: 554 m to 2200 m
• Distance to cover: Around 300kms
• Time required to cover the distance: 9 to 11 hours
• Method of travel: Drive
• Attraction of the day: Scenic drive, numerous temples, eco-park, Birthi Falls.

• Start point and endpoint: Munsiyari to Balanti Band, then Balati Band to Bhujani (Khaliya top trek base camp).
• Altitude gain: 2200 m to 2743 m, 2743 m to 3048 m
• Distance to cover: 9.3 km and 1.5 km
• Time required to cover the distance: 24 min and 35 min
• Trek grade: Easy to medium
• Method of travel: Drive and then a trek

Your next day will begin with a short drive to the Balanti Band. It will take you about half an hour to reach the spot which is around 9.2 km from Munsiyari. You can stock up on your food and water provisions on your way to the spot from the few diners and cafes on your path. The next part of your day involves a brief scenic trek to the Khaliya Top base camp located in Bhujani. You will have to scale a distance of around two to three kilometers which will take you around sixty to ninety minutes.

• Start point and endpoint: Bhujani (Khaliya Top Base Camp) to Khuliya Top, Khuliya Top to Bhujani,
• Bhujani to Munsiyari
• Altitude gain: 3048 m to 3500 m, 3500 m to 3048 m, 3048 m to 2200 m
• Distance to cover: 2.3 km
• Time required to cover the distance: 51 min
• Trek grade: Easy to medium
• Method of travel: Trek and a drive back to Munsiyari

The third day is the most pivotal day of your trip. You will be trekking for the Khaliya bugyal or the Khaliya top. It will take you around hours to scale a stretch of kilometers. Your trek will start in the fresh crisp hour of the morning at 7 am. The mesmerizing sunrise ensures a perfect start for Khaliya Top.

The trail is surprisingly serene and breathtaking with terrains either freshly painted green with flowers colored like butterfly wings or covered entirely in a thick untouched white furry coat of snow depending on the season that prevails. A keen eye will help you spot the endemic inhabitants of the Kumaon Himalayas from the magical Monal with its vividly coloured feathers dipped in the rainbow to the ferocious and fatal Himalayan Black Bear.

The experience waiting for you at the Khaliya Top is unimaginably spectacular. The five mountains of Panchachuli, along with Mt. Rajrambha, Mt. Hordeola, Mt. Nanda Kot, and Mt. Nanda Devi, all steeped in snow will appear very close to you from the bugyal. The white coats of these peaks and mountains change their colours with the whims of the sun. Before sunrise, the snow will color itself in a soft blue hue, whereas under the aging sun the snowy mountains shine in a bright breathtaking shade of saffron.

A lesser-known spot distanced from the Khaliya Top is the Zero Point. The Zero Point is the highest patch of terrain in Munsiyari. It offers an unparalleled Birdseye view of the Himalayan peaks of Bainti, Telkot, Nagling along with the Panchachuli mountains. Beyond these peaks is hidden another mesmerizing mountain, with a keen eye you can spot the highest peak of Gurans Himal, Mt. Api, situated at the Tibetian border. If the weather is favorable, a trek of around 1.5kms from Khaliya Top to the Zero Point will be undertaken.

After taking in the panoramic and unforgettable views from the Zero Point and the Khaliya Top, you will have to descend to your base camp. From there you will be driven back to the serene settlement of Munsiyari.

• Start point and endpoint: Munsiyari to Kathgodam
• Altitude gain: 2200 m to 554 m
• Distance to cover: Around 300kms
• Time required to cover the distance: 9 to 11 hours
• Method of travel: Drive