Dec 15, 2023
Wonderful Kuari Pass Trek in October 23 - I had an excellent experience doing the Kuari Pass Trek in October 23! My guide Tenzin was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the 9 days. He made me feel very comfortable from our first meeting. The food throughout was fantastic thanks to Calu the chef. I actually thought despite the trekking I might gain weight with all of glorious food on offer. :-) The trek was well organised from start to finish, our driver Sanjai was friendIy and sensible on the roads, always felt safe and they had the write equipment for all scenarios. I would highly recommend red chilli for anyone planning an adventure trip in India. Lastly a huge thanks to Vipin and the office staff for organising onward travel and activities after the trek.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 13, 2023
Kuari Pass Trek - TL,DR: super cool trek offered by a very professional company! Challenging, with a wide variety of landscapes and the possibility of reaching a summit of more than 4800 m. Top notch team and service!
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I have some mountain trekking experiences (without a guide) in Europe and I was looking for a new challenging experience in the Himalayas.
Traveling alone and not knowing the region well, I preferred to contact a company. So this is the first time I've participated in an organized trek and I'm delighted! It was also the first time I completed a 4000m, and it was an incredible experience!
The Kuari Pass Trek offered by Red Chilli Adventure (RCA hereinafter) is a 9-day trek (7 walking and 2 to get there and back). The first two days of walking are lighter and aim to warm up and test yourself. The 3rd and 4th days are longer and require more energy and endurance: the slopes are steep and the sun and heat make walking difficult. The 5th day is the crossing of the Kuari pass, and gives a breathtaking view of snow-capped peaks, which have gone unnoticed until now. The 6th day (optional) is a day where we have the opportunity to climb Pangarchulla, which peaks at +/-4800m above sea level (this requires a lot of energy). RC is probably one of the only companies to offer this climb and it is definitely worth it. Finally the last day is that of the descent and is shorter.
Although some passages are in the forest, most of the time we still have an impressive view of the surrounding valleys.
I did this trek at the beginning of October: at this time, it is still (very) hot and sunny but the nights are still slowly cooling down. It's good to have warmer clothes, but you won't (presumably) have to deal with snow.
I was very well surrounded by Vipin (the founder of the company), Sahdev (my great guide), as well as Kalu (the chef who manages to create culinary miracles in the mountains) and the horseman and his horses (all strong!). They form a great team, very attentive and full of surprises.
Details regarding the accompanying team: it is made up of locals who know the region very well, which is a real asset.
Given that it is organized, it is normal that the days and the route are fixed to facilitate the organization and cope with certain constraints, but I think they will listen if you want to adapt the trek somewhat (distance, pace, etc.)
Finally, the price is justified given the preparation, the team, the trek itself, and the good meals.
Also, walking in a small group (or even very small as in my case) is a quality because you will have more opportunity to walk at your own pace and chat with the team with whom you will create a real relationship! This will be less the case in cheaper treks where the groups are much larger, and which also only offer a simplified version of the trek.
Many thanks again to the entire Red Chilli Adventures team who do a remarkable job!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 30, 2023
Great experience! - Hi.
My partner and I have recently completed the Kuari Pass trek which we booked through Red Chilli Adventure in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. India.
I would like to thoroughly recommend Red Chilli Adventure due to the very positive experience we had with them.
The trek itself was beautiful -a combination of forest, rhododendron meadows and reasonably challenging climbs, through beautiful terraced villages and it offers views of the snowy topped peaks of the Himalayas.
The trek is a good 'alrounder', very accessible for novice trekker and one which is challenging enough for the experienced trekker to feel satisfied.
The organisation of the trek was v.professional , eg all transfers, required national park passes and a well organised team including horse man, chef, kitchen hand and guide, ensured it all went smoothly.
The tent supplied was good quality and waterproof (we had a downpour one night) and sleeping mats comfortable.
Food- very good, nutritious, plentiful and varied- suggest when booking to give advance notice of dietary requirements (we are vegan) our food was prepared accordingly. Our chef, Tango, was very accommodating and friendly the quality and quantity of food was very good.
Our guide- Kiran, was fantastic...really knowledgeable, friendly and gave us information en route regarding the local culture, identified the mountains we saw, overall safety was his first consideration. Nightly briefings about the next days wallking were useful.
So all in all, very happy with how it went. Planning a treck next year with this company -Manali through to Ladakh.
Regards ian and Rebecca
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 9, 2022
6 day trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas -Uttarakhand (Delhi-Rishikesh-Basru-Surya Top) - incredible experience - What an incredible experience trekking through the foothills of the Himalayas! We were a group of 2 from the US looking to book a 6 day trekk near Delhi very last minute. Vipin, the gracious owner of Red Chilli Adventures, quickly understood our time constraint and proposed two options: we chose the trekk to Surya top in the neighboring state of Uttarakhand! From Delhi, we drove by taxi to the city of Rishikesh approximately 5/6 hours (including traffic), and the following day we met our amazing companions: Kiran, our guide, Vivek, our cook, Akash, our helper, and our driver. We felt instantly at ease with the team and set out on the 8-10 hour drive up the winding mountain roads. We stopped for the most delectable chai and paneer pirantha along the way, and slept at a scenic guesthouse in the mountain village of Basra. The next day, we set out for the trekk. All along the way, Kiran shared his knowledge and was extremely professional. He was also effortlessly kind and caring. The 4 day hike offered breathtaking views — it was a challenge at times because the tracks were predictably steep, but, for the most part, the hikes were leisurely and enjoyable, and offered a variety of habitats, including meadows (where we observed eagles, a mountain rodent and a most beautiful fern field!), oak forest (where we happened upon a large family of blackfaced monkeys and a sheep giving birth) and many friendly Sheppard dogs! At camp, the team would dismount our baggage from the mules and horses (4 of them who also accompanied us!) and set up camp. Vivek cooked us delicious meals, including Chinese vegetable rice, momos, Indian dishes and warming soups. We met a few fellow travelers along the way and enjoyed their company. In brief, we *highly* recommend booking your adventure through Red Chilli for the professionalism, comfort and friendship that the team offers. For proof of the beauty, a few photos of our trip are enclosed! Thank you Vipin, Kiran, Vivek, Akash, our driver and our horses for a trip to remember. We will be back next time life takes us to India! Be well. Martine & Adrian
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 19, 2022
Kuari Pass with Tripsaa - Hi Guys,
I did my 1st solo snow trek in Jan 2022 as Kuari Pass. I started my journey from Akola, MH. I hired a trekking company named Tripsaa. The lead and my company was very friendly and supportive throughout the trek.
I started from akola and reached Haridwar very next evening via Nagpur-Delhi. As my pickup point with Tripsaa was from Haridwar.
From Haridwar, we were 9 people on the trek including 1 trek leader from tripsaa (Suraj). We started around 10 and then via traveller we reached Joshimath in the evening (9 he approx). The journey all the way was very mesmerizing with lovely scenic view of the snow-clad mountain on one side and ditch on the other.
We stayed at the hotel in Joshimath, the temp was around 0°C and even dropped at night. We had our dinner and started preparing for the trek next day.
On the next morning, we had our breakfast and headed towards local market of joshimath just for last min shopping. At around 11.30 we reached our trek start point (12 km from Joshimath). We got introduced to our another trek guide, a local resident and his team (cooks, mull carriers, etc). We started trekking from there and reched our 1st campsite Gulling Top. The view from there was eye-dropping. There was continuous snowfall all the trek and at the gulling top itself the snow was 2 feets. The view of Hathi-Ghoda, Dronagiri mountain were elegant. We stayed there till next morning in our camps, had delicious dinner and some chit-chat. The temp dropped to -10 with snowfall all night.
Next day, we had a ourearly breakfast and started our trek to 2nd base camp (Khullara top) . The route was becoming incredibly difficult with snow increasing to 4 feet, snowfall, and low oxygen level but, seeing the view around will make you loose all your pain. We reached our second base camp at around 4 pm. We all were very tired and had our lunch and enjoyed all night as no one could sleep in such cold nights. The next day was our summit day, but we planned to drop it as the trails were hidden in deep snow and was nearly impossible for the team to make them for us in continuous snowfall. So, we made our Republic Day on Khullara top the very next morning and started our trek back down. We reached Joshimath by eveing and stayed for night and travelled back to Rishikesh next day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 11, 2019
Red Chilli - Perfect! - After having done years of trekking with expensive Western trekking companies, Red Chilli comes in for me as the perfect mix of quality guides, safety, good itineraries, equipment, food and communication, and value for money. This company was friendly, helpful and patient in relation to the needs of our varied trekking group. The leader Kiran and his team were always positive and contributed to a great experience for us all. The trek was a wonderful variety of forest and mountain scenery. I would recommend it and Red Chilli to anyone looking for a stunning intermediate hike in the foothills of the Himalaya.
Thank you Vipin and Red Chilli
Review provided by Tripadvisor