Synopsis
Referring to this, officials in the know-how added that they have already started making necessary preparations for trekkers who wish to scale the glaciers.
The Uttarakhand Tourism Department stated that it would be allowing trekkers to climb the Pindari, Kafni and Sunderdhunga glaciers in the Kumaon region between April 15 and June 15. However, glacier trek routes would again open between September 15 and October 15 after remaining closed during monsoons.
Referring to this, officials in the know-how added that they have already started making necessary preparations for trekkers who wish to scale the glaciers.
Meanwhile, the announcement has given a new lease of life to the local trekking industry, including mule operators and porters. For the past two years, trekking activities in the Kumaon region remained disrupted due to the pandemic.
Reports have it that glacier trekking was resumed for tourists intermittently after the first and second COVID wave; however, the tourism department didn’t receive a good response. And now, with the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions, authorities are of the view that they might witness a growth in visitors and trekkers this year.
If reports are to go by, Kumaon region used to cater around 2800-3000 trekkers on an average every year before the COVID outbreak, whereas a majority of tourists used to opt for the Pindari glacier trek, which is considered to be one of easiest glacier trek in India.
Further, Lata Bisht, District Tourism Officer of Pithoragarh, informed that tourists must get themselves registered with the state forest department before undertaking the glacier trek. They would need to come to the department’s Kapkot centre to register themselves, and that the online registration facility has not been launched yet, he added.
