Kafni Glacier Trek: Height, Route, Distance and Best Time

What the Kafni Glacier trek is

Kafni lies at the foot of Nandakot, east of the Pindari glacier; its stream joins the Pindar at Dwali. (bageshwar.nic.in)

• Uttarakhand Tourism lists the route as Bageshwar, Loharkhet, Dhakuri, Khati, Dwali, Khatia, Kafni glacier and Wachum, rated moderate to difficult, 71 km. Its record wrongly files the trek under Pithoragarh district. (uttarakhandtourism.gov.in)
• Uttarakhand Tourism's text gives a maximum altitude of 3,859.9 m, but its altitude field for the same trek says 4,150 m (13,615 ft). (uttarakhandtourism.gov.in)
• Per Himalayan High, the Kafni glacier snout is 3,895 m and Khatia camp 3,314 m. (himalayanhigh.in)
• Per Wikipedia, the glacier is about 3 km long and, unlike Pindari, walkers can go right up to the ice. (en.wikipedia.org)

The route, stage by stage

From Kharkiya the trail goes by Khati, Dwali and Khatia, and on to Kafni Glacier. The km are the sources' own, each linked; trails shift with landslides and new road, so treat them as close, not exact.

1. Kharkiya to Khati5 km

   Shared with Pindari (KMVN figure). (kmvn.in)

2. Khati to Dwali11 km

   Shared with Pindari (KMVN figure); Himalayan High says 12 km. Dwali sits where the Kafni meets the Pindar, and the two trails split here. (kmvn.in)

3. Dwali to Khatia6 km

   Per Himalayan High; Khatia camp at 3,314 m. (himalayanhigh.in)

4. Khatia to Kafni Glacier and back down to Dwali18 km

   Per Himalayan High. Amar Ujala (2021) puts the glacier 12 km from Dwali. (himalayanhigh.in)

When to go

Like Pindari, the Kafni route is closed every monsoon from 15 June to 15 September; the 2026 autumn season reopened on 16 September. (amarujala.com, 19 Sept 2026)

• Per Himalayan High, the best months are May, June, September and October. (himalayanhigh.in)

Permits and fees

• Registration is made at the Hichaudi and Jaikuni centres that serve all the Kapkot glacier routes; the routes open twice a year. (amarujala.com, 17 Jun 2026)
• In 2021 registration for Pindari and Kafni was at the Kapkot forest office at Rs 68 per person per day. No 2026 fee was found. (amarujala.com, 1 Apr 2021)

How hard it is

• The district site grades Kafni 3B, the same as Pindari and Sunderdhunga. (bageshwar.nic.in)

Where you sleep, food and water

• Per Himalayan High, Khatia is a camping stop; walkers sleep at Dwali on the way up and down. (himalayanhigh.in)
• KMVN's package list has Pindari and Sunderdhunga trek packages but none for Kafni. (kmvn.in)

Getting to the start

The trek starts at Kharkiya. By road it is 64 km from Bageshwar, 132 km from Almora, 139 km from Munsiyari, 168 km from Pithoragarh, 217 km from Kathgodam to the start, measured on OpenStreetMap.

• Kharkiya (Kharkia). Kafni shares the Pindari trail as far as Dwali, so it starts from the same road head; Himalayan High's itinerary ends at 'the roadhead of Kharkiya'. Its Loharkhet start is the older Dhakuri pass variant. (himalayanhigh.in)

The nearest railway station is Kathgodam (218 km by road); the nearest airport, Pithoragarh Airport (167 km).

Good to know

• Height is the 'max altitude' in Uttarakhand Tourism's trek text; the same listing's altitude field says 4,150 m, and Himalayan High gives 3,895 m. Coordinates are Wikipedia's point for the glacier, not a surveyed zero point. (en.wikipedia.org)
• The trail has been wrecked since the 2013 floods: bridges and paths stay broken, and the route has been close to impassable for more than a decade. (drishtiias.com, 15 Nov 2025)
• The footbridge over the Pindar and Kafni near Dwali was lost in 2013 and replaced by a temporary wooden one. (amarujala.com, 1 Apr 2021)
• Per Trekking Compass, there is no mobile signal beyond Khati on the shared Pindari trail. (trekkingcompass.com)

What changed in 2025 and 2026

• After walking the Pindari trail, the District Magistrate ordered a technical survey of the Kafni and Sunderdhunga routes and a plan of works for safety and access. (amarujala.com, 20 Oct 2026)
• A 12 Kumaon army team trekked from 18 to 29 Sep 2026 via Song, Loharkhet, Dhakuri, Khati and Dwali and reached both Pindari and Kafni glaciers, scouting the broken Kafni path; the report says this may help reopen it to visitors. (amarujala.com, 30 Sept 2026)
• The Kafni route was among those shut for three days of snow in late Sep 2026 and reopened on 29 Sep. (amarujala.com, 30 Sept 2026)
• With no upkeep since 2013 the path is close to shutting for good: only 7 trekkers reached Kafni in the whole spring 2026 season. (amarujala.com, 17 Jun 2026)