Here is a question that most Kuari Pass trek guides completely ignore. They tell you about the pass. The altitude. The panoramic views. The rhododendron in April. Lord Curzon and his excellent taste in mountain walks. What they do not tell you is where you sleep the night before all of that. And where you collapse — gratefully, muddily, happily — the night after.
Which is a rather large omission. Because those two nights — the before and the after — make or break the whole trip.
The night before is when you acclimatize, brief with your guide, sort your kit, eat a proper hot meal and sleep at altitude for the first time. Get this wrong — arrive late, eat badly, skip the briefing, stay somewhere cold and noisy — and you start day one already behind. The night after is when you return from Dhak or Auli having crossed a 3,640 metre pass and walked 40-odd kilometres over four or five days, and the only thing standing between you and sleep is a hot shower and something warm to eat. Both nights deserve more thought than most people give them.
Why Joshimath Is Your Base — Not Just a Stopover
Most travellers think of Joshimath as the town you pass through on the way to Badrinath or Auli. And it is that. But for anyone doing the Kuari Pass trek, Joshimath is the actual starting point — not Dhak village, where the trail begins. Dhak is 12 kilometres from Joshimath. You drive there on the morning of day one. Everything before that happens in Joshimath.
Joshimath sits at 6,150 feet in Chamoli district. If you are coming from Delhi or anywhere in the plains, that is a significant altitude jump in a short amount of time. Your body, sensibly, needs a night to begin adjusting before you ask it to climb to 3,640 metres. A headache on your first night in Joshimath is normal. It is your body doing its job. Starting the trek before it has finished that job is not wise.
So. One night in Joshimath before the trek. Non-negotiable. Two nights if you have them and want to be properly sensible about it.
The Night Before the Trek — What You Actually Need
This is not the night for adventure. Save the adventure for the mountain. The night before the Kuari Pass trek, what you need is straightforward.
| A warm room | Temperatures in Joshimath drop at night even in April and May. A cold, damp room the night before you start climbing is a miserable way to begin. Good bedding, heating or enough blankets — these matter. |
| A hot dinner | You will be burning significant calories over the next four days. Start with a full tank. Dal, rice, roti, sabzi — simple mountain food done well is exactly right. This is not the night for experimenting with something your stomach does not know. |
| A guide briefing | Your trek guide should sit with you the evening before — go through the route, the daily distances, the camp locations, the weather forecast, what to wear on day one, what to keep in your daypack versus your main bag. This conversation is what turns a good trek into a great one. |
| A kit check | Boots broken in? Layers sorted? Headtorch with working batteries? Rain cover for the pack? Crampons or micro-spikes if it is a snow-season departure? The night before is when you find out something is missing — not day two at 3,200 metres. |
| Quiet and early sleep | Your first day starts early. You will be walking by 8 am at the latest. An 11 pm bedtime is not helping anyone. |
The Night After the Trek — What You Come Back To
On the last day of the Kuari Pass trek, you descend from camp back to Dhak — nine kilometres downhill on mountain terrain, knees firmly expressing their opinions — and then drive 12 kilometres back to Joshimath. You arrive somewhere between early afternoon and early evening, depending on your pace and the route taken.
You are tired in a very specific way that only multi-day trekking produces. Not gym tired. Not deadline tired. The kind of tired that goes all the way through. Your boots come off and your feet have things to say. Your shoulders have logged the weight of four days of pack carrying. And somewhere underneath all of that, you are also very pleased with yourself. You crossed a 3,640 metre pass. You saw Nanda Devi at close range. You did the thing.
What you need that evening is also straightforward. A hot shower — properly hot, not the optimistic lukewarm version. A meal that does not require you to sit upright for too long. A bed that is warm and flat and yours. And ideally, somewhere that does not mind if you fall asleep at 8:30 pm, because you will.
Joshimath or Auli — Where Should You Stay?
This question comes up often, because the Kuari Pass trek can also return via Auli — a 14 kilometre drive from Joshimath, connected by cable car or road. Some trekkers who are already booked into Auli resorts ask whether they should stay in Auli instead for both nights.
The honest answer: Joshimath is the better base for the Kuari Pass trek. Here is why.
| Distance to Dhak village | Joshimath is 12 km from Dhak — your trek starting point. Auli adds distance and an extra leg to the morning of day one, which is unnecessary fuss before a long day of walking. |
| Facilities | Joshimath has more options for trekking supplies, pharmacies, guide services, and emergency support than Auli. If you have forgotten something or need something sorted, Joshimath is where you sort it. |
| Altitude | Joshimath at 6,150 feet and Auli at 8,200 feet — if you are acclimatizing before the trek, Joshimath is the gentler starting point. You can always go up to Auli for the cable car views without sleeping at that altitude before a big climb. |
| After the trek | If your route returns via Auli (the loop option), finishing in Auli and having a room there for the last night works perfectly well. But confirm this with your guide and operator when booking — the logistics need to be planned in advance. |
Things to Look for When Choosing Where to Stay…
Proximity to Dhak. Ask the property specifically: how far are you from Dhak village? You want to be in Joshimath town, not further afield. On the morning of day one, a short drive matters.
Hot water — actually hot. This sounds trivial until you come back from four days on the mountain and the shower is cold. Ask directly. Mountain properties vary enormously on this. The good ones will tell you honestly.
Early breakfast. On day one you are driving to Dhak and starting the trek by 8 am. You need breakfast before 7. A property that serves breakfast from 8:30 am is not designed for trekkers. Check this before you book.
Guide access and briefing space. Can your guide meet you at the property the evening before? Is there a space to spread out maps, go through the route, check kit? This sounds like a small thing. It is not a small thing.
Packed lunch or packed breakfast option. Some properties offer a packed breakfast or daal-roti parcel for the first morning on the trail. If yours does, take it. The first chai shop on the Dhak trail is not guaranteed to be open at the hour you want it.
Real reviews from trekkers — not just hotel guests. A property that scores well with leisure tourists may be a very different experience for a trekker who needs early breakfast, late return dinners, gear drying space, and a guide briefing room. Look for reviews that mention trekking specifically.
Things Not to Do the Night Before the Kuari Pass Trek…
Arrive in Joshimath the same day you start the trek. This is how altitude sickness happens. Delhi to Joshimath is a journey from near sea level to 6,150 feet. Your body needs a night. Give it one. The Kuari Pass will still be there in the morning.
Eat experimentally. This is not the night for a new cuisine or a restaurant you are not sure about. An upset stomach at 3,200 metres with no facilities nearby is not a situation you want to be in. Eat something familiar, something warm, something you know agrees with you.
Stay up late. There is always the temptation, the night before a big adventure, to talk it through over one more cup of chai. Fine. But day one starts early and mountain mornings do not renegotiate. Be horizontal by 10 pm.
Leave the kit check for the morning. If something is missing or broken, you want to find out at 9 pm in Joshimath — not at 7 am in Dhak with the trail ahead of you. Do the kit check the evening before. Every time.
Staying at Blackberry Cottages & Resort, Joshimath
Blackberry Cottages & Resort is at Auli Laga, Joshimath — 12 kilometres from Dhak village, your Kuari Pass trek starting point. We offer a Kuari Pass Trek + Stay package that takes care of both the before and the after nights, with hot meals, early breakfast on day one, certified guide briefing, and a warm room to return to when the trek is done.
| What’s included | Accommodation for the night before and night after the trek, hot dinner, early packed breakfast for day one, guide briefing at the property, packed lunch option on request |
| Distance to Dhak | 12 km — approximately 20 minutes by road |
| Early breakfast | Available from 6:30 am for trekking departures |
| Hot water | Yes — properly hot |
| Guide briefing | Your guide meets you at the property the evening before departure |
| Reviews | Ask us for trekker-specific reviews — we will share them directly |
Check availability and departure dates at blackberrycottagesauli.com or reach us on WhatsApp to book your trek + stay package.
