Nag Tibba Trek: A Weekend Climb from Pantwari, near Mussoorie

Nag Tibba, the "serpent's peak", is the highest point of the ridges beyond Mussoorie, at about 3,022 metres. It is the classic weekend trek from Delhi and Dehradun: a few hours' drive to the village of Pantwari, a climb through oak and rhododendron forest to a meadow campsite, and an early walk to the top for a wide view of the snow peaks of Garhwal. In winter the upper half is often under snow, which makes it a short, easy introduction to a snow trek.

Nag Tibba at a glance

Getting to Pantwari

Pantwari is about 85 to 90 km from Dehradun, three to four hours by road up through Mussoorie and Kempty Falls, down to the Yamuna at Nainbagh and up again. Shared jeeps run from Mussoorie and Nainbagh, and most trek operators collect groups from Dehradun in the morning. Leaving Delhi on a night bus to Dehradun puts you on the trail by midday.

The route

Day one: Pantwari to the base camp. The trail climbs steadily out of the village past terraced fields and into forest, for four to five hours, to a meadow campsite below the summit; some groups camp near the small Nag Devta temple instead. Day two: summit and down. An early start for the last hour or two to the top, where the view runs from Bandarpunch and Swargarohini to Kedarnath peak on a clear morning. Then the long walk back down to Pantwari by early afternoon, and the drive out.

There is no water on the upper part of the trail in the dry months, so fill up in the village. Hiring a local guide is sensible, especially in snow, when the path is easy to lose near the top.

When to go

The trail can be walked for most of the year. Late December to February brings snow and cold nights well below freezing; March and April bring rhododendrons; October and November are the clearest months for the mountain view. Avoid the monsoon, when the trail is slippery and leeches are out. On winter weekends the campsites get busy, so a weekday is quieter.

What to carry

• Warm layers, a jacket, a cap and gloves: nights at the camp are cold even outside winter.
• Shoes with a good grip, and microspikes in snow.
• Two litres of water each, and snacks for the climb.
• A headtorch for the early summit start.
• ID; and carry all rubbish back down.

Where to stay before and after

Pantwari has a few simple homestays. Most people stay the night before or after in Mussoorie, an hour and a half away, or in Dehradun, which also has the railway station and the airport. For a longer, higher snow trek, see our Kedarkantha trek guide; for snow without a trek, our snowfall in Uttarakhand guide.