Where the Panchachuli glacier ends and the waterfalls begin above Dugtu

Dugtu village, Darma valley, Pithoragarh · June 2024

Dozens of waterfalls pour down a dark rock face, each one starting where the glacier ends. It’s the Panchachuli glacier, melting in the June sun. The waterfalls are not permanent — they form only while the summer lasts.

Dugtu village in Darma valley sits close enough to see the full face and to hear it. Slabs of ice crack away from the glacier with a deep rumble that carries across the valley. Most treks bring people near glaciers, but few places offer this: a glacier melting close enough to watch.

Photograph: Hisalu