Banoti, Durgakot, Tharkot, Tent Peak and Mrigthuni as seen from below Sunderdhunga Khal in Kumaon

The mighty peaks that circle the outer ring of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary—Banoti, Durgakot, Tharkot, Tent Peak, and Mrigthuni—are visible from below Sunderdhunga Khal in Kumaon. The Sunderdhunga Valley features an ancient glacial moraine shelf with mud flutings at high altitude in Uttarakhand, and many tributary streams feed the main Sunderdhunga torrent as it flows past meadows and scree slopes toward our campsite in the upper valley, all captured in an aerial view. The first peak is Maiktoli, whose right‑hand ridge leads up to the side of Sunderdunga Khal, while the second peak, Panwali Dwar, has a left‑hand ridge that also ascends toward Sunderdunga Khal. The approach to Sunderdhunga Khal offers a view of a massive icefall below the col, with Maiktoli and Panwali Dwar peaks in the backdrop.