Pindari Glacier, Himalayan glacier in Bageshwar district, India

Pindari Glacier lies in the upper Kumaon Himalayas, southeast of Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot, and is about 9 kilometres long. Its fractured white ice, streaked with grey dirt and debris, descends as a broad tongue between a dark rocky slope on the left and a steeper one on the right. Meltwater from its snout forms the Pindar River.

The glacier was first surveyed in 1906 by G. de P. Cotter. A 1958 survey by Amber P. Tiwari and Jangpangi, part of the International Geophysical Year, recorded a retreat of 1,040 m since that survey. A 1966 survey found a further 200 m retreat and that the Chhanguch branch had separated into its own ice shelf. Studies show another 1,569.01 m of retreat between 1976 and 2014.

The ice feeds the Pindar River and supplies water to villages downstream, giving it a special place in local life. Trekkers pass small settlements along the way where herders and farmers keep their flocks on high pastures.

The trekking route starts from Bageshwar and covers 81 kilometers (about 50 miles) with rest stops at Loharkhet, Dhakuri, and Khati. The terrain rises steadily, so good fitness is needed, and visitors should prepare for changing weather.

The Chhanguch branch separated from the main glacier and formed a separate ice shelf, a change recorded in a 1966 survey. That survey also measured a further retreat of 200 m, adding to the 1,040 m lost between 1906 and 1958.