This is a fifteen day trek. It is a beautiful walk through the mixed forests of deodar, oak and rhododendron. During this trek you would be crossing a lot many villages and glaciers. Places like Triund, Leh Caves, Inderhar Pass, Chata Parao, Kowaris, Chanota khas, Garola, Bharmaur, Hadsar, Kugti Village Kelang Temple, Duggi, Leh Caves, Kugti Pass, Rape(Lahul Valley) and then to Keylong.
Mcleod Gang to Triund: (2975)
The trek starts from Mcleod Ganj and takes you to Triund ,the trek is of 9 km And takes you through a forest of deodar ,oak and rhododdendron. From here you have a full view of the Kangra Valley. Triund is a nice camping area for a night stay. From here we move to the Leh Caves.
Triund to Leh Caves: (3750mts)
This is a short walk of 6 km, through the forest. After 4 km, we reach Lakagot which is situated at the snout of a small glacier. Thia glacier marks the snow line. After crossing the glacier we go over a steep rocky ridge for 2 km and reach Lehs Cave. The big cave is used for overnight stay. From here we leave for Inderhar Pass.
Lehs Cave to Inderhar Pass: (4425 mt)
The trek to the Indrahar Pass goes over soft snow in early summers and rocky faces in monsoons.The trek up to the pass is a steep climb with fogy weather and zero visibility which is an obstruction in the movement of the climbers who are advised to stay back and wait for the weather to get clear. On reaching the top of the Pass one can see the Pir Panjal range.
The trek decends down and reaches Chata Parao which is a nice green pasture and is ideal for a overnight camp. From here we take you to Kwaris.
Chata Parao to Kwarsi: (2730mt)
The stretch up to Chata Nullah is 6 km descent and then there is a gradual decrease in gradient. Kwarsi is a beautiful tribal village surrounded by thickly wooded pine trees. We stay in the village for a night and enjoy the hospitality of the villagers. From here our next stopover is Chanota khas.
Kwarsi to Chanota khas: (2634mt)
It is a 16 km trek from Kwarsi. The trek goes through thick forests and lush green fields. We come across many small places inhabited by the Gaddi people. Now we move to our next destination, Garola.
Chanota khas to Garola: (2250mt)
This place is 12 km from Chanota. This is a beautiful trek as it goes by the side of river Ravi. Next we move to Bharmaur.
Garola to Bharmaur:
After a walk of 14 km we reach Bharmaur which is situated at the height of 2195mt. Bharmaur is a village well connected to Chamba by road. Staying overnight we next move to Hadsar.
Bharmaur to Hadsar:
From Bharmaur a narrow road leads to Hadsar which is dangerous for jeeps and cars. It is advisable to go on foot. Hadsar is a small village with tea shops and few people living nearby. From Hadsar one trail goes to the famous Manimahesh Lake and other to Kugti Village. Little down from Hadsar there is a camping place in the forest for overnight stay.From here we leave for Kugti.
Hadsar to Kugti:
Kugti is 13 km from Hadsar. The trail is narrow. The narrow trail should be crossed one by one. One has to cross small wooden bridges over streams. Sometimes the Buddal river becomes trubulent and causes devastations. The Kugti village is inhabited by 1000 people, Kugti river has some shops and a civil dispensary. The people of the village are of Gaddi tribe.
Now we move to Kelang Temple
Kugti village to Kelang Temple:
The Temple is 5 km from Kugti village at the height of 10000 feet. The Temple is dedicated to the Bazir of Lord Shiva. Close to the Temple is a nice camping site.Our next stopover would be Duggi.
Keylong Temple to Duggi:
It is a 6 hours walk through green pastures. The place is very close to the mountain from all sides so one should have good clothes to face the chilly winds of the Pir Panjal range. From here we take you to Leh Caves.
Duggi to Leh Caves:
Leah Caves is situated at the bottom of the Kugti pass sometimes it snows in the month of July. Usually it snows in the winter months. Leah is surrounded by Pir Panjal and Manimahesh dhar. Next we cross over Kugti Pass.
Over Kugti Pass:
This is the most exciting day of the trek. We start early in the morning so that we may reach the pass before the sun rise. It takes about 4 hours to reach the pass. It is a steep climb up to the pass. Beyound the pass is a big glacier with some open craveses. We need some equipment and a trained guide to walk over this glacier. After 6 to 7 hours walk we reach at the camping place called Khurlu. Only an expert guide can find the trail to Khurlu. Next we leave for Rape (Lahul Valley).
Khurlu to Rape (Lahul Valley)
After walking for 10 km from Khurlu we reach the first village of Lahul Valley.The trek involves a number of ridge crossing and glacier walking. The trail is not easy to locate because of the rocky path and glacier moraines. Finally after crossing a small glacier we reach Rape village for a night stay. This brings us towards the end of our trek. From here we go back to Manali or to Leh.
Rape to Keylong:
Keylong is 22km from Rape. After 3 hours walk we reach the road at Sansa. From Sansa it takes another 3 hours to reach Keylong by bus. Keylong is the district headquarter for Lahul. From Keylong one can go to Leh or comeback to Manali over Rohtang Pass. |