- Region : Manali, Lahaul & Spiti Valleys (Himachal Pradesh)
- Difficulty Level : Easy to Moderate
- Maximum altitude : 4250 mts/14000 ft
- Total Trekking Distance : Kms ( Approx.)
- Accomodation type : Tents/Camp/Resorts & Cottages/Hotel
- Food : Nutritious food suited for trekking / 3 meals a day
- Trip Begins from : Delhi/Manali
- Trip ends in : Delhi/Manali
- Day 1: Arrive In Manali
- Arrive at Manali. You could choose to fly into Kullu and drive from Bhuntar Airport - about a one hour drive. Or you could drive up from Delhi in an overnight Volvo, which is a pretty comfortable drive too. Whichever way you plan it, an EGH representative will be there to receive you and take you to your hotel. There’s nothing planned for the day. Just take a walk around the Mall Road, and spend some time acclimatizing to the altitude. Manali is at 2050 m (6,730 ft), which really shouldn't cause you any altitude related problems, but it’s a good day to get used to what’s up ahead. Overnight at Resorts and Cottage.
- Day 2: Manali To Prini, Trek To Gortbari (3-4 Hrs Trek)
- It’s a half-hour drive to Prini from where the Hampta Pass trek begins. Gortbari is a little hamlet in Himachal with an interesting legend attached to it. It’s one of the three villages there (the other two being Chalet and Hampta) that lies on the route to heaven. When someone dies, their eternal soul has to pass through these villages, and the local folks believe that one can hear the sound of a trumpet blow, when a soul passes through on its way to heaven. These are the Indian Himalaya. Every hamlet, every village will have its own folklore and you will hear many more on Hampta Pass trek here. You will camp a few kilometres beyond Sythen Village at 2710 m in a narrow valley. Overnight in camp.
- Day 3: Gortbari To Chikka, 3-4 Hrs Trek
- Trek through lush green high altitude meadow to a beautiful campsite at Chikka (3270 m/10,791 ft). Dotted with wild flowers and a waterfall close by, this is a delightful place to spend the night. Overnight at camp.
- Day 4: Trek Chikka To Balu-Ka-Dera, 3-4 Hrs Trek
- You clamber over boulders and stones in the beginning, but it’s an easy walk. You will pass the waterfall on your way up – stop over to fill up your water bottles if you like. You need to cross the river to head to the other side, so take off your shoes if you like, and jump across the rocks on the Rani nala. Yes, the water is icy cold, but cold toes are far better than squishy wet shoes for the rest of the trek!
- Your next campsite is at Balu-ka-Dera (3700 m/12,210 ft)) at the base of the Hampta Pass. This is actually a wide river bed and the Rani river branches out on either side. It’s a sandy piece of land full of little stones and pebbles (Balu-ka-Dera actually means “where sand settles”), and you are flanked by snowy mountains on either side, and yes, it could get a bit chilly here in the night. Overnight at camp.
- Day 5: Balu-Ka-Dera To Shea Goru, 6-7 Hrs Trek
- The Hampta Pass Trek on this day is moderately challenging with a steep ascent to the top of the Hampta pass (4270 m / 14,091 ft) which takes about three to four hours. The trek starts off with a gentle gradient and about an hour later you will hit your first serious incline. Thirty minutes later you hit your first plateau. There will most likely be patches of snow all around and the Deo Tibba peak is right ahead of you. There is some more climbing still left to do, before you hit the top of the first ridge and it will take you around 30 minutes to get there. From here, you can see a parallel ridge running – your next destination. At the bed of this second ridge is Hampta Pass. The last part is a bit of a vertical climb, but it’s over in about 20 minutes – will leave you panting for sure but you’ve reached the top of Hampta Pass! It will be cold and wind here, and don’t be surprised if the weather Gods decide to bless you with some rain or snow – just enjoy it!
- The descent is always trickier in our opinion and this one is no different. It will take you around 90 minutes to reach the valley below. Just stand there and take in the 360 degree view – you’re surrounded by snow clad mountain on three sides and right ahead of you is a clear path that leads to Shea Goru! It’s an easy level walk from here to the campsite for the night. Overnight at camp.
-
- Day 6: Trek From Shea Goru, Drive To Chatru, Trek Batal To Chandratal, 4 Hrs Drive, 4 Hrs Trek
- The first views of the Chandra Valley and Lahaul await you on this day. The Hampt Pass Trek starts with a gentle downhill walk from Shea Goru and in about an hour you will see the Chatru roadhead ahead of you. Our vehicle will pick you up from here and drive you to Batal (32 kms / 02 hrs). From here, the trek to Chandratal will take you around three hours, with packed lunch on the way. Chandratal literally means “moon lake” and is named so because of its crescent shape. You are now in the Spiti part of the Lahaul and Spiti district and you’re surrounded by snow-capped mountains all around! It’s a captivating sight indeed! Overnight at a campsite near the lake.
- Day 7: Trek Chandratal To Batal,Drive To Manali, 3 Hrs Trek, 5 Hrs Drive
- After breakfast you trek back to Batal and then drive straight to Manali about 160 KM away, passing through Rohtang La on the way. Packed lunch will be served enroute. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.
- Day 8: Depart Manali
- Breakfast at hotel. After breakfast drive to the Kullu airport. There are several companies with Volvo buses that will drive you out from Manali to Delhi almost every half-hour after 4 PM. The drive back to Delhi takes around 13 hours.
- Happy Tour End !!
- Second Option
- Region : Manali, Lahaul & Spiti Valleys (Himachal Pradesh)
- Duration : 4 Nights / 5 Days
- Total Trekking Distance : Kms ( Approx.)
- Maximum Altitude : 4250 mts/14000 ft
- Grade : Easy to Moderate
- Trip Begins from : Manali
- Trip ends in : Manali
- Day 01: Manali (2000m) – Jobra (2707m) – Chikha (3000m) Drive/45 Mins & Trek/2 Hrs
- In the morning, we drive to the dam site at Jobra and from here walk through a very pleasant landscape. The walk initially will take us through a mixed forest having pines, spruce, deodar, chestnut and maple trees. We cross a beautiful meadow having a gaddi shepherd camp there. We will need to cross the river at a vantage point if the gaddis haven't made a makeshift bridge somewhere along the river. We cross the river and climb to a beautiful meadow called Chikha along a side stream. Today's hike is a gentle one and will take about 2 hrs. Having rested for some time one will be advised to walk up a short distance to a nearby waterfall which also plays host to a number of white capped redstarts. Overnight in tents.
- Day 02: Chikha (3000m) – Balu-Ka-Gheera (3600m) Trek/4-5 Hrs
- It's an interesting day's hike today. We cross the stream immediately after the campsite and start gaining height and moving towards a gorge section towards the right side moving along the river. We will walk through boulder sections, meadows filled with wildflowers, cross a waterfall and a side river which might require careful handling to reach our campsite for the day, Balu-ka-Gheera. This hike will take about 3.5 to 4 hrs with a few breaks in between. This campsite is along a network of river channels and has big mountains guarding it on all sides. Our guides might also take the decision to walk for an additional hour and reach an upper campsite also called by the same name. This will make next day's climb a bit shorter. We rest and relax at the campsite and get charged for the next day's climb to Hampta pass. Overnight in tents.
- Day 03: Balu-Ka-Gheera (3600m) – Hampta Pass (4300m) – Shea Gahru (3700m) Trek/6-7 Hrs
- Today weather and trail conditions will decide what time we leave but it's going to be an early morning departure for sure, between 5-6:00 a.m. The walk is in all probability going to be partially/completely on snow depending upon season and weather conditions. From the camp we start with a steep climb on scree slopes to reach a ridge and from here we continue climbing towards another ridge which leads to the pass. This climb will take about 4-5 hrs and one will be rewarded with absolutely out of the world views all around. Indrasan and Deotibba peaks completely dominate the landscape and the ranges towards Lahaul look quite majestic. We spend some time at the top taking pictures and to have lunch and having regained our energy start climbing down carefully towards our destination for the day, Shea Gahru campsite, which is set beautifully between the mountains. This descent will take about 2-3 hrs. Overnight in tents.
- Day 04: Shea Gahru (3700m) – Chatru (3300m) – Chandratal (4300m) Trek/3-4 Hrs & Drive/2-2.5 Hrs
- The hike today is completely downhill and in a completely contrasting landscape typical of Lahaul & Spiti regions. There are a couple of tricky sections in between involving careful traverse and river crossings so we let our guides carefully guide us through these sections. We move through a long scree and boulder section which overlooks the road leading to Spiti. We finish at Chatru and from here board the waiting vehicles to take us to Chandratal. This ride will take about 2 – 2.5 hrs. Chandratal is a complete delight to senses and lazing around the lake can be a surreal experience. Overnight in tents.
- Please note that there is a possibility that the road to Chandratal is not open. In this case our guides will decide the course of action in consultation with the group members
- Day 05: Chandratal – Kunzum Pass (4600m) – Manali (2000m) Trek/3-4 Hrs & Drive/5-6 Hrs
- After breakfast we start on our hike from the lake to the top of the Kunzum pass at 4600m. This is an easy hike and one moves along the landscape getting a very good feel of this semi-arid terrain. We finish at Kunzum pass where we board the waiting vehicle and from here drive to Manali via the Rohtang pass.
- Happy Tour End !!
Hampta Pass Trek With Chandratal Lake Tour Detail :
Costs Do Not Include :
- International/Domestic air fare or train fare.
- Pick up and drop off from airport/railway stations not included. We can arrange for it however, so let us know if you need to get picked up or dropped off. Nominal charges apply.
- Unforeseen expenses that demand a change in itinerary like natural forces, changes in weather, road blockages, flight/train cancellations and illness.
- Medical, Travel, or Evacuation insurance.
- Expenses of a personal nature - tips, laundry, phone calls, beverages.