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Rarely do the Himalayas present a trek that pack in everything easy access, dark pine forests, open meadows, glacial valleys
and an adventurous crossing of a pass that leaves the heart pumping. The Hampta Pass trek in Himachal is tailor made for
those looking to experience the high Himalayan adventure.
It is a trek that comes with built in bonuses. And there are many. The first would be its easy access you start the trek from
Manali town unlike most treks that start from a remote village. Two, you can add on an exciting day long trip to Chandratal
a high altitude alpine lake its deep blue colour is a rarity. Add to this the return jeep ride over the Rothang pass and it is
almost like experiencing two treks at one go.

Trek Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival day (Base camp Manali)
Arrive at Manali in the morning (on your own)
Post breakfast, we will pick up trekkers from Rambaug circle (around 11 am)
We will drive down to Jobra by taxi/jeep. Jobra is an hours drive away from Manali.
The trek begins from Jobra to Cheeka around 2.30 pm.
The trail to Cheeka passes through superb Pine and Maple forests and enters a lush green meadow strewn with small rocks.
The Rani Nala snakes its way through the meadow. The campsite for the day Cheeka is at the end of this meadow.
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The Rani Nala snakes its way through the meadow. The campsite for the day Cheeka is at the end of this meadow.
It takes about 2 hours to get to Cheeka. The temperature in Cheeka at night can drop below 10 degrees.
Camp overnight at Cheeka.

Day 2: Cheeka to Balu Ka Gera

Start trekking after breakfast. It is a 4 hour easy ascent to Balu Ka Gera.
The trail stays along the banks of the river for most part of the day.
The initial climb involves a lot of boulder hopping. Take off your shoes and hop across the Rani Nala if you want to feel the
icy cold water.
Walk along the Rani river into a valley dotted with tiny multi coloured flowers until you reach Balu Ka Gera.
Balu Ka Gera is a level ground made up of the sand and dust brought down by the river.
Pitch your tents and camp at Balu Ka Gera, 11,000 feet above sea level.

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Day 3: Balu Ka Gera to Shea Goru via Hampta pass

The trail from Balu Ka Gera to Shea Goru is moderately steep with a final sharp descent.
The trail moves along the river which is lined by tiny pink and yellow flowers.
If you trek during summer, you will find a lot of snow, else you may see a few snow patches.
There are two steep climbs over ridges before you reach Hampta pass.
Hampta pass at 14,000 feet is pretty windy and sudden rains or snow also cannot be ruled out.
The descent to Shea Goru from the pass is slightly tricky. Sliding down the snow could be an option.
You will reach Shea Goru in about 2 hours.
Camp overnight beside the river at Shea Goru.

Day 4: Shea Goru to Chatru

It is a gentle downhill walk to Chatru, with a few tricky sections.
The trail continue along the river, and there are two three huge glacial flows down the mountain side
Camp at Chatru beside the many streams that flow through the meadows. Chatru is a beautiful camping spot with lovely
mountain views.
It will take you about 4-5 hours to reach Chatru from Shea Goru.
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It will take you about 4-5 hours to reach Chatru from Shea Goru.
Camp overnight at Chatru.
*If the weather permits
Post lunch, drive from Chatru to Chandratal, a beautiful moon shaped lake.
Chandratal is 3 hours and 70 km away from Chatru.
Camp overnight at a camping ground 4 km away from Chandra tal.

Day 5: Departure day (Chatru to Manali/Chandratal to Manali*)

*depends on where you camp the previous night
Depart from Chatru/Chandratal* to Manali early morning by shared cabs.
Indiahikes will arrange vehicles to drop trekkers back to Manali.
It will take about 4-6 hours to reach Manali depending on the condition of the roads.
Book your return tickets from Manali late in the evening to give you enough travel buffer time.

Trek Documentation
Day 1: Arrive at Manali, drive to Jobra and trek to Cheeka
Altitude: 9800 ft to 10,400 ft
Time taken: 2 hours
Trail type: Easy ascent
The vehicle from Manali after passing the Prini village takes you up through 40 hairpin bends and drops you off at Jobra . You
have already gained quite an altitude from Manali and you start your trek at 9800 ft. Cross the road and take the small path into
the forest.

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The forest is mostly Pine with an occasional Maple tree with its new lush green leaves -a pleasant change in the vegetation.Its an
easy slope and after 20 minutes into the forest, you come to a bend with a huge rock which overlooks a meadow strewn with small
rocks. Take a break at the rock and head to the meadow ahead.
The meadow has the Rani Nala or Rani river flowing in between and on either sides you will see hills with rock faces. Some cows
and sheep graze in the meadow which is lined with Maple and Pine trees. Early in the season one may find some snow by the side
of the river.

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You can traverse on the meadow or climb up the left hill. The climb makes the path slightly shorter. Chika the camping ground for
the day is at the end of this meadow. The river flows right in the middle and water is no issue. Choose a nice ground and pitch
your tent for the day. The temperature at night would be around 8-10 degrees.

Day 2: Chika to Balu Ka Gera

Time taken: 4 hours
Trail type: Easy ascent
Start from Chika after breakfast. The destination for the day is Balu-Ka-Gera. It is not seen but is towards the right of your camp
site. Head right but stay on the left bank of the river throughout. The initial climb is mainly through stones and boulders. The
going is never too difficult. The right bank of the river is laced with dwarf Rhododendrons in the lower and middle region of the
mountain and Birch trees grow at the upper end.
Look back and you will see the Dhauladhar range with its snow clad peaks. It makes a pretty picture. You will find a water fall on
to your left. Relax and replenish your water supplies at this spot.

After the waterfall, you move towards your right heading towards the river, which has a lot of boulders around it. Take off your
shoes if you wish and jump across the rocks on the Rani Nala. The water is icy cold as one would expect. You are now about half
way through your trek as you enter a walled valley. On one side of the valley are the rock faces and on the other end is the river
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below. You are now at Jwara where nature is at its dramatic best.

The river has snow flows melting and feeding it while numerous sheep and mules feed on the green grass. In front are snow clad
mountains beyond which somewhere lies the Hampta Pass.
Walk along the Rani river heading into a rectangular valley. On your way you will find a variety of tiny flowers. Purple, yellow,
pink etc. The trees are now left behind. You wont find any more of them for quite some time now. It takes about half an hour to
cross the valley. After you come out of Jwara, you need to walk further along crossing small snow flows and jumping across rocks.
Youwill now reach the destination for the day Balu-Ka-Gera or the bed of sand. The ground is mainly the sand and dust brought
down by the river.

Balu ka gera

Its a level ground and behind you are the mountains you will traverse the next day to cross the Hampta Pass. Pitch your tent and
relax for the day. You are now close to 11,000 ft above sea.

Day 3: Balu-Ka-Gera to Shea Goru crossing Hampta Pass

Time taken: 8-9 hours
Trail type: Easy to moderately steep ascents followed by a sharp descent
Todays trek can be broken into two stages. The climb to Hampta pass which is moderately steep followed by a steep descent to
Sheagoru. You will want to take a small break on top of the pass so make it your target to reach the pass by lunch time, have
lunch there and then start the descent.
You begin your day by heading towards the mountains from Balu-Ka-Gera. You may get a pleasant surprise with lots of tiny pink
and yellow flowers growing by the side of the river. Move along the river for an hour after which you will be above it. After an
hour of gentle gradient, the climb picks up. This is the first serious inclination you will encounter. Half an hour into the climb, you
will reach the first plateau. Here you get to see the Deo Tibba peak right in front of you. If you are here during early summer,
there is a good chance that this entire section is filled with snow. At other times, you may get some snow patches.
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there is a good chance that this entire section is filled with snow. At other times, you may get some snow patches.

Take a breather, wait for your team to catch up and begin the next ascent. This is another inclined part which has two stages to it
and finally ends at the ridge. The climb will take you another 20-30 minutes. From the top of the ridge you will see another
parallel one, which is your next destination. Hampta Pass is a bend away from the top of the second ridge.

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You will now have to descend a bit from the first ridge and traverse the side of the second ridge before starting the vertical climb.
After 15 minutes of going by the side, you begin the vertical climb and it gets over in 20 minutes. You may be panting at the end
of it but you are almost there at 14,000ft atop the Hampta Pass.
It can get windy at the top and sudden rain or snow also cannot be ruled out. Stop for some time and enjoy the place.
The descent is slightly trickier than the ascent. It can vary slightly depending on the snow condition too. Sliding down may be an
option if there is snow. From the pass take a turn towards the right. You can see the Spiti side of the pass below. Go down in a zig
zag route and then stick to the right flank of the mountain. You will have to walk over slippery soil and stones too. In half an hour
the first downhill run is done.
Take a U-turn and you are right below the pass now. From here its a straight down hill trek on snow or you could also follow the
zig-zag path down untill you hit the valley below. In an hour and a half you are down to the base of the valley. Tall snow clad
mountains surround you from three sides and the open side leads you to Sheagoru.

Hampta pass crossing

Sheagoru is an almost level walk from here. It should be an easy walk though some may find it tiring after the long day traversing
the pass. You will find the river again flowing to your right. Choose a nice camp site close to the river and retire happily for the
day after crossing the Hampta Pass.

Day 4: Sheagoru to Chatru

Time taken: 4 4 hours
Trail type: Downhill trek, easy walk with some tricky sections
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Trail type: Downhill trek, easy walk with some tricky sections
Its a gentle down hill walk in the beginning from Sheagoru. You still move along side the river in the valley between the mountain
ranges. After an hour you get to see the Chatru road at a distance. The mountains opposite are barren a typical Spiti look.
As you move closer to the road, the descent gets a little tricky. You will need to traverse by the edges of rocks and sometimes it
may just be easier to get down into the river/glacier bed below to skip the rocky section and get back up.

There are also a couple of places with slippery soil. So you need to be nimble and hop down them to prevent yourself from sliding.
This section would take 2 3 hours when you are out of the mountains. You are still at a height but you have the road right
across and the Chandra river separating you from the road.
Two three huge glacial flows flow down from the mountains on the side to the Chandra river. You will need to cross these glaciers
to reach a camping spot which has water. Cutting steps may be a good idea on them to give confidence to those who are new to
snow.
Choose a camping spot close to one of the numerous streams that join the river. Chatru is a lovely camping site. You get lovely
views of the different mountain rages. The Chandra river flows in speed right below.

Day 5: Chatru to Chandratal or Chatru to Manali*

* depending on the condition of the roads
If the roads are clear and devoid of snow, a visit to Chandratal the moon lake is a must when you are in Spiti. Chatru is about
70kms away from Chandratal. You need to book a vehicle from Manali to take you to Chandratal from Chatru. You reach
Chandratal by late afternoon and pitch your tents for the night by the lake. Drive back to Manali the next day. You will reach
Manali by 4 pm.

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Chandratal the moon shaped lake

In late summers the road opens up to Chatru and beyond and you can take the vehicle to Manali from the bridge at Chatru. If you
are early or late in the season, Chandratal may be ruled out and you may have to walk on the road upto a place where the road
has be cleared off its snow flows. The journey from Chatru to Manali passes through Rohtang Pass and can take up to 4 hours.
The scenery all through the route is a treat in itself.

Trek Fee
Hampta Pass Trek
Rs 9,950
per person (Manali to Manali)
Note: Service Tax of 3.5% applicable on
trek fees

NO UPCOMING BATCHES

Contact Us
Registered Trekkers call:

9590363344
(9.30 AM 6.30 PM Mon-Sat)
New Enquiry call:

8971959977
(9.30 AM 6.30 PM Mon-Sat)

or write to us at: info@indiahikes.in

Trek Itinerary
Day 1: Pick up from Manali at 11 am.
Drive to Jobra. Trek from Jobra to
Cheeka.
Day 2: Cheeka to Balu Ka Gera
Day 3: Balu Ka Gera to Shea Goru via
Hampta Pass
Day 4: Shea Goru to Chatru/Chandratal
Day 5: Drive from Chatru/Chandratal to
Manali

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