Hampta Pass Trek

Region :- Himanchal (Manali)
Duration :- 10 days
Grade :- Easy to Moderate
Max Altitude :- 14,300 Ft.
Approx Trekking Km :- 26-30 kms.

Season to visit

June Last Week to September Second Week

It will be the best option to visit Chandratal in July-August month window when the roads are cleaned up by till very end and Chandratal becomes accessible by road. So, you can take your vehicle at the parking point of Chandratal from where you need to hike about 2 KMs for the rest of the journey.

June first three weeks / September last week

Well you may try your luck first week June onward but it’s highly likely that trek from Battal onward will be tough due to the presence of snow and for sure not motorable till the very end. You may just reach Battal and then need to trek in the presence of snow which makes it all very tough.

Guide for the trek

Mr. Naggi
Contact No: 09816851923
Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Brief Itinerary

Day 1 :- Manali to Chika.
Day 2 :- Chika to Balu ka Ghera.
Day 3 :- Balu ka Gera to Siagoru, Cross Hampta Pass
Day 4 :- Siagoru to Chatru. Drive to Chandratal.
Day 5 :- Chandratal to Manali.

Guide Map for Chandratal

Expected 1^st Tour Itinerary

Day 01 : Arrival at Howrah, Proceed to CHANDIGARH.( 03:00) ~ Train, Two night journey to Chandigarh.

Day 02 : Train

Day 03 : Chandigarh - Manali - Jobra (Evening)

Drive 20 Km to reach Jobri (~3000 m, 9800 ft) via Preni village from Manali. The road is winding and goes through steep hairpin bends and gains height considerably. Jobri is not a village but have few temporary constructions for the local workers of the hydro power plant. From here the trek starts.

Chandigarh to Manali by bus

If you want to go Manali by bus you will have to get down at Chandigarh railway station about 25 kilometres before Kalka railway station and take bus from Chandigarh bus stand for Manali. Both government and private ordinary and deluxe buses are available from Chandigarh to Manali. Distance 285 kms. approx. (9-10 hrs)

Day 04 : Jobra ~ Chika (10100 ft) - Balu Ka Gera

(5 Km Jobra - Chhika (~3150 m/10250ft) and will take 2 to 3 hours) (Distance is around 8 Km and can take 4 to 5 hours. from Chika to Balu ka Gera)

Trek from Jobra to Cheeka. 2 hours easy ascent 9800 ft to 10,400 ft. Trek from Cheeka to Balu Ka Gera. 5 hours easy ascent 11900 ft approx 8 kilometres. Camp at Balu Ka Gera.

Day 05: Balu ka Gera (11900 ft) to Siagoru (12900 ft)
(Distance is around 14 Km) Crossing Hampta Pass (14100 ft). Over night at Siagoru. Level Moderately. This is the most spectacular part of the trek as we cross the Hampta Pass and then descend to our camp site in Siagoru. 8-9 hours Easy to moderately steap ascents followed by a sharp descent

Day 06 : Siagoru (12900 ft) to Chattru(11000 ft) 4 hrs. Drive to Chandratal. Over night Chandra Tal.

Day 07: Chandra tal/Chatru to Manali via the Rohtang Pass. 120-140 kms. Time 6-8 hours approx.
Day 08 : Manali - Chandigarh~ Train Time -12:25 hours. Train – at Howrah, Two nights journey to Howrah.

Day 09 : Train

Day 10 : Howrah at morning

Itinerary Detail:

It is a short trek of just 5 days. The trekking in Himanchal – Hampta Pass starts from beautiful hill station Manali. At an altitude of Manali trekkers cross from Jobra to Chika. Crossing through small pine forest, huge rock and rich vegetations are remarkable. Travelling just for four hours and you reach to the second destination of your trek – Chika. Here you can enjoy the refreshing river, waterfalls and grassy land. Here the camps are tented and trekkers hold at night and relax. The second day of the trek is Balu ka Gera. At Balu Ka Gera you meet with huge rocks at Nani Lake, enjoy the icy cold water, mountain and click photographs to make your trip memorable. The next destination is Shea Goru, it is a 8 hrs journey. Colorful river side tiny flowers and patches of snow divert the attention of trekkers. At an altitude before crossing the Hampta Pass Deo Tibba Peak is clearly visible. Hampta Pass has got two ridges. The zic-zag route, U-turn, downhill and snow fall with an uncertain rainfall makes the trekking moment more enjoyable. It is an easy trek with a moderate level of walking area. Then here comes the second last destination from Siagoru to Chatru; it is a downhill trek of 5 hours. Here you get rivers and beautiful valleys in the heart of mountain ranges. The trekking is quite difficult in this area because of slippery soils and rocky edge path. Chandra River and glacier flow near it makes a remarkable statement in trek. The final destination to the trek is Chatru to Chandratal. Chatru is at a distant of 70 Kms far from Chandartal. You can drive to Chandar tal and visit the Moon Lake; it is the main point to visit in Chandartal and step back to Manali after enjoying your time at utmost. You can also enjoy the local sightseeing of Manali.

Day 1. Jobra to Chika

(2 hours easy ascent 9800 ft to 10,400 ft)

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 9800ft. Cross the road and take the small path into the forest.

Hampta pass trek – towards Cheeka
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 photo/water break at the rock and head into the meadow.
The meadow has the Rani Nala or Rani river flowing in between and on either sides we have the 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 mind some old snow by the side of the river.
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.

Hampta Pass Trek – Cheeka Camp Site

Day 2. Chika to Balu Ka Gera

(4 hours easy ascent)

Start from Chika after breakfast. The destination for the day Balu-Ka-Gera is not seen but is towards the right of your camp site.
Set out head right but you are all along on the left bank of the river. 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 see the Dhauladhar range with its snow clad peaks. It makes a pretty picture. You encounter a water fall on to your left. Fill your water bottles and take a break if you wish to.
After the waterfall, you move towards your right heading towards the river. Lots of boulders around and you need to cross the river. Take off your shoes if you wish and jump accross the rocks on the Rani Nala. The water is icey cold as one would expect. You would about half way through your trek now and you enter a sheltered/walled valley. One one side of are the rock faces and on the other end is the river below. Its as though you have entered a huge natural stage.
You are now at Jwara.

Hampta Pass Trek Jwara
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 the stage like recatangular valley. On your way you find a variety of tiny flowers. Purple, yellow, pink etc. The trees are now left behind. You won’t 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 Juawara, you walk further along crossing small snow flows and jumping across rocks. You then reach Balu-Ka-Gera or the bed of sand.The ground is mainly the sand and dust brought down by the river.
Its a level ground at Balu-Ka-Gera and behind you are the mountains you traverse the next day to cross the Hampta Pass. Pitch your tent and relax for the day. You are close to 11000 ft.

Hampta Pass trek – Balu Ka Gera Campsite

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

(8-9 hours Easy to moderately steep ascents followed by a sharp descent )

Today’s trek can be broken into two stages. The climb to Hampta pass which is moderately steep and then the steep descent from Hampta Pass 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.

Hampta Pass Trek – Towards Hampta Pass
You head out 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. You move along the river for an hour after which you may be over it. After an hour of gentle gradient, the climb picks up. This is the first serious inclination you encounter. Half an hour of climb and you come to the first plateau. If you are here early summer, there is a good chance that this entire section is snow bound. At other times, you will get patches of snow.
Here you get to see the Deo Tibba peak right in front of you.
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 see its next parallel one which is your next destination.

Hampta Pass Trek – The first ridge
Hampta Pass is a bend away from the top of the second ridge.
You now descend a bit from the first ridge and traverse the side of the second ridge before starting the vertical assault. 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 14300ft and on top of 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.

Hampta Pass 14300 ft
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 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 on snow or 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.
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 again find the river flowing to your right. Choose a nice camp site close to the river and retire happily for the day after crossing Hampta Pass.

Day 4. Sheagoru to Chatru

(4 – 4½ hours of downhill trek. Easy 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 road at Chatru at a distance. The mountains opposite are barren. The 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 2½ – 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.

Hampta Pass Trek Chatru
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 Road condition)

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 and a vehicle will have to be ordered 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 and reach Manali by 3 – 4 pm.

Chandratal – the moon shapped lake
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.

Hampta Pass Trek – Chatru Road