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Grade
Grade B. You should be reasonably fit but there are no really long
day walks. However, for the more energetic there are many
opportunities to explore the surrounding valleys. Please note that the valley is in a remote location and requires
considerable travel on mountain roads to access it.
Climate
The
best time to visit this area is in the summer, when day-time
temperatures reach 20-25C and there is plenty of sunshine.
Temperatures do get cooler of course the higher you climb up the
valleys, though it will rarely reach freezing point.
You
can expect occasional rain at the start of the trek in this region
as it is affected by the monsoon, but after crossing over the
Rohtang Pass and entering Lahaul you are in a high altitude desert
where rain is unusual.
Although
the departures are timed to coincide with good weather, please bear
in mind that in any mountain area the weather is never wholly
predictable and that you should be prepared for any adverse
conditions.
Altitude
Maximum
altitude 4,075m average 3,000m. Most of the paths on this trek are
well maintained, being trade routes between the villages. At the top
end of the valley there are only shepherds' paths to follow.
What’s Included
Accommodation
Delhi: The Oberoi Maidens Hotel. Situated close to the city centre,
this hotel is fully air-conditioned and has a swimming pool, bar and
restaurant. B&B Delhi and Bannons Resorts in Manali. All meals
on trek. Guided tours where specified in your itinerary. In Keylong
and Mandi we use the best available tourist hotels.
Not Included
Visa
fees, passports or vaccinations.
Excursions unless stated. Entry fees to historical monuments.
Hotel porterage or tips. Meals and drinks other than those stated.
Travel Insurance.
Documents
If
you are applying for an Indian visa by post, the Indian High
Commission requires up to five weeks to process your application, so
ensure that you submit your application in good time. Also note,
however, that Indian visas are only valid for six months from the
date of issue, and therefore must not be applied for too early.
This means you will have to have left India within six months
of issue of the visa.
Health Matters
A
full medical kit accompanies the trek, but we recommend that people
carry their own small personal first aid kit. A suggested list of
contents will be included in the pre-departure information as well
as more general information on vaccinations. You will need to
consult your doctor usually 5
weeks prior to departure, to work out an immunisation schedule
relevant to your destination country. The
following should be used as a guideline only: - Polio, Tetanus,
Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Malaria, and Meningitis. More details
concerning vaccinations are given in our Indian pre-department that
is forwarded to you on confirmation of your booking.
Personal Expenses
The
amount of money you take with you depends on how much you intend to
spend! Souvenir purchases aside, a sum of £130 or $200 should cover
any extra costs, although it would be wise to take a little more, as
you will invariably be tempted by the very attractive handicrafts of
the region. Main meals
in cities such as Delhi at the very best restaurants are
inexpensive. Dinner will cost between £7-£13. Bring duty free
drinks, as spirits are costly! Wines are not of a high standard and
beers are usually £1 per bottle. Sterling
travellers cheques are easily exchanged in the major hotels and
banks. Most hotels and some shops in the big cities accept credit
cards such as American Express and Mastercard.
Insurance
You
must have insurance to cover you against medical expenses and
repatriation. Please ensure your insurance covers all the activities
you will be participating in, including trekking, mountain biking,
climbing and white-water rafting if applicable.
IMPORTANT
NOTE: Whilst every effort is
made to keep to the above itinerary, clients will hopefully
appreciate that this is adventure travel in a remote mountain
region. Given the nature of these treks there will quite likely be
changes to the itinerary in terms of anything from on the spot
choice of camp site to the day that a rest day is taken. Weather
conditions, road conditions, vehicle breakdowns off the beaten
track, and local availability of porters, can contribute to the need
for changes. Your trek leader will
do everything in his power to see that you are inconvenienced as
little as possible in such events.
Timings given are approximate.
Books
The
Arts of India: Cornell
University Press.
India
File: Trevor Fishlock.
Trekking
in the Indian Himalaya: Lonely Planet.
India
Travel Survival Kit: Lonely Planet.
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Outline
Itinerary
We
reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) the trek at any time if
necessary.
Note: if circumstances dictate, certain details, such as overnight
stops may vary from those shown in the day-by-day itinerary below.
q
Day
1: FLY TO NEW DELHI
q
Day
2: DELHI. After
clearing customs you will be met by our representatives) who will be
holding a placard (with your name on it) and transferred by taxi to your
hotel. In the afternoon there
is a guided tour of Delhi.
Delhi
basically is 7 cities all merged into one and laced together by the new
city of the British Raj, designed by Lutyens & Baker. It was one of
the boldest expressions anywhere in the world of British Imperial
ambitions and has endless sightseeing possibilities. Our
tour of Delhi will include the Raj Ghat memorial, the Red Fort, once the
most lavish fort and palace of the Mughal Empire and the Qutb Minar, the
73m high tower of victory.
RED FORT.
This imposing monument to the rule of Shah Jahan was begun in 1639 and
completed in 1648, taking its name from the red sandstone used in its
construction. It is said to have cost 10 million rupees to build, much of
it spent on the opulent marble royal palaces within. Here the Emperor
exercised his divine authority in the Halls of Public and Private Audience
- seated in the latter on the fabulous gold-canopied Peacock Throne that
was inlaid with a vast number of sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds.
THE
QUTB MINAR. The Qutb Minar
is a soaring tower of victory that was built in 1193.
The tower has three distinct stories each marked by a projecting
balcony. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone, the fourth and
fifth of marble and sandstone. Today this impressive ornate tower has a
slight tilt, but otherwise has worn the centuries remarkably well.
q
DAY
3: TRAVEL BY TRAIN TO CHANDIGARH, THEN BEGIN DRIVE TO MANALI.
You
make an early morning transfer to the station for the morning Shatabdi
Express, air conditioned train to Chandigarh. (Timings are usually 07.40
depart, arrive at 11.00 am.) The city, purpose-built in the 1950s as the
new capital of the Punjab after Lahore was handed over to Pakistan, was
largely designed by Le Corbusier. The result is not yet the
forward-looking statement of faith in a modern Indian society it was
designed to be, although for visitors it is a fascinating view of 1950's
utopian town planning.
You
are met on arrival in Chandigarh, then begin the drive to Manali, stopping in Mandi (approx 5 hours drive
time) where you will stay tonight. Overnight Hotel.
q
DAY
4: CONTINUE DRIVE TO MANALI. (6,430ft/1,960m).
The remaining 110km road journey should take about 4 hrs. The road
winds upwards through the Kulu valley to Manali. There is time in the
afternoon to explore and acclimatise. Overnight Hotel.
THE
KULU VALLEY
The
Kulu valley is one of the most enchanting parts of
Himachal Pradesh. Through
the Valley runs the Beas River, bordered by paddy fields in the monsoon
and wheat fields in the winter. Conifers
and rhododendrons grow on the upper slopes which are covered by snow in
winter. To the northwest of
the valley is the white mass of the Solang Valley and to the north is the Rohtang Pass (4,075 meters (13,370 feet), the gateway to the
Great Himalayas. The road to
Lahaul and Leh in Ladakh crosses the Rohtang Pass.
NB:
ALTERNATIVE TO DAY 3 & 4: It is possible to fly from Delhi to
Manali on day 3, and have a free day in Manali on day 4. The
supplement for this flight is £55.
q
DAY
5: DRIVE TO KEYLONG. (Approx
5 hour drive time). We
follow the Leh Highway across the spectacular Rohtang Pass (3978m.) with
impressive views of the Pir Pinjal and the Great Himalaya en route.
Descending from the pass we cross the Chandrabhaga river and enter the
Lahoul & Spiti district. Beyond the reaches of the heavy summer monsoon, this is an
area more akin to high altitude desert and contrasts markedly with the
fertile alpine scenery we have left behind. We spend the night at Keylong
(3350m), the districts' headquarters and time permitting can visit the
16th century Sha-shur gompa nearby.
q
Day
6: DRIVE TO UDAIPUR.
(2800m)
(Approximately 3 hour drive time) A brisk start after breakfast for the
last stretch of our road journey along the dramatic Pattan Valley to
Udaipur (2800m) with its unique wood carved Mrikula Devi temple of Hindu
and Buddhist origin. Our trek now begins as we follow a jeep track from
the edge of the town into a narrow rocky gorge, the entrance to the Miyar
Nullah. A gradual steady climb brings us to the mouth of the gorge and the
first village of Shakoli. We camp in woodland just beyond the village.
q
DAY
7: TREK TO CHAMRAT. Our
first full day of trekking in the valley. The landscape beyond here can
feel timeless. The simple sturdy houses in the villages are built to
withstand the forces of nature, both the hot sun of summer and the
sub-zero snowy winter. Seasonal crops are grown in the tiny
hand-cultivated fields, peas, barley millet and potatoes are the staples.
Wildflowers adorn the field boundaries and paths indicating the diversity
of the environment in which we walk. We cross the Miyar river to our
campsite near the village of Chamrat.
(Approximately 4 hours walk)
q
DAY
8: TREK TO DOKSHA VIA CHALLING. A
morning's walk further up the valley lies Urgos with its gompa, or monastery. This area is actively Buddhist, and many of the
intricate murals have been recently restored. The monastery is alive with
bright colours and has an intimate atmosphere compared with the vastness
of the scenery outside. Walking onwards in the afternoon we reach the
small settlement of Doksha. We
camp for the night on a meadow. (Approximately 6 hours walk) Lunch
en-route.
q
DAY
9: TREK TO TANPATTAM. (3800m)
As we trek higher up the valley we leave the last settlements behind and
our only companions, apart from wild Yaks and the odd shepherd with their
flocks of sheep and goat, are the observant but elusive marmots. We are
now right under the great Himalayan range, with huge peaks towering above
the valley.
q
DAY
10/11: CAMP TANPATTAM. OPTIONAL
WALKS TO EXPLORE THE SIDE VALLEYS. A
chance to explore the vast and uninhabited upper reaches of the Miyar
valley. We spend two days
here, visiting the centuries old and now abandoned Tibetan Monastery,
perched upon a high ridge overlooking the valley and one of the glaciated
side valleys that feed into the Miyar Nullah.
(Approximately 6/7 hours walk per day).
q
DAY
12-: TREK TO ALPINE MEADOW. Retracing
our steps down the valley, we walk through a myriad of Himalayan flowers
that dot the edges of cultivated fields.
Lunch en- route. (Approximately 5 hours walk).
q
DAY
13-: TREK TO URGOS MONASTERY.
We take time to stop in villages where the villagers knit and sell
brightly coloured woollen gloves before reaching our campsite near the
Urgos monastery in Challing. (Approximately
5 hours walk) Lunch en-route.
q
DAY
14-: TREK TO FOREST GLADE AND DRIVE TO KEYLONG (Approx
3-4 hours drive time). Our final day in this unique valley. We follow the
mule track until we reach the forest glade where we will rejoin our
transport and drive to Keylong.
q
DAY
15: DRIVE TO MANALI. (Approx.
5 hours drive time.) We set
off for the return drive back over the Rohtang pass and into the alpine
lushness of the Kulu Valley. We should arrive early afternoon all being
well with the roads and traffic. There is time for some shopping in Manali
and a meal in one of its many restaurants before we turn in. Bannons
Resorts Hotel.
q
DAY 16: DRIVE MANDI
(Approx. 4 hours drive time) After
breakfast we drive by private transport to Mandi, leaving the mountains
behind. Overnight at
the Visco Resort.
q
DAY
17: DRIVE TO DELHI. (Approximately
11 hours drive time). We
start early and should arrive Delhi in the afternoon to check into your
Hotel. The rest of day is yours to enjoy the sights, sounds and shopping
in this colourful capital city. Overnight
hotel.
q
DAY
18: FLY DELHI – LONDON. Early
morning transfer to the Airport to board your return flight home.
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This
trip is a great introduction to walking in the Himalayas. The trek takes
us to a remote valley in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh, which
borders Zanskar and Tibet. Two rivers, the Chandra and the Bhaga, run
through the Lahaul valley which is surrounded by the Great Himalaya to
the north, the Pir Pinjal to the south and the Spiti ranges to the east.
The monsoon has only a limited effect and the region is generally dry,
although in the summer the irrigated valleys are green with grass,
alpine flowers and seasonal crops including hops and seed potatoes.