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Chamba Valley Trek |
This is a trek that is set in a
remote and largely unexplored area of the
Western Himalaya . It is highly unlikely that
you will meet other Westerners on this trek, the
village children do not beg; in fact locals
actually enjoy having their photo taken. The
Dhaula-Dhar and Chamba valley region of Himachal
Pradesh is inhabited by the Gaddi people: Hindu
shepherds who migrate each spring with their
flocks from the foothills of the Kangra valley
to the rich grazing areas of Lahoul and Spiti -
a journey that will entail covering high passes
and mountainous terrain during the summer months
before returning back to the lowlands to escape
the onset of winter. In the company of Mark
Butterworth you will have a real insider's view
of the people, their society and traditions.
Christina Noble's book 'Over The High Passes',
publisher, Fontana/Collins, ISBN 0-00-637350-X,
gives a perfect description of the Gaddi people
and this region. The area is renowned for
wildlife. In recent years a leopard killed the
Butterworths' chickens! Besides leopards, there
exist black bears, porcupine, various types of
deer and mountain goats, langur and rhesus
monkeys, jackals, pine marten, and the local
equivalent of the yeti known as a Gye.
The bird life is fantastic, ranging from a host
of brightly-coloured small species to parrots,
griffon vultures, lammergeiers, eagles and
different types of forest pheasant. Mark has
also personally catalogued 110 varieties of
butterfly. During the trek you camp near small
Gaddi villages or close to the many temples that
are dedicated to the local deities. Spectacular
views of the snow-capped Pir Panjal range and
the locally revered Mt. Kailash, the highest
mountain of a subsidiary range between the
Dhaula-Dhar and Pir Panjal and sacred to the
Hindus as the resting place of Lord Shiva,
accompany you as you cross the Indra-Har Pass
(14,610ft/4,453m) and descend into the Chamba
valley. (Incidentally the more famous Mount
Kailash is situated in Tibet ). The crossings of
this pass and later on the Minkianni Pass
(14,200ft/4,3282m) although not as high as many
Himalayan passes, are challenging undertakings
in wild country with magnificent views. The
capital of the nomadic Gaddis is Brahmour. Known
as the "Little Switzerland of India", many of
the intricately carved stone temples date back
to the 7th and 9th centuries. In all there are
over 80 individual temples contained within the
surrounds of the village. |
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Day 1 :ARRIVE
PATHANKOT DRIVE TO MCLEOD GANJ
A two and a half hour drive will take you to
McLeod Ganj (6,200ft/1,890m). You break your
journey to have a snack at Kotla. McLeod Ganj is
home to a thriving Tibetan community, who
settled here with the Dalai Lama in 1959. Halt
overnight at a Hotel. |
Day 2 :
DHARMSALA AND MCLEOD GANJ
Founded in 1855, it has one of the most
spectacular settings for a Hill Station. It is
built along a spur of the Dhaula-Dhar range and
varies in height from 4,500ft/1,476m at the
bazaar to 5,900ft/1,798m at McLeod Ganj. It is
surrounded by trees and is set against a
backdrop of peaks rising to over 15,600ft/4,755m
on three sides. The great granite mountains
almost overhang the town. Views are superb, not
only of the mountains but also over the Kangra
Valley and Siwaliks. There are two sections to
the town, the upper part is McLeod Ganj and the
lower is called Dharmsala. The distance between
them is almost 10km by road from centre to
centre but there is a shorter, steeper path that
takes about 40 minutes to cover. In both there
is a strong Tibetan influence. The Dalai Lama
settled here after his flight across the
Himalaya following the Chinese invasion of Tibet
in October 1959. There is a monastery at McLeod
Ganj, a short distance along from the Dalai
Lama's residence and a library. Dharmsala was
one of the 80 hill stations established by the
British between 1815 and 1847 though it was not
on a par with Shimla, Nainital and Mussoorie in
terms of popularity and size. The Church of St
John-in-the-Wilderness (1860) is a short
distance below McLeod Ganj on the way to
Forsythganj. Along with other buildings in the
area it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1905
but has been rebuilt. The 8th Lord of Elgin, one
of the few Viceroys to die in office, is buried
here. Apparently, it was his wish as it reminded
him of his beloved native Scotland . There are
some very attractive stained glass windows. |
Day 3 :
TREK TO TRIUND (9,027ft/2,751m)
Leave McLeod Ganj behind and begin a gradual
ascent through pine and rhododendron forest
until you reach Triund and camp on a meadow with
views of the Dhaula-Dhar range above and the
Kangra valley below. The Dhaula-Dhar rises to
about 16,500ft/5,029m and many of its summits
remain unclimbed to this day. Camp overnight
here. |
Day 4 :
TREK TO LAKA (11,000ft/3,353m)
Follow a forest trail, steadily ascending to
Laka situated at the base of the Indra-Har pass.
You may camp overnight. |
Day 5 :
CROSS INDRA-HAR PASS , TREK TO CHHATA
An early morning start as you climb up to the
Indra-Har pass, 14,501ft/4,420m, a strenuous six
hour walk with a packed lunch on the way. This
is the old trade route for tea, sugar, salt, and
cloth and is often snow covered. It provides
good views of the middle Himalaya and Kailash's
pointed peak, 18,556ft/5,656m. (Please note that
even though this Kailash is a holy mountain for
the area, it is not the same as the famous Mount
Kailash in Tibet ). Carved steps lead the last
300ft to the top of the pass where there is a
shrine to the Goddess Durga. After a four hour
gradual descent you camp close to a stream at
Chhata, (10,500ft/3,200m). Please note that the
rest day on Day 8 could be utilized at this
point if required. |
Day 6 :
TREK TO CHAMBA VALLEY , CAMP AT KUARSI
(7,000ft/2,133m)
You descend through wild country with
opportunities for spotting wildlife and cross
intermediate ridges and follow the path through
thick forest and descend into the Chamba valley.
You can camp at Kuarsi, a Gaddi village. Kuarsi
is renowned by the shepherds for its Shiva
temple. The temple is on a pilgrimage route and
has been built into an ashram where pilgrims can
rest and sleep. You will actually sleep on an
elevated, wooden platform that surrounds the
temple below. At the end of the day the Pujaree
(village priest), holds a ceremony to put the
local snake god and Shiva to rest. This involves
the lighting of incense and the weird
otherworldly music of the Dolki, an ancient
drum-like instrument, and temple bells. Camp
overnight here. |
Day 7 :
TREK TO MACHHETAR (6,562ft/2,000m)
Following a forest trail rich in rhododendron,
you cross over a ridge before descending towards
the Ravi River through cultivated fields, apple
orchards and village hamlets. You camp near
Machhetar, along the banks of the Ravi River . A
refreshing swim is recommended! |
Day 8 :
TREK TO BRAHMOUR. (6,500ft/1,981m)
From Machhetar you cross the Ravi River and
continue through pretty terraced hillsides to
Brahmour. Once the capital of Chamba state, the
town is noted for its many ancient temples. In
the past it was regarded as second only to
Kashmir as a cultural centre of the Western
Himalaya . A busy and culturally interesting
town, which is a main pilgrimage, centre on the
route to Mount Kailash . You might camp
overnight just outside the town. |
Day 9 :
DRIVE TO DONALI, TREK TO DRAKUND.
(8,000ft/2,438m)
An hour's drive down the valley takes you to
Donali, 6,800ft/2,073m, where you take to your
feet again. A gradual six hour walk up the banks
of the Donali stream through small hamlets leads
you to Drakund. Here there is a forest Rest
House set in beautiful apple orchards. Built in
the times of the Raj, it is now rarely used, and
if you are lucky you may be able to overnight
here otherwise you will camp nearby. |
Day 10 :
TREK TO BASE OF MINKIANNI PASS
You walk through alpine forests following the
trails of the Gaddi shepherds until you reach
the base of the Minkianni pass, 10,800ft/3,292m.
This is an important place of worship for the
local shepherds because of the sacred 'wishing
wells', a trio of nearby small lakes; Lam Dal,
Nag Dal and Chanderkup. By now you are back into
real mountain country and surrounded on three
sides by peaks. Camp overnight here. |
Day 11 :
CROSS MINKIANNI PASS. (14,200ft/4,328m), TREK TO
NOLI (7,000ft/2,133m)
It is a steady one hour ascent to the top of the
Minkianni pass. You take a packed lunch on the
way and enjoy the panoramic view of the Pir
Panjal range of mountains. From the pass you
scramble along the ridge for half an hour to
gain excellent views of the higher peaks of the
Greater Himalaya, 30 miles distant. The 8 hour
descent takes you to Kereri meadow
(10,500ft/3,200m), where there is a wooden Shiva
temple and small lakes. You walk towards Kangra
valley along little-known shepherd trails
through oak, pine and rhododendron forests and
camp at Noli, close to a Hindu village. |
Day 12 :
TREK TO DHARAMKOT (7,200ft/2,194m)
Your final short day's trek takes you down
fertile valleys with cultivated terraced fields
and village hamlets until you climb up to reach
Dharamkot - a protected nature reserve and home
to the Butterworth family. Your night's
accommodation will be in stone cottages or
camping. |
Day 13 :
AT LEISURE, VISIT DHARAMSALA
In the morning you are free to explore, or a
guided tour of the Dalai Lama's Temple and the
Tibetan Museum/Library may be arranged. |
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