Hampta Pass – A Corridor To Spiti Valley
I did kheerganga in April 2017 which was my first trek ever, after that, I was looking for a more scenic, adventurous, not much commercialized and less crowded trek. Then I came to know about Hampta Pass.
The Hampta Pass, at a height of 14000 ft, is situated at the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. Hampta pass trek offers stunning vistas of sheer cliffs to a lush green covered mountain that continues up to the high pass of the Hampta La and then you’ll experience the drylands of Spiti. Aside from any other hiking adventures, the Hampta pass trek covers two beautiful valleys in one single hike. Hampta pass separates Lahaul’s Chandra Valley and the Kullu Valley.
Preparations For The Hampta Pass Trek
Monsoon was started and I was advised not to go for the trek but after a lot of research and thoughts I made up my mind to attempt it.
This was going to be my first multiday trek and also I was planning to do it on my own, so I needed camping gear and lots of other stuff which I didn’t have. I made a list after reading many blogs and watching a lot of camping related videos.
Gear Shopping
I first looked for online options but those were quite pricey then I decided to visit Decathlon, and there I found everything required, I bought a two-person tent, a sleeping bag, a hiking stick and a few items of clothing, I also ordered a butane cylinder online for cooking.
Now I was ready, and with all these small steps I was getting excited about my journey.
The starting point of the Hampta pass trek is Prini, which was an hour bus journey from Manali so, I booked a bus ticket to Manali on 11th Aug 2017. Finally, I was heading to Manali for a lifetime adventure.
First Time Ever In Manali
On 12th Aug 2017, around 11 AM I reached Manali, at a very first glimpse I loved it, this place has its own vibe, a mixup of a Hippie, Himachali and Buddhist culture. I looked for accommodation and found a stay at a very reasonable cost of Rs 800. Then I got freshened up and went to the prominent mall road.
There I saw two hippies, they were singing and playing the guitar, I couldn’t understand their language but I could feel the rhythm then I saw a guy who seemed very interesting in his outfit, I had chat with him he was going to Manikarn Gurudwara, then with his permission I also clicked his photo.
After soaking the Manali vibes I went back to my room, had dinner and went off to sleep with no pre-plans for tomorrow in mind, just with the excitement of this expedition.
13th Aug 2017, Day 1 – Prini To Chika
I started my day at around 7 in the morning, got ready and had aloo paranthas for breakfast.
From the Manali bus stand, I took the bus for Prini around 10 am and the fare was just Rs 20. I reached Prini in about one hour. Since I was travelling solo and had no convenience to reach Jobra, from where the trek starts actually. I started walking on the left-hand side which was eventually leading to a village called Jobri. As I reached up the hill a guy asked me where I was heading to, so I told him that I was going for the Hampta pass trek. He offered me a lift on his bike to Jobri village. When we reached Jobri he dropped me on the way towards Chika. I thanked him for his kindness and started my journey.
Reaching Chika And First Time Camping
I reached Chika around 3:00 PM and the beautiful views started to appear. As it was the rainy season in August, there was greenery all around. I pitched my tent nearby the campsite and rested for a while. Later I went to the local shop at the campsite to interact with people. Getting involved with local people gives you a lot of information about the hike and the nature of the mountain. So, I gathered some essential tips like where I could find drinkable water on these mountains.
I met a guy named Rahul who was associated with Gio Adventures and belonged to Nepal. He told me that he has done the Hampta pass trek many times and also worked as a part-time cook while his adventures. After this refreshing chat with people and a fresh cup of black coffee, I got re-energized again. There were two guys who were also trekking with self-guidance who asked me about a place to pitch their tent, so I suggested them a spot nearby my camp.
It was almost 8 pm, I cooked masala oats for my dinner which was delicious and fulfilling. After having dinner, I walked around and washed utensils from a nearby flowing stream. The night sky was cloudy and I was afraid it could also rain for the next few days. Those two guys next to my tent invited me to play a game of cards but I refused as I was feeling sleepy. So, I wished them goodnight and went inside my tent. Around midnight I woke up and could hear raindrops over my tent. It was raining quite heavier than before and now I was afraid if that water slips into my tent. I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night and be thinking about my plans for the next day hike.
14th Aug 2017, Day 2 – Chika To Balugera
I woke up around 6 AM and checked the weather outside, it was quite clear so I got up and went to get fresh in the bushes a little far away from the campsite. I always keep toilet paper and a spare plastic bottle for such conditions. I came back, changed my clothes, packed my things and got ready for the hike. To eat something light, I had dry fruits and black coffee. By now those two guys also woke up, I guess I didn’t mention their name yet so one of them was Lokesh and the other one was Nikhil. After packing our bags we start walking on the trail.
The mountain views were mesmerising and the trail was not quite tough like the previous day. I carried some extra dry fruits for the hike and lots of water so as keep myself hydrated. High altitude causes AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) which sometimes becomes fatal so it is very important to have water or gluconate and protein-rich food like protein bars, peanuts and chana for energy. We were continuously gaining height and pushing ourselves to reach the Balu Gera campsite.
River Crossing
I was feeling tired and wanted to have a good sleep. After a while, we saw a fast-flowing stream and the water was freezing almost 2-3 degrees. We had to remove our shoes to cross that stream and when I moved ahead to cross, the water was knee-deep. It was not advised to cross it alone so there was a trekking group led by a professional guide, who helped us in crossing it. We made a hand chain and slowly step by step crossed it. After crossing, we sat for a while to normalize the blood flow in our legs and feet.
Reaching Balugera And Meeting Nina
After all this, we started walking again on the trail and there we saw a lot many waterfalls on the sides and some of them were a real beauty. We walked for about an hour and reached the campsite, i.e. Balu Gera. I felt so good and was a big relief for us. When we saw the campsite closely, it resembled its name- BALU KA GERA. The whole campsite was layered with river sand. We dropped our bags and laid down for a while. Later we set up our tents and took some rest. It was 5 PM, I came out of my tent and there were a bunch of people around and there we met Nina. She was a solo trekker and came with her porter. We all had a good talk for a long time about politics, culture and travel experiences. With ending of our chats, Sun was about to set so we decided to go back to our tent. For dinner, I prepared soup and had it with bread. Later I fell asleep as I was feeling tired.
15th Aug 2017, Day 3 – Balugera To Sheagoru Via Hampta Pass
The next morning I woke up around 5 and went outside to get freshen up. Then I packed my backpack and ate my breakfast, which was masala oats. We started our hike around 7:30 AM and this trail seemed tough as it was rockier.
The trail was heading towards rocky plains so the view was completely changed and we were continuously gaining height.
Lost Track
Here we did a silly mistake, in the morning a trek leader from Gio told us to stay on the right side of the mountain during the hike but we decided to take the left as it seemed a little shorter but we were wrong. In reality, this trail was much more tricky, we had to cross a glacier and in the monsoon, glaciers were melting and were quite slippery but here we took the right decision to go up to the mountain rather than walking on the glacier. There was no water stream on the trail so, we had to consume less water and save it for the rest of the hike.
Crossing Hampta Pass
After a while we saw a guy coming with his donkeys, we asked him about any shop on the way, instead, he gave us two chocolate bars and a packet of Namkeen. We gave him 100 bucks in return. We sat for a few minutes and took a short break. After fulfilling our stomach, we again started our journey and in the next 20 minutes, we were at our destination. At a height of 14050 feet, we were at Hampta top. It was 15 August 2017, such a memorable day for us. We then clicked some photographs and enjoyed the summit. Sun rays felt very soothing there and made me sleepy. I thought of taking a quick nap but we had a long way ahead.
Silliness I Did
After Hampta Pass we walked downwards to Sheagoru, the trail was very narrow and quite frightening. After walking for more than an hour we came to an end and what we found was that we took the wrong trail from the beginning. Then I took the worst decision, Nikhil said we should go back but I wasn’t ready to return after walking that much so, I decided to step down from here. I sat and started sliding down by grasping grass, I thought I can find a way from here but when I reached the edge it was a dead end. There was no way to reach down rather than a jump of approximately 10 feet on the rocks.
I sat on the edge and saw Nikhil was walking on the planes, I should have walked back with him but now I was trapped, then I took a sip of water and also my bottle was about to finish only two-three more sips were left. With much effort I managed to climb back, then I started my ascent and suddenly I heard the sound of donkeys that was a big relief for me.
I was on the right trail now, after walking for around half-hour I was at Sheagoru there I saw Lokesh I called him and told him that Nikhil is heading for Chatru then we decided to camp there for the night. as we both were totally tired and starving so after resting a while we set up our tent and went off to sleep.
Dinner With Nina
At around 7 PM a guy came to our tent and asked for food and that was Nina’s porter. She invited us for dinner. We had dal and rice that night. After a long time, we had some grains thanks to her. After dinner we had a little chat then we came back to our tent and yes the starry sky looked like the milky way. The most beautiful view of my life till now, then we fall asleep with lots of thoughts about today and the whole journey in our minds.
16th Aug 2017, Day 4 – Sheagoru To Chhatru
We woke up at 6 AM and quickly wrapped up our tent because we had to cross the river and usually the speed of the stream is quite slow in the morning so that was the best time to cross it. As we were leaving Nina invited us for tea. After that, we had some snaps and exchanged our emails.
We carried our backpacks and moved ahead on our way. Crossing this stream was not tough as the previous one so we managed to cross it easily. Then we started our trek to Chhatru from here trail was downwards only, so we covered it without any difficulty. When we reached Chhatru, there was a bus which was about to leave for Manali, we took that bus and reached Manali in 4 hours.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to Chandrataal as it was in my mind when I began my trek but for sure I’m going to be on those roads again and this time I know what to do and what not to. That was a much fun experience I have ever had.