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I had been trekking for around 7-8 years now and wanted to explore more difficult treks. I came to understand that Bhabha Pass Trek was one of the most challenging treks. I had made a group of 6 like-minded friends from my previous treks, and we always discussed on one thing and that is, our next trek location.
So when I informed them of this trek, they were excited from the get go. We booked our tickets for July 20th, and were counting down to that day.
Bhabha Pass is a bridge between the blooming and prosperous Kinnaur Valley and the dry and barren Spiti Valley. Located at an altitude of 4685 metres above sea level, Bhabha Pass Trek is one of the least-explored treks in the Himalayan region.
PC : Snotch
It is also challenging, considering how the landscape changes at almost every turn of the trail. Therefore, it is advised that only those trekkers with great fitness levels and those who go on treks regularly take up this trek.
Best Time For This Trek:
June to September would be the ideal time to go on this trek. The monsoons are done with and winter is a while away by this time. This is the best time to undertake the trek, as the snowfall is minimal to nil.
Things To Carry:
I set out to shop for trekking necessities like all-weather trekking shoes, backpack, sleeping tent, insect repellents, medical kit, poncho, thermals, trekking pole, muffler, glares, head torch and cap.
The trek was to start from Kafnoo, which is a village in Shimla. We took a train to Delhi and reached Shimla. We stayed in Shimla for a day for sightseeing. The next day, we started to Kafnoo.
PC : Aawaravineet
Kafnoo is 280 km away from Shimla and it takes around 9 hours to reach the place. With River Sutlej keeping company to the left, the drive doesn't seem exhausting at all. This is an adventurous drive from Wangtoo main town to the last village in Kinnaur Valley towards Kafnoo.
After traversing some distance, we encountered a beautiful lake. We stopped here to have lunch. Then, we proceeded towards Kafnoo after lunch and enjoyed our night in the camp. It was a long drive and the roads were not the most luxurious ones, so we were all very tired. Therefore, we retreated to our tents early and called it a day.
PC : Nickowner
After having a hearty and wholesome breakfast, we started trekking towards Mulling. We crossed a small village named Homti. From here, the thin valley starts to branch out and it is a spectacular sight.
We stumbled across a river to the right side of the trekking path. At this point, we started to ascend to a higher altitude, crossing a dense coniferous forest. This was a 6-hour trek and it was exhausting.
The trek till this point was charming - filled with verdant meadows, panoramic valleys and tall trees. We reached Mulling, which is a plain meadow to camp for the night. Mulling is at a height of 3200 metres above sea level. We ate dinner happily and slept like logs under the stars.
PC : wikipedia.org
Kahra is a meadow that is 3 hours away from Mulling. We crossed the rivers and walked across natural bridges. The trail is a steady climb, dotted with flowers. While ascending, we saw some Gaddis in a traditional shepherd outfit. It was fascinating!
Kahra is at 3550 metres above sea level. Once we reached Kahra, we lapped up vistas of flourishing Kinnaur and the barren Spiti.
PC : Nevil Zaveri
We started from Kahra to reach the base camp of the Bhaba Pass - Phustirang (3975 metres above sea level). We started walking to the left of the stream. The backdrop of this trail was stunning with glaciers, snow-clad peaks, and it added to the excitement.
We got to witness the huge Hansbeshan Peak, towering at a height of 5840 metres above sea level. After 3 hours of trekking, we reached Phustirang and settled for the night.
Day 5: Phustirang - Bhabha Pass - Bara Bulder
PC : Jelle Visser
We started ascending the trail to reach Bhabha Pass. It was a steep trek filled with heavy snow. We were taught snow navigation techniques by our guide. The path is also filled with boulders, scree and is full of ascents and descents.
We saw a lot of Gaddi shepherds with their huge flock of sheep ascending with us. The view of Pin Parvati Pass from this pass is amazing. We started descending down to Bara Bulder (3963 metres above sea level), where we camped for the rest of the day and night. Bara Bulder is towards the Spiti side, and the terrain is typical to that region. It is a combination of grasslands and mountains.
Day 6: Bara Bulder - Mudh - Kaza
PC : Krishna GS
We started descending down towards Mudh. The terrain is mindblowing with purple-coloured mountains, rivers and endless valleys. We reached Mudh in 4 hours. It is the last village in Spiti Valley. There is a charming monastery here and our trekking guide suggested that we visit it. We offered prayers and felt at peace there. We reached Kaza (3650 metres above sea level), which was our campsite for the night.
PC : Ryan Weller
We took a taxi from Kaza to reach Manali. This was a long and tiring journey of about 7 hours. We were totally out of energy from trekking at high altitudes for 6 days. This was the end of the Bhabha Pass Trek. From Manali, we took a taxi again to Kalka to catch the train to Delhi.
