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The verdant Kullu Valley is bedecked with a
number of high alpine lakes, most of them forming "the
head waters of Beas River". One of the most spectacular
of these is the Bhrigu Lake (94270m) situated high up
on a ridge above the tourist resort of Manali. The trail
goes first to Beas Kund (3540m), the source of the Beas
River and popular base used by climbers attempting to
ascend the nearby peaks. It heads them towards Bhrigu,
eventually ending with a steep descent to
Manali. |
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Day- 01 |
Drive Manali (1926m Palchan - Dhundi Trek
- 4/5 hours)
Drive up straight from
Manali for 10 Kms along the Beas to reach the village of
Palchan. From here follow a dusty road rising gradually
to Solang, a popular skiing area in
winter. |
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Day- 02 |
Dhundi/Beas Kund (3540m)/Dhundi - 5/6
hours
Leave the camp at Dhundi and climb
gradually, sometimes steeply to the lake. The view of
the nearby peaks is excellent and the lake itself is a
popular base camp to climb the peaks, which surround
this semi-circular lake. The walk can sometimes be
rough, as one has to go over glacial scree to reach the
lake. Descend back to camp at Dhundi. The slopes above
the camp are covered with pine forests and meadows and
are worth exploring in the afternoon. |
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Day- 03 |
Dhundi/Kothi (2985m) - 4
hours
Go back on the trail and via Palchan climb
up to the village of Kothi, which is popular
with tourists in the summer due to its mild
climate and good view of the Kullu Valley
looking south. The road up to the Rohtang
Pass leading to Ladakh climbs up from here.
The pine forest here provide good bird
watching. |
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Day- 04 |
Kothi/Maridugh (3500m) - 4/5
hours
From Kothi the trail climbs steeply
and steadily through large meadows and forests of pine,
holly and oak to the campsite at Maridugh. As one climbs
up breathtaking scenery opens out. To the north view the
serpentine road leading up to the Rohtang Pass as well
as the Geyphan group of peaks in Lahaul Valley. To the
east Mt Hanuman Tibba (5925m), stands out prominently
while to northeast are the peaks above the Solang Valley
- Maker Beh, Manali, Ladakhi, and Shetti
Dhar. |
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Day- 05 |
Maridugh/Panduropa (3780m) Via Brighu
Lake (4780m) - 6 hours
A further climb
from Maridugh leads to the Brighu Lake just below the
ridge. The meadow here is a popular grazing ground and
throughout spring/summer is thickly carpeted with a
profusion of wild alpine flowers, anemones, edelweiss,
columbines - to name just a few. The lake itself is a
beautiful spot standing out amongst the rocky ridges
surrounding it with its waters a shining emerald green.
A half hour climb up to the ridge above the lake leads
to spectacular sights besides the views to the north,
east and south. You can also see the dome of Deo Tibba
Peak and the sharp razor edge of Inderkilla. A two-hour
easy descent from the lake on open meadows leads to the
campsite at
Panduropa. |
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Day- 06 |
Panduropa/Vashisth (1956m)
- 5/6 hours
The last day's walk is very
steep descend to the village of Vashisht. Leaving the
high meadows the path winds down 1800m in a seemingly
never-ending series of switchbacks through thick pine
forests to finally arrive at Vashisht above the banks of
Beas. The hot sulphur springs in Vashisht and its
proximity to Manali, a 10-minute drive, has made it
popular with the tourists. |
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