Buranghati Trek: Himachal’s Bouquet of Beautiful Landscapes

Why Buranghati Trek is in must to do list?

Buranghati trek which is one of the most beautiful trek of all time at an altitude of 15088 ft. and which is also known as the bouquet of beautiful landscapes in Himanchal Pradesh, passing through dark pine and oak forests, vast and magnificent Meadows, crisscrossing rivulets and snow covered cliffs. the view at the top by looking at the pass can only be experienced it is hard to describe.

Buranghati Trek Details

• Base Camp: Janglik (9200ft)
• Altitude: 15088 Ft
• Trek duration: 7- 8 days
• Difficulty Level: Moderate to Difficult
• Best time: June

My Experience with Buranghati Trek

It was mid May, Dada and I were preparing for our imminent trek (9th to 17th June) to Buranghati Pass (1500ft) in Himachal Pradesh. Buranghati being comparatively more difficult than the treks that we had done earlier, we were taking our fitness regime more seriously.

On May 25th we came across a news paper report about a trekker’s death in Buranghati. This group of 7 trekkers were hit by a snow storm just after crossing the pass on 24th May and lost their way due to a complete white out. They were in the wilderness and could not reach the next campsite and were exposed to the elements for very long. Finally they had to be rescued by I A F helicopter but one of them died due to hypothermia and Acute mountain sickness.

This news made us little apprehensive though our date of crossing the pass was still far(15th of June). Actually the weather in the high altitude of the Himalayas can turn bad at anytime of the year and is generally very unpredictable.

Anyways we concentrated on our training. We were alternating between 10km walk and 5km run and also climbing stairs 3storeys*25 and doing lots of squats lunges and stretching exercises. Finally the departure date arrived. We were confident about our fitness but prayed to the weather God to be kind to us.

My Experience during the Buranghati Trek

Shimla to Janglik

On 9th June we reached Shimla. Next morning at 6.30 am we met the other trekkers at a pre decided place. We were a mix of very young, middle aged and old people. Dada being the oldest and myself the second oldest. 18 of us sat on 4 Sumos and made a 10 hours journey to a very remote and pretty village called Janglik (9200ft).

The drive along the Pabbar River was picturesque. In Janglik we were put up in a homestay. We went through some basic medical checkups done by our young and dynamic trek leader Gurkirat alias Guru. Most of us recorded blood pressure on the higher side due to altitude gain. I had 156/95 BP. But sadly one girl recorded a BP of 190/128 which was very very high and she had to drop out from the trek.

On 11th June, after breakfast 17 of us left for Dayara Thatch, our next camp. It was a moderate 6 hours trek through deep- dark pine and oak forests, vast and magnificent Meadows, criss-crossing rivulets and snow covered cliffs. Dayara campsite(11075ft) was like a dream setting with lush Meadows covered with yellow wild flowers and Pabbar River flowing gently through the gorge and glaciers on the mountains hanging over it.

We had a good time roaming around Dayara Thatch. The sky was clear till the evening but suddenly from nowhere some dark clouds appeared. We had dinner and went inside our tents. During the night everytime I woke up I heard the sound of rain. I kept my fingers crossed and prayed for the rains to stop.

Next morning it wasn’t raining but the weather was cloudy. One of the guides said that the weather is not going to clear soon.

Journey to Litham

After breakfast we started our trek for our next camp, Litham. We all were wearing rain jackets. Dayara to Litham was supposed to be comparatively easy trek but due to rain the path had become very slippery. Today we had to walk through birch forests, vast boulder zone, and snow bridges on rivers.

It started raining again and wind started blowing hard making it difficult to walk. Finally we reached Litham campsite(11737ft). This place was like a picture postcard. Pabbar River coming out from under a glacier and flowing vigorously along side the tents. Numerous rivulets joining Pabbar and beautiful yellow flowers blooming along side the streams… Glacier clad mountains watching the valley from above.

That night it rained very heavily again and it seemed our tents would fly away. I am sure all trekkers were praying for the weather to get better. God heard our prayers.

We woke up to a bright sunny morning. It was our acclimatisation day. We spent the day roaming around and taking hundreds of photographs and playing different games. We went to sleep with happy heart as the sky was still clear and the moon had risen.

Litham to Dhunda

We started our trek to Dhunda, the next camp. Within minutes after starting we found ourselves in the wonderland of glaciers. The ice was very slippery and we had to walk very carefully on it. After walking for sometime we met a group of Indiahikes trekkers who were going back towards Janglik.

They said due to bad weather they could not attempt the pass crossing. We were concerned about our fate as everything depended on weather. We reached Dhunda by afternoon. That evening we were briefed by the technical team and were taught how to wear the microspikes, gaiters and harness.

We were supposed to get a wake up call at 1am, breakfast at 1.30am and start by 2.20am.

The excitement was palpable. We went to bed early but could hardly sleep. I am sure, like me every one was praying for the weather to remain clear.

Final Ascent to Buranghati Pass

On 15th June we started our final ascent at 2.20am in pitch dark condition with our head lights on. The weather was absolutely clear. It was almost a 75°wall of hard ice. Technical guides helped us in avoiding crevasses and going too close to a water fall which was gushing down violently just about 50ft away from us.

The microspikes were our savior… without those on,it would be impossible to climb up the slippery hard ice face at such steep angle.

One of the trekkers dropped a water bottle cap by mistake and it rolled down and disappeared in no time. It was scary to even look back. Out of the thousand steps that we took, even if one step had gone wrong then it would have been sure death. Luckily no untoward incident happened and finally after a gruelling climb we reached the top of the pass. By then the sun had risen and we were overwhelmed by the sight that was waiting for us at the top(15088ft).

After spending some time taking photographs it was time to descend. We rappelled down with ropes and harness as it was a 80°-85° ice wall and impossible to walk down. Rappelling about 100m and then glissading (sliding) 5 to 6 times down hill on the hard ice was the most thrilling part of the trek. After that we had to walk for another 5 hours to reach our next camp, the River Camp(11800ft). This again was a beautiful place.

On 16 June we trekked down to Barua village in Sangla district. We sat on a Sumo to reach Shimla and then we boarded a bus to Delhi. We reached Delhi on 17th June. This was the most beautiful and most risky trek that we did till today.

Itinerary For Buranghati Trek

Day 01 – Shimla to Janglik

Reach Shimla then drive (10 Hours) to Janglik (9200ft), which is the base camp for the trek (150 Km).

Day 02 – Janglik to Dayara Thatch

Trek from Janglik to Dayara Thatch (11075 ft), your next camp. It is a moderate 6 hours trek through deep- dark pine and oak forests, vast and magnificient meadows, criss-crossing rivulets and snow covered cliffs.

Day 03 – Dayara Thatch to Litham

Trek from Dayara thatch to Litham (11737 ft) Dayara to Litham is comparatively easy trek but sometime because of rains the path becomes slippery. TheTrek passes through birch forests, vast boulder zone, and snow bridges on rivers.

Day 04 – Acclimatisation Day

Acclimatisation Day

Day 05 – Litham to Dhunda

Trek from Litham to Dhunda (13425ft) which will be the next camp site and from here the journey on glaciers starts where technical equipment like microspikes, harness, rope is necessary. Moreover, at Dhunda, your campsite is on glacier.

Day 06 – Buranghati Pass Final Day

Final ascent day to the Buranghati pass at an altitude of 15088ft, it is a walk on slippery hard ice at a steep angle. Avoid crevasses and going too close to the water fall. Also, the best and most adventurous part is the descent. You rappel down and do glissadding on hard ice. At the end, after a walk of 5-6 hours you will reach your River campsite which is at an altitude of 11800 ft.

Day 07 – Coming down to Barua Village

Trek down to Barua Village which is in Sangla district and then drive to Shimla (10 hours).

Other treks – To do list

• Shrikhand Mahadev
• Dayara Bugyal Trek
• Chadar Trek
• Rupin Pass Trek