Rupin Pass Trek | himalayan

1/5

Altitude

4648m

Cost

₹22,000

Duration

08 Days

Distance

41km

Grade

Difficult

Overview

Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand | Group size- Max. 09

Rupin Pass, which spans over 65 kilometres between the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, is unquestionably one of India's grandest cross-country treks in India. Rupin Pass is one of the oldest passes used by the locals to cross over Uttarakhand & Himachal, the pass connects Givind Pashu Vihar National Park to Sangla Village in Kinnaur. Every moment is unforgettable when you’re on the Rupin Pass trek as it offers picturesque views of colourful landscapes that leave you speechless. Whether it's a journey through dense rhododendron and pine forests, meandering through a hanging village, traversing vast glacial valleys, climbing Rupin Pass's treacherous gully, gliding down snow chutes to Ronti Gad, or climbing to the top of a waterfall.

The view from the top is majestic as the Kinnaur regions appear like Himalayan dreamlands spread under the high mountain peaks, amongst which one of them is Mt. Kinner Kailash, it is not easy to distinguish the peak amongst the high rises of Kinnaur, yet once spotted, it will take your breath away. Rupin pass is one beautifully challenging trek, and it would require a person to have some prior experience trekking over 3500 meters in the Himalayas.

Haridwar to Dhaula (1560 m)

The journey begins from the amazing town of Haridwar, a land that has a unique spot at the centre of Hindu religion, the drive gives you a chance to see the Shivalik mountainscape of Himalayas. After crossing Purola, a small town, the whole scenery changes into the dense forest of oak, and continues till Dhaula. The last one hour of this road before reaching Dhaula is a bumpy ride. Dhaula is a very small village having not more than 5-6 houses, next to Rupin river. Stay at camps.

Dhaula to Sewa (1926 m)

The journey from here onwards is on foot to scale Rupin pass. An approx. 5 km walk starts with a very easy walk on the road which is yet to be paved, and runs through the deep George made by Rupin river. The trail after approx 30 minutes suddenly gets steep as the road ends and you climb up to reach the point with a small tea shop. After this the trail goes into the forest and the walk becomes much more fun until you reach the village of Sewa, a beautiful reminder of the old customs of Uttarakhand. Sewa is the last village of Uttarakhand on this trail as the next campsite on this journey is in Himachal Pradesh. The village has a very old temple which is a delightful sight just in the centre of the village. Accommodation in Guest house/Camp

Sewa to Jhaka (2670 m)

This day we start early in the morning as the total distance to cover is 12 km, which however is a very easy walk on river sides and on village roads. We start from the village of Sewa and descend to the river side, the walk is through the forest. Once on the river side we go a little bit and then climb a gradually ascending trail for half an hour before we reach a bridge that connects the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and following the trail we go for 30 more minutes to reach the road. The walk from here is an easy walk for the next 5 km on the side of river Rupin. The George gets deeper and deeper as we go further and further until we reach the village of Jiskun, a beautiful village made of wood and village roads of brick reminiscent like a fantasy village from some movie. From here few essential things could be purchased as there is a small shop here. The trail ahead of Jiskun is relatively easy until you reach a point with a wooden bridge crossing over a small stream and then the next 1.5 km is a steep ascent to the hanging village of Jhaka. Beautifully built by the people of the Jhaka, this village has an essence of a very old civilization that has remained silent in the fast moving world. Overnight stay in the village.

Jhaka to Boras Kandi (3276 m)

To get back to the trail we will have to climb up to the top of the village and there is a small school there from this point the trail is clearly visible. The trail goes through village farms which are hanging farms and they look amazingly beautiful while walking across them. The trail is a mix of scree and small rocks which after 2 km will enter into a thick forest of mixed vegetation. We will continue on the trail of the jungle but make sure you watch your steps carefully here as the rich and beautiful flora and fauna may take your concentration away at times. Soon we will reach a point where the trail drops down and now the Rupin river is again visible, crossing onto the other side of the river using a wooden logged bridge, we get onto the trail which now goes through moraines and a few green patches of Rupin valley. Continuing on the same side we will go gradually up and after crossing a steep section and then descending down again we will reach our campsite which will appear like a field of rhododendrons from a distance.

Boras Kandi to Dhanderas Thatch (3561 m)

The trek is gradually ascending and we will walk in the middle of the valley for some time before we reach a point where we will have to cross a couple of snow bridges over the Rupin river. After crossing the last snow bridge which takes us on the left side of the river in the direction of the river. There is a steep ascend that takes us straight to Dhanderas thatch. After reaching up on the meadows of Dhanderas you will be able to see the many waterfalls in all the directions and right in front of you is the Rupin waterfall which can be identified by the two sections in it, the upper waterfall and the lower waterfall. We will reach the edge of the moraines and we will pitch our camp; the river looks very calm and composed at this point however the currents are really swift.

Dhanderas Thatch to Waterfall campsite (4109 m)

The beautiful morning of Dhanderas thatch will take your breath away and the distance to cover is not too much today, yet we will have to start early as we have to walk across some steep snow-covered sections and the route is very tricky as well. There are some points where we cross over the waterfall using the snow bridges which is an exhilarating experience in its own way. The final section of this day’s trail is very steep and goes through moraines before you reach the beautiful campsite under mt. Sherangcha.

Waterfall campsite to Rupin pass (4648 m) to Ronti Gad (4085 m)

We will start in the dark hours of the morning and try to cover as much distance as possible in the darkness to make sure that we reach the infamous Rupin gully before its starts to melt under sun and loose rocks, and also the view from the top of the pass in early morning is nothing less than heavenly. The trek from the campsite of the waterfall is a steep climb that may take upto one and half hour before we reach the gradual landscape of Rataperi, it stays snow covered most part of the year and the Rupin pass can now be visible from this point. We will reach the base of the Rupin gully. The view from this point is breath-taking, you will find yourself surrounded by many high passes. Climbing in the gully is not easy as the low level of oxygen starts to kick in and also the gully does not receive much sun so it makes the ice in the gully super hard and smooth also, it is a very steep section. On reaching the top you will see many rock cairns all across the high points in the sight. The view from top of both the sides is something that makes you forget all the hardship faced on the climb, the Kinnaur side (Sangla valley) offers a majestic view and the astonishing mt. Kinner Kailash is clearly visible from this point. After spending some good time at the pass, we will start our descent which is a steep descent through moraines covered with snow and eventually the trail becomes an easy walk through the vast meadows of Kinnaur. Accommodation in tents

Ronti gad to Sangla (2482 m)(road head) to Shimla

The beautiful morning of Ronti gad is something that should not be missed as the whole valley becomes magnificent at the time of sunrise. We will start our day by preparing for the final day of the trek. Today we will have to walk across the well-marked trail that goes through the beautiful meadows and amazing villages of Sangla region. The trail ends at the point where we cross over the extremely violent and raging Baspa river using a bridge. Sangla is a small town in Kinnaur and from here our cabs will drive the team to Shimla. You may schedule your stay or travel from Shimla accordingly.

Your journey to Tranquility awaits, only a few more steps to go :)

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Transportation from Haridwar to Shimla
All meals(Veg) from day 01 Dinner to day 08 Lunch.
Accommodations in (camps, hotels, lodges, guest houses or home stays) According to itinerary on twin sharing basis.
All permits required (forest entry fee, protected lands entry fee).
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