Sari Pass
District Kangra/Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
Position - N32 04.744 E76 56.334
Altitude – 3735 metres above MSL
Trail Orientation – West - East
Closest Settlement(s) – Andarli Malhan (West), Tyun/Samalang (East)
If you are a tourist in Himachal, Sari is god sent for you. You are visiting Dharamshala and you want to visit Manali. You are not one for taking a 10 hour bus ride. You hate a car ride, it makes you sick. You love walking, clean air, lush green jungles, silence and ancient villages which still retain some of their old culture. What do you do? You cross Sari Pass.
Sari Galu, as Sari Pass is known locally, is one of the few passes which connect the Kangra and Kullu valleys. Set in deep jungles, far away from civilization, Sari shows the untouched beauty of the Himachal Himalayas. The trail starts at Lohardi, 31 km off the highway, in the watershed of the Uhl river. The jungles are lush green, dense and beautiful. On the western side, the trail runs all along the Lohardi/Sari stream. Camping along the stream under an umbrella of spruce trees is one of the must dos for any nature lover.
On the eastern side, it is colder, sparsely populated and a different culture. If you are amongst those interested in ancient cultures, a stay at Tiun can be memorable. If you are capable of experiencing a culture without judging it, Tiun is a must. From atop Sari Pass, you can see portions of the Dhauladhars towards the west, passes to Lahaul and Spiti towards the East, parts of Kalihani pass and Pir Panjal ranges towards the North. As with any other high pass, I will always do a bad job of describing what can be seen.
An added incentive for going to Sari Pass is the glacial, religious lake called Dainasar. It opens around May and is a 2-3 hour trek from the pass towards the North along the same ridge. Do I need to add what glacial lakes can look like.
Trekking to Sari:
If you are not short of time, take the trail from Bir through Billing towards Rajgundha. And just as conditioning, cross the Nohru Pass before you set off towards Sari. Alternatively, start from Lohardi and trek only through Sari Pass. The trail is gently sloping up till the base camp at Juara. Its easy to find as well, running along the stream. From the base camp to the pass is a strenuous hike along a ridge straight to the pass.
This is where it gets tricky. Across the pass, unlike most passes, you don't just cross over. There are 2 routes. One goes South along the same ridge till it reaches a mountain top, around 300 metres higher than the pass and then climbs down towards Tiun. Early season, this trail is full of snow. The other trail is slightly north of the pass, also higher than the pass and then descends along a frozen stream. If you love sliding in the snow, early summer is the best time to be here. The slide along the snow filled, avalanched stream is almost 3-4 km long with short breaks. The key however is to find the right stream from the pass. While they all eventually form part of the Lug valley, only 2 of them are slide-able.
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