Trek Route
The trek starts from Holi, around 70 km from Chamba town. The trail for this trek is not very commonly used. In the old days, when Manimahesh was not served through Hadsar, fitter pilgrims of the older times from Kangra and Ravi valleys would climb up this way and get down to the lake. These days, only a few foolish souls do that. However, during August, when the Manimahesh fair is held, the route can get relatively crowded. Click this link to see the map of the trail on OSM (Open Street Maps).
- Holi - Klah: From Holi, walk along the road to Chamba for 4 kms. Cross the bridge on Ravi towards Tiyari village. Tiyari and Upper Tiyari are now connected by a unmetalled road (as of June 2010). You can also hire a taxi for a drop to Upper Tiyari. From Upper Tiyari, the trail traces back upstream along the Ravi on a high cliff before turning North. From this point, you can get a chopper shot of Holi (see Image Gallery). This trail leads straight to Klah, a small village with temples dedicated to Kelang Wazir and Marali Mata.
- Klah - Jailkhud: A simple slightly up sloping trail along the river till a camping ground before a bridge. Once the trail crosses a wooden bridge on the stream, it winds about a little and then goes along the left bank of the stream. When it gets closer to the main range, the valley opens up to reveal a large slope strewn with weak rock. Cross the stream again and head North. The Jailkhud hut is hidden away in a corner by a small ridge. There is enough space to camp.
- Jailkhud - Sukh Dali: For people who are not seasoned trekkers, it could get a little difficult to fathom where the trail from Jailkhud to Sukh Dali is. All you see North East is a huge rocky cliff staring you in the face. Strain your eyes and you can see some small white painted stones marking the trail. The number of these stones could vary depending on which season you are trekking in (closer you are to the fair, more the number of white stones). Essentially, the trail climbs very steeply up the vertical rocky face, winding at times towards the ridge you can see from Jailkhud. It crosses a couple of frozen streams and involves using ice axe for cutting steps into steep snowy trail. Once you climb up the rocky face, there is flat snowy ground/ridge with small melted streams feeding a small water body, called Sukh Dali. The ridge has a shelter with a roof and uncovered sides and enough places to camp. Kuja peak is due East-South-East from here.
- Sukh Dali - Sukh Dali Pass: From Sukh Dali, head North West, roughly in the direction opposite from Kuja Peak. The trail winds and curves upto the pass, around a 2.5 hour ascent with stops.
- Sukh Dali Pass - Manimahesh Lake: Go down the pass, keep a slightly left bearing, the lake is around 2 km NE from the pass.
- Manimahesh Lake - Dhanchho - Hadsar: Its a trail (path actually) used by almost a million pilgrims every year. If you need route details for this trail, you probably should think again before you decide to start a trek in the mountains.
Remember to go by waypoints and before you use the GPS trail, read this page as well.
