This was a trek of many firsts for our group of mid-lifers: the first time we crossed a mountain pass in crampons and gaiters; the first time we got caught in a traffic-jam of trekkers; and the first time we spotted some new birds at close quarters.
It was also a trek that almost got called off even before it started. Despite being well past the rainy season at the end of September, it was raining heavily in the valleys and fresh snowfall was making it difficult to pass through the mountains. On top of this landslides were clogging the roads.
Buran Ghati pass is at the height of 4550m it connects two districts, valleys and climatic regions of Himachal Pradesh. On the southern side you have the Pabbar river valley in Shimla district, and on the northern side there is the Baspa (aka Sangla) valley in Kinnaur district. The former blocks most of the clouds and gets the rain. It as rolling meadows and pine forests while the latter is drier, colder, and home to some of the largest apple orchards in Himachal Pradesh.
Our trek started at Janglik village in the Pabbar valley. All all-day ride brought us from Narkanda, near Shimla, to a place called Chanshal. Here, while having a late lunch of spicy noodles, out main-guide joined us and gave us the first bit of unsettling news - a fresh landslide had blocked our road to Janglik village. It was not big one, he said, our vehicle would drop us one one side and a quick, silent dash across the debris would take us to another vehicle waiting across the landslide zone.
What we did not expect at the landslide zone was total darkness. As our tempo positioned itself to light up the path ahead, we could see the mangled trusses of an iron bridge, and about 100m of rock debris. All of us crossed this zone safely, except for minor stumbles, cuts and bruises.
The next morning, at the lodge, while we waited for the last member of our group to arrive, we were told that the the same site had another bigger landslide which had completely blocked the chances of even walking across the debris. Now we were waiting in a rain-drenched village, unsure of the way forward, and quite sure that our path for a safe retreat was also blocked.
Thankfully the weather forecasts for the next day were quite accurate. Rains stopped by the evening, and the chances of going ahead with the trek opened up.
Since we had lost a day waiting for the rain to stop, the guide decided that we could skip the first camp and head straight to our second camp at Litham, about 10km away. it was a lovely hike across Dayara meadows (Bughyal / Thach). Here we saw a large congregation of Himalayan Griffon Vultures feasting and resting in a pine forest by the snow-line.
The next day we did a day-long hike from Litham Tach to Chandranahan Lakes. There are supposed to be five or seven such lakes (more like ponds) in the area and all of them are sacred for the people of Rohru. Our guide said that locals left behind their footwear before walking to the lakes. Some of us walked across snow and rocks to touch, and pay our respects, at the first lake and returned quickly the safety and warmth of our boots.
Day-7 was the longest. Since we had to reach Buran pass well ahead of sunrise, and before the heat turned the snow into soft slush, our day started at 02:00AM. We were packed and ready to move by 03:30AM and trudged through the darkness with out torches and head-lamps lighting our way through the slippery snow (partially lit by moonlight), to Upper Dhunda camp which was completely embedded in deep snow. Here we geared up and made our legs more snow-worthy by wearing gaiters and mini-crampons.
The equipment made a huge difference. Snow that was slippery and hard a few moments ago became firm and crunchy under your feet; you no longer left footprints - only telltale marks of a dozen blades on the snow.
We could see a group of trekkers from TTH/HH ahead of us close to the pass, and as we climbed, we wondered why they were spending so much time near the crest, lingering and moving just too slowly. It is only when we got there that the reason became clear - the snow-bound surface, which was firm and predictable under the crampons, suddenly turned into a game of Russian roulette. One step could land you on firm surface and the next one would just sink all the way to the waist! After much crawling and struggle, we all managed to reach the top of the pass just as the sunrise lit up under our feet.
It as a long, long way down from the other side of the pass. At each stage what seemed like the edge of the snow-line would spread out again and again until you got tired of trudging on snow and seeking firm ground on each step of the way. It was pass 4PM when we finally got off the snow-line to ground where the crampons and gaiters were not needed any more.
The trek down the valley in Kinnaur was stunningly beautiful - deep forests and valleys interspersed with patches of colourful ferns and other foliage; meadows and apple orchards, all the way to Barua village.
ITINERARY
Day 1 - 26/09/2026 (Saturday) - Overnight HRTC bus from ISBT Kashmiti Gate (Delhi) to ISBT Tutikandi (Shimla)
Day 2 - 27/09/2026 (Sunday)- Reach Tutikandi - meet rest of the group at hotel in Mashobra -- Force 10-seater via Theog, Rohru, Chanshal (vehicle break-down) near Pabbar river -- Tempo to landslide-point outside Janglik village -- dash across temporary bridge, debris of landslide zone to 4WD waiting -- bumpy ride to lodge
Day 3 - 28/09/2026 (Monday)- Rainy day - stay put in Janglik lodge -- visit to local temples
Day 4 - 29/09/2026 (Tuesday) - Start trek from Janglik >> Dayara Bhugyal/Thach >> Litham Thach Camp
Day 5 - 30/09/2026 (Wednesday) - Day trek from Lithan Tach to Chandranahan Lakes
Day 6 - 01/10/2026 (Thursday)- Litham Thach Camp to Dhunda Camp (lower) on the snowline
Day 7 - 02/10/2026 (Friday) - Leave Dunda Camp at 03:30AM >> Upper Dhunda Camp (gear up - gaiters, mini-crampons) >> Buran Ghati pass at 06:15 AM >> descend via ice-wall, miles of ice-slopes >> Dhaba just below snowline at 16:00 >> River Camp by 18:00
Day 8 - 03/10/2026 (Saturday)- River Camp to Barua village via apple orchards (4 hours) >> Minibus to Narkanda (10 hours); Narkanda to Shimla (local pvt bus - 2.5 hrs); Shimla to Chandigarh (HRTC bus 5 hours)
Day 9 - 04/10/2026 (Sunday)- Chandigarh to Delhi (CTC bus 5 hours)
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LINKS and REFERENCES
* India Hikes - https://indiahikes.com/buran-ghati
* TTH - https://trekthehimalayas.com/buran-ghati-pass-trek
* Bikat Adventures - https://www.bikatadventures.com/Home/Itinerary/buran-ghati-trek
* Tripoto - https://www.tripoto.com/sangla/trips/buran-pass-trek-5c95654a0a423
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