Gurgaon to Chamba, Sach Pass, Killar-Kishtwar cliffhanger road and beyond in HP and J&K - Road trip in Hyundai Santa FE (diesel) by Umang Singla in October 2020.
Drive circuit: Gurgaon - Dalhousie - Khajjiar - Chamba - Sach Pass - Killar (Pangi Valley) - (Killar - Kishtwar cliffhanger till HP/Jammu Border) - Udaipur - Keylong - Shinko La - Manali - Kasol (Parvati Valley) - Gurgaon.
Total distance: Approx 2000 kms from approx 750 ft (230 mtrs) to 16580 ft (5000 mtrs).
Travel duration: 6N/7D
Tolls paid: ₹ 635 (Fastag) + 400 (Cash)
Diesel cost: ₹ 14000
Tolls paid: ₹ 635 (Fastag) + 400 (Cash)
Diesel cost: ₹ 14000
After a lot of preparations, preponements and postponements, finally managed to leave on a fine Monday morning in October of 2020 for Chamba and beyond. The ultimate destinations or the key areas of interest were Sach Pass (that I've been wanting to do for last 2-3 years since my Spiti trip), Shinko la (or also known as Shingo La/ Shinku La), and the recently opened and trending Atal Tunnel. And to do this amazing drive all I needed was a wheel in my hand and four on the road.
It was important that we do this soon within first fortnight of October as it could start snowing anytime and these passes could close.
Day 1 : Gurgaon - via WPE - Chandigarh - Jalandhar - Pathankot - Atal Setu - Banikhet - Dalhousie.
Distance: Approx 670 Kms.
Time: Approx 16 hrs (effective driving time approx 12-13 hours).
Stay: Hotel Manimahesh, HPTDC.
Roads Status: Don't know when all flyovers construction will finish on Ggn - Chd route, currently it causes quite a few bottle necks and jams. Chandigarh - Jalandhar via Ropar/ Nawashahar has become a cream and took us only about 2 hours as there was hardly any traffic on that route. Roads after Pathankot till HP border are messy and broken.
Sometimes the most interesting tours are the detours and Atal Setu was one of them as it was completely unplanned and a surprise visit. We had no idea about it until we saw a sign board near Dunera (abt 40 kms short of Dalhousie). Enquired a li'l (there weren't many people around 8pm) and decided to take the detour and visit it. We reached there to only find Atal Setu closed for the day with complete darkness around with a Police checkpost. After some sweet talk, the police personnel were kind enough to allow us to visit the bridge, take pictures, experience the cool breeze coming from the lake underneath. They even offered to have a few a drinks with them.
There is an HP entry toll after Dunera and then a cantonment entry charge before Dalhousie. The incline primarily starts after Dunera. One interesting thing we observed was a very clear sky with millions of stars visible a few KMs after Pathankot itself. We checked into HPTDC Hotel around 10:00 PM where govt is offering 40% flat discount on rack rates till 31st Dec, and the staff (actually only man on duty) was kind enough to provide us a double room upgrade along with the discount which was like icing on the cake after a long day behind wheels.
Info from Wiki - Atal Setu (Basohli) near Pathankot is a 592 mt long cable-stayed bridge on the Ravi river commissioned on 24 December 2015 by former Defence Minister Late Manohar Parrikkar. The bridge is situated on Dunera (Pathankot) to Basohli road and built to improve connectivity between three states of India - Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. This bridge is first of its kind in North India and fourth of its kind in India. The other such three bridges are in Mumbai (Bandra-Worli sealink), Allahabad (Naini) and Kolkata (over Hoogly River).
Day 2: Dalhousie - Daini Kund - Kalatop - Khajjiar (Mini Switzerland of India) - Chamba.
Distance: Approx 50 Kms.
Time: Approx 4 hrs of driving time including detours.
Stay: Hotel Ravi Arena, near Chamba on Chamba - Bharmour Road.
Road Status: Roads are mostly narrow and broken in parts. Road widening work going on between Khajjiar and Chamba, so you can expect a few roadblocks in between. Road to Kalatop Forest Reserve is NOT a tar road and one has to pay a car entry charge of INR 250. Though it is optional and one can park before the check post and walk through 2-3 kms to the FRH. Sign boards there advises to preferably walk in groups due to presence of black bears in that area. Looking at the overall distance and then a li’l walk around FRH, we were glad we decided to pay and drive instead of walking inside that jungle. There is a small village kind of set up inside with a couple of eating joints where you can enjoy Maggi, Pakodas etc sitting on a terrace, enjoying the cool winds and amazing views of Pir Panjal range and the forest around.
We initially had some alternate plans to do a few lesser explored full day driving routes, but by the time we could check out, it was late for that and we decided to enjoy the day at ease, relax and explore the areas around Dalhousie and Khajjiar. The best part was all of these places hardly had any tourists and we could actually enjoy the calmness, peace and serenity. One can engage in activities like paragliding, horse riding, etc around Khajjiar, or visit famous Nag Temple, or just sit back and relax in the vast and beautiful meadows surrounded by Deodar trees. It is popularly known as Mini Switzerland of India for a reason.
I'd also recommend a short trek about 2-3 Kms from Danikund (which we actually missed). We were later told that the trek takes you to the highest peak in that area and offers an amazing 360 degree view including great view of Pir Panjal Mountain range.
In case anyone don't want to see Dalhousie, you can head directly to Chamba from Banikhet and need not take the Dalhousie detour.
Day 3: Chamba - Bairagarh - Sach Pass - Killar.
Distance: Approx 160 kms.
Time: Approx 11 hrs including ample photo and other breaks and wait time at road blocks.
Stay: Hotel Shivay at Killar
Roads: The roads from Chamba till Bairagarh and few kms further are fine and tarmac and thereafter the adventure begins. Narrow to very narrow mud and stone roads with JCBs at work and 2 way traffic, few beautiful waterfalls, glaciers and of course lots and lots of loose soil dust. Jio Fibre cable laying work is in progress in this area, so roads become further narrow due to digging.
It was an important day for us as we were to head towards Killar via much awaited first milestone around which this trip was planned - 'Sach Pass' located at an altitude of about 4500 meters (abt 14800 ft). It is also known as Gateway to Pangi Valley. It took us about 4 hours to reach Bairagarh (~ 90kms) from our Hotel where we took a good brunch break followed by some security formalities at a Police Check post few kms ahead of Bairagarh. And thereafter the real fun began with adventure roads/ no-roads. In about 3 hours to Sach Pass top from Bairagarh I guess we covered about 30 kms and climbed an altitude of about 7500+ ft.
Trust me, once you reach the top, the feeling is completely awesome. Since it was October and about 3 pm in the afternoon, we were only accompanied by a single car for a while and then we were all by ourselves enjoying the tranquillity in the cold winds with a few glaciers around (yes they were still there awaiting fresh snow season anytime in a couple of weeks). Since we had to reach Killar which was still about 3-4 hrs away and with only 1 small dhaba enroute, we had to begin our descend sooner than we’d have wanted to! Enjoyed a Maggi break at the Dhaba and reached Killar around 7pm. There are only 3-4 stay options at Killar, so it is advisable to pre-book your stay in advance.
Day 4: Killar - Sansari Nalla (Killar Kishtwar Cliffhanger route) - Killar - Udaipur - Kirting (village before Tandi).
Distance: 150 kms.
Time: 9.5 hours including breaks and abt 1.5 hours of road block.
Stay: Ranika Home Stay at Kirting.
Roads: Tarmac roads only start from Udaipur towards Keylong, so except for about 20-25 odd kms, we drove on bad to very bad roads whole day. Road widening and tarmac work is going on but that was only for 3-4 kms in between Killar and Udaipur as of now.
Given the Covid restrictions by J&K, the cliffhanger road of Killar - Kishtwar wasn't part of original plan, but we decided to go a few kms (in opposite direction) and experience it before we headed towards Keylong. And as you know 'Yeh Dil Maange More', so we kept going for about 20 kms or so till the HP - Jammu Border at Sansari Nala. It was totally worth it and thanks to this short detour, we got to buy a 30 kg box filled with fresh and yummy local apples from a village famous in that region for the same.
While heading towards Udaipur there was a long jam, some 20 kms short of Tindi due to blasting work by BRO. Thankfully we were behind schedule due to the morning stint and thus were stuck there only for about 1.5 hrs. Minus the dust, the surroundings were beautiful with the Chandrabagha river flowing in the valley and a couple of nice waterfalls visible from a distance. It was already about 8pm when we reached Udaipur. Took a short 'thupka' break and called a couple of hotels at Keylong. Since we were told that they were full, we decided to stay at whatever accommodation we get enroute. The Home stay we found in a small village named Kirting at about 9500 ft, was amongst one of our best stays during the entire trip. They were closed this season due to Covid but a warm talk over the phone worked and they let us stay. The hosts were absolutely amazing and treated us with great food, the famous seabuck thorn tea from their own farm, and some special local things to make it so very special for us.
Day 5: Kirting - Tandi - Darcha - Sumdo - Shinko La - Darcha - Jispa.
Distance: 160 Kms.
Time: 4 hrs till Shinko La including breaks and about 3 hrs while coming back.
Stay: Kolong Retreat, Kolong near Jispa
Road condition: Simply 'treacherous'. It's like a runway till about Sumdo and then you got to make your own roads! Remember that Shinko La became motorable only in recent years and a lot work is going on at good speeds, however, between Sumdo and Shinko La higher GC is needed at multiple spots. From Sumdo at about 11000 ft we climbed about 5500+ ft in a li'l less than 20 kms to reach Shinko La top (16580 ft). On a lighter note, inspired from a Jeep Compass guy I met there, ours was probably the first Hyundai or first Hyundai SantaFe to reach Shinko La.
I'd fall short of words to express the feeling I went through as we reached Shinko La top. I've driven through higher passes like Khardung La, etc., however, the sense of achievement and accomplishment here was very very different. Maybe it was because of the treacherous terrain, or may be because a very few travellers have yet been there, or maybe it was that small yet beautiful lake at the top, or it was the extremely chilly winds or maybe it was just a cocktail of all of it and more.
The road via Shinku La is an alternate route connecting Zanskar Valley to Himachal. Earlier the only road was the road from Kargil. We wanted to go a few kms further down from Shinko La towards Kurgaikh/ Zanskar, but we got to know that the road is blocked due to a landslide. We decided to rather enjoy some more time at the top and the lake before heading back towards Jispa. Very few accommodations were open at Jispa due to COVID and they all were mostly full due to sudden weekend rush, courtesy Atal Tunnel. Anyway, we were lucky again to find at decent place to have a good night's sleep at a cozy hotel located at 11500 ft about 3kms uphill detour from the main highway near Jispa. This was I guess our highest altitude overnight stay during the entire trip.
A word of caution, to monitor and take care of your O2 levels around Shinku La pass. A long (approx 13 kms) tunnel is under initial stages of construction at Shinko La to make it an all-weather road and an alternate route especially for defense services.
Day 6: Jispa - Atal Tunnel (Rohtang Tunnel) - Manali - Bhuntar - Kasol - Manikaran Sahib - Kasol.
Time: About 6 hrs with ample breaks.
Distance: 170 Kms.
Stay: Chalo Kasol Camps.
Roads: Good Roads mostly all through. Bhuntar- Kasol- Manikaran Sahib is also all tarmac though narrow.
So the main excitement for the day was the current biggest talk of the town these days 'Atal Tunnel'. BRO and everyone involved in making of this state of the art marvel which is World's Longest Tunnel above 10000 ft deserve a lot of respect. It is approx 9.02 Kms long with speed limits of 40 near Entry and Exit and 60 in the rest of it. It's a 2 lane all-weather tunnel connecting various parts of HP especially Lahaul district that earlier used to get disconnected from rest of India during winters due to heavy snow at Rohtang Pass. It has also helped in reducing travel distance by about 47 kms on Manali-Leh route and about 2-3 hours of travel time (do not forget the long jams that could lead to additional time).
A few Kms between Sissu and North Portal of Atal Tunnel were very scenic with golden autumn trees around and about half a KM before the North Portal, the road was outlined with vehicles and people standing to take pictures making it a sort of picnic spot.
We initially thought of staying at Manali but by the time we reached there we decided to head to Kasol instead as that was another place which has been on wishlist for a while. We headed straight to Manikaran Sahib first for darshan. It is also famous for its hot springs and Gurudwara complex has a Shiva temple too. There is a multi-level car parking available and of course not to miss the langar. The road further goes to Tosh but we heard it's not in great condition with lots of traffic jam.
Post darshan, prashad and a hot cup of tea, we moved back towards Kasol where we were lucky to get a nice river side wooden cottage. Since it was dark by then we spent rest of our evening exploring lovely Kasol market. Do not miss to visit Evergreen Café and Jim Morrison Café for some finger licking food. One can also go for a few short treks around and explore a few villages around, or just sit by the river side to relax, or do some bonfire in the evenings.
Day 7: Kasol - Bhuntar - Bajaura - Rahla - Mandi - Ner Chowk - Sunder Nagar - Bilaspur - Swarghat - Panjhera - Nalagarh - Pinjore - Chandigarh.
Distance: Approx 280 Kms.
Time: While this should have taken us not more than 8-9 hours, but due to a long multi hour traffic jam near Swarghat it took us almost 11 hours.
Roads: From Bajaura we took an alternate route via Rahla towards Mandi as the roads via regular Aut Tunnel route are in bad condition. It took us almost 2 hours from Bajaura to Mandi as the roads were narrow and there was more traffic than expected, however, the roads were good, scenic and some additional perks of getting yummy japani phal, walnuts, seedless pomegranate directly from the local farmers.
Roads from Mandi till Swarghat are good to average and thereafter between Nalagarh to Pinjore is totally awesome roads and late at night there was hardly any traffic on that stretch. One can also take a diversion from Baddi towards Chandigarh, however, we took a slightly longer route via Pinjore.
We were happy to be back at base the next day.
Adios till we meet again!
Source/ Courtesy: Reproduced from the drive travelogue narrated in the first person by Umang Singla which he shared with Indian Roadie.
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