Day 1

Getting to the Diude Base Camp (9,200 ft):  Start from Shimla at 06:30 AM and take a 6-hour long journey to enjoy the trek to Buran Ghati. Pick up vehicles will be arranged to leave from Shimla. The base camp of this Buran Ghati trek is Janglik. Diude is the closest road head to Janglik. From Rohru to Diude, you will get to see the beautiful Pabbar river. Watch the square wheat fields along the river and beautiful Himachali homes. The road climbs along side pretty villages and mixed forests until it gets to the pine forests around Tonglu.

Go through the motorable road at Tikri, just after Chirgaon, it turns left and becomes an absolute dirt track for the rest of the way. It takes two hours along the dirt track to get to Tonglu. At Tonglu, the dirt track drops down to the river, crosses the Pabbar and climbs to Diude in swift switchbacks. Janglik is a short walk from Diude.

Day 2

Diude/Janglik to Dayara (9,200 ft to 11,075 ft): Duration: 5 hours, Trek gradient: Moderate. Around 75 minutes of ascent followed by a 15-minute flat walk. Make your way to an ascent into a forest for about 30 minutes followed by a gradual descent for about an hour in the meadows ending with a gradual ascent through a forest. Find streams to refill your water bottles about 1-1.5 hours into the trek. Come out of Diude and witness the beautifully crafted wheat fields lined by charming wooden farmhouses on their edges. Within fifteen minutes, you will leave the last huts of Diude behind your trail.

Then start climbing the altitudes rapidly. In an hour, you will come to step on a ledge and then give your eyes the splendid views of Diude, Tonglu and other villages. The ledge under a pine tree is a wonderful place to take a break. Fifteen minutes later, past a clearing on your right, the trail climbs into an oak and pine forest. Follow the steep trail that levels off to a gradual, pleasant climb. Half an hour later, you will escape from the tree line into a vast expanse of meadows climbing into the hills to your left. 

The trail out of the tree line descends gradually, skirting the top of the pines. The trail is well defined and broad. Almost an hour later, the trail enters another magnificent forest of pine and oak but thicker. Through the forest, the trail climbs gradually before popping out of it again in another half hour. Watch the perfectly landscaped meadows of Dayara in front. Camp at Dayara.

Day 3

Dayara to Litham (11,000 ft to 11,737 ft): Duration: 3 hours, Trek gradient: Easy. Today’s trek starts with a gentle ascent for about 15 minutes followed by a stream crossing. Ascend through a pine forest and meadows for about an hour followed by a gentle descent through a silver birch forest and meadows. You will not require a refill today if you carry 2 litres of water from Dayara. Find streams on the trail. The trail from Dayara to Litham will show you some of the dense forests, wide green meadows, gushing streams, and brooks as you cover an altitude of 737 feet in 3 hours.

The trail goes through the meadows towards the Gunas Pass. A gently ascending trail enters another clump of pine forest fifteen minutes out of the Dayara campsite. Then you get to a stream that needs to be leapt over. Across the stream, the trail climbs out of the forest and rounds a wide curve to regain the views of the snow-capped mountains of the Dhauladhar range and Gunas Pass. Behind the pine forest, you will see the snow-lined cliffs.

Half an hour later the trail will come to a forest full of silver birch. The forest is old and the silver birches gnarled with age. Descending gently through the forest leads to another perennial stream in the fold of the mountain. Refresh here and climb out of the fold to your first clear view of Litham. Across the meadows, the trail dips to the Chandranahan stream that you need to cross before throwing down your backpacks at the Litham campsite.

Enjoy the views of the snout of the Chandranahan waterfall, beyond which is the Chandranahan lake. In front are the towering snow-clad mountains that hide Buran Ghati but set the heart fluttering in anticipation of a great adventure ahead. On the right are the snow patched cliffs that hide the Rupin valley. Stay overnight at Litham campsite.

Day 4

Excursion to Chandranahan lake (11,737 ft to 13,900 ft and back): Duration: 6-7 hours, Trek gradient: Difficult. The Chandranahan lake is a glacial tarn that is perennially fed by snow flanks of mountains that surround it. Cross the stream that you get just before the Litham campsite. Continue upstream on the shepherd’s trail to a ridge top. Walk towards the snout of the waterfall from where the stream emerges.

It takes about an hour and a half to get to the snout of the waterfall, marked by beautifully placed stone cairns. The journey to the lake takes a difficult turn the moment you get to the flat at the snout of the waterfall. In late June, the valley floor has good amounts of snow but nothing that is difficult to walk on.

There are tiny waterfalls that turn into brooks that trickle down to the lake from all sides. Spend time taking in the sights of the setting before heading back to Litham the way you came. It is a steep descent from the lake to Litham. You must start early in the morning to be back at Litham at lunch.

Day 5

Litham to Dhunda (11,737 ft to 13,365 ft): Duration: 4-5 hours, Trek gradient: Moderate. Buran Pass trek can be easy or difficult depending on where you camp for the pass assault. Dhunda at 13,300 ft is a perfect and short two hour climb to the pass. The Dhauladhar range looms over the trail with the Gunas pass sitting pretty on top of the snowy flanks of the grey mountains. It is a monochrome setting of grey and white in front, with the green grasslands of Litham to the left, and cliffs of the bordering Rupin valley to the right.

The Pabbar is no longer a gently descending stream. Later the trail takes a sharper ascent. Continue up the left bank until the trail gets into a U shaped gorge like valley and you get the first view of the Buran Ghati on your left. Start the climb to Dhunda by following the well marked shepherds’ trail that leads in the general direction of the pass. An hour of climb, you will reach ridge top of Dhunda. Get the awesome views of Buran Ghati and the trail that leads to it. The camp is in an alpine zone. Snowcapped mountains flank the campsite on all sides.

Day 6

Dhunda to River camp via Buran Ghati (13,365 ft to 11,800 ft via Buran Ghati): Duration: 9-10 hours, Trek gradient: Difficult. Follow the ridge and hop over boulders towards the base of the pass. From the base it is an hour long climb to the top, mostly on snow. Buran Ghati is at exactly 15,000 ft and offers a thrilling climb. It is a narrow ledge on the top. The drop on the other side is sharp and steep. Without the rope, the descent can be risky even with an ice axe. Getting down to the first snow field about 100 metres below the pass is your first objective. Thereafter it is a series of descents over smaller ledges that you can slide down.

Descending on the Buran Ghati trek is quick and very soon you lose all the altitude that you have gained. It takes about 2 hours to get to the end of the snow line. You also lose about 3,000 ft in altitude. Out of the snow line, the descent takes you down a ridge with junipers and lovely flower crested shrubs. The view of the valley in front is lush green as far as the eye can see. Beyond, a long range of mountains tower over the setting. Descend for another hour to get to a stream that needs to be hopped over. Across the stream the first farmers’ huts appear. You camp here for the night.

Day 7

River camp to Barua village (11,800 ft to 6,700 ft): Duration: 6 hours, Trek gradient: Easy. The descent to the Barua village is remarkable for the variety in vegetation and diversity. Take the path that follows the Barua Khud. Stick to the trail that is broadest and most used. The trail descends rapidly through the high altitude pines, giving way to a mix of other trees. An hour and a half later the trail descends to a large gushing stream meeting the Barua Khud. A makeshift bridge lined with junipers and mud is the only way across.

Climbing out of the stream, the trail is greeted with more diverse vegetation. An hour later the first apple orchards and signs of civilization await the trekkers. Then the trail enters Barua village through an arch. It is a long descent through the village as the trail meanders and descends through. Once at the heart of the village, the descent is more rapid. In half an hour the trail pops out on to the road bridge over the Barua Khud. Transport will be arranged to leave from Barua to Shimla at 1:00 PM and you will reach Shimla at around 2:00 AM.

If you wish to set out on your own, you can wait to get a vehicle to Karcham, which is a junction 3 km ahead or you could simply walk it. Karcham is a junction where roads from Rekong Peo and Sangla meet. The big hydel project by the Jaypee group also starts at Karcham. From Karcham either take a vehicle to Sangla, 17 km away, or to Reckong Peo for more connectivity to Shimla.

Day 8

Buffer day: Rest at Shimla for the night and you are free to explore Shimla the next day and take a Volvo bus to Delhi in the evening. The tour concludes today.

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