Hampta Pass trek — the route, the season and what to expect

Two valleys in four days

Hampta Pass is a corridor between two very different worlds. On the Kullu side you walk up through forest, meadows and boulder fields beside the Hampta river; on the far side the Chandra valley of Lahaul is bare, brown and huge. Shepherds have used the pass for centuries to bring their flocks to Lahaul’s summer grass. For a trekker it is the most dramatic change of scenery you can get in four days from Manali.

The route, day by day

Day	Stage	On foot (approx.)	Night
1	Drive Manali → Jobra (about 16 km), walk to Chika	2 km	Chika, about 3,100 m
2	Chika → Balu ka Ghera, past the Jwara meadows	8 km	Balu ka Ghera, about 3,780 m
3	Over Hampta Pass (4,270 m) and down to Shea Goru	9 km	Shea Goru, about 3,900 m
4	Shea Goru → Chhatru, then drive back to Manali	7 km	Manali

Distances are from trek operators’ published itineraries and vary a little between them, because not everyone starts from the same road head. In all it is about 26 km of walking. Day three is the hard one: a long climb to the pass, then a steep, often snowy descent. Day four brings the glacial streams, which run lowest in the early morning.

When to go

The trail opens when the snow on the pass softens, from about mid-June, and closes with the first heavy snow, usually by mid-September. June has snowfields high up, July and August are the green months but bring monsoon rain on the Kullu side, and September is the clearest. The road out from Chhatru is the Gramphu–Kaza road, which opens each spring with Kunzum Pass. See the pass calendar for the dates on record.

Permits and the drive out

Trek guides report no trekking permit for Indian nationals. The Kullu district’s permit portal, which issues Rohtang permits, also lists a Hamta Pass permit, so check it when you book. The car that collects you at Chhatru comes over from Manali through the Atal Tunnel and needs a free e-Aagman registration for Lahaul & Spiti. Coming back over Rohtang instead needs a Rohtang permit — see the Rohtang permit guide.

Adding Chandratal

From Chhatru it is about 50 km up the Chandra valley to Chandratal, the moon lake at 4,250 m. Having just crossed a 4,270 m pass, you arrive already acclimatised. It adds a day and a night in the camps below the lake.

Before you go

• Fitness: walk or run regularly for a couple of months beforehand; the pass day is 8–10 hours.
• Altitude: you sleep at about 3,800–3,900 m. Headaches, nausea and breathlessness that get worse are a signal to go down.
• Layers: nights are near freezing even in August. Bring waterproofs for the Kullu side and sandals for the stream crossings.

Trekking is one of the activities we list on our trekking page. Tell us your dates and group on WhatsApp, and we will tell you what we can arrange.