Monday, August 07, 2006

Trip to one of the highest point in India - Rohtang Pass, July 2006

Note: Click on the pictures to get a bigger and better view
Short Intro …

I went for a vacation with few of my family members during the mid of July covering Delhi, Shimla, Manali, Jaipur and Agra. Our first part of the trip was to Shimla & Manali and it all went according to the plan. We didn’t have enough time in our second part i.e. to cover Jaipur & Agra extensively. We had to be satisfied to have had a glimpse of couple of palaces at Jaipur and the seeing the great Taj Mahal at Agra. We missed the Bharatpur National Sanctuary and Fatehpur Sikri. Our trip to one of India’s highest point – Rohtang Pass was unforgettable. My advice to those who wish to make a visit to these kind of places is that to visit before age catches up (before 40 is an ideal period to visit) from the perspective of energy level and enthusiasm.




We went in the middle of July and it was an off-peak season. We had booked our accommodation at Snow valley Resorts, which is located at 3 Kms uphill from Manali bus stand area. We drove from Shimla (engaging a Qualis with a knowledgeable driver) to Manali starting around 9 AM and by the time we reached the hotel, stopping in the way for lunch, snacks, tea and photo sessions, it was 9 PM in the night when we checked in. The hotel was good and little expensive, but the good part was the food. It reduced lot of effort on our side to find out a place to have our choice of food (being pure vegetarians) and we also need to be careful on the quality. The hotel served as breakfast and dinner as part of our package and the food quality and service was more than our expectation.

Day at Rohtang …

Rohtang pass is located at 14000 feet above sea level. It can be reached from Manali by 2 and half hours drive through beautiful, breath taking and some times frightening mountain curves. The mountain road has been laid well and it goes all the way up to Leh a.k.a Ladakh. The roads are maintained by BRO (Border Road Organisation) and on the way, one can see so many cautions against rash driving and they were very enjoyable to read. The intention is convey the message in a lighter way. One such example - "if you are married, divorce speed".

Coming back to the Rohtang pass visit; we started the next day morning sharp at 9 AM as advised by our driver. He seemed to be making at least 10 trips a year to Manali and so he knew the places, timing of visit and was helpful. We reached the Rohtang pass roughly after 2 and half hours drive with mini stoppage at couple of places to stretch and have some light snacks and photos. Also, we had to rent the woolen coat, hand gloves and boots to protect ourselves against the chilly conditions that will be encountering at the Rohtang pass

Horse Ride …

Even though the season was supposed to be off-peak, we saw close to at least 100 tourists when we reached the place. We then discovered that we have to travel on horseback for another 1.5 KM to see the snow clad mountain peaks and feel the glaciers. The horse ride was not very strenuous and if you are the type of person who is not comfortable doing horse riding, I have to sound a caution that there is no better option. One can walk, but the walk won’t be comfortable as the path will be slushy, rocky, little ups and downs, and only the locals would be able to. More over, as the place is located 14000 feet, tourists from tropical places will feel short of oxygen and more walking will only add to the problem (soon we will end up panting for every 20 steps). So the ideal option is to go by horse back and there should not be any worry as the horseman will accompany us and the instruction while riding the horse is simple. There are three Hindi words that one needs to listen to and follow - Hold the saddle firmly, “Seede” (sit straight), “Aage” - push your body forward when the horse is on ascent), and “Peeche” - push your body backwards when the horse goes down a slope. The horse ride costs 350 per head.

Snow and Glaciers

Once we reached the particular spot, we were thrilled to see glaciers which we can touch and feel, and at a distance, we could see the snow-clad mountain peaks (of course, it was at a distance and at much higher altitude). There was a glacier ride (a worn out tyre as converted into a seat and max of 3 can sit inside and can enjoy a ride of 100 meters at a princely sum of 25 per head). We felt on cloud 9, as the clouds kept passing through us. There are plenty of trekking options and if one has stamina to walk uphill and come back; this is a good adventurous place. But around 1 PM, the clouds started staying and sighting was becoming bit tough. I have to warn the visitors that one has to be careful not to venture too far, as it is easy to loose oneself in the clouds and there have been instances of people getting lost and never traced (as told by locals).

Conclusion …

We though we had spent enough time (close to an hour and half) and decided to return by horse back to the place we had parked our vehicle. When we started back from Rohtang pass, the driver had to use head lights as the visibility was poor. We could still see tourists coming in at that time and we felt sorry for them as they had chosen a wrong time to make their visit. The best time was to start at early morning (say even around 7 AM), reach Rohtang around 10, spend easily 3 hours and then start back. The down hill journey is again 2.5 hours and if we add the time consumed to take photos (because we wouldn’t have time during uphill), it should take 3.5 hours to reach Manali.

The only drawback is the lack of any public amenities at that place. There are so many visitors every day (we could count at least 200 by the time we came back at an off-peak season) and there is not even a toilet facility and women feel most uncomfortable. When we ask toilet, the locals said ‘Pathar ke peeche’ meaning ‘behind the rocks’ and we discovered that it was a OTS (Open Toilet System) behind those giant rocks. It was pathetic to see such a beautiful, scenic tourist spot doesn’t even have this.

Expenses

Entry Fee - 50 Rs
Horse Ride - 350
Protection Clothes – 100 per person (rent)
Basic amenities at Rohtang Pass including a first aid or rescue persons – NIL or absolute zero