Trek to The Holy Brighu Lake

Sport & Abenteuer Reisen
Reise Bausteine

Trekking Reisen

Overview

Lake Brighu is a very famous sacred body of water 2000 m above the village of Vashisht, on the eastern side of the Rothang Pass.

Legend has it, that Brighu Rishi meditated here and many local deities took a dip in the sacred waters of the lake. The most famous of them was Guru Vashisht, who made pilgrimages to the lake every two to three years. And even today, many locals set out on the steep path of Vashisht once a year in August to honor the holy place!

Program

Day 1 Manali to Gulaba by car (1 hour), then trek to Raualikholi (3770 m) 3-4 hours

A forest of oaks and fir trees surrounds Gulaba, the place from which our trek starts. Later we continue over green pastures and through Rhododendron. Maybe we’re lucky and spot the giant vultures! (Overnight in a tent) B/L/D

Day 2 Raualikholi to Brighu Lake (4268 m) to Panduropa (3450 m) 5-6 hours

From the camp to the lake it goes steeply up to 4268 m, for about 3 hours. Due to the altitude, we are only slowly moving forward, but we are all the more happy, when we reach the holy lake. If you go a little further from here, you have a magnificent view of the Pir-Panjal mountain range. When the weather is clear, you can even see the Indarasan and the Deo Tibba. Both mountains are over 6000 meters. Then it goes down near the tree line and we can make a campfire. From here you have a great view over the Kullu valley and the opposite Dhauladar mountain range. (Overnight in a tent) B/L/D

Day 3 Panduropa to Vashisht (2300 m) 5 hours descent, then transport to Manali

Today it goes relatively steep downhill through dense forest, past waterfalls and green pastures. We have a beautiful view of Manali and finally reach the small village of Vaschisht. Here, hot sulfur springs invite for a soothing bath. B/L/-

Services

Trained trekking guide
Cook and helper
Load horses or carriers
For 2 nights accommodation in 2-man tents
Kitchen tent
Dining and staying tent
Toilet tent if needed
3 days full board (2 x breakfast, 3 x lunch packages, 2 x dinner and snacks)
Transport from Manali to the start of the trek
Transportation from the end of the trek to Manali in 2 days

Highlights

Prices and Dates

This trek is possible from May to October

From 2 Participants 270 €/Person.

Price decreases with higher number of participants.

Tour Info

Requirements

This trek is quite short, but above all we have little time to acclimatize accordingly. Our trek starts quite far up at 3300 meters, so that the first two days can be quite strenuous due to the low oxygen content of the air. Nevertheless, the actual hiking lessons are not very long, so you can take enough breaks on the way. On the last day the descent becomes quite steep and the running can go quite nicely into the leg muscles.

Information about the Trekking Tours with Chalo! Travels

Mountain guide and trekking team

On all our treks we have at least one (for larger groups of 6 participants two) trained local mountain guide. Our mountain guides have all completed at least the Indian mountaineering training, many of them have also completed the advanced courses.

They are familiar with the trekking routes and know the terrain excellently. All our mountain guides speak English.

In addition, there is a local team consisting of a cook (if the group consists of only two participants, the mountain guide also takes over the tasks of the cook), helpers, horsemen with horses or Nepalese porters, depending on the type of trek.

All our team members have been working with us for years, are very friendly and always strive to provide our guests with a great trekking experience. Their English (besides of the Guide) is rather mediocre or non-existent, but this is not necessarily a hindrance to communicating with them.

Trekking Routes

The trekking routes are designed according the skills of our guests and are all feasible for a person with a good fitness level, unless otherwise mentioned. The daily routes are between five and eight hours long (with breaks) and an average increase of around 500-800 metres of altitude is completed.

In between, rivers may have to be crossed. The paths are partly well developed, but sometimes also almost non-existent. On our trekking routes there are hardly any villages in between, so we will take enough food for the whole tour.

On our treks we cross passes, snow or glaciers. On steep slopes, we have safety equipment with us.

Daily routine (Depending on the length and intensity of the trek, the times may vary)

7: 00 am Get up with Tea

7:30-8:30 am Breakfast

7:00-9:30 am Dismantling of the camp

8:00- 9:30 am Start Trek

1:00 pm Lunch on the way

3:00-5:00 pm Arrival at the camp and camp construction

3:30-5:30 pm Snacks

7:00 pm Dinner

Altitude and altitude sickness

Altitude sickness is a very important topic that should not be underestimated, especially during our trekking tours in the Indian Himalayas. At altitudes above 3500 m, our body has to slowly get used to the low air pressure, which also causes less oxygen to enter our lungs. The first signs of altitude sickness are headaches, which are accompanied by dizziness, nausea, insomnia and loss of appetite. It becomes problematic when water accumulates in the lungs and brain and edema occurs. Then only the immediate descent to lower altitudes will help. To prepare for the heights on our treks, we will either spend a few nights at high altitudes before the trek or slowly ascend during the trek to acclimatize. If we notice that there are problems with our guests (each person is otherwise able to acclimatize, regardless of age, gender and fitness level), it may happen that either the entire group or the concerned participant descends/returns with a team. In addition, it makes sense to take an emergency drug for altitude sickness. For this, it is best to consult the pharmacy or the travel doctor. For certain treks we will also have oxygen with us.

Luggage

Each trekking participant is responsible for his own clothes and personal belongings. Depending on the trek, we are either with horses or porters. If we have load horses, one bag per participant can be loaded onto the horse. In the case of treks with porters, all personal luggage must be carried independently. Tents, sleeping bags, mattresses and food are carried by our porters.

For trekking tours with horses, a day backpack with space for the lunchbox, a water bottle and warm overcoat clothing should be taken with you. Here to the complete packing list for our trekking tours.

Packing list for trekking tours

sleeping bag at least -10°C
large backpack or soft carrying bag so that the load animals can carry the luggage
Small carrying backpack for the day approx. 30-40 l with rain protection
flashlight/headlamp
2 refillable water bottles
hiking poles
passport and passport copy
camera with spare battery and memory card
headgear as sun protection
Good Sunglasses
cap
Scarf, Buff
Gloves
wind-proof trekking pants
trekking pants
Functional Underwear Long
hiking boots
socks thick and thin
sneakers, sandals and/or slats
windbreaker
Warm Jacket
fleece sweater/jacket
Tshirts
sunscreen, lip balm min. Protection 40
fat cream
water purification tablets (boiled and filtered water is provided)
own medications for headaches, nausea, digestive problems, colds)
bubble patches and dressing material
own hygiene articles
Toilets Paper
hand disinfection

Meals

During the trek there will be a vegetarian full catering. Water is either boiled or we have a water filter with us.

Breakfast (daily selection):

Coffee/Tea
Oatmeal porridge/muesli/cornflakes/Indian porridge
Indian breakfast
Sliced fruit/vegetables

Lunch (mostly lunchbox), sometimes warm in the camp

Sandwiches/Indian (rice, chapati, vegetables)/potatoes
Juices
Chocolate
Fruit

Snacks

Tea/coffee
Cookies
French fries/Indian snacks

Soup

Dinner (depending on the length of the Trek mix of Indian/Chinese/Continental)

Vegetable dish
Lentil dish
Rice/noodles
Chapati
Salad
Dessert

Accommodation and camp

We have very comfortable and spacious two-man tents. Our mattresses are practical but simple if there are problems with sleeping on hard surfaces, please take your own mattress with you or order from us. Our sleeping bags are freshly washed and have a very good quality with comfort zone up to -5°C/extreme zone up to -20° C. It is recommended to bring personal indoor sleeping bags.

In addition, we have a spacious dining tent with tables and chairs, a kitchen tent for the team and a toilet tent. For treks up to 4 people, the kitchen tent can also act as a dining tent at the same time.

For trekking tours with porters, we will take our smaller, lighter tents with us and do without a toilet tent.

Weather

In the Himalayas, temperatures fluctuate widely. While it can get warm up to 25°C during the day and the sun is not only warming, but also very intense (sun protection is a must), it can also cool down significantly below the minus-grade at night, especially in the months end of September and October, as well as in June. There may also be weather changes with snow on the passes.

5
At the roof of the world

21.09.2014 from Philipp

After my two-month internship in Bangalore, I wanted to get to know something from the north of India. Other interns had told me about the possibility of trekking in the Himalayas. Since I like to travel in nature and at the end of my stay in India I wanted some variety to the Indian cities, I decided to do a trekking tour. After my internship, I only had one week until I had to return to Germany, so it was difficult to find a suitable tour. Most of the tours offered on the Internet were intended for long periods of time. Finally, I came across the Chalo Travels website! Trips, on which shorter tours were also offered. After my request, Sarah took care of everything else: the organization of the trek, the bus ride from Delhi to Manali and the accommodation in a guest house in Manali. All I had to do was to take care of my flight to Delhi. In Manali Sarah was already waiting for me in her office in Old-Manali. I stayed in a guesthouse nearby and spent another night there. The next day the trekking tour began. We drove in a jeep to our starting point, from there we set off. The heavy luggage, such as the tents, was carried by horses, so we only had to take a small day backpack with us. Arriving at the camp, Sarah showed me how to set up the tents. Unfortunately, it had started to rain, but in the kitchen tent, there was hot tea and coffee and an excellent dinner. The breakfast was also great. There were porridge and pancakes, among other things. On the second day we reached the destination of our three-day trek, the approximately 4300m high Bhrigu Lake. From there we had a breathtaking view of the surrounding six-thousand-metre peaks. On the last day of the trek we went downhill to Vashist, a small town where there are hot springs. From there I went back to Manali, where I spent another day before returning to Germany. The trekking tour was certainly one of the highlights of my stay in India. I can only recommend everyone to take such a tour. At this point again a big thank you to Sarah! She organized the tour top, with a mixture of Indian simplicity and German reliability, so that I could really enjoy my stay in the Himalayas!