Bhaba Valley

Witness a dramatic change of scenery in Himachal Pradesh, while crossing over from Kinnaur to Spiti on the scenic Pin-Bhaba Pass trek which takes you through arid valleys, glaciers, and lush meadows.

GETTING THERE

The Pin-Bhaba Pass trek begins at Mud Village in the Spiti-Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh. To reach Mud Village, one needs to get to Kaza by hiring a cab from Manali. Alternatively, you can reach Kaza through the Shimla-Kinnaur route; during the last leg of the journey, you can either hire a cab from Reckong Peo (Kinnaur), or take the early morning bus that runs between these two towns. From Kaza, hire a cab till Mud. An afternoon bus service runs from Kaza to Mud Village as well. It is advised to reach at least three days before the trek to acclimatise.

STAY

Hotel Deyzor (starts from ` 2,600/ USD37, hoteldeyzor.com) offers a comfortable stay in Kaza. Beyond Kaza, there are only reasonable homestays available. Tara House Homestay comes highly recommended in Mud Village (starts at ` 2,200/USD31, hotelinpinvalley.com).

TOURS

It is best to plan this trek using a company with expertise of the region. Spiti Holiday Adventure (spitiholidayadventure.com) organises the Pin-Bhaba Pass trek and takes care of everything— from accommodation to excursions and food.

WHEN

Bhaba Pass opens during the last week of June, and stays open until mid-September.

DISCOVER

Reach Spiti a little early, and acclimatise while doing day trips to the Ki Monastery, the remote villages of Langza, Hikkim, and Komic, and the Kaza monastery.

Camping nights at the Pin-Bhaba Pass are complemented by the surreal sights of the milky way.

Clockwise from left: With River Bhaba roaring in the background, the campsite at Mulling makes for a scenic breakfast setting; the Pin-Bhaba Pass trek brims with rugged terrain and wild streams gushing out of nowhere; a view from our homestay in Mud Village—the last village of Pin Valley in Spiti region. The village is the starting point of the Pin-Bhaba Pass trek and the Pin-Parvati Valley trek.

Clockwise from left: While the first half of our trek had us hiking through a cold desert, the second leg of it took us through the lush green meadows and thick woods of the shepherd trail; a herd of Chumurti horses, which are unique to the region, graze on the green grasslands of Pin Valley; we witnessed a dramatic change in the scenery on our way to the pass from Pin Valley; though we feared torrential rains, we were greeted with beautiful sunsets and clear skies near the Bhaba Pass.

My travel companions and I take a moment to enjoy the successful ascent to the pass.