Chandratal Trek with Hampta Pass

The difficulty level of Chandratal Lake trek is Moderate. Hence, it is recommended that you have a little prior experience of trekking and have the optimum level of fitness. It is advisable that you go through a thorough medical check-up before booking the trek.

You should carry the following essentials for the Chandratal trek. Clothing: Full sleeve shirts/T-shirts Track-pants Cotton socks Woollen socks Full sleeves sweater or fleece jacket (preferable) One light jacket Thermal inners Gloves Sun cap Scarf Trekking Shoes Equipment: Head-light or flashlight Extra batteries Walking stick Backpack with rain cover Additional: Water bottle Towel Lip balm, Cold cream sun-screen (SPF 40+) Toiletries and toilet paper Personal medicine kit Dark sunglasses (U/V protected)Water bottles and energy bars/snacks are advisable. A Flashlight (with spare batteries) will help once the sun goes down and it’s always smart to carry insect repellent and emergency medical kit.

Please do not carry the normal sports shoes. As you need the good traction during the trek, shoes from Woodland or Forclaz 500 is a recommended choice.

During this Chandratal trek, you will be provided with vegetarian food which is cooked according to the well-planned menu suitable for trekking up the high altitudes. The menu varies from bread and butter to poha to sandwiches for breakfast and roti or puri with vegetable curry for lunch and dinner will include rice, roti, dal, or some dessert every day. You will also get biscuits and snacks as well. It is advised to carry energy bars, nuts, and dry fruits if you like. Since the campsites are located near water sources, you will not find any difficulty in getting fresh water to drink and it is always better to carry two liters of water every day.

It is advisable to carry a 6L backpack, weight to be carried will depend on your requirements and capacity.

Chandratal Lake trek is considered as a moderate trek. The major reason for this is the atmospheric pressure that changes as you trek higher. The weather conditions are also one of the reasons for the moderate difficulty of the trek. On this trek, you would be climbing up to 14,100 ft and will pass through several rivers, valleys, and thick jungles.

Consumption of alcohol or cigarette is prohibited while you are on any type of high altitude trekking because both these activities can let your body dehydrate easily. Then you will find it very difficult to complete the stretches. Alcohol will open the pores in your skin and let the cold get inside and make the body temperature in terms with the temperature outside. But it will finally lead you to feel dehydrated and thirsty. Hence try not to smoke or consume alcohol. Many of the trekking tours will not allow the participants to do any such activities during the trek.

Almost moderately warmer climate can be experienced at Hampta Pass if you choose June and July and the day temperature varies from 13 to 18 degrees Celsius and it falls into 0 to 7 degrees Celsius at night. When it comes to September, the climate will become colder with slightly lower temperatures during day time as well as at night. There will be snowfall at different points on the trek till the early days of July and if it is raining, then the snow will melt away.

There will be separate toilet tents arranged at each campsite for men and women. Depending on the size of the group, the number of toilets varies. Toilet tents will have a deep pit, mound of soil and a shovel to cover it up. All of them usually will be dry toilets where you have to use toilet papers alone. A room freshener will also be provided.

No, the Hampta pass trek is not open in December as the routes are all snow-covered and the mercury meters stoop down too low that make trekking almost impossible. Apart from this, even the roads and passes are closed due to the heavy snow. Instead of exploring the Chandra Valley, you can head to other peaks of the Himalayan range at this time like KedarKantha.