Day 1: Kullu to Barsheni village and trek to Rudranath camp site

The trekking expedition starts from Kullu in the morning. For a comfortable journey, you need to reach Kullu a day before. The trek starts from Kullu at around 10 am. The route commences from Kullu to Barsheni Village and from Barsheni to Rudranath campsite. The first phase of the trek will be a jeep drive from Kullu to Barsheni village and the second phase is a trudge to the Rudranath camp site. The path for vehicle to the village has been recently laid. It takes four to five hours to reach Barsheni. It is the last road head. From the village the trail will take you to Kalga Village which is just thirty minutes away or to Rudranath, further 4 kms down the track. Kalga village is not a preferred place for camping, hence Rudranath. You will see the Rivers Parvati and Tos confluence at the beginning of the trek. A bridge over the Tos River comes first. Across the river, the trail leads through couple of local villages to the Nakthan Township. It will take 15 minutes of steep climb and an hour of steady walk on level land to reach the township. It is a good place to buy your ration and fuel for the trek. The next stop is Rudranath, 45 minutes from Nakthan. The trail is a meandering path on the uphill side of the Parvati River. Rudranath camp site has a pretty waterfall and a small temple of Lord Shiva. The locals consider the temple ground and surrounding sacred. So, it is advisable to camp away from the temple and near to the waterfall.

Day 2: Rudranath to Khirganga

The trek today will be reasonably an easy one. It will take 2 to 3 hours to reach the next destination, Khirganga. Khirganga is a gorgeous locality surrounded by lush forest and waterfalls. The trek starts from then camp site on flat terrain till a makeshift bridge over the Parvati River. You will enter a thick forest of Pine trees after you cross the bridge. The forest trail is a steep climb. You will come across few crystal clear brooks, which you can utilize for drinking and filling water. A dhaba will come into sight after an hour of trek. The dhaba has a small stream flowing by its side. You get fine food here. After the Dhaba, you will have to climb on gradient for another 20 minutes till you reach a level ground. Another 20 minutes walk on the land, you will reach a hilly region. The ascent is steep and slippery. Frequent rain fall has made the place filled with mud, hence the terrain is slippery. You have to be careful while mounting. After a while, you will reach another dhaba. From the dhaba, Khirganga is just 10 minute walk away. Khirganga is a beautiful inclined meadow. You will find many huts here for travelers and restaurants too. After settling down, a visit to the Parvati kund is must. Parvati kund is famous for its Hot water springs and such pampering is much needed after a long trek.

Day 3: Khirganga to Tunda Bhuj

Today the trek would cover a height of 10, 500 ft and it will take five hours to complete. The trail is a gorgeous one on grazing lands amidst silver birch trees. You will also see a string of waterfalls on your way. And the view is incredible. This route is travelled mainly by shepherds with their farm animals. Therefore, the trail is muddy and fallen trees might further slow you down a little. You will come across three make shift bridges at three intervals. At first the trail is a steady ascent thence a chain of gradual incline and decline and finally a steady descent to a stream where you will come to the first bridge. After the stream is crossed, you will enter a forest and 30 minutes later, the forest ends in a meadow. You will notice vendors selling refreshments in a tent. This would be the final place for getting food. The trail now bends in the right and 20 minutes into trek, you will reach another brook. The second makeshift bridge is right over the brook. Across the bridge, you will find few shepherd huts to your left where they sell fresh milk. Further down, the trail leads you to another forest. The ascent here is steep and muddy. Thirty minutes later, you will reach the end of the forest and again a wide land will follow next. You have to climb further up to reach a hill top. From the hill top you will notice the great Parvati Valley in front of you. From this point, you have to trek for some time and finally you will reach the last of the three bridges. Across the stream is Tunda Bhuj, destination of day 3.

Day 4: Tunda Bhuj to Thakur Kaun

Today you will trek for 5 to 6 hours and reach an altitude of 11, 600 ft. you will cross two difficult bridges today. At first, the trail will be on flat terrain. The River Parvati falls to your left, flowing radiantly. You will come to the first bridge after sometime. It is a wooden bridge, though not very strong, but will bear your weight efficiently and take you to the other side. From here, it is a steady ascent, sometimes steep and sometime gradual, on a boulder strewn mountain. Once you have reached the mountain, you will see the Parvati valley gloriously lying ahead. You will notice beautiful blossoms of buttercups, iris, poppies and other wild flowers scattered throughout the place. You will have to walk down to the Parvati River and with the help of Pulley Bridge you will crossover to the other side. The crossing with the pulley is the difficult part. Thereafter, another half an hour of gradual climb, you get to a flat meadow near to the River Parvati. This is going to be your camp site of the day, Thakur Ganj.

Day 5: Thakur Ganj to Mantalai via Odi Thach

The journey today will be fairly a long one. Your first stop would be Odi Thach and then to Mantalai. It is almost 9 to 10 hours trek altogether. The terrain to Odi Thach is a rough one, boulder strewn slopes along the Parvati River. You will climb through a pretty meadow adorned with blossoms and then through a sand based terrain. Quarter of an hour later, you will cross the Parvati river again by climbing and getting down off a huge rock which acts as a bridge. Pandu pull comes next. It is also a gigantic rock in between the river connected to the other side. You have to again climb the rock to go to the other side. Climb further up to reach Odi Thach. The landscape is picturesque. The place is surrounded by unnamed peaks on one side and Mt. Kullu Eiger at the other side. You will also see chain of waterfalls here. Mantalai is elevated at 13, 440 ft. The route is muddy and over boulder strewn path. You will cross series of ridges and swamp lands along the river basin. The final ridge will be a large one infringed from the left side from where the river Parvati flows. Mantalai lies behind the ridge. Further, following the left side of the valley, the trail leads to another crest of the mountain from where Mantalai is few meters away. You can see the Mantalai Lake below. Climb down the ridge towards the river bank. You might notice a small temple of Lord Shiva here. Walk along the left bank of the river till you reach the lake side camp site.

Day 6: Rest day and Acclimatization

Mantalai lake camp side is a perfect place to rest and acclimatize. It was quite hectic and long trek the day before. A much needed break is required here. You have to take a considerable amount of rest and then prepare yourself for the difficult part of the trek which is going to commence from the next day. Acclimatization is must here. You will reach an altitude of 15, 000 ft the following day, which is quite a height. The oxygen level gradually decreases as you climb great altitudes. Your body is always accustomed to more oxygen. Hence, it will be difficult to breathe in there if you do not allow your body to get used to the climatic and temperature change and also to accept less amount of oxygen to breathe in. otherwise, chances of getting altitude sickness is high. The procedure is simple. You just need to do few warming up exercises and walk few miles up and down on this day. By doing this, you will get the feel of the weather and level of oxygen. Mantalai Lake camp site is a beautiful place to rest and enjoy. The place was formed with glacial moraines, hence the amazing view. The lake itself is a beautiful and pristine sight. Gear up for the following day and get to bed early.

Day 7: Mantalai to Parvati base camp

Today will be a rough day. The trek would comprise of a 12 – 13 kms of walk. It will take six hours to reach the base camp if we trek nonstop. Getting started with the trek early would be a good idea. The initial phase of the trek would be done on level grounds. After half an hour, the trail becomes steep gradually over boulders and other moraines. You will come to an icy cold river which has to be crossed on foot. About half an later, you would reach the base of the mountain where a steady steep climb starts. You might see snow patches over the mountain. The climb might exhaust you as it will take 5 hours to reach the top. While climbing, you will witness the magnificent view of the entire Parvati valley. Many wild species of flowers and plants like Losar and Brahmakamal grows on the way. The climb becomes brutal with each step. Make sure you keep a watch on your foot as there are many loose rocks that might come out if applied pressure. Finally, you will reach the Parvati base camp, which is basically a plateau. The camp is at a height of 15, 100 ft. And indeed the view is magnificent and breathtaking. The Parvati South, the Pyramid Peak, the Snow peak and Ridge peak are clearly visible from here.

Day 8: Parvati base camp to Pin Valley base camp Via Pin Parvati Pass

This is another long as well as an exciting day. Today you will reach the highest altitude, Pin Parvati pass which is at 18, 000 ft approx. The climb is 12 kms and five to six hours yet again. The trek includes steady steep ascents over boulder scattered terrains and glacial drifts of clay and rocks. Keep trekking steadily to the left side of the glacier and you would reach a plateau facing a huge rock. Your route would be traversing in between the plateau and the rock face till you reach a wide open snow filed. Keep your path to the left and climb up the mountain. Make sure you see the path properly as there are many snow crevasses. At the top of the mountain, the pass can clearly be spotted. Another two hours of rigorous climb, you would reach the Pin Parvati pass. What an glorious view it projects. You can see the entire Pin valley beneath, the Kinner Kailash and Srikhand Mahadev past it and the famous Bara Shigri complex as well. With careful observation, you can also locate the peaks of Bara Shigiri – Fluted peak, Kulu Makalu, Parbati and the Goat head peak, Rubalkhand and the peaks of Dibibokri. You can rest here for a while and absorb the charm of the place and then head down to the Pin valley base camp, also known as the Dhumdhar base camp via Spiti Valley. You will cross a stream first followed by a steep descent. The campsite is at 15, 770 ft.

Day 9: Pin Valley camp to Wichkurung Thatch

The track from pin valley gradually improves. The trail takes you to the confluence of the pin and a small stream. You have to climb further up on the glacier above the stream side and then descend 700 meters down. A nallah which originates from the river comes into view. Crossing this is tricky as the river current is very dynamic. You have two ways to cross the river, either by taking a long route from the left or by climbing the glacier on the right. The trail leads to Rampur Bhusarh via Bhabha Pass. You have to go another hour to reach Wichkurung Thatch which is at 12, 600 ft. It is a cattle grazing field. The location is beautiful surrounded by grassland, blooming with colorful flowers. The vision of the setting sun is just beyond expression. This place will be your camp site of the day.

Day 10: Kaza to Manali

Mudh is another 5 kms from Wichkurung Thatch. Today is a descending trail that routes over rocks and rubbles and finally reaches big tombstones. You might notice yaks and bharals grazing at peace. Mudh is a national park where many animals like the Ibex, Blue sheep, rare Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan wolf, Snowy hare and the Wooly hare takes shelter. The place has an amazing kaleidoscopic view as well; the mountains and peaks have a mix of colors like purple, green, maroon and pink, which gives the landscape an incredible effect. These colors are originally the reflection of the flowers grown here. Long back, Mudh was the only oasis in the Spiti dessert. You can also visit the pretty village of Mudh and Gompa. From Mudh, a hired cab/ jeep will drive you to Kaza. The drive to kaza is yet again a beautiful experience. You will see the spiti valley racing along with you. You will camp at kaza for the night.