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| Suraj Taal |
The trip had to be short as we had only 4
days from the 25th to the 28th of July for our trip. So
initially having contemplated Chopta in Uttarakhand, we finally zeroed in on
Keylong and Baralacha pass in Himachal Pradesh. As many would have travelled to
Leh via Manali would have passed Baralacha and I can only attempt to describe
its beauty, which undoubtedly, I will fall short of words to express.
We started off from Delhi at 7.30 pm bus to Manali and reached Manali at around 10.00 am the next morning. Without wasting any time, we took the bus to go to Keylong. The journey took about 6 hours, needless to say peppered with a lot of breaks, which I guess are also required to give the bus driver some respite from the rather demanding roads and terrains.
We reached Keylong at about 5pm and decided to rest for the evening. Keylong is a beautiful small place with a lot of places to stay to suit every pocket. The facilities in most places are basic and Keylong is used by many campers and travellers as an overnight base point for their further travel to Leh. However we used Keylong as our base camp and travelled from there.
On way to Baralacha pass, we decided to get down at a place called Zinzinbar, which is a short distance from Baralacha Pass and decided to walk till Baralacha. Of course birding being my passion, I had a chance to photograph some Himalayan winged beauties.
Next day morning we left for Baralacha pass. Baralacha pass is on the Manali-Leh highway. The journey is beautiful and picturesque. The snow on the mountains has melted partially and it is beautiful to watch these mountains half in brown by the colour of the rocks and soil and half in snow.
Near Baralacha pass, there is the beautiful Suraj Taal lake, the third highest lake in India. The lake is the starting point of the Bhaga river (which forms part of the Chandrabhaga or Chenab river upon confluence with Chandra river). Set between snow clad mountains the lake is beautiful and serene and the very setting is mesmerizing. The colour of the water is a rather dark turquoise blue. (Unfortunately cant explain it better, I am not very good with colours unless its on birds!!) The lake is at a height of 4883 metres (about 16,000 plus feet) and is worth a visit.
The drive back from Baralacha pass and Suraj Taal back to Keylong is very beautiful. The Himalayas gives us a glimpse of mountains with so many colours and different landscapes, it is simply breathtaking. On the way back, we also passed the beautiful town/village of Jispa. A very scenic serene place
Upon return to Keylong, we rested for the night.
We started off from Delhi at 7.30 pm bus to Manali and reached Manali at around 10.00 am the next morning. Without wasting any time, we took the bus to go to Keylong. The journey took about 6 hours, needless to say peppered with a lot of breaks, which I guess are also required to give the bus driver some respite from the rather demanding roads and terrains.
We reached Keylong at about 5pm and decided to rest for the evening. Keylong is a beautiful small place with a lot of places to stay to suit every pocket. The facilities in most places are basic and Keylong is used by many campers and travellers as an overnight base point for their further travel to Leh. However we used Keylong as our base camp and travelled from there.
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| zinzibar |
On way to Baralacha pass, we decided to get down at a place called Zinzinbar, which is a short distance from Baralacha Pass and decided to walk till Baralacha. Of course birding being my passion, I had a chance to photograph some Himalayan winged beauties.
Next day morning we left for Baralacha pass. Baralacha pass is on the Manali-Leh highway. The journey is beautiful and picturesque. The snow on the mountains has melted partially and it is beautiful to watch these mountains half in brown by the colour of the rocks and soil and half in snow.
Near Baralacha pass, there is the beautiful Suraj Taal lake, the third highest lake in India. The lake is the starting point of the Bhaga river (which forms part of the Chandrabhaga or Chenab river upon confluence with Chandra river). Set between snow clad mountains the lake is beautiful and serene and the very setting is mesmerizing. The colour of the water is a rather dark turquoise blue. (Unfortunately cant explain it better, I am not very good with colours unless its on birds!!) The lake is at a height of 4883 metres (about 16,000 plus feet) and is worth a visit.
The drive back from Baralacha pass and Suraj Taal back to Keylong is very beautiful. The Himalayas gives us a glimpse of mountains with so many colours and different landscapes, it is simply breathtaking. On the way back, we also passed the beautiful town/village of Jispa. A very scenic serene place
Upon return to Keylong, we rested for the night.
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| Baralacha Pass |
The next day morning, we started for Stasur Monastery near Keylong. The monastery is located on a mountain and the climb there was moderate but with the sun bearing down on your back, it can get a little tiring. The setting of the monastery is very beautiful overlooking Keylong on one side and the mountains on the other. The Buddhist monks at the monastery were very kind and offered us tea and biscuits, which we needed most after a rather tough climb for a city dweller. The mountain and vegetation also offered many birding opportunities for me which was satisfying, seeing many birds for the first time in my life.
The next day we started back from Keylong to Manali early in the morning. After crossing Rohtang pass, we got off at a place called Gulaba, where one gets to see vultures both perched and flying at eye level. Unfortunately it was very foggy and after walking for a couple of kilometres and including a lengthy wait for one hour under a tree on which a vulture was perched, and with a hope of getting a good pic, we realised that luck wasn’t on our side on that particular day. Fortunately within minutes we saw a HPTDC bus going to Manali and hopped onto it to proceed to Manali.
But from experience I would suggest that anyone planning a visit to a place in the mountains should take a day off to acclimatise as the terrains and weather can be very demanding. This was my first visit to that part of the country and though short left me with beautiful memories.
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