Hampta Pass Trek

You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay it by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees. Reservations close 7 days before departure.

Solo travellers aged 18 to 40, and booking alone is what the trip is for. You share a trekking tent and a Manali guesthouse room with a traveller of the same gender. The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates and is never more than 12, which keeps the pass crossing manageable on narrow, loose sections. Hampta Pass is more demanding than a beginner trek, so read the fitness question below before you book.

The Trip Host treks with the group for all 6 days, handles the day-to-day logistics with the local trek team, and is the person you go to if anything goes wrong. A licensed local guide, cook and porters handle the technical side of the trek: setting the pace, choosing the safest river-crossing points and carrying the group gear.

It starts at our guesthouse in Manali on the morning of Day 1, and we send the address when you book. It ends in Manali after breakfast on Day 6. You can fly to Bhuntar (Kullu-Manali) airport when Alliance Air is flying there, but the service is limited, so check before you book. Otherwise take a bus or car from Delhi (about 12 to 14 hours by road) or Chandigarh (about 8 to 10 hours). The highway into Manali has been damaged by monsoon floods in recent years, so allow extra time from July to September. Arrive the day before Day 1, and two nights in Manali before the trek is better for altitude.

Yes. The route needs a forest permit from the Himachal Pradesh forest department, issued in Manali. Our local trek team arranges it and it's included in the trip price. Fees are set by the department and can change year to year, so we confirm current rates before each departure.

The trekking season runs from about mid-June to late September, and our departures are in June, July and September. In June there is still snow on the pass and the Chandratal road may not have opened. July and August bring the monsoon to the Kullu side: wetter trails, higher streams and a real chance of landslides on the roads, as happened in the 2025 monsoon, which cut the Manali highway for days. We may delay or change the plan if rivers or roads are unsafe. September is usually the clearest month, though rain can linger early in the month. The Chandratal road and camps usually shut in October, so we don't run later.

Yes. Most nationalities need a visa for India, and most can apply for an e-Visa online on the official site, indianvisaonline.gov.in. You also have to file India's free online arrival and health forms before you fly. Rules change, so check the current requirements for your passport before you book flights, and ask a travel health clinic or your doctor about vaccinations at least six weeks before you go.

You sleep in a Manali guesthouse on Day 5 (simple rooms, shared or attached bathrooms depending on availability) and in trekking tents at Chika, Balu Ka Ghera, Shea Goru and Chatru. Camp toilets are tents set up away from the sleeping area, and washing is with wet wipes or a bowl of warm water the crew brings round, since there's no hot running water on the trail. We follow leave-no-trace practice: the crew carries out non-biodegradable waste, camps only at established sites and sticks to the marked trail.

Tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats and a dining tent are included. You need warm layers for cold nights at altitude even in summer: a fleece, a down or synthetic jacket, a waterproof shell, trekking boots broken in before you travel, gaiters, waterproof gloves and a warm hat. You'll cross streams and may wade a river, so bring quick-drying trousers and a spare pair of socks, plus a headlamp, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and a reusable water bottle. Trekking poles, gaiters and jackets can usually be rented in Manali if you don't own them. We send a full kit list and current rental options when you book.

You should be able to jog 5 kilometres in about 35 minutes, or walk briskly uphill for 4 to 5 hours on consecutive days, before you join. This is a step up from a beginner trek: the pass-crossing day is only about 8 kilometres, but it takes 8 to 10 hours with a steep climb, a steep descent and loose ground, and Day 4 starts with a cold stream crossing. Some multi-day trekking or hill-walking experience in the year before you travel makes a real difference, and a few months of regular cardio and stair training beforehand is worth doing even if you've trekked before.

It's a real risk and fitness doesn't protect you. Manali is at about 2,050 metres, the first camp at Chika is about 3,100, Balu Ka Ghera about 3,700 and Hampta Pass 4,270, and Chandratal, if we visit, is about 4,300. You gain a lot of height on Day 1 and there's no separate rest day for acclimatising, which is why we suggest arriving in Manali early. Know the warning signs: headache, nausea, dizziness, poor sleep or unusual breathlessness. Tell your guide straight away if you feel unwell, and don't go higher with symptoms. Confusion, loss of balance or breathlessness at rest mean descending at once. No road reaches the camps between Jobra and Chatru, so help can be hours away and an evacuation means walking or being carried down. The guide has the final call on descending. If you want altitude medication such as acetazolamide (Diamox), talk to your doctor well before you travel.

Yes, it's a condition of joining, and it must cover trekking at altitudes up to at least 4,500 metres and emergency medical evacuation, since Hampta Pass itself is at 4,270 metres and standard travel policies often exclude trekking above 3,000 metres or don't cover trekking at all. Check the policy wording before you buy. This is your own insurance, not something we provide.