Day 5: Udaipur, Himachal Pradesh
It was a rest day at Udaipur, we woke up with a view of the Himalayas from our window overlooking a small farmland. After having a tummy full of Parathas, we ventured around the village on foot to explore it. Although a small village, it has all the necessities in case they are cut-off from the outside world due a landslide or heavy snow. We also found a small spot near the river Chenab and sipped on some cold beer.
After roaming around the market returned back to the hotel and spent the remaining evening sleeping. We needed this much needed rest after the grueling previous two days of ride.
Day 6: Udaipur to Chhatru village
The rest day helped us to recharge our batteries for the road ahead. We started our ride towards Chhatru village. Sparing a day for 100 kilometers was a new normal on the ride. Roads in the Himalayas are extremely unpredictable due to the difficult terrain, and also because of the frequent closures for clearing landslides, maintenance and widening. After a long time, we were on a tar road as the Udaipur-Chhatru village road meets the Leh-Manali highway for a few kilometers. The number of bike groups going towards Leh was mind boggling. Made us feel, that sadly, Leh has become just another tourist destination.
We stopped at the fuel pump near Tandi bridge for refueling. There is no other fuel pump for at least 365 kilometers on any side of this fuel pump. After refilling our bikes and jerrycans we continued on the Gramphu batal road.
The road towards Spiti valley is marked by a small signboard on a lane and that indicates the turn to Spiti. Ignoring that will take you straight to Rohtang pass on the way to Manali. Unfortunately, we missed the signboard and unknowingly reached Rohtang Pass. An unplanned diversion not only increases your ride time but also can be kick in the gut especially on such treacherous route where you intend to cover long distances. The diversion added another 30 kilometers which meant 2 more hours of ride time.
We descended from Rohtang pass to reach the broken sign board showing the road towards Spiti valley. As soon as we took the road, the traffic disappeared. The road became a narrow patch with plenty of ice-cold streams to cross.
The worst one is just before Chhatru village. It is so insane that it’s called Pagal Nala (Mad Stream). Ideally the stream should be crossed before afternoon as the water is at its maximum during the evening, mainly due to the glacier melting and releasing water.
Here is a video of me looking at the water depth before crossing Pagal nala
Here is the video after we crossed Pagal nala
After crossing Pagal Nala we thought of riding all the way till Chandrataal basecamp instead of stopping at Chhatru village. However, around 5PM we encountered a local travelling from Kaza who was intrigued to know where we were headed. When we mentioned Chandrataal, he suggested that we drop the idea to ride at night and reach Chandrataal, instead stay at Chhatru village. He informed us about landslides, shooting stones and cold weather that are frequent on this route and that we should avoid the night time ride. After my Royal Enfield’s air filter problem on day 2, we thought it would be best to take up his suggestion and stay the night at Chhatru.
Chhatru is a small village that has 3 camps, few houses and a government guest house. The camps are situated on the river bank of Chenab river and surrounded by snow clad mountains. This meant, we where is for a cold night. After a quick meal, we went to sleep. The night temperature dropped to nearly zero and there was a breeze too. Somehow, we managed to catch some sleep occasionally being woken up by the cold breeze.
Route: Udaipur to Chhatru village– (via Tandi bridge, Gramphu)
GRAMPHU – BATAAL ROAD
Day 7: Chhatru to Chandrataal (Via Chhota Dara, Bataal)
The Road to Chandrataal
This one is not for the faint hearted. Trust me. The road to Chandrataal is nothing more than a temporary mud path cleared during summer months. For most part of the year this terrain is many feet below ice. It opens only during a brief Himalayan summer i.e. from June through September. From the rider’s skills and grit, to the bike’s capability, this road will test it all. But having said that, this challenge is equally rewarding. It offers some of the most mesmerizing views of the entire Chandra valley. From a raging river we saw on the first day, Chenab looked more like a stream here. We knew we were close to seeing the mighty river’s birthplace. It took us 3 hours to cover 30 kilometers and reach Batal.
The road was closed to remove landslide debris when we reached. It has a small Dhaba called as Chandra Dhaba or Chach-Chachi dhaba that offers Maggi, tea and traditional Tibetan cuisine. An army tent nearby had a fixed line which allowed us to call back home and inform them that we are still alive. After Udaipur, this was the first time we had contacted back home. With limited time available and people waiting to make calls, we only had time to inform our parents that we where still alive and finished the first leg of our journey.
Gramphu-Kaza road splits just after Batal and a left turn leads to Chandrataal. If we thought the path till here was bad, we were in for a surprise. The road welcomes you with the sign, “JEEPABLE” meaning, if you are on a bike, you are out of your mind!
After a 2-hour ride climbing to 15,000 ft. we finally reached Chandrataal base camp. Depending on the need there are ample tents available to choose from.
The stop at Chhatru made sure we reached Chandrataal by noon which meant we had the entire afternoon and evening to see the lake. Although the tents are located about 4 kilometers from the lake it is possible to travel further 2.5 kilometers to the parking. Chandrataal is a 1.5 kilometers trek from here but feels much more as the breaths become heavier in the high altitude.
You can see Bara Shigri during this trek, the largest glacier located in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is the second longest glacier in Himalaya after Gangotri, both around 30 km long. This glacier directly feeds Chenab River. The name Bara Shigri comes from the Lahaul dialect, where Bara means big and Shigri means glacier.
Chandrataal is a gem like no other place on this planet. Sitting on the green meadows surrounding the turquoise blue lake made me feel grateful to simply be alive. In this nature’s cradle, I quietly thanked myself for taking the trip. After spending a few hours, we started our return trek to the campsite.
The camp we stayed in had only us as guests. Apparently due to the landslide, a bigger party that was to come didn’t show up. We decided to eat our dinner and have a few rounds with the caretaker’s in their tent. They made hot chapatis, shared stories and told us about the road ahead. By night the temperatures plummeted to as low as 0° but felt worse because of the glacial winds. We were caught unaware and wrapped ourselves with everything possible we could find.
Saying adios to Chandrataal was not easy. ‘I’ll come back’ said my inner voice!
Route: Chhatru to Chandrataal (Via Chhota Dara, Bataal)
