In July, I finally got a chance to visit one of the most beautiful and unforgiving places of Himachal Pradesh on my trip to Sach Pass – Pangi Valley. Today I will be sharing the most common itinerary which you can plan to visit this beautiful part of Himachal Pradesh but yet quite unforgiving and full of adventures.
As usual, this article is the first step towards the comprehensive travel guide for Sach Pass and Pangi Valley which I will be publishing as a series of articles in weeks to come. The second one is how to make a trip to Sach Pass in 4-5 days.
Quoting from my experience of Sach Pass – Pangi Valley in terms of what you can expect from it…
Numerous water crossings, endless waterfalls, snow walls as high as 40 feet, roads as if the pathway to hell, picking up an XUV to cross the landslide, clearing the landslide on your own, driving through the ever violent gushing streams and waterfalls, running through the live landslides, taking an open wild waterfall bath, getting stuck in no mans land, crossing over mighty passes of Rohtang Pass and Jalori Pass in the middle of night… Uff… Can you ask for anything more?? 😀 :D… All in all an F-amazing drive to daddy of all the mountain passes – Sach Pass in Pangi Valley which conclude with an exhilarating WTF kind of experience last week…
Let's quickly dive into the details:
How to reach Sach Pass?
Sach Pass in Himachal Pradesh connects Pangi Valley with Chamba Valley. There are three routes you can travel to Sach Pass from Delhi. You may opt to travel to Pangi Valley by any of these three routes. However, keep in mind that you will face challenging road conditions on all these routes. Each of these routes has its charm and different difficulty levels for driving. Sometimes you will feel that it very much unlike making a trip to any other place in Himachal.
Delhi to Sach Pass via Dalhousie – Chamba route
You can start in Delhi and travel to Dalhousie – Khajjiar or even Chamba. Then you keep driving to Bairagarh – Satrundi to finally enter Pangi Valley after crossing Sach Pass. You may come back home via the same route or pick any of the other two routes. This choice of driving a circuit will help you explore two of the three available routes for traveling to Pangi Valley from Delhi. If you are short on time, this is the best route to travel to Sach Pass as you can easily make a long weekend trip via this route.
Delhi to Sach Pass via Kishtwar – Killar route
Next on the list is to plan a trip to Sach Pass via Kishtwar – Killar side. However, this route will expect you to more days at hand. You will need to first travel to Kishtwar, which will take you about two days from Delhi. Then people drive the famous cliffhanger drive from Kishtwar to Killar on the next day. Finally, on Day 4, you may cross the Sach Pass to travel to the Chamba side.
Delhi to Sach Pass via Keylong Udaipur route
It will take 3-4 days to reach Sach Pass from Delhi via Keylong route. You need to first travel to Manali, then Manali to Keylong on the second days. Now on the third day, you will travel from Keylong to Udaipur to Killar. Finally, Killar to Sach Pass and either return via the same route or enter Dalhousie – Chamba side.
Now that you know how to reach Pangi Valley, let us look at a day by day detailed plan of planning a memorable Sach Pass trip.
Travel Tip: If you are driving yourself to Sach Pass or Pangi Valley, then do not forget to check the 40 must-have things to carry on a self-drive trip to remote Himalayas.
Most Common Itinerary of Sach Pass – Pangi Valley for 7 – 8 Days
To maintain the brevity of the article, I will quickly jump upon the most common itinerary for making a trip to Sach Pass and Pangi Valley. We will be taking the route to Sach Pass from Chamba side and then exit via Manali side. I will also provide an option where you can exit via the Kishtwar side as well.
Day 1 | Delhi – Pathankot – Chamba / Bairagarh
- This day you will be just driving out from Delhi without much sightseeing apart from what comes on the road. You can stop for food at Chamera Lake that comes on the route.
- It will take about 3.5 Hrs to reach Bairagarh from Chamba, so early start from Delhi is mandatory.
- Follow the route alongside Chamera Lake, in case you need to go to Bairagarh then on short route Chamba will not come. So, look for directions.
- About 12-16 Hrs drive to Chamba (12 Hrs) / Bairagarh (16 Hrs).
- Overnight at Chamba / Bairagarh, whichever suits your timings.
Day 2 | Chamba / Bairagarh – Sach Pass – Killar
- Leave very early, if from Chamba and enjoy the vistas en route.
- Leaving early is mandatory because else there will be too much water in nallas that can strand you in between nowhere.
- You can plan for lunch at Bagotu Nalla dhabha after crossing Sach Pass towards Killar or have food at Bairagarh.
- About 8 – 9 Hrs of in case from Chamba else will take about 5 – 6 Hrs to reach Killar from Bairagarh.
- Overnight at Killar.
Day 3 & Day 4 | Stay at Killar and explore beautiful villages of Pangi Valley
- Spend a couple of days at Killar to explore the beautiful villages in Pangi Valley around Killar are Dharwas, Luj, Sural, Hundan, Findroo, Findar, Mindhal, Parmar, etc.. to name a few.
- The entire Pangi Valley offers many picturesque villages, and there is a PWD rest house in Cherry where you can stay in peace too along with hotels or guest houses in Killar.
- About 6 – 7 Hrs of total drive on these days as all these villages are not that far from each other.
- Overnight at Killar on both the days or maybe the Sural village can be one place to stay.
Day 5 | Killar – Cherry – Purthi – Udaipur
- Start your day early else at time Madgram Nalla near Udaipur will be flooded and you will not be able to cross it.
- Easy drive to Udaipur exploring the beauty on the route. You can have lunch at Purthi Dhabha if required.
- About 5 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between
- Overnight at Udaipur.
Day 6 | Udaipur – Tandi – Sissu / Jispa / Manali
- Visit Trilokinath Temple while going towards Tandi.
- You can stay either at Keylong / Sissu / Jispa depending upon the choice if you want to visit Baralacha La / Surajtal or not.
- In case you want to return, better stay at Sissu else for Baralacha La go over to Jispa and stay there. In case you are short on time, you can directly reach Manali from Udaipur and save a day for you.
- About 5 Hrs of drive in the day. Manali will take around 4 Hrs from Sissu.
- Overnight at Sissu / Jispa / Manali in Lahaul Valley.
Day 7 | Sissu – Rohtang Pass – Manali / Mandi
- In case you are at Jispa, you can do Baralacha La and Surajtal on this day else from Sissu you can head to Manali or Mandi.
- Have lunch at Manali and continue to Mandi or enjoy in Manali.
- About 4 – 5 Hrs of drive in the day to reach Manali. Mandi is another 3 Hrs from Manali.
- Overnight at Manali / Mandi.
Day 8 | Manali/Mandi – Delhi
- If there is time explore Manali, that is if going by overnight Volvo which starts around 5.30 PM.
- Manali Local sightseeing which includes Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Local Monastery, Old Manali, Vashisth Hot Water Springs (never found it interesting), etc.
- About 12-14 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
- Back Home.
Alternate Plan – Sach Pass to Killar to Kishwar in 7 days
Now, instead of planning to travel to Manali from Killar via Keylong – Udaipur route, you might be interested in traveling the cliffhanger drive from Killar to Kishtwar. Let us look at how you can adjust the above Pangi Valley itinerary.
Day 5 | Killar – Kishtwar
- Start your day early to reach Kishtwar by evening.
- The route is popular by the name Cliffhanger drive. The rough drive can give goosebumps to anyone. Hence, it will take some time to cover the 120 km journey from Killar to Kishtwar via Gulabhgarh.
- The road is pretty narrow with a deep drop running aside it.
- About 6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between the journey.
- Overnight at Kishtwar.
Day 6 | Kishtwar – Patnitop
- Wake up easy after a tiring day and start for Patnitop in Jammu to halt the trip before returning home
- Patnitop is just 120 km from Kishtwar and roads are mostly decent.
- About 5 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between the journey.
- In the evening, do some local sightseeing in Patnitop or enjoy the sunset.
- Overnight at Patnitop.
Day 7 | Patnitop – Delhi
- You start the trip back home after an early breakfast.
- About 12-14 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
- Back home.
Road Conditions for Sach Pass – Pangi Valley trip
You must understand the road conditions on the route to Pangi Valley and Sach Pass. If you are planning a self-drive trip to Sach Pass and you have never driven on rough Himalayan roads, then I will highly recommend you think twice. It may look tempting, but the trip to Sach Pass and Pangi Valley is an adventurous journey.
Following is the breakdown of road conditions for this Pangi Valley trip:
- Delhi – Ambala – Ludhiana – Jalandhar – Pathankot: Mostly excellent, smooth sailing toll road.
- Pathankot – Bungal – Bhatwan – Dunera – Nainikhad – Banikhet: Mostly good and some sections were average and very few bad patches with potholes.
- Banikhet – Chamera Lake Reservoir – Larog – Koti: Mix of good and average roads.
- Koti – Tissa – Bairagarh: Roads are mostly bad with few average patches between Tissa and Bhairagarh, there are some landslide points and tricky sections along with few water crossings. Drive with care here.
- Bairagarh – Satrundi – Sach Pass: Mostly non-existent roads, rocks, boulders on road, multiple gushing water crossings, landslide points, slush near the pass and some very very tricky sections. Quite difficult I will say.
- Sach Pass – Bagotu – Killar: Again mostly non-existent road especially till Bagotu nallah which was totally flooded. The road on the other side of Sach Pass was extremely pathetic, I mean no words for it. Might kill sedan totally. Both XUV and Terrano struggled a lot in water crossings, big boulders, snow, and slush.
- Killar – Cherry – Purthi – Tindi: No roads, dirt track but is OK to drive with average conditions and a couple of water crossings.
- Tindi – Madgran – Udaipur: Again no roads, dirt track, slush, couple of very heavy/violent water crossings including Madgran.
- Udaipur – Trilokinath – Tandi: Many patches of good tarred roads and smooth sailing. A couple of places have average and bad sections.
- Tandi – Sissu – Khoksar: The majority of sections are good but there are few sections which are narrow, with slush and very bad especially for small cars.
- Khoksar – Gramphu – Rohtang Pass: Quite bad roads, some sections are very pathetic again especially almost up to few KMs before Rohtang Pass.
- Rohtang Pass – Marhi – Manali – Kullu – Aut: Mostly very good roads except for Rohtang Pass to Marhi which has a couple of bad sections.
- Aut – Banjar – Ghiyaji/Jibhi – Shoja: Narrow road with a mix of good and average roads.
- Shoja – Jalori Pass – Ani: Quite bad at places with slush on the road which made it more difficult. On the other side of Jalori Pass towards Ani, still fine with few bad sections.
- Ani – Khanag – Sainj – Kingal: Mostly good roads.
- Kingal – Narkanda – Shimla – Zirakpur – Ambala – Delhi: Smooth sailing with no issues.
Petrol Pumps After Pathankot
Let us see where all fuel or petrol availability exists on the Sach Pass trip. It will help you decide if you need to carry spare fuel for your Pangi Valley trip or not.
- A couple of petrol pumps are there on the way to Banikhet from Pathankot.
- There is one petrol pump near Chamba or Banikhet where you must do the top-up.
- Manjir, Bhadram.
- Churah about 8 km from Tissa towards Sach Pass. Do not forget to fill your fuel tank at this place. The next one will be the Tandi petrol pump on Manali Leh Highway.
- Tandi petrol pump is a must-over stop as, by the time you reach it, you may not have sufficient fuel to make it to Manali.
- Manali
You should always carry your water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and your step in this direction can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂
Conclusion
I am sure the above itinerary if not help you 100% with planning a trip to Sach Pass – Pangi Valley but can certainly act as a starting point for your upcoming Sach Pass – Pangi Valley trip. Do share your valuable thoughts or queries or doubts you have and we can discuss more your upcoming Travel Plans for Pangi Valley 🙂
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125 Comments
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A good itinerary for Sach pass. I was in Pangi valley this spring, but entered through Keylong and exited to Kishtwar. The sach pass was closed that time.
Hi Dheeraj,
Any current updates about the roads to Sach Pass and Pangi in general due to the incessant rainfall in HP. We are leaving from Ahmedabad on 13th and will reach Chamba around 16th-17th. Any updates will be very helpful. Many thanks!
There are intermittent outages being reported but nothing major road block was reported for Sach Pass. the only major road block was for Spiti Valley form Kinnaur side and Manali side and from Manali side the road seems to be cleared now
Perfect. Many thanks
Thanks dheeraj for enlightening us with such a thorough knowledge…. I want to know that can I encounter the trip on my santro xing..??..from kishtwar to manali
Arun, it will surely be difficult and you will face some challenges on that route
Is it possible to do killar to manali in one day on a bike? how much time it will take approximately?
It will be very difficult given all the rivulets you get in between and time it takes to reach Keylong and Sissu from Killar. I will not recommend it
Thanks Dheeraj for the quick reply. We have planned following bike trip. day wise stops are
1. manali to somewhere beyond joginder nagar. Mostly at bir. Dont want to go away from the main road towards dalhousie.
2. banikhet
3. bairagarh
4. killar
5. killar
6. keylong
7. manali.
Does that sound a good plan? is staying at bir and banikhet is good comfort and cost wise? I saw some itineraries staying at dharmshala and chajjar. Are those better places to stay ? We dont have them in the plan as it is a detour. So whatever google maps show shortest route, we will be taking that. Please suggest if there is other route in better condition. We will be travelling in mid september.
As I have asked earlier, we may try to do killar to manali in one day, only if there is a real emergency. Else we have plan to stay at keylong.
Another question is, where are the bike mechanics/repair shops.puncture repairs available? mainly, from bairagarh to killar to keylong patch? do they have spare parts including tyre, tube etc? I did not find this info anywhere so asking.
One more, is batt filling station for petrol, as shown on google maps, is operational always? Or sometimes it may be closed?
Regards
Hrushi
Hey Hrushi,
Your plan is OK, better keep it that way only. It is just that Bakikhet and Bairagarh are not too much apart. May be you can make it to Bairagarh and save a day for you. Even if you keep it this way, the advantage you will get is you will start for Killar from Bairagarh without much fatigue, hence I say it is good to keep this way as you have days at hand. Mid September is a good time to travel too.
There wont be any mechanics once you leave Bairagarh, may be at Bogotu Nalla you will find some but not anywhere else till you reach Killar. Then between Killar and Keylong, I see you might get someone at Purthi (might) and Udaipur.
Hi Dheeraj,
We did this sach pass trip successfully from 15 sep to 23 sep. Itinerary was manali, bir billing, tissa via khajjiar lake, killar, killar, keylong, manali.
We started late from killar around 10, and reached keylong by 5 pm, doing trilokinath in between. Had we started very early, around 5.30, we could have travelled upto manali in same day. But as you had said, it would have been very hectic ride. Thanks for your guidance.
Regards
Hrushi
Dheeraj-jee,
Your live guidance for Pangi is so enchanting. Sir, can I plan for Pangi in Mid April or early May? Please give me the information & important contact No. related to this tour.
Mid April and May is not possible for making a trip to Pangi Valley as Sach Pass is not yet open and so as Rohtang Pass and other roads leading to Pangi Valley from Keylong, especially in April. You may make the trip from June to October time period though.
Hello Dheeraj,
Very helpful article. We are planning to go Pangi Valley on September 1st week. We want to start the tour from Dalhousie and ends on Manali. We want to cover Sach Pass, Killer and all the major locations. Can you please advise me is this plan possible in 5days? Also where should i book the car for the whole tour. Is it from Dalhousie? Please advise.
You can follow the below route:
Dalhousie – Bairagarh – Sach Pass – Killar (start early in the day else it will become difficult)
Killar – Udaipur
Udaipur – Tandi – Sissu – Chandratal
Chandratal
Chandratal – Manali
Hello Dheeraj,
Thank you so much for your reply. Actually we have already visited Chandra taal. So can we go direct Manali from Udaipur?
Also please advise how much cab will take for entire tour?
Hi Dheeraj,
Planning a tour in Pangi Valley during Sept. Below is a tentative schedule.
Sunday 2nd Sept – Reach Pathankot by Train. Travel upto Kangra. Sight Seeing Kangra Fort. Stay at Kangra
Monday 3rd Sept – Travel up to Bharmour. Night stay at Bharmour
Tuesday 4th Sept – Visiting Mani Mahesh by Helicopter. Night stay at Bharmour.
Wednesday 5th Sept – From Bharmour, travel upto Killar. Stay at Killar
Thursday 6th Sept – Full day Killar Sight seeing [pangi valley, sural valley, hudan valley, parmar valley, saichu valley]
Friday 7th Sept – Killar to Keylong. Night stay at Kellong
Saturday 8th Sept – Keylong sight seeing [2-3 monasteries during first half] then travel up to Kullu. Night stay at Kullu.
Sunday – Fly back from Kullu.
Request you to share your views on this plan.
My queries:
1. Is the plan seems OK?
2. Which car is preferable? Xylo or Innova?
3. Is 1 day sight seeing is OK for Killar or should we have more days for this?
Regards,
Your plan seems OK Bhaskar, just add a day for more at Killar to relax and enjoy the beauty of Pangi Valley as well as add a day for contingency as a buffer. I will go with Xylo instead of Innova as it can make out of water crossing easier than Innova.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for your advice.
Request you to recommend drivers with xylo for our pangi valley – Sach pass tour. This will be very helpful for us.
Last year we have planned our ladakh tour as per your suggestion – it was a pleasant and awesome experience for us
Regards,
ell, you can check the list of drivers from Shimla, Kinnaur and Spiti who can also help with your Pangi Valley tour: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley
Respected Dheeraj-Jee,
Your tour programme for Pangi is a live encyclopedia & can help any body to explore the virgin place. I am very grateful to you if you give some phone numbers who can help us to conduct such tour tension free. It means it may the Ph. No. of any reliable travel agent or car services or who can I book the PWD/FRH at Killar or Sural or any other reliable person.
Thank you sir, unfortunately, I do not have any contact numbers of such locals. I have contacted one I know but waiting for his revert back and as soon as I have a reply and he has the phone numbers, will share with you.
Hi Dheeraj,
Would like to know which route is more treacherous:
1) Dalhousie->Killar->Khoksar->Delhi or,
2) Dalhousie-> Killar->Kishtwar-Jammu-Delhi
Please let me know if we are going to miss anything if we don’t go to Kishtwar. Let Me Know
Mohit, Killar – Kishtwar is in comparison bad than Killar – Keylong – Khoksar.
Thanks for a quick reply!! I saw videos on youtube and feels that the road is much more tougher on the kishtwar side. On this Killar-Kishtwar route, are there any places for basic reapirs etc. Also, is it possible to do Killar-patnitop in one day. I am planning to do Delhi-Dalhousie-Killar-Kishtwar-Delhi circut starting this saturday. What are your suggestions, should we go to keylong instead of kishtwar? Ihave a 4wd Safari Storme. Any comments will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mohit
Hey Mohit,
There won’t be any repair shops till Kishtwar, may be one at Gulabgarh but not sure. Also, Killar to Patnitop will be too long a day. I will say it all depends on what circuit you opt to do. Car wise you will not have any issues on either of them. You can leave the Killar – Keylong for some other time in such a case.
Hi m planning trip from Jammu kishtwar to sach pass and Dalhousie in September. Is there any petrol pumps from Kihtwar to sach pass.
there is one at Kishtwar and maybe there is one at Gulabhgarh too though not sure about
Hi Dheeraj, do you have some knowledhe of the Doda to Chamba road via Bhaderwah?
I am actually planning this,
Day 1 Pathankot to Bairagarh
Day 2 Bairagarh to Killar
Day 3 Killar to Kishtwar
Day 4 Kishtwar to Chamba via Bhaderwah
Day 5 Chamba to Delhi
Does this look fine to you for mid september?
Yes, the route goes like Kishtwar – Banderwah – Padri Pass – Chamera Lake – Chamba.
I want to travel sach pass i september end. We are going by i20. what is the best route to go to sach pass from delhi and futher we are going to leh. please tell us route for delhi to leh via sach pass and how many days we need
Hi Vicky,
Well, i20 will surely struggle on Sach Pass. You can follow the route as below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Dalhousie
Day 2 | Dalhousie – Chamba Sightseeing – Bairagarh
Day 3 | Bairagarh – Sach Pass – Killar
Day 4 | Killar – Udaipur – Keylong
Day 5 | Keylong – Leh
Day 6 | Leh local sightseeing
Rest follow below depending on days at hand drop the days
Day 7 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 8 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 9 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 10 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 11 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour OR you can do tour to Sham Valley
— Monastery tour may include Hemis, Thicksey, Stakna and Shey monasteries. They come on the route of Pangong Tso but as you will be doing day trip, it will be a bit hectic to include them on that day only.
— Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, , Gurudwara Pather Sahib
— Overnight at Leh
Day 12 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 13 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Moore Plains – Pang / Sarchu
— Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
— Overnight at Sarchu or Pang
Day 14 | Pang / Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the road sides only
— Overnight at Manali
Day 15 | Manali – Delhi
— Return
Hello Dheeraj ji,
Needs your guidance for bike tour from 12 August to 16 August 2017 from Faridkot, Pathankot, Kishtwar, Killar, Khoksar, Tirthan Valley and back.
Initial this is our plan
Day 0- Faridkot to Pathankot 240 km in the evening
Day 1- Pathankot to Kishtwar 290 km
Day 2- Kishtwar to killar 120 km
Day 3- killar to Khoksar 160 km
Day 4- Khoksar to Tirthan valley 170 km
Day 5- Tirthan valley to Faridkot 425 km
Route can be reverse and night stay can be also change as per your suggestions
Thank You.
Hi Sandeep,
Why to do Khoksar – Tirthan Valley? Why not Sach Pass. you can do Killar – Sach Pass – Bairagarh, then cover Dalhousie, Chamba and return home?
Dear dheeraj ji we already visited Sach Pass
Two years before
Cool Sandeep, then in that case your plan looks fine to me.
Thank you dear
Hey dheeraj ! We are 4 persons going to pangi on a Safari 4×2 in july ending. Our plan is like this :-
Starting from Jammu
Day-1 Jammu – Kishtwar
Day-2 Kishtwar – Killar
Day-3 Killar – Chamba
Day-4 Chamba – Jammu
Is the car and time is good for that terrain ? and Is the plan ok ?
Regards.
Plan looks OK but keep in mind everyday you will be traveling good distance and will mostly be on road only
Hey dheeraj ! We are 4 persons going to pangi on a Safari dicor 4×2 in july ending. Our plan is like this :-
Starting from Jammu
Day-1 Jammu – Kishtwar
Day-2 Kishtwar – Killar
Day-3 Killar – Chamba
Day-4 Chamba – Jammu
Is the car and time is good for that terrain ? and Is the plan ok ?
Regards.
Plan looks OK but keep in mind everyday you will be traveling good distance and will mostly be on road only
hi ,
my husband is planning solo backpacking trip on this route. would really appreciate your valuable inputs.
itinerary is :
1) day-1 mum to delhi ,delhi to Chamba
2) day-2 by morning Chamba.
3) day-3 chamba -sach pass- killar
4) day 4 killar -udaipur
5) day 5 udaipur to keylong
6) day 6 Keylong to Manali
and onwards.
my questions are :
1) is this doable ??
2) he wants to do it in MID AUGUST(starting from 12th August’17) as he’ll get long weekend to help him with leaves.
is it risky ? monsoon wise?
3) he wants to do it with public transport or shared cabs. shared cabs are available from Chamba? or from Keylong to Manali?
looking forward to your quick reply.
thanks
Hello Megha,
1. Yes, the plan of Sach Pass is doable.
2. Well, plan some buffer days as it is monsoon time and he will surely face monsoon hassles.
3. Yes, shared cabs will be available from Chamba to Bairagarh/Killar. There is a HRTC bus as well that runs from Chamba to Killar and Killar to Keylong and Keylong to Manali.
Hello Deeraj, it’s so great to have all information here. I m also planning to go for Round trip on 15th July from Delhi – Chamba- Sachpass- Udaipur- Tandi- Kaza- Shimla- reaching delhi on 25th July. Few questions in my head…if you you could help me out please. (1) 10days are enough????? (2) should I take a taxi from Delhi for this trip or better to go Chamba by bus then take a taxi from there up to Delhi back. (3) I am going with family… is it really safe / worth travelling on this trip. (4) I have already travelled to Kaza and Leh by Road… and the journey was excellent, beautiful and adventurous… can I compare this Sachpass road trip wit:h them… I mean ..is it beautiful also???. Thanks
Hi Ashwani,
1. 10 days will be a bit short to enjoy the long journey at ease.
2. It is difficult to suggest but yes the Chamba taxi guys will be much better than Delhi one as he will be knowing the Sach Pass route better. However, Spiti is different game, so best will be to use him till Keylong and then hire another Keylong taxi or ask a Spiti taxi for a pickup at Keylong to be one safe side.
3. If you have never been to such a trip, I will recommend skipping Sach Pass and focusing on just Spiti and Kinnaur Valley this time in 10 days at hand. It is safer in comparison.
4. Sach Pass is a different game and more adventurous than Spiti and Ladakh
Hello Dheeraj
🙂
I am following your itinerary for sachpass. From keylong will go to Manali Leh road till Moore plain. From there will return back to Manali as I want to see baralacha la pass.
I started from Delhi on 14july with my friends. XUV we choose for this trip.
I have some doubts regarding sach pass.
July is the rainy season. Would it be safe to go on those roads. As monsoon hit the mountains in July. I am confused. Not scared.
Help me out dear.
Thanks dheeraj
If you want to see Baralacha LA pass, there is no need to go to Moore Plains, you can just go to Sarchu stay overnight and return back the next day to Manali. Regarding July, Sach PAss opens by late June only so July window is the only time to start traveling to Sach PAss. We also went to Sach PAss in the same time window and yes there were rains but that was a chance we took. More or less it was good experience.
okay thanks dheeraj
but we want to go till moore plains.. 🙂 i will ask you status and conditions of the sach pass before i will start my journy. arounf 14th of july.
i am taking rented self drive vehicle. hope they allow rented commercial vehicle there.
thank you so much dheeraj.
karenesh, there is no issue in making the trip to Sach Pass on a rented vehicle.
Hello brother I read all ur comments…It’s very helpful .I want to know what is the best time to visit Sach pass.In ur comments I see uh r saying it’s mid July but uh don’t think so it’s impossible to go there specially for bullet riders . Because in July there is monsoon and there is chances of land slides and overflow of nallahs. Don’t uh think early June is the best time for bike riders. And please tell me is there any chances for camping near Sach pass. And if there is any chances then can we go for camping without any fear from wild animals at night .?
Akshay, the roads to sach Pass mostly opens in general around end of June only and hence up to mid July when rains are not that in glory is good time to visit. Otherwise, September is a good time to visit Sach Pass with roads/nallas settled.
Sir
Sorry to bug you with so many questions
planning to do sach pass in the last week of june..
banikhet-bairagarh-killar(2 days exploring pangi)-kishtwar-sinthan top-anantnag
what about the fuel availability on this route? heard there is no bunk after banikhet till anantnag..
please enlighten me sir..and will sach pass will be open by last week of june right?
There is one fuel pump at Bhadram and Manjir. Bhadram is about 40 KMs from Banikhet towards Sach Pass and Manjir is ahead of it about 28 KMs. Then there is a fuel pump at Churah about 8 KMs ahead of Tissa that opened last year. Then, there is one at Kishtwar and maybe there is one at Gulabhgarh too though not sure about it.
Thanks Dheeraj.
Sach pass might open end of June or early July. But do you see any challenge of the road opening between Udaipur and Killar. That stretch is fairly easy and less snow prone compared to Sach pass. Right ?
Is that road open now Udaipur to Killar ?
Yes that is why may be except the ferocious Madgran nalla, I have not heard that Killar – Udaipur route is closed.
Hi Dheeraj, can we make this tour in mid October ?
Yes, Suman, nowadays due to delayed snowfall people do Sach Pass trips in October as well. The early in October you will go the better and safe it will be. Also, do check weather updates before leaving for Sach Pass during that time.
Thanks Dheeraj 🙂
Hi Dheeraj ,
When does the road from Udaipur to Killar open generally every year ? Jun 1st week, 2nd week or mid june ?
Does this road open before Manali Leh opens or after ? What’s the status at this moment ? Is it open right now from Udaipur to Killar ?
I hope we don’t need permission to cross Rohtang Pass if I come from Leh to Manali. Is that right ?
No Nilavra, you do not need any permission to cross Rohtang Pass if you are coming from Leh side. Udaipur to Killar road, I am not sure when in general it opens but by the time Sach opens it is usually open.
Hii dheeraj,
We are two guys on our Enfield 350 looking forwad to do sach pass with chandratal and tso moriri
Day 1 :leave from manali early and reach killar by evening,night stay at killer
Day 2:leave from killar for keylong ,rest at keylong(can v acclimatise at keylong,or suggest a beeter place for the same)
Day 3:keylong to pang (184km) stay at pang for night
Day 4:pang to tso moriri lake (154km)
Stay at night in camp
Day 5:fall back to pang till evening stay at pang(is there any sort of road or anything connecting kaza and pang if not we ll have to come back to keylong and again go,any shorter route if u can suggest)
Day 6:just wishing if we have a road to pang to kaza(google doesnt show any road)
Day 7 kaza:rest and leave for chandratal to stay there for night
Day 8: day at chandratal and leave for Chattru
Day 9:leaving in after noon for manali
Day 10:manali chill
Kindly suggest me a better itinerary for the same,any other place enroute,cost of the trip and tips to be safe from AMS and enjoy the best
Some inputs below:
1. Manali to Killar is way too much. Max you should stick to is Udaipur if not Keylong
2. Sach Pass is beyond Killar towards Chamba – Bairagarh. So, you are not doing Sach Pass here.
3. Rest also does not make any sense. You should be doing like below:
Day 1 :Manali – Keylong/Udaipur
Day 2: Keylong/Udaipur – Killar
Day 3: Killar – Sach Pass – Killar – Cherry
Day 4: Killar – Cherry – Udaipur – Keylong – Jispa
Day 5: Jispa – Tso Kar
Day 6: Tso Kar – Tso Moriri
Day 7: Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Sarchu
Day 8: Sarchu – Sissu / Khoksar
Day 9: Sissu / Khoksar – Chandratal
Day 10: Chandratal – Manali
Day 11: Manali – Delhi.
hello dheeraj
we are planning this year 4th june to 11th june..
is that road will be open that time.
if not then what wud be expected dates ?
Hey Karnesh,
Sach Pass opens by end of June or early July, so better plan the trip during those dates.
Hi Dhirajbhai…
once again I am back with lots of question…this time wantt to do Sach pass during may end or sept end…
we want to do it Pathankot-bairagarh-killar-kishtwar-patnitop-pathankot…by RE.dont want to go towards Manali-Tandi-Keylong…as its donw thriice….
some questions and iterne..
day-1. We are A’bad based..so will cargo bikes to Pathankot…Pathankot to Bairagarh…186…doable in one day?night stay at Bairagarh.
day-2. D – day right?..Bairagahr to sach pass 60km…and sach passs to Killar 40 which comes 100 km ride on D-day now as u and all says Sach pass is “bap of all passes”…can we do this 100 km in one day?VDO breaks, photo brekas will be plenty!!! We have riding experiance…We all did leh and lots of other rides.but we dont want to get in over confidence……Bairagarh to killaer doable in one day 12 hours (with sunlight)???
Day-3 Killar -kishtwar 118km…now this is a very narrow patch (seen many VDOs and it was scary) again the same question can this 118 km possible in one day…My sttirct rule is i avoid ridining in dark…???
Day-4 Kishwar to Patanitop..any idea about this roads?its again 122km doabale in one day?
Day 5 Patani to Pathankot i think this is very much doable in one day 177 km…once in flat terrain we are fine with riding in dark..
Ahmedbad to pathankot by train 24 hours…paathankot to ahemdabd 24hours…2 bugger days….so maximum 9 days….one day extra so 10 days…
What you think sir? possible?
Here are teh replies:
1. Pathankot to Bairagarh is doable
2. Yes, Bairagarh to Sach Pass to Killar is easily doable. Just leave early enough that you dodge Bogatu Nalla with less fury. By evening it will not be passable
3. Yes Killar – Kishtwar is also doable
4. Again day 4 is doable, roads are OK and will look like highways after Day 2 and Day 3 😀 😀
5. Easily doable
Hi Dheeraj, I checked your blog and been reading on your site from quite long . I have been huge admirer of your work and also have shared the word with my friends . Kudos to you for updating your experiences and replying to each question . We are planning to ride from Pune to Sach Pass on RE500 and might ship the bike from Delhi if we are exhausted , the plan is to ride all the way back to Pune though . We are experienced riders and have already visited lot of places in Maharashtra and Karnataka . (All the trips so far on RE) . Could you please help me know the best time to visit the Sach pass ? We will follow the itinerary that you have shared above . Sorry to ask the question again in case you have answered it to someone and I have missed it 🙂
Thank you Vijay !! Well, in that case best time to visit Sach Pass will be either July or you should visit it in September once rains go away. Feel free to post any questions you further may have for Sach Pass trip
Hi Dheeraj ,
Pangi valley to Chamba via Sach pass – which way do you suggest ? Keylong to Udaipur to Killar to Chamba or the reverse. Which is better option ?
If I reserve private car from manali and drop at Chamba for 4/5 days how much would it charge per day ?
Nilavra, I think the taxi might charge in the range of 22-25K types from Manali to Manali. The drop from Chamba to Manali will cost you only as he will adjust the cost in it. Both directions are fine as there are risks of not making the trip entirely from both sides 🙂
Hi Dheeraj ,
Heard that Killar to Chamba via sach pass is one of the dangerous roads in the world. Is that too bad road condition that it may not be doable ?
How is the road condition from Udaipur to Killar. Is there any risk in this part of the road ?
Yes indeed it is one of the most dangerous roads, Killar – Kishtwar another. Also, the road from Udaipur to Killar is not that easy too. If it rains, it can give nightmare too. There are many water crossings as well with Madgran being the deadly one.
Hi Dheeraj ,
Thanks for your reply. Is the road from Udaipur to Killar open around Mid June ? If I plan to reserve a private car from Keylong is it availavble at Keylong. I am planning to return from Leh to manali by Share cab or HRTC bus(if it runs then) and get down at Keylong, then reserve a car at Keylong to explore pangi valley and then return Manali.
My Itinerary is
Day 1 : Leh to Keylong by share cab or by HRTC bus if available
Day 2 : Keylong to Killar
Day 3 : Killar explore.
Day 4 : Killar to Keylong
Day 5 : Keylong to Manali
How much the car will cost per day for the tour from Keylong to Killar back to Manali in 4 days ? (Day 2 to Day 5)
Hi Nilavra,
Yes Udaipur to Killar should open by mid of June. Taxis will be available at Keylong. Looks good to me. I think taxi will cost you around 3000 per day on an average.
Hi Dheeraj,
A quick query – is there any service provider (in terms of vehicle and accommodation) for Sach Pass & Pangi Valley tour? So that we can contact them and plan. Your reply will help us.
Regards, Amit
No Amit, I am not aware of any tour and travel provider conducting tours for Sach Pass and Pangi Valley. However, you do not need any tour provider as all information you need is completely chalked out over DoW for making a successful trip to Sach Pass and Pangi Valley.
and sir can we that at 2nd oct
Yes, you can make this trip on 2nd October to Sach Pass – Pangi Valley.
is there staying option between sach pass to killar
Praveen, there is nothing between Sach Pass and Killar except one small dhabha at Bogotu Nalla.
dheeraj ji can we go darcha and shingo la pass from keylong and how much distance between keylong to darcha
Yes Praveen, you can very well do the Darcha to Shingo La which is about 40 KMs from Darcha. Keylong – Darcha will take about 1-1.30 Hr.
dear sir can you provide some hotel phone no in sissu killar and parasr lake and can we reach sissu to prasar same day on bike
At Sissu, you can stay at Hotel Triveni. At Killar, there is hotel Raj and Hotel Chamunda. Hotel raj is a better option. Parashar Lake just has PWD and FRH guest houses.
Hello Dheeraj Ji,
I am from meerut, we’ll be leaving in 1st week of september for chamba-sach pass-killer-manali-shimla-meerut on activa-125.
Is this trip doable in 6-7 days?
Please suggest a itenary.
Hi DOW,
We are planning a trip to sach pass and spiti valley with the following itinerary:
Day 1: Chandigarh to Bairagarh
Day 2: Bairagarh to Keylong
Day 3: Keylong to Kaza via Chandratal hike of 4 km
Day 4: Kaza to Narkanda
Day 5: Narkanda to Chandigarh
We are 4 people travelling in Ford Ecosport on 13th to 17th August. The itinerary is quite hectic. Please share your invaluable comments and suggestions for the itinerary and also, regarding road and weather conditions.
You can plan like below
Day 1: Chandigarh to Bairagarh
Day 2: Bairagarh to Killar, beyond it I will not suggest
Day 3: Killar – Tandi via Udaipur
Day 4: Tandi to Chandratal to Kaza
Day 5: Kaza to Jeori/Rampur
Day 6: Chandigarh,
Needless to say above is also quite enduring and long and in monsoons it will be real test of something for sure.
Thanks Dheeraj!!
Can you please enlighten us with the types of difficulties we’ll face if we try to reach Keylong/Tandi on Day 2 from Bairagarh.
Karan, it is a long long route on some of the deadly, scary roads. The landslides are common and you get a speed of no more than 10-20 KMPH in most of the stretches. The late you reach near Madgran nalla the unlikely it becomes to cross it. It can swallow trucks ground clearance on its good day, so don’t under estimate it. Hence, what your are thinking of doing is very risky and I will not recommend it, plus you do not enjoy at all in that case. It is much better to split it up at Killar. Those are some worst roads in world 🙂 … We did Killar to Manali on our trip but then when we reached by evening to Tandi, we knew what lies ahead. It took about 15 Hrs for us to reach Manali from Killar.
A couple of more doubts
Are any permits required for visiting Kaurik and Chitkul?
Does BSNL Prepaid works in Pangi and Spiti Valley?
Are there homestays at Kibber?
Thanks a lot in advance!!
Chitkul does not require any permits. PErmits for Kaurik are not issued for civilians. There are many home stays in Kibber and yes BSNL prepaid works in PAngi and Spiti Valley wherever the signal is present.
Is it possible to solo-ride Bairagarh [dep: 6 am]>Sach Pass>Killar>Kishtwar [arr: 6 pm] [176 km] in one day on my Thunderbird 500 in September second week? I assumed 15 kmph average speed including breaks.
I will not suggest that, better break the journey at Killar and then do Killar to Kishtwar next day. It is not about the time, it will be more about taxing on body.
Thanks a lot, Dheeraj Sharma. I will stay at Killar and ride the next day.
Cool, best wishes for the trip.
Hi Dhiraj
Thanks for sharing your useful information
We are planning to visit manali as well as pangi valley from 17August to 27th August from Delhi
Will you guide us for tour program as per your experience.
Thanks
Hi Sunil,
Above plan makes the entire circuit of Pangi Valley for about 8 days. You have about 10-11 days. You can easily follow the plan above in reverse order or the order from other side of Sach Pass. Remaining days you can wish to spend in Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Dharamshala, Mcleod Ganj region or you can sped days in Pangi Valley to completely soak in the villages and nature up there. Else you can also spare couple of days from Manali to visit Chandratal first and then continue journey to Pangi Valley
PS: Do check the weather updates before venturing into Pangi Valley in monsoons.
hi dheeraj is a trip possible in sept end on a scorpio to sach pass October first week hw r he roads as compared to lauhal spiti
Hardeep, that time is one of the best time to make a trip to Sach Pass with roads mostly stable and best in condition compared to rest of the season.
Is there any places at sach pass to stay at night ?? We are planning from keylong to chambha via sach pass is it safe ?? Any risks of land slides ?? Pls reply
Only staying option is available is in Killar. Next fresh early morning you can cross Sach pass and stay at Bairajgarh. Regarding landslides its a nature hood response but be prepared with buffer days. rest is fine .. happy traveling 🙂
Very true 🙂
I think you have got the reply. You can of course get a place to stay at Cherry too but best will be to reach Killar from Keylong.
Hi deeraj we r planning our trip to pangi valley on 3 July and then to kelong manali .need to know whether we need any permission .such as we need for rohtang pass and any other suggestions and do tell me some itinerary
Hi, Is this journey ( chamba to uadipur & then to rohtang pass ) safe for a female solo traveller or a couple to do ? Will it be like a no man’s land and too expensive for tarvel betewwn 10th-14th june
Not really, in general deeper tribal belts of Himalayas are safe to travel. Well, you have to rely upon the shared taxis in order to do this trip and buses. You can take a bus from Delhi to Chamba and then to Bairagarh from there. From Bairagarh you will get a shared taxi to Killar and from there Killar to Keylong, Keylong to Manali buses will be available. Keep in mind, it will be very tiring in 5 days as you will be on road only mostly.
Hi, is it possible to cover Sach pass and Kunjum Pass and Chandratal during the end of September? We have a plan to visit Pangi valley and Lahoul and Spiti. Hope 17/18 days’ holiday is Ok for covering the route. Can u suggest a suitable itinerary. Thank u.
We are planning for sachpass-keylong-leh in june(leaving delhi on 11th june).
Is tht possible at tht time?
We are counting on less snow this season
Anup, there was an update from Bairagarh that road is expected top open by first week of June to Sach pass this year.
Hi Dheeraj ,
Is it possible to cross Saach pass around 14th October ?
If not in that case can we at least explore Pangi valley that time of the year ? I am not sure how long Pangi valley around Killar is accessible in the year ? Mid october is good time ?
Yes, now a days it snows less but mind you you will surely be playing with some risk. Pangi Valley can surely be explored.
can you please suggest place to stay at all plase u told to do night hold. we have 6 days from delhouise to delhouise . 6 days is ok for this trup ?
Hardik, most of these places have Chamunda Guest House at Bairagarh and Killar which were quite fine to stay. Mostly the hotels/guest houses will be vacant so best thing is to travel there and find a good deal on the spot.
Thanks for reply. We are planning to visit from 6th to 12th may. Is this time OK to visit? Can we include chandratall in this trip ?
Hardik, that time will not be OK. Both Chandratal and Sach Pass will not be accessible during that time of the year.
You need to plan around July somewhere mid or September to do Sach Pass and Chandratal. In case you do Chandratal then you have to exit from Manali side.
Then what time u suggest for SACH pass.
Hardik, best will be you plan around mid July or September to ake a trip to Sach Pass
Plz post itinerary for killar-kishatwar route, thanks in advance..
Sure yogesh very soon. However, in case you want, you can reach Killar as mentioned above and then next day head to Kishtwar, from there you can reach Patnitop or Jammu next day and finally back home on third day from Killar.
Is the drive possible in October end?
No Manu, the roads will be closed or very risky tro travel to Sach Pass. It already has started getting snow.
Hi, wonderful itenary and a daring trip you’ve covered, also the waterfall pics were amazing.
Im interested for this trip,
Can dzire do this circuit? Or a SUV is reqd? Also, Is that reqd with 4×4?
Dzire, looking at the conditions above might feel being murdered up there 😀
Best is that you take any high ground clearance vehicle. No 4×4 required.
Thanks for all information.. Everything here was very useful. I just came back today from Sach Pass and it was great experience. I started from Delhi on 14th night towards Chamba. Staying in Chamba one night and next day 15th …6am we started towards Sachpass. Thanks God it was nice weather… No Rain… From Bairagarh onwards roads start getting worst and after Satrundi.. very bad. As soon as we arrived at Sach Pass the clouds were getting more closer to you… it was very beautiful… snow walls were also main attraction. After Sach Pass when you move downwards to Killar… the real adventure start. Roads getting worst.. we also got one land slide on the way.. but we crossed it.. thanks God. beside it was amazing, beautiful… lots of Nallah, Waterfall, that’s makes you really happy. We loved it. We stayed in Killar in Raj hotel.. was OK. not so much option for hotels.. I saw only three. on 16th we decided to stay here and went up to a village 18km away just on the top of Killar. It was really worth to go there…. you can go up with vehicle and then 1km walk to see one Pond at the top. stayed night at Killar. 17th Morning we started and this day was little raining . The road up to Udaipur was also in bad condition but better than before the Pawal Nallah was not tha. fl ooded . then after up to Keylong was good enough. over night in Tandi and next day to Manali after crossing Rohtang Pass in 8hrs That was hell. So in weeks time we did this amazing trip. I enjoyed it fully. Good experience. We took Ennova and Xylo. We cross it smoothly but Vehicle with high Ground Clearance are much better. Ennova not recommend. So guys be ready for next time… Whenever you have… Just go there.