Miyar Valley Trek
Trip Details
Trip Type: Trekking
Region: Lahaul - Himachal
Grade: Moderate
Duration: 09 days
Max Altitude: 4200m
Batch Dates: Custom Trips only
Miyar Valley Trek Overview
The Miyar Valley has had a legendary status in climber's imaginations for decades. Often compared to the Yosemite valley in America, the big granite walls of the Miyar would easily make El captain and half dome look like dwarfs. With the meandering Miyar Nallah cutting through large expanses of verdant meadows full of Himalayan flowers and the towers of the valley looming overhead, it's easy to understand how this hard to access valley has held the imagination of generations of climbers and trekkers.
We start the trip from Manali town and drive to Udaipur in Lahaul to take the subsidiary road into the Miyar valley. The trek starts from Shukto village - the last motorable point in the valley and passes Khanjer village to get to the village's expansive pea and potato fields. We move onward crossing several streams and meadows over the next few days to finally reach the Base Camp of Castle Peak and the Miyar Glacier
One can also choose to extend this trek and trek over the Kang La to reach another remote valley - the Zanskar.
Trip Cost
This is a custom departure tour and so please write to us for prices and more info on this trek.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 01: Manali
Arrive in Manali in the morning and check into your hotel. Walk around town and orient yourself to your surroundings. Final gear check and prepare for the climb ahead. Overnight in a hotel.
Day 02: Manali - Shukto (3300m)
Duration: 8-10 hours
We leave Manali early in the morning over the Rohtang Pass and pass Udaipur town to enter the Miyar Valley and reach Shukto village
Day 03: Shukto - Thanpattan (3700m)
Duration: 5 hours
Trek through Khanjer, the last village in the Miyar valley. W alk through the pea and cabbage farmland of Khanjer before crossing a couple of streams. From here, we walk across vast meadows for a couple of kilometres before coming to the campsite at the grazing grounds of Thanpattan, where we will set camp.
Day 04: Thanpattan to Yolithang ( 3750m )
Duration: 4 hours
Today we walk on an easy, gradual trail to another idyllic campsite at Yolithang. Pass through the grazing grounds of Tharang, with Tharang peak to our right. It is a short walk from Tharang to Yolithang, our campsite for the day.
Day 05: Yolithang to Base Camp ( 3950m )
Duration: 7 hours
Although this day's walk is longer than the first two days, the trail is still fairly flat and easy. We cross a vast grassland that continues for 3 km and the Gompa campsite. From Gompa, we walk to Zardung. Zardung is a magnificent campsite with gigantic boulders, some of which are said to contain precious stones. We cross quite a few streams to reach Base Camp.
Day 06: Base Camp( 3950 m)
Duration: 7 hours
We explore the area around. The Base Camp. We can also go to the moraine of the Miyar glacier, where lies Kesar Yon Chhaap - which literally means seven holy waters. There are seven emerald green ponds here.
Day 07: Base Camp - Gompa
Duration: 7 hours
Today, we will retrace our steps halfway down the valley to the campsite at Gompa
Day 08: Gompa to Urgos via Shukto
Duration: Trek: 6 hours | Drive: 30mins
Trek to Shukto and drive back to Urgos village - it is the biggest village in the Miyar valley.
Day 09: Shukto - Manali
Duration: 10 hours
Drive back to Manali. Trip Ends!
- Camping Tents, Kitchen tents, Sleeping bags (Holofill) and Carry mats.
- Nutritious, high-calorie vegetarian food will be served for the whole trek.
- Guide, cook and camp helpers.
- Porters/ Horses to carry loads on the whole route.
- Participants are not expected to carry any loads other than a small daypack with a camera, some trail layers and some trail food.
- Two people will be accommodated in one tent.
- Transport Manali hotel to Road Head and back.
- Hotel accommodations in Manali for 1 day before the trek.
- All expenses of personal nature like drinks, tips, telephone calls, mineral water etc.
- Food in Manali
- Accommodation in Manali on return.
- Medical and evacuation expenses, we strongly recommend purchasing a suitable insurance cover.
Pack:
- Backpack 40 - 50 Lts with rain cover.This you will need in case you choose to offload your larger pack onto a horse/porter
- Day Pack 15 - 20 lts - You will use this to carry your camera, water bottle, Trail layers, trail food etc.
Footwear:
-Trekking Shoes: Please do not wear sports shoes as on most treks as we go higher it gets harder to use the sports shoes. We recommend shoes with a good hard sole and also ankle support preferable water proof. While we do not subscribe to any particular brand you can try the Quechua forclaz 100, 500 or 600.
Socks:
- 2 -3 pairs of cotton socks.
- 2 pairs of woolen socks ( these are ideal to sleep in and best to use when in camp. We do not recommend them while trekking).
Clothing:
- Pants: 3 pairs (including the ones you wear) - Ideal are the quick dry light weight synthetic pants. Alternatively track pants are also comfortable to trek in. We do not recommend you get Denims or Jeans as they get hard to trek in.
- Tshirts 3 pairs (including the ones you are wearing) - Preferable cotton t-shirts that are full sleeves. You can also choose to get T-shirts with collars, they offer extra protection for the neck from sun burns.
- Synthetic Fleece Jacket - 1 pair.
- Wind proof/ Water proof Jacket - 1 pair.
- Down filled / Hollow fiber fill insulated Jacket - 1 -pair ( optional - get this if you want to stay extra warm at camps.)
- Thermal liners - 1 pair upper and lower (optional).
Accessories:
- Raincoat/ Poncho - what ever you get make sure it is something that will cover your daypack and camera too.
- Warm Beanie - make sure it is something that covers your ears. You can also use buffs, scarfs etc in addition to your beanie.
- Gloves - Lightweight synthetic gloves made of Fleece or you can also use woollen gloves.
- Sun Cap- 1 no
- Sun Glasses with good UV protection.
Other necessary things that we recommend you get:
- Toiletries - Sunscreen SPF 40+, Moisturizer, Lip balm, Soap, Toilet paper.
- Repair Kit (needle and thread).
- Headlamp/ Torch.
- Camera.
- Water Bottle- Ideally keep two bottle 1 litre each.
- Trekking Pole - Optional.
- Plastic Packing covers. (Please pack all your gear in waterproof plastic bags so that your clothes etc do not get wet while on horses or porters. Also carry extra plastic bags in case you need to pack wet clothes.)