Himachal
Trekking
10 High Points of Hamta Pass that Make It The Most-Loved Trek
Hamta Pass trek in the Western Himalayan mountains of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh has over the years become the number 1 favorite among mountain lovers and trekkers especially the first timers. And rightly so.
Of all the over-a-dozen or so treks in the Kullu and Parbati valleys, Hamta Pass trek is perhaps the best. Many of those who walked on this trek have returned to term their experience as exhilarating, liberating to simply ecstatic. So what makes Hamta Pass a top favorite and the most-loved trek? Here is why:
1. Crossover trek
There are few good crossover treks in the Kullu and Parbati valleys and Hamta Pass, that connects the Kullu valley with the neighboring Spiti valley, is the most popular due to the abundance of natural beauty on this route and the fact that it’s relatively easier.
Imagine yourself standing on that one high point at the Hamta Pass which separates the two valleys. You can see the spreading out snow-clad Himalayan ranges and the wild valleys down below. The view is simply mind blowing!
2. Oldest route
Long before adventure-seekers and trekkers had first set foot on the Hamta trail, the route had been used by shepherds and traders for ages to enter Lahaul and Spiti from Kullu and vice versa in the absence of any road. While shepherds used the route searching for greener and higher pastures, traders from Lahaul and Spiti would bring in their goods to sell in Kullu.
3. The British connection
Hamta Trek was first explored as an adventure destination by British trekkers in the pre-Independence days of the late 19th and early 20th century.
These foreign travelers and explorers wandered in Kullu, some of them making it their home, and went to the neighbouring Lahaul and Spiti through Hamta Pass and later penned down their adventures.
In an article in the Himalayan Journal magazine, published in the issue of 1929, one Mrs KG Lethbridge narrates her adventures; how she with her husband started off from Kangra, reached Spiti via Hamta Pass and wandered in the wild and barren lands of Lahaul and Spiti amidst high mountains and gushing glacier rivers.
After independence, the trek became a favorite among foreign nationals, some of whom would stay along this route for months altogether.
4. Simply beautiful
Needless to say but still for the sake of emphasis let me say it again: Hamta is a stunningly beautiful trek. On this trek, you cross dense Deodar forests, walk by meandering rivulets, along wild flowers, rest in the green meadows and get close to powerful snow-clad mountains.
No other trek offers such captivating and panoramic views of the mountains as this one. You just have to do this trek to experience and know it yourself.
5. Land of the Khampas
There is a small community of Khampa people, the inhabitants of Kham region in Tibet, that have been living in Sethan Hamta, a hamlet on way to The Hamta Pass, for last over a century now.
The Khampa people settled down here during the British times and make a living primarily through agriculture and tourism. If you want to know a thing or two about the mountains and the life there, then you can stop by here for some enlightening chat over cups of hot tea.
I was told by an old Khampa man that they consider the mountains to be sacred because according to a local belief, the souls of the dead people of the area reside in the mountains here for some time before ascending to the heavens.
6. A Spiritual trek
Hamta is the only trek in Kullu-Manali having a touch of Buddhism. The Buddhist influence is primarily due to the presence of Khampa community, which follows Buddhism, and because of the fact that the inhabitants of the neighboring Lahaul and Spiti, are also Buddhists.
On your way to the Hamta Pass, you will find Buddhist prayer flags at may places and in Sethen village, locals have made a ‘sacred place’ among the boulders where you can meditate.
7. Easy one, relatively speaking
Hamta Pass is a relatively easier trek. The maximum altitude one reaches during this trek is around 4300 meters but the trek can be categories as ‘easy to moderate’.
There are some steep patches but mostly it’s comfortable trekking unlike Pin Parbati Pass trek, which can be excruciatingly tough. No wonder, Hamta trek has become a top favourite but don’t attempt it without the assistance of professional mountain guides.
8. A visual treat for mountain lovers
It’s one trek that lets you know the mighty mountains of western Himalayas up, close and personal. On the trek you get a stunning view of the Pir Panjal range. You also get a good view the two highest peaks of Kullu – Deo Tibba and Indrasan.
9. First choice of the first-timers
If you have just begun trekking, are kind of novice, and want to try a trek in the Himalayas and understand mountains, then Hamta should undoubtedly be the first choice.
You not only experience high altitude (maximum height goes up to 4300 meters) conditions but also know the mountains and their faces up, close and personal.
10. Chandertal lake
At the end of this trek you are rewarded with a heartbeat-racing view of the Chandertal lake, the calm and glistening waters of which make her one of the best water bodies on planet Earth. Though the walking part ends in Chhatru but the Hamta Pass trek doesn’t truly complete without one reaching the Chandertal lake.
Trust me, once having touched the lake, you would want to return again. And again.
