The Rupin Pass
If there exist any treks in the Himalayas which is continuously exciting, increases it beauty, difficulties and charm day-by-day, it's the Rupin Pass trek. The valley itself changes its appearance on weekly basis. In May you will need to trek through wide and deep snow field which thins out by June. The same valley becomes vividly colorful during the monsoons and a by September, it offers a barren rocky scree zone, revealing itself in true colours during the September and October season. It then again starts covering itself with a thick blanket of snow starting November till April again when the snow starts to melt. Each of these changes makes Rupin pass a wonderful trek, any time of the season - pre-monsoon or post-monsoon.
Upper Waterfall Camp
The pass can be approached from both the sides but it is advisable to start from Uttrakhand or Gosangu in Himachal Pradesh and not Sangla. This adds to the charm of climbing for multiple days before crossing the pass, rather then descending down after crossing the pass on the second day.
When starting this trek from Dhaula, the trek climbs up steadily passing by the villages of Baota, Jiskun, Jhakha before entering into the remote serenity of the pious Rupin valley. The trail continuously follows the Rupin river and starts to climb up steeply passing through thick and thin forests of conifers and birch, before reaching the beautiful meadow of the Dhanteras Thatch. Here, the intimidating three-stage waterfall of the Rupin river welcomes us. While in pre-monsoon season, the waterfalls are frozen and only few can be seen falling during the peak time of the day, in the post-monsoon season, you are literally surrounded by numerous waterfalls.. These waterfalls are formed by the melting snows on the higher reaches and forms a major feed to the Rupin river.
The Rupin Valley
We are required to tackle the traverse of the Rupin waterfall and cross it to reach the platue of Rata Feri from where the pass if visible for the first time in the trek. During pre-monsoon the snow may put a formidable challenge and accounts for a major thrill factor of this trek Post monsoon too, this becomes a bit tricky and requires safe steps. Once you reach the top of the waterfall, the view of entire rupin valley down below is just breathtaking.
The Rupin Valley
Its from here where the trek reveals its true colour. A steep pass through the gully just adds to the thrill of crossing it. At 4650 meters, the climb to the top of Rupin pass is a grand gift to any trekker, not only by the view it has to offer, but also by the feeling of successfully negotiating a very steep L-shaped climb to the top of the pass. While in post-monsoon, we camp right at the base of the pass, but in pre-monsoon, snow may prevent us to do so, and hence the crossing of the pass becomes bit more challenging.
Rupin Pass trek is about the pass itself but its not just about it. It is also about so many other things which makes it one of the best experience of the Himalayas. The architecture, temples, local culture and way of life of the villages of Sewa, Jiskun, Jhakha is a unique are just an enriching experience. The innocent and naughty kids adds to the charm and fun. The apple orchids and other nearby villages at a distance are some of the unique add-ons of this trek to take with you.
The Gush Of Rupin
Why Do We Start The Rupin Pass Trek From Sankri ?
There are reasons why we accommodate our trekkers in Sankri instead of Dhaula on the first day of the trek. The important factors are:
- Beautiful Place with much better amenities, shops, medical clinics, food cafes, etc
- Great Views of Himalayas from Sankri
- Relax At Our beautiful homestay in Sankri with local organic kitchen serving delicious organic and local cuisines
- Full fledged homestay and hotel arrangements like electricity, hot water, etc available in Sankri, not in Dhaula
- Equipment Rental option is available in Sankri
- Better Acclimatization for the Trek can be achieved from Sankri as it is higher than Dhaula and Sewa
- Cheaper travel option for smaller groups or budget friendly trekkers as 4 buses ply to Sankri everyday
- Cabs on standby for emergencies
learn more on WHY DO WE START THE RUPIN PASS TREK FROM SANKRI INSTEAD OF DHAULA
The Future Of The Rupin Pass Trek
The road till Jhakha is yet to be functional but the road is currently cut from Dhaula connecting Gosangu and about 2 kilometers beyond Jhakha. Once that gets functional, it will definitely change the dimension of the Rupin Pass trek. Another road is also proceding towards Kanda Sangla from Sangla side and currently is cut till Kanda Sangla. It is expected to reach Ronti Gad in few years. Also a tunnel is being planned in the Rupin valley, below the pass area to connect these roads to connect Jakha to the rest of Himachal.
So when all of this becomes a reality, the future of this trek is at stake too ! Can't say about the impact of it on the ecological and environmental factors of the Rupin Valley, but it will definitively be of great relief to the locals of Jhakha and Jiskun to get properly connected with rest of Himachal. It will also make crossing Rupin pass similar to crossing the Rohtang Pass.
View from Upper Water Fall Camp
WHY SHOULD YOU TREK THE RUPIN PASS WITH US ?
Unlike the mass-trekking and hand-held trekking groups in our country, we, on all of our treks, inspire and motivate to boost more of the Intrinsic and Inheritent Adventure Sense of a human being when it comes to our work ethics. We human beings are born to Survive. Its just about letting yourself free to get back your intrinsic senses to adapt, survive and then excel.
Having said that, we take safety as a first matter of concern on any of our treks, and hence provide the Guides and Leaders who are tremendously experienced, knowledgeable, responsible and capable of handling such treks. We keep our group size limited to 15 people on a trek to create a ambient Himalayan experience of Solitude, giving priority to Safety, Easy Management, Maximum Attention, Utmost care, Friendly attitude, and a Learning experience to make you a better and a humble trekker.
The equipment that we provide on the treks are some of the best in the industry. Few of those are designed and custom-made just to suit our purpose of a safe and comfortable trek experience. From the 2 layered insulated tents to the sub-zero sleeping bags, thick foam mattresses, dining tents, Safety gears like the anti-slip ice traction crampons, ice axes, gaiters, helmets, etc.. we take care of all what is required to meet your expectations of a safe and comfortable trek.
The quality of local resources, cooks and porters are not neglected and we make sure that we hire responsible local resources for your group accompanied by one of our leaders who further ensures that the quality of services are delivered as promised and forms a liaison between the group and the local hires.
Right from the food that we serve on the trek to the toilet tents and camping toilet seat that we provide, dining tents to a separate camping stools, pre-trek orientation to proper coordination, SOS arrangements, etc - Everything is taken care of with utmost professionalism and expertise of the field.
Moreover, we have our own EQUIPMENT RENTAL STORE IN SANKRI from which we give all the required gears like waterproof shoes, rain ponchos, headlamps, down jacket etc on rent. The prices are extra reduced for our own trekkers. Visit the site to know more about what you can rent from Sankri without purchasing these highly expensive gears.
We have until now worked across the Himalayas of India, Nepal and Bhutan with tremendous client satisfaction and reviews. We have always kept and delivered our promise of keeping the team small, like minded, tidy by proper selection and filtration through discussion and with utmost safety and no incidences of mishaps so far due to our proper planning by experts of the field. We are a transparent and flexible organization and have kept our reviews online. You may read our reviews on our Google Business Page: https://goo.gl/ezyw13
Come, join our group for the super exciting Rupin Pass Trek. Let us get the mountains into our lives.