Rupin Pass — Local services in Himachal Pradesh

If there is a trek in India that surprises you at every turn, it has to be the Rupin Pass trek. This trek is like an orchestra, building momentum with surprises in scenery every hour. You’ll never see it coming. Allow us to take you through the trek.

To begin with, Rupin Pass is a high altitude mountain pass, climbing to 15,250 feet. The adventure and thrill of ascending to such an altitude in the Indian Himalayas makes it a terrific trek on its own. And then come the surprises.

The surprises begin even before the trek, on your drive from Rohru over the Chainsheel Pass. Unpaved roads wind uphill through forests, changing views by the minute. The forest is so unique that you will want to step out of your vehicle now and then to admire it. At around 11,000 feet, you burst out of the forests into grasslands. These grasslands stretch far and wide. They last until you reach the Chainsheel Pass.

This is just a precursor to the trek.

On the first day of your trek, the hanging village of Jakha, perched on a ridge, takes you by surprise. The next day, the sudden appearance of the tall and dark coniferous forest about an hour outside Jakha is jaw-dropping. The abrupt end of the forest and the sudden appearance of a snow bridge below you (if early in the season) are equally mind-boggling.

We are yet to get to Day 2, where the islands of Saruwas Thatch and a sudden view of the famous Rupin Waterfall catch you by surprise. Even though you have heard the waterfall is tall, its sheer 1,500 ft drop takes you by surprise.

The perfectly “U” shaped glacial valley of Dhanderas Thatch, with hundreds of waterfalls streaming down, make you marvel at how such formations naturally exist. The following day, climbing to the top of the Rupin waterfall over its numerous snow bridges is unexpected. Then, out of the blue, you get to the upper waterfall campsite, with the Rupin river calmly gliding alongside your camp.

After a long climb from the upper waterfall camp, you step into the vast snowfields of Rata Pheri. It is an alpine setting that is least expected.

From the edges of Rata Pheri, the first sight of the Rupin gully leaves you in awe, accompanied by an adrenaline rush. When you realise you have to climb the gully to get to the pass, it is an adventure that trekkers least expect.

The climb to the knife-edged Rupin Pass, the vast slides on the snow after that, and the long grassy descent to the last Ronti Gad campsite are new surprises on the other side.

The Rupin Pass trek is so full of quick scenery changes that it leaves trekkers breathless until the end. Only when you reach the road at Sangla, do the surprises finally end.

Count the sudden scenery changes as you do the Rupin Pass trek. It is a unique combination of high-altitude adventure with stunning changes in scenery —a combination so rare that it makes the Rupin Pass one of the top treks to...

If there is a classic trek in India, it has to be the Rupin Pass. This trek is like an orchestra, building up momentum with surprises in scenery every hour or so. With every step, the trek throws up a new vista to see, new scenery to unfold. Quite suddenly too! The surprises begin right from your first day of trekking. When, around 20 minutes into the trail, you see the Rupin River make an appearance, fanning out into a wide bed below you. And it doesn’t stop here. From here, the trail takes you through hanging villages, and then quite suddenly, it plunges into a deep pine forest! That’s not all. The trail then meanders through glacial meadows, snow bridges, glacial valleys, snowfields, and hundreds of waterfalls! Rupin Pass trek is 7 days long (including the drive to and from the trek, buffer, and acclimatization day) in the Himalayas. It begins at the remote village of Jiskun and ends at the village of Sangla in Himachal Pradesh. The lower waterfall campsite is probably one of the most exquisite Himalayas have to offer. Snuggled at the bottom of a perfect “U” shaped glacial valley – it lies on the bed of a lush green meadow. From your view at the bottom of the meadow, snow-patched cliffs tower on all three sides. In front, the Rupin cascades down from the snowy Dhauladhar range for over two thousand feet to form the famous Rupin waterfall. Spending two days at this campsite...

Absolutely beautiful trek! Rupin pass is a high altitude trek starting in Jiskun in Himachal Pradesh, and is open between April to September. While in the month of April -May it would be covered in snow, it would be greener in the monsoon months and bright and green during September or early October. Post that the trekus closed for the year. This trek is a complete package in terms of the varied terrain it offers. It has beautiful villages, green dense forests, azure blue river flowing in, mountains, waterfalls, everything that you can ask for in a trek. And every season it holds a different beauty. The highlight of the trek is you are camping everyday along the Rupin river and in the most beautiful of locations. Loved every moment of it and would like to go back over...