Trek to the Moon Lake – An 8-day Lahaul-Spiti Experience – Part 3
The year – 2019. The place – Himachal Pradesh. The travelers – my husband and myself.
We had just reached the campsite for penultimate day’s stay in Chandratal. Read about the first part of our trip and our journey to this place here in Part 1 and Part 2.
After lunch and rest, began the final leg of our trip.
The Mini-trek
Chandratal – “taal” meaning lake – is situated at an elevation of 14000ft and is a holy lake. It is a mountain lake – nestled at the base of and surrounded by mountains. We started our trek towards the lake at around half past three in the afternoon by following a path just behind our campsite. We walked through grass covered hills, flowers here and there and were greeted by sheep once. Through it all we had the nippy mountain air and the gorgeous Himalayas as our guide.
Up and down through arcs and troughs we went until suddenly we realized we were lost! We were supposed to have reached the lake by now but we didn’t seem to be even close. There were no maps – Google or otherwise – to help us. So, we backtracked a bit till we could see the vehicle-road below and then followed the trail parallel through it. Finally, finally, after we had crested a small hillock, we could see the lake from above! What a wondrous sight! Hues of green and blue merging with each other and the white-peaked mountains all around.
Tip: Vehicles aren’t allowed right up to the lake. There is a particular point upto which vehicular movement is restricted after which one will need to hike to the lake. We took the more meandering and circuitous trekking route to the lake. The more conventional route is via car to the last point allowed for cars and then the small walk.
In the light of the setting sun, we hiked back to the camp via the road route. We were greeted by tea and maggi back at the camp. Ah, bliss! Once dark, the temperature dropped to single digits and we were left shivering. So we quickly ducked back to the dining camp for hot soup. Barely an hour later, we had our dinner and then we were ready to bunk down.
Day 8: Chandratal to Manali
At the crack of dawn the next day, we had to start for Manali. We started off after a quick tea consumed standing up and with our breakfast packed. The reason for this was the melting of glaciers as the day wore on. With the rising sun, the glaciers melt and overrun the road thereby making passage difficult. Guided by the Chenab River this time, we drove on, sometimes between walls of snow higher than our car, sometimes right by the gushing river and sometimes with the mountains up close to us. We stopped for lunch at Chhatru – hot paranthas with achhar – and then were quickly back on the road.
We faced trouble in paradise shortly after lunch. Our car broke down! Amidst mounting tension, our driver and we tried to think of ways to reach Manali. Eventually we got a lift in a car whose driver was a friend of our driver – thank the HP drivers’ community.
Our one stop before Manali – Rohtang Pass. At the snow clad Rohtang, we stopped to admire the view but declined from playing about in the snow. We made it to Manali late evening. Evening was spent on a leisurely walk through Manali’s mall road and we returned to our hotel after dinner at the mall.
Final day: Half day Manali trip & Return to Mumbai
The next day was a relaxed one to “recuperate” from our vacation. Just one small visit to the Hadimba Devi Temple where we offered our prayers in gratitude for our trip. A little bit of shopping and we were ready for our return to Mumbai.
The amazing adventures of Spiti
While it may seem like a hectic trip with one night at each place, in reality there wasn’t any running from one attraction to the next. Spiti is all about the journey, the scenery and the company of loved ones. There is no mobile network (except for BSNL, I’m told) and so it is refreshing change from social media, work and news. Spiti is a place to just be, to absorb the beauty and bounty of nature.
Tips for Spiti:
Some other places to visit in Spiti are:
- Chitkul
- Kibber (known for snow leopards)
- Losar
You can change the itinerary to just pass by some of the places and/or to stay the night in the ones we passed by eg. Dhankar or Nako.
Best time to visit: Pre-monsoons to winter are the times to visit but as per me, best time is the pre monsoon where you can enjoy the desert mountain scenery to its utmost. Monsoons are a little dangerous with respect to roads while winter can cause heavy snowfall thereby blocking out some of these places entirely. And, all white may be a different kind of pretty but will not give you the effect of the “desert” beauty.
Weather: During pre monsoons, weather is cool to chilly during the night and warm during the day. In Chandrataal though, due to the winds, it is chilly during the day and quite cold during the night. Suit up accordingly.
Best way to travel: By car, in a group so that expenses are divided is the best way to travel.
Expenses: We had medium budget stays in some places and some basic ones. Local food mostly vegetarian with eggs was what we consumed. We, a couple, traveled by car so that cost wasn’t shared. Our cost for the trip was around ₹75,000. For a larger group – optimum 4 – this will be lesser.
This is a jewel of Himachal, plan your trips soon!
