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Chandranahan Lake Trek

A trek to the true source of river Pabbar

A Trek to the True Source of River Pabbar

Chandranahan Lake Videos
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Campsites at a Glance

At Indiahikes, we are very particular about choosing terrific campsites. For the Chandranahan Lake trek too, after a lot of back and forth, we have settled on these terrific campsites, which trekkers have come to love and have a great experience.

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Dayara Campsite, amidst the beautiful Dayara Meadows. PC Gautham Reddy.

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View of the Litham campsite with the sun setting at the backdrop. PC VishwajeetChavan

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Dhunda campsite, surrounded by snow clad cliffs, appears in the distance. PC: Sandhya UC

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Why I Believe Everyone Must Trek: A Note from the Founder

Trekking transforms lives. It has changed my life totally. When I see my colleagues at Indiahikes, all of them have been impacted greatly. The transformations have been profound and irreversible. 

I see it in our trekkers too. I have seen them change professions, careers or start a new life. I have seen them get in and out of relationships, start new projects. These are life-changing experiences. 

I have seen children building resilience. I have seen families come together. When I see those above 55, I see them rediscover passion and a sense of purpose. These are not small gains.

In the mountains new professions, new economies and new businesses have opened up. Our staff no longer go to cities to earn their living. Their income has increased. Above all, they are happiest working in this world. Trekking has been truly transformative.  

Everyone must absolutely trek. It transforms lives far more than you imagine. 

Why I Believe Everyone Must Trek: A Note from the Founder

Trekking transforms lives. It has changed my life totally. When I see my colleagues at Indiahikes, all of them have been impacted greatly. The transformations have been profound and irreversible. 

I see it in our trekkers too. I have seen them change professions, careers or start a new life. I have seen them get in and out of relationships, start new projects. These are life-changing experiences. 

I have seen children building resilience. I have seen families come together. When I see those above 55, I see them rediscover passion and a sense of purpose. These are not small gains.

In the mountains new professions, new economies and new businesses have opened up. Our staff no longer go to cities to earn their living. Their income has increased. Above all, they are happiest working in this world. Trekking has been truly transformative.  

Everyone must absolutely trek. It transforms lives far more than you imagine. 

Expert Speak

Arjun Majumdar, Founder, CEO

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Arjun Majumdar, Founder, CEO

Arjun Majumdar, the Founder of Indiahikes, went on this exploratory trek almost a decade ago. He is a veteran of then trekking community in India and one of the earliest to trek Buran Ghati. He’s an expert when it comes to the trek. Here’s Arjun talking about one of the grandest treks in our country.

What I Like and Don’t Like About Chandranahan Lake Trek

What I Like About Chandranahan Lake Trek

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Arjun Majumdar, Founder, CEO

Arjun Majumdar, the Founder of Indiahikes, went on this exploratory trek almost a decade ago. He is a veteran of then trekking community in India and one of the earliest to trek Buran Ghati. He’s an expert when it comes to the trek. Here’s Arjun talking about one of the grandest treks in our country.

1. First, the Chandranahan Lake

The Chandranahan Lake is a small lake fed by several springs and melting snow. It is the true source of the Pabbar River, beside which you trek throughout this journey. The lake is in an alpine zone, around the 14,000 feet — the altitude makes it a whole different adventure. The lake is in a kind of a bowl flanked by high snow peaks. Trekking to the lake feels like almost being part of a big climbing expedition.

Reaching the lake is quite an adventure — something trekkers love. From your final camp at Litham, you climb up the towering Pabbar water falls to get to its snout. At the snout you can even watch the river falling down from under your feet. For most trekkers this is one of the high moments of the trek.

From the snout, you cross five other alpine lakes (smallish lakes) to get to the final Chandranahan lake, deep inside the alpine valley. The trek takes about two hours from the snout, but every step is like an expedition. In most seasons expect snow patches to be around you.

2. Second, the mind blowing meadows of Dayara

Dayara meadows is no ordinary meadows in trekking circles. In our experience, it is one of the most beautiful meadows that we have come across.

Camping in these meadows is pure privilege. Starting your trek from Janglik, the Dayara meadows pop out at you almost out of nowhere! There’s a point on the trek that we call the “wow point”,  where you exit the forests and suddenly see the meadows! It’s a moment to remember.

3. Third, the forests from Janglik to Dayara

The trail to Chandranahan from the very beginning is luxuriant with coniferous forests. These forests are resplendent with pines and oaks.

They are deep and dark — they give you a sense of calmness, and at the same time, a sense of adventure. For most city-bred people, this is a true experience of the outdoors. Here is where they become one with nature, and understand the pleasures and learning that come with the outdoors.

What I don't Like About the Chandranahan Lake Trek

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Know Your Trek

We have always wanted trekkers to be well-informed before they go on a Himalayan trek. Knowledge is the difference between a safe trek and a dangerous one. It’s also the difference between a wholesome experience and a superficial experience.

Use this section to learn about the Chandranahan Lake trek. It has in-depth information about each day of the trek, what to expect, and how you need to prepare for it. Many years of expertise have gone into this content. Trekkers find that extremely useful.

Trek Trivia

Things Nobody Tells You About Chandranahan Lake Trek

The Mysterious Lake of Chandranahan

According to the locals, Chandranahan has seven lakes. However, what is interesting about this, is that there are a lot of mysteries surrounding the seventh lake on the top. The reason for this is its unreachability. Very few people from Janglik village have been able to climb up there. Sitting at approximately 17,000 feet, the lake poses a difficult trek even to the locals. But it is definitely one of the hidden jewels of the entire Buran valley. The alpine lake shows beautiful colours when surrounded by snow. 

Not only is this one of the few treks which has a trail alongside a river, but you actually get to see the glacier where the water originates from.

The Barren Mountain Range

When you start moving from Dayara to Litham, on the right side you see a range of mountains. These are mostly barren with the rock face opened up. On these barren rocks, a lot of vulture nestings can be spotted. So make sure to take a pair of binoculars on this trek!

When the sun rises on the opposite side of these barren mountains, and when it is on the horizon, it turns the barren mountains red with its glow.

Leaving Mountains Better

Green Trails is our promise to leave the mountains better. We have removed over 1 lakh kilos of waste left behind by others on trekking trails. Yet this is a small percentage of what we do. Green Trails dives into reducing use of resources, reducing our carbon footprint and bringing about a change in the daily practices of our trekkers too.

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Read more about similar treks

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Every trek has extremely beautiful sections. Every trek also has sections that are, we grudgingly admit, a little imperfect. However, when you are on the Buran Ghati trek, even with your best critical eye, these imperfections are hard to spot.

There is not a moment on this trek where you are disappointed. It is as though someone has taken out all the best parts of our Himalayan treks and stitched them together to make one perfect trek.

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To begin with, ridge treks are extremely uncommon in our country. There is hardly a handful. In exploring the Phulara Ridge trek in April 2018, we discovered a ridge trek that is looking to be one of the best!

Now, a ridge is a place where two sides of the mountain meet. So the walk on a ridge is almost like one on a knife-edge, where there are just flanks of the mountain sloping down from either side of you. There are small ridge sections on a few Himalayan treks. However, to have an entire day’s trek on a ridge is unparalleled.

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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. 

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