Travelling in Himachal in June – 2007
Shimla >> Manali >> Rohtang >> Chandratal >> Ki/Kibber/Tabo >> Kalpa >> Shimla
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The night in the dhaba at Batal was comfortable. I was expecting it to get cold in those altitudes, but it was not bad at all. We did feel a little cold with the blowing wind outside but hardly anything of Himalayan scale. The days were in fact warm to hot and the temperature seemed to go beyond thirty degrees. I woke up early in the morning taking advantage of the fair weather. Sun was still invisible and beyond the mountains, but the first rays of the day were already on the distant mountain peaks that raised much above us, even we were still in shadow. Standing on the bank of Chandra River, I spent an hour photographing those sunlit mountain peaks scurrying from place to place and re-adjusting the tripod, lest I miss those beautiful moments before the sun rises high. But at the end of it, I felt a loss – a loss of not witnessing those pristine moments quietly sitting next to the river.
Chandra river flows in its valley
Early morning at Batal
We had a quick breakfast of greasy but delicious Aloo Parathas and made our way towards Chandratal. It took us more than an hour’s drive to get there and it was the most dangerous road we drove through in the entire journey. The road was sometime narrow just enough to let our jeep pass, and any error in judgment would simply mean a plunge into the river. Some U turns were steep enough to require us to do a few iterations of forward-reverse to pass through. But arriving at the Chandratal, we could see all that effort was worth it. It is a long, turquoise colored water body with cold and clear water. Its surface was calm and reflected the snow-capped mountains and clear blue skies. We spent a few hours walking on the lake shore and enjoying the dramatic setup of the lake amidst the mountains.
On the way to Chandratal
Chandratal..
Continued at Kunzim La, Kaza, Ki Monastery and Kibber
These pictures were probably some of the best Ive seen Arun..I shivered actually ..if these pictures can be so overwhelming, I can imagine the awe that you must have felt..You are lucky to have seen and felt such moments in your life..
lakshmi
Thanks Laxmi. It was indeed a special place and it was great being there.
hey dude,
have been lurking here since long…
am a great fan of ur blog and fotography…
I have started something on similar lines of all the tips i do…
please take a look if u can
http://www.srinathtravel.blogspot.com
I have never-ending admiration for the wondrous mountain scenery, and you have got such beautiful shots!
thank you Srinath.
Thanks, indicaspecies.
[...] beautiful Chandratal Lake is, I found it hard to get good images of the lake. It is a vast lake, and letting the clear lake [...]
you mean you actually drove to chandratal? that’s sheer travesty. all the derring-do at the wheel won’t wash away the sin. for god’s sake, get off your four by four sometimes and walk like god intended you to
[...] Rohtang >> Chandratal >> Ki/Kibber/Tabo >> Kalpa >> Shimla+ Previous: Batal and Chandratal+ Next: Tabo Monastery and Nako Village+ Go to beginning of the story or index [...]
would like to know about the whereabouts or contact number of the tour operator or the driver who accompanied you people to Chandratal. We are planning to visit Chandratal in September 2010. Any response will be hugely useful as we are not regular trekkers and have already missed the opportunity to visit Chandratal last year due to a landslide at Mauling Nala which falls on the way from Kalpa to Kaza. We had to redirect our tour to manali via the Jalori Pass and spend idle days in Manali shopping for shawls and all bullshits to be carried all the way to calcutta. So please help. email id : deb_jaydeep@yahoo.com, debjaydeep@gmail.com