Bara Bhangal Trek

The crossing to Bara Bhangal begins at Billing, the paragliding launch site above Bir known to most visitors for entirely different reasons, but which also serves as the trailhead for one of Himachal's longest and most committing treks. From the grassy takeoff slopes, the trail drops briefly before settling into a steady climb through chir pine forest, the Kangra valley's tea gardens and the distant outline of the Dhauladhar range receding gradually below as the path gains the ridge proper. Rajgundha, the day's destination, is a small, relatively prosperous village known locally for its potato cultivation, an unusual crop success story at this altitude attributed to particularly favourable soil and microclimate conditions found in this specific pocket of the Kangra hills. The village retains a genuinely traditional character, with wood-and-stone houses and terraced fields that have supported the same families for generations, and villagers here, though accustomed to occasional trekking groups passing through en route to Bara Bhangal, remain notably unaffected by tourism in a way that feels increasingly rare in more heavily trekked parts of Himachal. A homestay or guesthouse room here offers the last real comfort before the trek's considerably wilder middle stretch, and the evening is typically spent discussing the sheer scale of the journey ahead, ten days in total, crossing two significant passes and reaching one of the most isolated permanently inhabited villages anywhere in the state. Guides emphasise pacing and honest self-assessment of fitness from this very first evening, since Bara Bhangal offers no easy exit once the trek moves beyond Rajgundha.

Leaving Rajgundha's cultivated fields behind, the trail climbs into denser forest, oak and rhododendron closing in around the path as the route follows a tributary stream deeper into increasingly wild terrain. This stretch sees noticeably less foot traffic than the approach to Rajgundha, and the trail itself narrows in places, occasionally requiring some care where past landslides or fallen trees have disrupted the path. Gaddi shepherd families are a common presence through this section during the summer grazing season, their flocks spread across hillside clearings in substantial numbers, and their temporary camps offer useful points of local knowledge about current trail and weather conditions further ahead toward Thamsar. Palachak Thach, the day's destination, is a riverside meadow used for generations as a staging camp on this route, chosen for its flat ground and reliable water, and the setting here feels considerably more remote than anything encountered on the first day, with forested ridges closing in on both sides of the narrowing valley. Wildlife signs, from fresh bear scratches on tree bark to occasional pheasant calls echoing through the forest, become more frequent as the trek moves further from any permanent settlement. Camp is set with the stream as a constant backdrop, and the evening briefing turns toward the technical demands of the coming Thamsar Pass crossing, with guides explaining how the route's difficulty depends heavily on that season's specific snow and glacier conditions. Firewood is collected early, since the evening chill here already hints at the considerably colder camps that lie several days further along this remote crossing.