Bhrigu Lake Trek VS Hampta Pass Trek - A Comprehensive Guide To Choose The Trek That Fits You Best

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Bhrigu Lake Trek VS Hampta Pass Trek - A
Comprehensive Guide To Choose The Trek That Fits
You Best
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• At some point in life, everyone has a will and
  wish to trek. And, if you happen to be an Indian,
  majestic Himalayas is where you should head to.
  The Himalayas offer multiple trekking options,
  each with specific features to offer. For a
  beginner, deciding on which trek to go to can be
  a very tedious task. Its extremely important to
  choose your trekking site and pathway very
  carefully. Else, the hard work you put into
  getting fitter for the trek and the entire
  journey in itself can seem very disappointing.
• Hampta Pass and Bhrigu Lake are both very popular
  for trekkers to start their trekking endeavours
  with. We have put together a comprehensive guide
  for you that will help you understand the
  differences and similarities between the two
  treks and make an informed selection between the
  two.

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1.What Will You See?
As the name suggests, Bhrigu Lake Trek ends up at
the Bhrigu Lake. The lake is situated at a height
of 4,240 meters, which makes it astonishingly
beautiful. Based on the season, the lake changes
color and shape. Even though the treks main
attraction is the high altitude lake, what is
equally or even more pristine about this trek are
the meadows that you will find on your way.
Bhrigu Trek is one of the only treks in India
that can get you to see isolated meadow
grasslands within 30 minutes of your trek.
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The reward at the end of the trek
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Hampta Pass Trek is perfect if what you love is
Snow. Even though it is not a high altitude trek,
it offers a unique snow covered views and you
literally walk on them. Unlike many other treks,
Hampta Pass is a narrow valley trek that stays
with you for the most part. This allows the snow
to spread in a gorgeous sheet-like structure. If
you are dont make it in the Snow season, Hampta
Pass has an excellent combination of diverse
features to see glacial valleys, open
grasslands, and green meadows.
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VIEWS ON THE HAMPTA PASS TREK
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2. Difficulty Level
Bhrigu Lake Trek is one of the simplest and most
gorgeous treks out there. There are plenty of
short treks that will consume much lesser
calories, but you will feel disappointed at
having spent them at all. As mentioned above,
Bhrigus meadows start very soon into the
trekking and they stay along for almost the
entire trek. This not only keeps you refreshed
and energized, the trek also feels worth the
effort. Also, the trail to the lake is a
relatively easier one.
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VIEW OF BHRIGU LAKE DURING SUMMER
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Hampta Pass is an extremely convenient to trek to
undertake. If you are a beginner, it will help
you ease yourself into trekking step by step. The
trek doesnt have any high cliffs to climb or
slopes to hike on and maintain a gradual gradient
throughout making it a perfect fit for beginners
as well as experienced trekkers.
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VIEW OF MAJESTIC CHANDRATAAL LAKE ON THE HAMPTA
PASS TREK
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3. Origin And The Trail
Bhrigu Lake Trek starts not far from Manali. You
can reach Gulaba to start your trek, which is
barely 22 km from Manali. The trek begins from
here and crosses many hamlets and meadows on the
way including Hanuman Tibba, Kolang Nallah, Rola
Kholi and finally ending into the steep ridge of
Vashishth, famous for its hot water springs.
Vashishth marks the end of the trek, from where
one can head back to Manali (3 km away).
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Hampta Pass Trek starts from Jobra or Chika with
its first step as an entry into the thick pine
forest. Here, you can spot a variety of trees and
fauna. While you trek, you cross Rani River, Balu
ka Gera popular for its sandy land and the famous
Chandrataal lake (which needs an extra walk
beside the hike). The trek ends in Chatru which
is around 3 to 4 hours drive away from Manali.
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4. How Many Days?
Bhrigu Lake Trek takes about 3 to 5 days to
complete. One can choose to finish it in 3 days
(over a weekend) or keep it slow if you want to
relax on the way and click multiple pictures.
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Hampta Pass is a little longer trek than Bhrigu.
If you include Chandrataal as a stop, the trek
takes around 5 nights and 6 days to complete. You
can skip the lake to comfortably complete the
trek within 5 days as well.
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5. Who Should You Trek With?
Bhrigu Lake Trek is suited for anyone and
everyone. Its ease of travel and huge returns
make it a great site to go with groups, family,
or even children. If you happen to plan Manali
with friends or family, just step a little
further and instead take this trek to the
lake. Similar to the Bhrigu Lake Trek, Hampta is
suited to go with family or friends, young and
old. Since the gradient is not very steep and
stays comfortable to trek for all five days, it
is a convenient location to go to with mostly
everyone. However, given its length, it is not
the best-suited treks to go with those looking
for quick rewards.
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View on the way to Hampta Pass
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6. Fitness Level Required
Trekking, as one can guess is not a typical
holiday. Instead of luxurious hotels, there are
base camps and food cooked on wood replaces the
fancy buffet. Preparing yourself for the trek is
as important as preparing oneself for a marathon.
Both, Bhrigu and Hampta are moderate treks and
require a basic level of fitness. Bhrigu lake
trek starts at Gulaba, which is at a height and
goes up double its height in just two to three
days. Hampta Pass trek, on the other hand,
requires long walks throughout the day. Before
you set on either treks, build endurance by
jogging every day for about 30 minutes for a
period of a month or so. Apart from this,
building strength in your legs is a must for both
the treks. You can achieve this by working on
your calf muscles, knees and thighs. Overall,
both the treks need you to be fit enough to walk
and endure the heights. Make sure you also stock
up basic medicines as suggested by your hiking
guide.
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7. Potential Pitfall
Theres nothing that one can deem a pitfall when
it comes to the majestic treks to Bhrigu Lake and
Hampta Pass. If one has to think of a potential
pitfall for Bhrigu, it can be the number of
trekkers you might find on your way. Bhrigu Lake
Trek, which was once quite an offbeat trek has
now gained quite a lot of popularity. The end of
the trek, Vashishth is famous for its hot springs
and hence attracts a lot of tourists.
Nevertheless, it is not crowded and you will
enjoy the views. Very similar to Bhrigu, Hampta
Pass Trek has no pitfalls. Its as gorgeous as
any trek can be. For a beginner, one of the only
pitfalls one can suggest to think about is the
duration of the trek. Even though the duration is
relatively on the longer side, it is pretty well
balanced by the convenience of the trail itself.
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Be that Bhrigu or Hampta or any other trek into
the magnificent Himalayas, an experience worth a
million is guaranteed. Selecting a trek to go is
a very personal and subjective decision. It
depends on many factors, choice and the time you
have in hand. Its good to be aware of what each
trek offers and make a choice based on the
experience you wish to create for
yourself. Check out our list of amazing treks
this summer here  http//bit.ly/2qiX9Dy