Day 1 | Ghera – Kareri : We took the 9 : 22 PM bus from Delhi ISBT and reached Dharamshala ISBT at 9 AM in the morning. It was dark and gloomy. We walked to Sita Guest House just 100 m from the ISBT. We got freshened up and after completing breakfast we started out journey towards Ghera. It started raining when we were in the guest house. When we reached Ghera (1325 m) it was drizzling. We had tea and then decided to ride the car till Kareri Village and not to trek in rain.
God had other plans for us. Midway the road to Kareri, there was a landslide and the car returned to Ghera. We packed up with rain coats and started hiking in the rain. After crossing the government school of Seri (1470 m) we hiked higher and higher. Finally we reached Kareri ( 1800 m) after 1 ½ hours trek. Being completely wet, we decided not to camp rather stay in home stay.
Once we reached the homestay, we had a fire lit up and spent the rest of the day in front of it. Sadly no pictures due to continuous rain and wet conditions.
Day 2 | Kareri – Harote – Kareri : The rain had stopped and we started the hike at 10 AM. After crossing the trails through the village, we reached a road coming from Pathankot and continued in it to reach a concrete bridge. From here starts a dense forest of Oak and Rhododendron and a steep ascent. In the midway we crossed a boulder crossing over the stream and continued on the true right of the stream. After this the snow captured the trail and it reached to almost 4 feet deep when we reached Harote (2500 m).
It was almost 1:30 when we finished out lunch and decided to turn back due to lack of time to reach the lake and return.
The best thing of the day is the sightings of numerous (at least 20) Monal and a pair of Ibex. Due to lack of proper telephoto lens and foggy condition, we failed to capture them in lens.
Day 3 | Kareri – Ghera – Stowari : Last night was really cold. The morning was also well below freezing and clear weather with cold breeze. After a hot breakfast, we started moving down at 10 AM. This time we skipped the road on the top and took the steep decent. After this we continued on the road. Our team divided in to two halves with one half moving on the road by car to Macleodganj while the other team walked all the way to Ghera and then climbed to Stowari on the other site and take a short bus ride to Macleodganj.
We reached Ghera at 12:30 PM and after a small light lunch we started climbing again at 1:30 PM. The climb is steep but not demanding. We moved through the forest trails and reached Stowari (1750 m) at 3 PM. We took the bus at the road head and ended the day in Macleodganj where we meet up with the other half. We took the night bus at 7 PM to Delhi.
This is a great weekend trek from Delhi and also avoiding the busy Triund trail. We did this trek in per head cost of Rs 4300 which includes bus from Delhi to Dharamshala and back, local car to Ghera and back(return for half of members who did not trek to Stowari), accomodation in homestay, all food during travel (3 days and 4 nights) and guide charges etc. I would say this is a great trail for a 3 day weekend from Delhi. Some pictures are in my blog.
Guide Contact: Mr. Kuldeep Chand a trusted Guide in the region can be reached at +91-9418414668
God had other plans for us. Midway the road to Kareri, there was a landslide and the car returned to Ghera. We packed up with rain coats and started hiking in the rain. After crossing the government school of Seri (1470 m) we hiked higher and higher. Finally we reached Kareri ( 1800 m) after 1 ½ hours trek. Being completely wet, we decided not to camp rather stay in home stay.
Once we reached the homestay, we had a fire lit up and spent the rest of the day in front of it. Sadly no pictures due to continuous rain and wet conditions.
Day 2 | Kareri – Harote – Kareri : The rain had stopped and we started the hike at 10 AM. After crossing the trails through the village, we reached a road coming from Pathankot and continued in it to reach a concrete bridge. From here starts a dense forest of Oak and Rhododendron and a steep ascent. In the midway we crossed a boulder crossing over the stream and continued on the true right of the stream. After this the snow captured the trail and it reached to almost 4 feet deep when we reached Harote (2500 m).
It was almost 1:30 when we finished out lunch and decided to turn back due to lack of time to reach the lake and return.
The best thing of the day is the sightings of numerous (at least 20) Monal and a pair of Ibex. Due to lack of proper telephoto lens and foggy condition, we failed to capture them in lens.
Day 3 | Kareri – Ghera – Stowari : Last night was really cold. The morning was also well below freezing and clear weather with cold breeze. After a hot breakfast, we started moving down at 10 AM. This time we skipped the road on the top and took the steep decent. After this we continued on the road. Our team divided in to two halves with one half moving on the road by car to Macleodganj while the other team walked all the way to Ghera and then climbed to Stowari on the other site and take a short bus ride to Macleodganj.
We reached Ghera at 12:30 PM and after a small light lunch we started climbing again at 1:30 PM. The climb is steep but not demanding. We moved through the forest trails and reached Stowari (1750 m) at 3 PM. We took the bus at the road head and ended the day in Macleodganj where we meet up with the other half. We took the night bus at 7 PM to Delhi.
This is a great weekend trek from Delhi and also avoiding the busy Triund trail. We did this trek in per head cost of Rs 4300 which includes bus from Delhi to Dharamshala and back, local car to Ghera and back(return for half of members who did not trek to Stowari), accomodation in homestay, all food during travel (3 days and 4 nights) and guide charges etc. I would say this is a great trail for a 3 day weekend from Delhi. Some pictures are in my blog.
Guide Contact: Mr. Kuldeep Chand a trusted Guide in the region can be reached at +91-9418414668
