An Overview

Kugti Village

Kugti Village - Hadsar is a small village in the Chamba Valley of Himachal Pradesh, most famous for being the gateway to the Manimahesh Kailash Yatra, a pilgrimage to a holy lake situated at a whopping 4,080 meters. Right beyond Hadsar, some 13 kilometers away, lies the quaint village of Kugti, the base camp for the lesser explored and extremely difficult trek to Kugti Pass connecting the Chamba and Lahaul districts of Himachal Pradesh. Most people of Kugti belong to the Gaddi community. This remote and offbeat village does not see a lot of tourist footfall and so there is only one proper lodging option- that of the Forest Rest House. Apart from this, there are a few homestays one can try. The most famous attraction here is the ancient Kartik Swati Temple which is about a two hours’ hike from the village and is almost entirely covered in snow during winters. Furthermore, the magnificent Budhil river flows through this valley, making the soil extremely fertile for crop production. The village is mostly self-sufficient on food with crops like rajma, potatoes, apricot, walnut, apple, cabbage and peach amongst others.

Kugti is a village of extreme serenity and untouched natural beauty surrounded by the Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary- the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh after Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary located in Spiti Valley. The sanctuary has a varying altitude ranging from 2,195 meters to 5,040 meters!  This sanctuary is famous for the snow leopard and the Himalayan ibex. In addition to this Kugti Sanctuary has a total of 22 mountains peaks. Some of them include Crog Dhar, Sapad Kinnaur, Bukhar Dhar, Mundi Dhar, and Dawel Dhar. It is a pristine area untainted by the advent of commercialization. There shouldn’t be a need for any more reasons to visit this pristine land of Mother Nature, through a road trip covering this offbeat destination in the Himalayas!

Bharmour

Bharmour, the ancient capital of Chamba district is at an elevation of 7000 feet in the Budhil Valley. This beautiful town is famous for its scenic beauty and temples. Bharmour is considered to be Shiv Bhoomi, or the abode of Lord Shiva because the area surrounding Bharmour is supposed to belong to Him. The majority of population here is of people from the Gaddi tribe. Chaurasi Temple is in the center of the Bharmour town and was built here in the 7th century. Besides, there are 84 total temples in the whole complex, making it a place of deep religious importance.

Khajjiar & Dalhousie

The Kugti Valley road trip will also cover Khajjiar and Dalhousie. Dalhousie was established by Britishers as a military station in 1864. Built around five hills, it retains its old-world charm even today. In addition, this hill town is famous for a wonderful view of the Pir-Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges. It also has numerous beautiful churches built against a backdrop of tall pine trees.

Khajjiar is a famous tourist spot located within the Kalatop Sanctuary. It has good patches of coniferous and oak forests. Surrounded by thick deodar forest with a lake in the middle along with a temple of Khajji Nag, the meadows of Khajjiar are truly pitcure perfect! Along with immense natural beauty, this place also breaths mythology. Khajjiar is also known as the mini-Switzerland of India.

If solitude, sky-gazing, wilderness, a night out under the stars and a warm campfire is what you want, this trip is undoubtedly ideal for you!