Himachal Pradesh – Crossing Sach Pass to Killar in Pangi Valley

Day2:

Nothing much to write as this day was to feel the nature in various form, initially lush green Chamba, then slushy and muddy upward drive from Bairagarh to Kalaban to Satrundi and finally to the Sach Pass and then killer drive to Killar, never have seen such a steep gradient while getting down from Sach Pas to Bogutu. A complete change in weather, mountains, rocks and everything around you would surely mesmerize you once you cross this mighty pass. You might redefine what remoteness is once you cross this section. I have a dream of going to Killar – Kishtwar one day but this awesome journey from Chamba across the Pangi valley would remain in my memory for long.

The road till Bairagarh is tarred and you will enjoy the scenic Chamba all along but after Bairagarh things would start changing. It was before 10km of Kalaban, suddenly the road got vanished and we started realizing why so many traveller consider Sach pass so challenging. Vinkal being a very expert and efficient driver really made a mess and finally it was the local contractors who got us out of the trouble. At least 10 people pushed the car from behind and one got into driver’s seat and next 40 seconds was a thriller, we were stuck for almost half an hour and it was a great relief once we crossed the section.

The road from Satrundi towards top was rocky rather than muddy but the wild flowers around you would cast a magical spell, I have never seen so much of wild flowers, may be August was good time to see the flowers but that was an experience hard to forget.

The moment we crossed Sach Pass, blue sky and gorgeous sun gave us a warm welcome as we entered the rain shadow region, few challenging water crossing, few tense moments with rock falling and few unnerving moments of driving took us to Bogutu where we had tea, but at 5.00 in afternoon with bright sun at top, we felt the chill of Pangi Valley, couldn’t stand in open ground, it was so windy.

The road at this end was blasted from sheer rocky terrain and the colors of the deep canyons were amazing. Few waterfalls straight on the road made it more thrilling, we were tired and finally reached Killar around 7, another 12 hours of journey. We booked Killar PWD which was excellent, I have stayed many HP PWD but this one along with the one in Sissu stands out. We were very tired but the caretaker of the GH couldn’t arrange food as he was busy in entertaining some Govt Babus. We had our dinner outside and quickly retired for the day.

Few moments as I look back:

It’s all very soothing green until you reach Bairagarh: