Chhota Chandratal Trek

Deo Tibba is one of India’s most popular climbing peaks. The trek to the Deo Tibba Base Camp though doesn’t get nearly enough attention from trekkers looking for a short yet rewarding mountain trip. The 5 day trip packs it all - make your way through dense broad leafed forests, alongside the ferocious Duhangan Nala and through the sacred rocks of Chikka. Further on you trek to the expansive Seri grasslands, zig zag your way up the Seri cliffs while the sound of the waterfalls drown out your thumping heart. Come up triumphant thereafter to the even more beautiful Tenta flat lands and go up the snowy moraine to view the Deo Tibba glacier and finally the pristine Chota Chandertal. What this high altitude lake lacks in size, it surely makes up in location

Highlights:

• Duration: 5 days
• Grade: Moderate
• Max Altitude: 4480m
• Starts from: Manali, Himachal Pradesh
• Ends at: Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Brief Itinerary:

Day 0: Arrive at Manali (1900m), short acclimatization walk
Day 1:  Drive to road head (2775m) and trek to Chhika (3175m)
Day 2: Trek from Chikka (3175m) to Seri (3700m)
Day 3: Trek from Seri (3700m) to Tenta (4300m)
Day 4: Trek from Tenta (4300m) to Chota Chandratal  (4480m) and back to Seri (3700m)
Day 5: Trek from Seri (3700m) to road-head (2775m). End of trek and drive back to Manali.

Detail Itinerary: 

Day 1 - Drive from Manali to road-head and trek to Chhika (3175m) 
Duration : 2 hours drive. 3 hours trek.
Arrive in Manali and take in the mountain surroundings. We meet at the HRTC bus stand and drive two hours to the road-head for the trek. The bumpy pot holed road takes us high above Manali to where the Duhangan Nala almost disappears into a tunnel to meet Jobri Nala at a power project on the other side of the mountain.
 
We start trekking up along the Nala, cross it and make our way through a steadily ascending forest trail. The broad leafed forest, rich in biodiversity is a naturalist’s delight. After 2 -3 hours the forest starts giving way to more glades and we reach the open pastures of Chhika.
 
Chhika, which is sacred for the locals who live further down the valley,  has a few huts and a temple for devotees to stay. We camp here with Duhangan Nala gushing right beside us.
 
Day 2: Trek from Chikka (3175m) to Seri (3700m)
Duration : 5 hours
The day’s trek starts with a moderate ascent through thick forest. As we go higher the forest thins out gradually and gives way to Birch trees and finally bushes and high altitude grasslands. We walk along the Nala all day until we reach the expansive grasslands at Seri with the Tenta cliffs towering to the left and the waterfalls crashing on the rocks below. We camp at the flatlands for the night and witness a blanket of stars open up above us.
 
Day 3: Trek from Seri (3700m) to Tenta (4300m)
Duration : 5 hours
Today we cross the flatlands and reach the spread out Duhangan Nala. We ford the stream and start climbing up a serpentine trail to reach the top of the cliff in 2 hours. Another flatland opens up in front of us  dotted with wildflowers of myriad colours. We walk along the spread out Nala and cross it to start climbing up the boulder littered terrain. An hour of walking up along a ridge brings us to our campsite where we set up our tents at the base of the snow covered glacier.
 
Day 4: Trek from Tenta (4300m) to Chota Chandratal  (4480m) and back to Seri (3700m)
Duration: 6 hours
Today we hike up loose scree and steep uphills with only our day sacks. The boulder littered banks of the lake and the azure blue waters make the perfect foreground for the Jagatsukh Peak to tower over. What the lake lacks in size, it makes up in location. We spend a few hours at the lake and then come back to our campsite. Taking our backpacks with us we descend to Seri and set up camp for the night.
 
Day 5: Trek from Seri (3700m) to road-head (2275m). Drive to Manali.
Duration: Trek 4 hours, drive 2 hours
We retrace our steps from Seri to Chikka and onward to the road-head. Our vehicle will meet us at the road-head and take us back to Manali by the evening.