General Information:
- Bhrigu Lake is a lake that is situated at an elevation of around more than 4,300 meters (14,100 ft) in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located to the northeast of Rohtang Pass and is around up to 6 kilometers(3.7 mi) from Gulaba village.
- Duration of the trek: Upto 1-3 days. Depending on your itinerary, places you want to travel and the pace of climbing.
- Bhrigu lake trek is a very high altitude trek because of the final altitude at more than 14,100 ft.
- The starting point of the trek is Gulaba. Although, a lot of people choose to also start the trek for an overall longer itinerary.
- How to get to Gulaba? Take a personal cab or a shared vehicle from Manali chowk or shared car service that runs regularly every day.
- The difficulty of the Trek: Easy to Moderate
- Will you need a guide: The route is mostly laid out and not that difficult. You can even go on all by yourself and ask for directions from the locals on the way. My recommendation would be to take a guide as nobody wants to make their path difficult.
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Best Time for the Bhrigu Lake Trek
From mid-May to mid-October, you have the option of going on the Bhrigu Lake Trek.. The best time to go for the Bhrigu Lake trek is before June and after August since this is when the rains occur and the weather is very pleasant to watch. But there may be a probability of some dangerous landslides at night.The summertime temperature ranges from 20 to 25 degrees during the day to up to 5 or 7 degrees at night.
If you want to do the Bhrigu Lake Trek in December, then during the daytime it is around up to 10-15 degrees celsius and at night it gets even lower and worse. Even 0 degrees in the evening is a lot for those from India.
Even for experienced trekkers, winter trekking in the Himalayas can be daunting and more challenging.The entire region is enclosed in thick snow all around and the temperatures fall even to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it is advised against taking the walk in the winter.
Pack the following things:
- Good quality and sized Tent.
- Insulation Mattress
- Sleeping bag
- Lamp (for lighting up the tent)
- Rucksack (Min 60 L)
- Poncho for rain protection
- Flashlight with extra batteries.
- Snow goggles
- Tissue paper, wet wipes, Toothbrush, sanitizer, sunscreen, etc.
- Warm clothes
- Good quality Hiking shoes with ankle support and waterproofing
- Waterproof hiking trousers
- Food, and if you plan to cook, butane burners
Dos and Don’ts for Bhrigu lake trek!
- If you’re carrying your tent then make sure to balance the weight of the rucksack properly and to hinder your progress while climbing. Share the load with your friends and other people traveling with you from time to time to recover from the weight. If traveling solo, try to reduce the weight of other things that are not that essential and reduce the weight as much as possible.
- Make sure you pay strict attention to fitness and can run at least 5 km for a month before the trek. Before the actual day of climbing, eat enough food and snacks and hydrate your body 100%. Try to eat more carbs and fats than any other food group.
- If you’re hiking in winter with anticipated snowfall or snow cover on the top, near Bhrigu lake, carry snow goggles and extra thick and warm jackets to prevent blindness from the sun reflecting off of the snow.
- There are no food sources at any point of the trek when you reach a certain height. Make sure you are carrying something to eat like nuts, chocolates, and dry fruits. If you’re no fan of cooking then Nutella and bread are a good option. Consider carrying multigrain or wheat bread, to keep your stomach fuller for longer. Also, Nutella provides much-needed energy and also increases the sugar level.
- If you’re going to camp all by yourself in the wild, carry matches or tube lights for lighting a fire or extra deodorant to spray on the tent for keeping wild animals away. Most animals don’t like the smell of “fragrance” and “deodorant” which could be a good deterrent for that!
- Since you’re not going to bathe and shower for a few days, several women find it very useful, to use panty liners (for women only) for extra hygiene!