Most Common Itinerary for Chanshal Pass

Continuing from the previous article covering several important aspects about planning a trip to Chanshal Pass; in this article I will lay down an example of an itinerary for Chanshal Pass that you can follow; depending on the number of days you have in hand. For the sake of this article, I will be assuming that you are starting from Delhi. If you are coming from some other place, the travel plan for first and last day will be different. It could be  longer or even shorter; depending on your start point. Another assumption I will be making is that you are traveling by your own vehicle.

If however you are traveling by public transport; below mentioned itinerary for Chanshal Pass will be tough to follow. In this case you can drop me a note in the comments section at the end of this article; and I can let you know how to travel using public transport.

Before continuing, I will strongly recommend that you read through the previous article How to Plan your Trip to Chanshal Pass

In order to reach Chanshal Pass, Rohru will pretty much become the base. An 80 odd kilometers long road from Rohru runs till Dodra Kwar, crossing the Chanshal Peak on the way. This road passes through Dodra and ends in Kwar which means that you cannot take an alternate route for your return journey. You will again have to return to Rohru and from there you can take a different road to reach home.

Minimum Time Required for Chanshal Pass Trip

From Delhi, minimum time required for a trip to Chanshal Pass is 3 days; however that would mean that you will ride or drive for almost 12-14 hours on Day 1 and Day 3. An ideal time for this trip would really be 5 days because then you will not be traveling too much on either day and would be able to enjoy the journey better. Any more than 5 days and you can add more places to your trip plan. I will recommend itineraries below for 3, 4 and 5 days each.

3 Days Itinerary for Chanshal Pass

This plan is applicable more for someone who is accustomed to riding or driving for long hours. With 3 days, your trip would only mean that you just added Chanshal Pass in your list of places visited. Travel fatigue is bound to settle in because of the long journey on badly broken roads. Itinerary followed will be as mentioned below.

• Day 1: Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda – Tikkar – Rohru
• Day 2: Rohru – Chanshal Pass – Rohru
• Day 3: Rohru – Delhi

If you only have 3 days in hand, I would advise that you take the Narkanda route to reach Rohru. Yes you will still be on bad roads but it will be lesser than what you will find on Kharapatthar route. Start really early from Delhi; by 4 AM to ensure that you have enough time to reach Rohru. Any later than 4 and you will struggle to reach there in time.

Continue till Narkanda via Shimla and until here, roads will mostly be good. From Narkanda, take the road that goes towards Hatu Peak. Do not turn on the Hatu Peak road; continue straight and you will notice a dirt road on your right climbing up. Turn on this one and continue till Tikkar. Road will mostly be bad with a few Ok patches in between. If you are in Car, then your speed will come down to terribly slow.

Reach Rohru and check in to a hotel for the night. Next day, start early again towards Chanshal Pass via Chirgaon and Larot. If you started before 8 in the morning, you can make this journey in a relaxed manner, take several breaks, spend time at Chanshal top and be back to Rohru before evening. Roads will mostly be bad throughout the day. On Day 3, either take the same route via Narkanda to return home or you may come back via Kharapatthar.

Going via Chakrata is not at all recommended for 3 day trip as it will be the longer route. It will take you about 7-8 hours to reach Chakrata from Delhi and then another 6-7 hours to reach Rohru; thanks to bad roads.

4 Days Itinerary for Chanshal Pass

Your journey will be a bit more relaxed in you can spare 4 days for this trip. Travel time on one of the days however will still be long but for the remaining three days, it will be limited to 7-8 hours per day. Itinerary followed can be as mentioned below.

• Day 1: Delhi to Rohru
• Day 2: Rohru to Chanshal Pass to Rohru
• Day 3: Rohru to Chakrata
• Day 4: Chakrata to Delhi

Following this itinerary, journey on Day 1 and Day 2 will be the same as I described above. On Day 3 however, you can cover Chakrata on your way back. From Rohru, reach Hatkoti and then take the road towards Chakrata via Tiuni and Deoban. Roads will be a mix of good, bad and ugly and this journey will take you about 6-7 hours. You can also pay a visit at Hatkoti Mata temple while on your way to Chakrata. On Day 3, from Chakrata; you can either come back to Delhi via Paonta Sahib – Yamuna Nagar – Kurkshetra route or via Vikasnagar – Dehradun – Muzaffarnagar stretch. Shorter and faster route however is via Kurukshetra.

You can also do this journey the other way around; reaching Rohru via Chakrata and returning via Narkanda and Shimla.

5 Days Itinerary for Chanshal Pass

Five days is an ideal and recommended time for a visit to Chanshal Pass. With this many days in hand, there can be a couple of variations to the itinerary and I will mention both.

• Day 1: Delhi to Narkanda
• Day 2: Narkanda to Rohru
• Day 3: Rohru to Chanshal Pass to Rohru
• Day 4: Rohru to Chakrata
• Day 5: Chakrata to Delhi

Following this itinerary, your travel time will drastically reduce on all days. On Day 1, reach Narkanda from Delhi; a travel time of about 8 hours. Take the Narkanda Tikkar road to reach Rohru on Day 2; this will take you about 6 hours again. Visit Chanshal Pass on Day 3; come to Chakrata on Day 4; and return to Delhi on Day 5 either via Kurukshetra or Dehradun. An alternate version of the Itinerary can be as mentioned below.

• Day 1: Delhi to Rohru
• Day 2: Rohru to Dodra via Chanshal Pass
• Day 3: Dodra to Rohru
• Day 4: Rohru to Chakrata
• Day 5: Chakrata to Delhi

In all the itineraries I mentioned above, the plan was to visit only till Chanshal top and descend down back to Rohru. If however, you want to visit the other side of the pass towards Dodra and Kwar, you can following the second itinerary for 5 days. From Rohru on Day 2, you will reach Chanshal Pass top, then descend down to the village of Dodra, continue all the way to Kwar where the road will end and come back to Dodra to stay for the night. For information on accommodation here, read How to Plan your Trip to Chanshal Pass. On Day 3, you will take the same route back to reach Rohru.

6 Days Itinerary for Chanshal Pass

This will be the best of all the above mentioned travel plans. Your travel time will be less on all the day and you will be able maximum of the places en route. Itinerary will be as mentioned below.

• Day 1: Delhi to Narkanda
• Day 2: Narkanda to Rohru
• Day 3: Rohru to Dodra
• Day 4: Dodra to Rohru
• Day 5: Rohru to Chakrata
• Day 6: Chakrata to Delhi

Conclusion

If you can follow the last 6 days itinerary for Chanshal Pass, it will be the perfect time and travel plan. If not, then 5 days will be an ideal time. No everyone can of course follow the itineraries above to the last details. Your final travel plan will depend on several other factors like how you are traveling, from where and if there are any budget limitations involved; but the article above should at least get you started; or give enough information to draft out your own itinerary. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or at our Community Forum and I will be glad to answer.