Rohtang Pass Status 2019

Current Rohtang Pass Status 2019 is Closed. Like previous years, this will remain to be a dedicated post where I will continue update the status of Rohtang Pass; estimated opening date and condition of the road between Manali and the mighty pass. Along with the blog post, I will also continue to update the Forum Post which I will request you to check.

Please read ROHTANG PASS STATUS 2020 to get more recent updates.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – CLOSED

If you are planning a trip to Rohtang Pass in next few days, then please read through How to Plan a Trip to Rohtang Pass. This should give you an idea on some of the important things to keep in mind while planning the trip. Another important aspect of the trip will be the permit for which, I will recommend taking a look at How to Apply for Rohtang Pass Permit. For a list of other places that you should be seeing while visiting Manali, please read How to Plan a Trip to Manali.

Update: June 17th

Below is an update on how the situation at the pass this year is.

• There is a huge and maddening tourist rush in Manali and towards Rohtang.
• Average wait time in traffic jams while going to Rohtang and coming back is 3 to 4 hours.
• There is a lot of snow at the pass this year.
• Taxi drivers are asking for close to Rs. 15k for a trip to Rohtang.
• Getting permits is a huge task and due to tourist rush, these are hard to get.
• There has been a quota assigned to Beyond Rohtang Permit as well. The number around the quota is not yet decided but right not it is around 500. Whether this quota will remain in effect the entire year too is not clear.
• Beyond Rohtang Permit is also available in Black for Rs. 2500 per permit.
• There are electric buses available to Rohtang Pass early in the morning. Fare per person is Rs. 600. This ticket too is available in Black for Rs. 2000 per person.

Update: June 9th

Received these images in a Whatsapp group today. You can see the amount of vehicles traveling to Rohtang Pass. Traffic Jams are lasting up to 4 hours and even the Beyond Rohtang is not available anymore because thousands have already bought it. And this is the situation when Manali Leh and Manali Kaza routes are not yet open. Once that happens, there will even be a greater number of people traveling causing much worse traffic situation.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update May 30th

Rohtang Pass declared open today.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update May 26th

Rohtang Pass is currently open only for locals. Tourists are not allowed yet to travel to the pass or cross it. It will be another few days before tourist movement is allowed.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update May 18th

Opening of Rohtang Pass continues to get delayed this year due to heavy snow and resulting landslides. It is still raining and snowing at the pass. Earlier this month, the road was opened until Marhi but a landslide now has blocked that road too. There were 2000 tourists stranded on the road yesterday after a landslide blocked their way back to Manali. For now, assume that Rohtang Pass will probably open only either towards the end of May or early June. Even if BRO is able to clear the snow, this landslide will raise questions on the stability of the road. Authorities will not open it unless they are completely sure of its safety. For now, the road is completely blocked.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update May 11th

Snow has been cleared between Manali and Keylong completely. The entire route is free of snow but tourists are only allowed till Marhi still. BRO is assessing the situation and condition of the road right now and it will be a few days before tourists are allowed to go to the top. A light spell of snow was experienced at top of Rohtang, Kunzum and in Spiti valley last week so the opening of the road will also depend that the weather does not play spoilsport in coming days.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update May 5th

The road till Marhi has been freed of snow and tourists are being allowed. The permit window too has been opened online as of today. Please note though that you will still not be able to reach the top; and definitely cannot cross Rohtang over to the other side at this time. You will only get allowed till Marhi and Rohtang top is another 16 odd kilometers from there. The entire road is expected to get opened in the week of May 14th at latest.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update April 28th

Rohtang Pass was to open by May 1st week but it seems that the opening will get delayed by another few weeks due to high amount of snow. Please take a look at the FORUM POST to see some pictures clicked at the Rohtang Pass last week which will give you an idea of the snow at the pass.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update April 21st

Rohtang Pass is expected to open in May 1st week. Snow clearing operation came to a stand still due to snowfall last week but was resumed again yesterday.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update April 7th

As I updated earlier, the news about Rohtang and the Manali Leh route getting opened by April 2nd week was not correct. It is April 7th already and the snow clearing work hasn’t even reached halfway to Rohtang Pass. As of now, the pass is not expected to open any sooner than May 1st week. Locals, however, will start to cross Rohtang Pass on foot soon and rescue posts have been set up at Marhi and Kokhsar.

Meanwhile, in the wake of oncoming elections, Election Commission of India has requested BRO to allow them to use the 8.8 kilometers Rohtang tunnel on short terms basis to help facilitate the transportation of men and machinery and election-related material.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update March 24th

There were news updates by GreaterKashmir and TribueIndia last week that BRO was hoping to get the entire Manali Leh route open by April 2nd week. While the chances of that happening are extremely rare, it does bring some hope for people wanting to visit Manali and Rohtang. If the snow clearing work is going to be that rigorous, Rohtang Pass will get opened in next couple of weeks.

With that being said, I would still advise against planning to visit before April end. There is snow still even in the lower areas of Solang Valley. At the top of Rohtang, snow is several feet high and it is highly unlikely that BRO will be able to get rid of all of it in next 2 weeks. Even if they do manage this miracle somehow, Rohtang Pass would still be far from safe for tourists to travel. Locals may get allowed to ply early but tourists most likely won’t be allowed before April end or early May.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update March 17th

Road clearing work that started last week came to a complete standstill due to heavy snowfall and rain in several parts of Himachal Pradesh. The valleys of Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, and Pangi all received a fresh spell of snow. Rain dropped the temperature drastically in lower areas of Mandi, Bilaspur, and Solan. Rohtang Pass received about 30 centimeters of fresh snow. It snowed even in Manali for about 3 cm. There is about 15ft of Snow at the passes of Rohtang, Baralacha La, Sach, and Kunzum. There is no word right now on by when BRO will be able to resume snow clearing operation.

Please see the Forum Thread for more recent updates and pictures.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update March 10th

As per the BRO officials, the work to clear snow from Rohtang Top is all set to begin within a week. There is still a warning of snowfall in coming few days; but unless the weather turned extreme; team should be able to commence the operation from Gulaba side. Meanwhile, from Lahaul Valley side; the work will start in a day or two from Satingri towards Tandi and Sissu to connect the road; with the Rohtang tunnel in north portal. Similarly, BRO is also in the process of moving machinery and equipment from Udaipur ahead toward Kolang to start clearing the route around Sach Pass.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update February 18th

Heavy snowfall continues all across the region and more is expected in coming days. The widespread spells of snow have triggered avalanches in several places, but specially in Lahaul valley on other side of Rohtang. A petrol pump at Tandi and a hot mix plant of a road construction company were destroyed due to avalanches in the valley last week.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update February 11th

The recent snowstorm in early May has seen a lot of snow getting accumulated at top of the pass and all along the route. More snow is expected in coming week; and throughout the month of February. For now, do not plan to visit Rohtang before early May.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update February 4th

Considering the way the weather is trending this year, the opening of Rohtang Pass may very well get delayed. The entire Himalayan region has experienced tremendous amount of snow this winter and the intensity continues to increase. For now, do not plan a trip to or across Rohtang Pass any sooner than late April.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019 – Update November 26th

BRO has been clearing snow for local movement between Manali and Lahaul valley but even that operations has stopped now. The road has now turned very slippery at several places. Strong freezing cold winds have been dumping snow on the highway; due to which it has become very difficult to keep it open any longer. Authorities have been keeping it out of bounds for tourists for weeks; but even the local traffic movement will cease now. Some locals have been crossing the pass on foot but that option too will be gone soon.

Rohtang Pass Opening Date

Historically, Rohtang Pass opens sometime in the month of April. It however entirely depends on the weather. There  have been times when it was opened in March itself because of very less snow. And sometimes the pass was not opened until early May because it continued to snow at the top. Keeping the trend in mind though, Mid-April is a safe time to assume as the opening time for Rohtang Pass.

Is Rohtang Pass Open Today?

Yes Rohtang Pass is open today but it is only a matter of days before it gets closed out. Manali has already experienced its first snow of the season near Gulaba check post. I just shared a few recent images of Manali at the Community Post.

Rohtang Pass Status 2019

The weather this year has definitely surprised everyone. The winter of 2017 – 18 saw very less snow across the entire Himalayan region. Even passes like Rohtang did not receive half of the snow they usually do. However, the trend this year is entirely different. Winter seems to have arrived early and caught everyone off guard. An early and heavy snowfall in September saw tourists getting stuck across the valleys of Lahaul and Spiti and at Rohtang Pass as well. The weather closed in suddenly and it turned so bad that people had to be rescued and airlifted to safety.

The same trend still continues. It has been raining in Manali all day for last 2 days and Rohtang Pass has already received quite a bit of snow. If the weather remains the same way,  snow may even reach Manali in next couple of days; which would again mean an early snowfall in the town. The pass hence has been closed for all kind of traffic and even motorcycles are no longer being allowed. It is highly unlikely that it will again be opened this year but even if it does, I will not recommend traveling anymore.

Conclusion

I hope the information above was of help. Keep to check back at the Forum Thread for latest updates on Rohtang Pass. If you have any questions, or need any further details; please feel free to ask in the comments section below; or at our Community Forum; and I will be glad to answer.