Pin Bhaba Pass Trek
Kinnaur (start) and Lahaul and Spiti (finish), Himachal Pradesh
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- Max altitude
- 4,915 m
- Days
- 8 days
- Distance
- 50 km
- Difficulty
- Difficult
A 4,915 m pass crossing: pass day is 13-15 km and 10-13 hours, starting around 3 am up a steep boulder-and-scree climb, often on knee-deep snow with microspikes, followed by an icy crossing of the Pin river and a long moraine descent. Operators ask for prior high-altitude trek experience.
Photos
On the trail
The route
Day by day
Day 1
Shimla → Kafnu
2,276 m → 2,500 m
Day 2
Kafnu (Yangpa road-head) → Mulling
2,520 m → 3,300 m
Day 3
Mulling → Karah
3,300 m → 3,530 m
Day 4
Karah → Phutsirang
3,530 m → 4,110 m
Day 5
Phutsirang → Phutsirang (acclimatisation day)
4,110 m → 4,110 m
Day 6 · highest point
Phutsirang → Bwalder (via Pin Bhaba Pass)
4,110 m → 4,915 m → 4,095 m
Day 7
Bwalder → Mudh
4,095 m → 3,786 m
Day 8
Mudh → Kaza or Manali (drive)
3,786 m → 3,650 m
Ups and downs
Altitude profile
Where it is
Map
Trailhead and high point only — not a recorded track. Use it with a proper map.
Weather
Next 5 days on the trail
Live forecast for the trailhead and the high point. Mountain weather changes fast — check again on the morning you start.
Trailhead · Kafnu (Yangpa road-head)
at 2,520 mLoading forecast…
High point · Pin Bhaba Pass
at 4,915 mLoading forecast…
Each day: high / low °C · rain mm and chance · snow cm · wind km/h
Weather data: Open-Meteo.comModel forecast, not an official warning. For alerts follow IMD and the local administration.
Plan the trip
How to reach
- Trailhead
- Kafnu (Yangpa road-head)
- Nearest railway
- Shimla (narrow gauge from Kalka); Kalka for broad gauge
- Nearest airport
- Shimla (Jubbarhatti); Chandigarh for more flights
- By road
- Shimla (about 200-208 km via Narkanda, Rampur and Wangtu, turning off the highway at Wangtu into the Bhaba valley); Exit: Mudh to Kaza (about 50 km) or Mudh to Manali (about 232 km)
- Drive
- About 9 h from Shimla
Plan the trip
Permits and fees
We could not confirm the current permit rules and fees from an official source. Check with the local forest department or tourism office before you go.
Plan the trip
Cost
Self-guided
₹10,000–16,000
With an operator
₹16,000–26,000
Per person, ex-Shimla. Guided prices published October 2026 for 2027 batches: Trekkers of India ₹15,999 + 5% GST (Shimla to Shimla); Bikat Adventures ₹18,500 + 5% GST Kafnu to Kaza plus ₹1,500 for Shimla-Kafnu transport; Indiahikes ₹20,450 + GST ex-Yangpa plus ₹4,500 transport; Himalayan Hikers ₹20,500 + 5% GST Shimla to Kaza. Self-guided is an estimate: bus or shared taxi Shimla-Kafnu, a local guide and porters or mules for the pass (strongly advised), tent, stove and food for 5-6 days, forest/camping fees, and the Mudh-Kaza jeep (Indiahikes quotes ₹2,100 per jeep) or bus.
Gear
Top picks for this trek
The gear that matters most on this route, chosen from its altitude, season and risks.
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Packing checklist
Matched to this trek: altitude, season, days and the risks on the route.
Packed 0 of 37
Snow on the trail in Jul: microspikes, gaiters and a warm layer are not optional.
Tick each item as it goes in the bag.
Know before you go
Good to know
- Mobile network
- Operators say phones do not work on the trek; expect no signal beyond the Kafnu area until Mudh/Kaza.
- Last ATM
- Withdraw cash in Shimla or on the Shimla-Kafnu road (e.g. Rampur); none on the trail.
- Nearest hospital
- Rampur Bushahr (Government Hospital) or Kumarsain Civil Hospital on the Kinnaur side; Kaza Civil Hospital once over the pass.
- Water
- Streams and the Bhaba river at every Kinnaur-side camp; on pass day there is no water for 6-7 hours, so fill bottles at Phutsirang. Boil or treat all water.
Highlights
- One of India's most striking crossovers: green Bhaba valley in Kinnaur on one side of the 4,915 m pass, the bare pink-and-ochre cold desert of Spiti's Pin valley on the other
- Oak, pine and fir forest along the turquoise Bhaba river on the first day to the Mulling meadows
- The wide Kashmir-like meadows of Karah, with a small lake near camp
- Camping on the braided river delta (outwash plain) at Phutsirang
- Walking out along the Pin river through Pin Valley to Mudh village
Risks
- Kinnaur: an October 2021 Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner order under the Disaster Management Act halted all treks in the district 'till further orders' (Himachal Watcher); we found no order lifting it, but operators still sell Kinnaur treks. Get written confirmation from the Kinnaur district administration (Reckong Peo) before you go.
- Pass day is 10-13 hours from about 3 am, on steep boulders, scree and often knee-deep snow; microspikes and gaiters are needed and snow near the pass is heavy in June.
- Several cold river crossings, including the glacier-fed Pin river just below the pass; flows rise through the day, so crossings are made early in the morning.
- Altitude sickness is a real risk above 4,000 m; operators build in an acclimatisation day at Phutsirang and a buffer day for bad weather.
- Monsoon rain and floods can cut the Kinnaur-side trail and roads: an Indiahikes trekker reports a team being rescued at Mulling during the Himachal floods.
- A September 2022 Himachal disaster-management advisory asked districts to restrict treks above 15,000 ft after 15 September (advised window 1 May-15 September); check current Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti orders before a late-September crossing.
- No mobile signal on the trek and the nearest hospitals are hours away by road.
Know before you go
Questions
How difficult is the Pin Bhaba Pass trek?
Operators rate it difficult (some say moderate to difficult). Most days are 5-11 km, but pass day is 13-15 km and 10-13 hours, starting around 3 am with a steep climb over boulders, scree and snow to about 4,900 m, then a river crossing and long descent. Bikat and Indiahikes ask for prior high-altitude trek experience and running fitness (5 km in about 25-32 minutes).
When is the best time to do Pin Bhaba Pass?
It is a monsoon-season trek. Indiahikes recommends mid-July to early September, Himalayan Hikers mid-June to late September and Bikat mid-May to the end of September. June brings heavy snow near the pass; by late July most snow has melted.
Where does the trek start and end?
It starts at Kafnu in Kinnaur district (Indiahikes now uses Yangpa, a little further up the road), about 200 km and 7-10 hours by road from Shimla, and ends at Mudh village in Spiti's Pin Valley, about 50 km from Kaza. From Kaza you can drive to Manali in 7-8 hours.
What is the altitude of Pin Bhaba Pass?
Operators give 4,907-4,915 m (16,100-16,125 ft); Indiahikes says 16,105 ft. Satellite terrain at the pass reads about 4,904 m.
Do I need a permit for Pin Bhaba Pass?
Operators say forest department permits and camping charges are required and they collect ID proofs at Kafnu to arrange them. We could not find a current official fee, so self-guided trekkers should check with the forest office at Kafnu and the Kinnaur district administration.
In an emergency
Save these numbers before you lose signal. Tap to call.
- 112All emergenciesIndia’s single emergency number — works in every state
- 108Ambulance
- 1077District disaster control room
You are in
District: Kinnaur (start) and Lahaul and Spiti (finish)Himachal Pradesh
- Nearest hospital
- Rampur Bushahr (Government Hospital) or Kumarsain Civil Hospital on the Kinnaur side; Kaza Civil Hospital once over the pass.
- Last ATM
- Withdraw cash in Shimla or on the Shimla-Kafnu road (e.g. Rampur); none on the trail.
- Phone network
- Operators say phones do not work on the trek; expect no signal beyond the Kafnu area until Mudh/Kaza.
Before you set off
- Tell someone your route and when you will be back.
- Carry a charged phone and a power bank.
- Download an offline map of the route.
- Turn back if the weather turns bad — the mountain will wait.
Questions about Pin Bhaba Pass
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Where this comes from
Sources
Last reviewed:
- Pin Bhaba Pass Trek 2027 | India's Most Dramatic Pass-Crossing — Indiahikes
- Pin Bhaba Pass Trek — Bikat Adventures
- Pin Bhaba Pass Trek — Himalayan Hikers
- Pin Bhaba Pass — Trekkers of India
- Himachal Government restricts trekking in high-altitude tracks from September 15 — The Tribune
- Trekking in Kinnaur banned after two tragedies (26 Oct 2021) — Himachal Watcher
Photos: Anshuzsnowy7, CC BY-SA 4.0; Mike Shaw, CC BY-SA 4.0; Mike Shaw, CC BY-SA 4.0; Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0
