Friendship Peak Trek — A Famous Trekking Summit In Himachal
Friendship Peak Trek
Friendship Peak Trek is a famous trekking summit whose spectacular view sets it apart from many other treks in Himachal Pradesh. Friendship Peak is one of the best places to trek in Kullu and the height of this trek is 5,289 meters.
Friendship Peak is known as a trekker’s paradise as the panoramic view here is a treat for your eyes which will easily relieve your trek fatigue.
This trek is considered as a difficult trek in Himachal Pradesh and only those with trekking experience can go for this trek.
Friendship Peak Trek Itinerary
Day 1: Report at the Solang Valley Camp
After arriving in Manali in the morning, you are required to report to our base camp in Solang. Optional pick up service is available, on payment of Rs 1,500/- for a car with a seating capacity of 5–6 heads. On reaching the base camp, settle down while sipping on a hot beverage. Post lunch you can explore the nearby area as a preparation for the trek next day.
You can also take a hike to the nearby Solang Valley ground and engage in some adventure activities. In the evening, you will be briefed about the trek, around a crackling bonfire as you get acquainted to your fellow trekkers, your fellow team mates for the next few days. Call it a night after an early dinner as you day starts quite early tomorrow.
Day 2: Solang Valley Camp to Dhundi drive and trek to Lohali
After a hearty breakfast, you will need to pack your bags and set it on the waiting vehicle. You can leave behind any extra luggage at the base camp. After a brief drive of about 30 minutes up to Dhundi, the last settlement of the Solang Valley, you trek will start.
You will start your hike on a flat stretch till you reach a wooden bridge to cross the Beas River. After that the trail will gradually incline. This stretch contains sub Alpine flora and you will pass through Cedar and Birch trees. You will mostly pass through forests and meadows.
The trail will be marked with some ascents and gradual descents and is relatively easy. Soon you will be welcomed with views of snow clad mountains. Mid way in to the trek, you will come across a boulder filled landscape and from there the ascent gets steep.
After about an hour of hard climb, you will reach a clearing and can rest a while. From there the vegetation will start getting sparse as you will be approaching the tree-line and will cross it just before the campsite of Lohali, which is at an altitude of 3,800 m.
The Lohali camp site is a beautiful meadow with view of Snow clad mountains all around.
You can also see streams trickling down glaciers. We will pitch our tents at a suitable spot, guarded against the strong in the area. After that we will enjoy a hot lunch.
In the afternoon you are advised to explore the surrounding areas rather than retiring into the tents, as your body gets acclimatized to the altitude. After diner you can retire into your tents for the night.
Day 3: Lohali to Lady Leg
Today we will trek to Lady Leg camp site also known as Advanced Base Camp, as it serves as the base camp for quite a few treks of the area. The campsite owes its name to its peculiar shape, which looks like a human leg. Situated at 3,900m, today’s trek will challenge you quite a bit.
We will start early after breakfast. Carry enough water with you. Though today’s trek covers a relatively short distance of about 3 Km, it will be a continuous uphill one. This stretch of the trek is marked by scree along the path and is a continuous moraine zone. The strain of the trek is balanced somewhat by the mesmerizing vistas that it has to offer along the way. The beauty of the land scape will surely ebb away some of your tiredness.
After a trek of about 5 hours, we will reach the campsite by lunch time. After a hot lunch and a well-deserved rest, you will be briefed about the next part of the trek which is a bit technical. Our expert trek leader and guide will teach you about various technical aspects of the upcoming part of the trek. You will learn some mountaineering techniques which will be necessary on your summit climb as well as climbing the upper shoulder. After a fulfilling dinner, you can retire to your tent.
Day 4: Acclimatization at Lady Leg and load ferry to Summit Camp
Today’s day is mainly reserved to make your body used to the high altitudes. Load ferry is a common technique used to acclimatize your body to the climate whenever there is a high altitude gain involved. It involves the concept of “Climb High & Sleep Low”, where in you will trek to a high altitude but spend the night at a much lower elevation which helps your body acclimatize more easily.
We will take some of our equipment and ration and trek to the summit camp which in this case will be at an altitude of about 4,800m. and then descend back to the Lady leg campsite at about 3,900m. Today’s climb will make you leave the greenery and venture into more rugged landscape of snow and Ice. The climb will be quite taxing. The higher you go more you will experience snow in the path.
Along with acclimatization, today’s session also helps you get used to walking in snow boots, which is a new experience in itself. On reaching the summit camp, you can witness various peaks of the Dhauladhar Range. After spending some time at the camp, you will descend back to Lady Leg, where you will spend the night.
Day 5: Lady Leg to Summit Camp
Today you need to rest up as we will have summit push very early in the morning, so you can get up a bit late in the morning. After breakfast we will move towards the summit camp.
By now you will be used to walking in the snow boots and you will notice that the same route will take much less effort than yesterday. As we have already ferried our goods to the camp, we will also be travelling quite light today. We will have hot lunch on reaching the camp site.
You will have clear views of peaks like, Hanuman Tibba, Deo Tibba, Indrasan etc, from the camp. You can explore around a bit in time post lunch. Today we will have a early dinner and retire to the tents as we will start for summit quite early.
Day 6: Summit attempt and descend to Lady Leg
Today will be the most challenging day of your trek but is also exciting as this is what you have been working hard towards for the last few days. The climb will be quite hard and further more trekking in the dark of the night will bring forth a new experience as well. Get mentally prepared for the grueling experience up ahead.
We will start for our summit at about 2 A.M. You need to get ready and gather your equipment by then. Do not carry anything other than water and some dry fruits. We will also pack some dry food as we will have to eat while on the trail. Do not forget your head lamp, as we will be walking in pitch dark. You will start you trek by walking over flat snowfield for a while.
But that will only lead to the beginning of your challenge. You will face a boulder zone and traversing them will be a challenge and will test your physical fitness. You will have to bank on your practice of walking in snow boots and crampons. Soon you will come across a steep incline. Henceforth you will have to employ the technical skills that you have been taught at the camp. You will also need the use of your Ice Axe at this point.
We will have started early so as to reach the shoulder of the summit by sunrise at about 6 A.M. Here you can have a much deserved rest while marveling at the views of snowy peaks all around from that great altitude. You can view the whole of Pir Panjal from here. After some brief rest, we will start for the most difficult part of our trek. We will have to climb up a narrow ridge all the way to the top.
We will need the help of fixed rope for this stretch. As the ridge is very narrow, we will also have to climb in a single line. We will push to reach the summit by 9–10 A.M. At the top you will be welcomed by a view like no other. The earth feels quite different from that height. Furthermore, you will be surrounded by glorious peaks of the Himalayas, all around you.
After spending some time at the top, we will slowly and carefully start our descent. You need to be quite careful, as the now melting snow will add to your challenge. We will aim to descend to the summit camp by noon and then descend back to Lady Leg as soon as possible.
After spending so much time at that altitude, its important that we get to a lesser altitude as soon as possible. We should be reaching Lady Leg by afternoon. On reaching there, give ample rest to your aching muscles while your hot dinner is being prepared. Turn in for a much deserved rest after that.
Day 7: Lady Leg to Dhundi and drive back to Manali
Post breakfast we will trek down the familiar path all the way to Lohali and then to Dhundi. It is the last stretch of your trek. The trek to Dhundi will take about 4 hours, depending on group fitness and then the drive to Manali will be about an hour or so. You will be dropped at Manali by late afternoon. You can have a celebratory dinner in Manali in the evening.
Day 8: Buffer Day
On account of the difficulty of the trek, it is advisable that you keep a buffer day in your plan as we might need an additional day for summit push in case of accidental bad weather.
The cost of the buffer day is not included in the trek cost and will be charged separately if it needs to be availed. In case the buffer day is not required, you can spend the day in Manali in leisure or going for the local sightseeing.
About Friendship Peak Trek, Manali
Looming at a lofty height of 5,289 m, the Friendship peak trekking is one of the most famous and sought after peak of the Pir Panjal range. Friendship peak himachal Pradesh is an ideal proving ground for a novice mountaineer; it is the only open peak in the Himachal region.
Apart from offering majestic panoramic views of the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar range, Mt Friendship Peak is also the vantage point for the captivating views of the Shitidhar, Hanuman Tibba, Indrasan, Dio Tibba and Seven Sisters peaks. Though graded as non-technical due to Mount Friendship peak height, the climb requires a good amount of physical fitness, and a prior high altitude climbing experience would be helpful.
Friendship Peak in Manali is one of the most challenging yet wholesome Peak in Himachal Pradesh. The trek starts at the Solang valley, from the village of Dhundi. An uphill climb through lush green valley and thick forests leads to the first camp site at Bakarthach.
For Booking Visit — https://friendshippeak.com/
Call — 8240978266
