Maximum altitude: 3,655 meters
Grade: Easy-moderate
Duration: 2 nights and 3 days
Trekking distance: 32 km
Trail type: Steep hills, forests, and moraine
Rail head: Solan
Airport: Jubbarhatti airport, Shimla
Snow Season: December to April
Service from: Chandigarh
Base camp: Dharampur
Best season: Summer season, May to November
Region: Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh
Who can participate:The Churdhar trek is considered to be of an easy – moderate difficulty level and hence can be participated by both novices and experienced trekkers. It requires a reasonable level of physical fitness and if you have any sort of chronic illness, you should consult a medical practitioner prior to the expedition.
Shimla to Saron
Get a pick up facility from your doorstep at the hotel or the Shimla ISBT at around 5:30 AM.
You will be driven from Shimla and after about 4 or 5 hours at approximately 10 AM, you will reach Saran. Halt at Saran for a while to have a sumptuous breakfast and also to pack lunch for your onward journey.
Begin your trek at around 11 AM and return to the campsite by around 4 PM.
Enjoy snacks at the camp once you return and then dinner is served by 8 PM. After dinner, you can engage in certain recreational activities that are conducted here.
You will spend the night in tents at the camp under the stars.
Medicines to Carry
The Churdhar trek takes you through a picturesque trail through mountain peaks, lush valleys, forests, and meadows. Like any other trek around the Himalayas, this also requires adequate preparation and certain important things that you should keep in mind to make your expedition a smooth and memorable one.
Carry a good camera with spare batteries and memory cards as you will come across several places along your trek that are worth capturing. The additional batteries are important as you may not find many places with electricity to charge them.
Do regular physical fitness training as well as exercises for mental endurance from months before the trek as these will assist you a lot during your expedition.
Reach the base camp a few hours prior to your actual trek to acclimatize yourself with the surroundings.
Remember that the last bus from Nohradhar to Solan is at 4 pm and to Rajgarh is at around 6.30 pm. So time yourself accordingly on your return journey or you may have to spend another night at the base camp.
Carry enough cash with you and do not rely on the ATMs at Nohradhar as they are closed on Sundays and other holidays.
You can avail a direct route from Churdhar to Teesri which can save you almost 2 hours. You can learn more about this route from the locals.
Do not remove your sunglasses when in the snow.
Wear collared t-shirts with full sleeves to protect yourself from sunburn.
Opt for a headlamp instead of an LED torch as it becomes extremely easy to work in the darkness when both your hands are free.
Not many people are aware of the fact that the Churdhar Trek has great historic significance because this is where George Everest had made his astronomical reading of the Himalayan Mountains
Churdhar Peak is surrounded by 56 square km of forest sanctuary which is also home to a large variety of flora and fauna
The Shirgul Devta Temple is situated here at a height of 3640 meters above sea level and is the most famous temple of Lord Shirgul. According to Purana, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva and dates back to almost 5000 years
There is a massive and intimidating idol of Lord Shiva placed at the jaw-dropping altitude of 3647 meters above sea level. The climb to the idol is steep and fraught with difficulty.
The Churdhar peak is only marginally higher than the long east-west ridgeline that separates the rivers Tons and Giri.
The peak retains some amount of snow all through the year and is visible from different parts of Himachal Pradesh such as Shimla, Kasauli, Kufri, and Solan.