Parang La Trek

You’d travel from Kaza to Ki and later further to Dumbla.

• First, you’d arrive at Kaza and make yourself comfortable with higher altitudes and get acclimatised.

• After a short stay at Kaza you’d move towards the small village of Kibber which is situated at a height of 14,000 feet and is listed amongst the highest human settlements in the world.

• While in Kibber, go and explore the surroundings where you’d find the famous Ki Monastery, a 11th century Buddisht site and quite renowned for its beautiful architecture, wall paintings and images of Lord Buddha.

• Afterwards, you’d commence the first phase of the Parang La trek to move towards Dumla.

• It would be a short hike through the rough terrain of the Lahaul and Spiti region. You’d pass through several deep and narrow gorges to finally reach the destination campsite of Dumla and plan an overnight stay there.

Essentials

• The preparations for an outing in the mountains have to start with finding a suitable pair of trekking shoes and a backpack with a capacity of 50-60 litres with good hip and shoulder support.

• You should also add a head torchlight and rainwear in your itinerary to tackle the constant weather changes. The daypack you carry must be stuffed with water bottles, rainwear and emergency medicines.

• Keep a walking stick along for trekking through the steep trails.

• Pack dry snacks like energy bars, dry fruits to keep your energy levels up and an electral/ORS for hydration purposes.

• The other must-have items are- suncap to protect yourself from the sun’s harsh rays during the day, Hand gloves while handling snow, a woollen cap to keep yourself warm, at least 3 to 4 pairs of socks for cushioning and warmth especially for the extremely cold nights.

• You must pack extra clothes, choose synthetic clothes over cotton shirts/tops and it's advisable to keep a pair of thermal inner clothes if you’re prone to cold. Choose a padded jacket as your outer layer, make sure it has a hood as well.

• Keep one or two extra pairs of trekking pants for minimum, pants with zip-off thighs and quick drying would be ideal for treks.

• It is advisable to the trekkers to not bring any non-biodegradable material along and contribute to sustainable tourism.

• While covering the challenging and long Parang La trek distance, all the participants must follow the instructions of the trek leader and guide for their own safety.

• Keep some buffer days in hand to acclimate yourself to the higher altitudinal weather conditions of the trek through Manali.

• All the trekkers are required to carry enough money at hand because you won’t find ATMs during your trek through the remote villages at higher altitudes.

• Tea is a warm beverage and is usually consumed in hilly areas, but it gets very expensive on moving upwards. Therefore, you are suggested to carry tea bags to use during the trek.

• Pack an efficient daypack with all the essentials like warm clothes, sunglasses, trekking boots, gloves, socks, woollen caps, medicines, rainwear, water bottles and other essentials.

• The weather conditions are the most unpredictable on the mountains, on a sunny day it can be very sweaty to follow trails and soon the clouds might get heavy to pour down. Therefore, embrace yourself for frequent weather changes and don clothes accordingly.

• Take a note that sunburn at higher altitude might happen quicker, so keep your skin and eyes safe with moisturiser and sunglasses.

• Keep extra batteries for torches and other electronics handy as the batteries in cold might die quicker than at home.

• Don’t forget to carry water bottles along and keep yourself hydrated throughout the trek.