Churdhar Trek, Himachal Pradesh

January 10, 2019

Churdhar Trek

One of the most beautiful and naturally satisfying trek in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh.

Trek starting point at Sarahan

It is one of the most mesmerizing and spiritually satisfying trek outside the main Himalayan range. The peak is at the height of 3655 m and the view from the top will leave you spellbound. The Churdhar peak has been named after deity Shri Shirgual Maharaj or Chureshwar Maharaj who used to live here in ancient times.

The trek leads through dense forest, meadows and finally to the peak. On a clear day, one can see Sirkhand Mahadev, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Shimla, Chail, and Kinner Kailash. Chur-Dhar is also known as Churi-Chandni Dhar i.e. Bangles of snow ridge. In 1834, George Everest who was the surveyor general of India under British Raj made several astronomical studies from Churdhar. He calculated height and distance is many peaks in the upper Himalayan region from Churdhar. Mount Everest is named after George Everest.

This trek is of moderate difficulty and I would recommend people of all age group who are medically fit to climb this peak once in their lifetime. The trek can be done from May to November. The heavy Snowfall and glacier formation prevent the access in the winter season.

How to Reach

Entrance Gate of Churdhar at Sarahan

There are three sides to approach Churdhar summit. The shortest and the most popular one is from Nauradhar in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh. It is about 15kms long trek and last one hour of the trek is satisfying moraine walk as you leave the forest behind. Nauradhar is about 133kms from Chandigarh and 383kms from Delhi. There is no direct bus service from Delhi and Chandigarh but one can get the buses and taxis from Solan bus stand. One needs to take a diversion from Kumarhatti towards Rajgarh road. Kumarhatti is 55 kms from Chandigarh on Chandigarh – Shimla road. Once you reach Nauradhar, all the tiredness of journey would vanish the moment you see the trail snaking upwards through the forest towards the destination.

The other route is from Shimla-Choupal-Sarahan. I would suggest this route as one can enjoy and explore two beautiful hill station ie Shimla and Choupal. (Kindly read my Choupal page for more details and places to see around). Buses and taxis are available from Shimla Bus Stand for Choupal and further to Sarahan. The trek is 8kms from Sarahan and it is a steep climb to the peak.

There is one more route from Delhi-Chandigarh-Nahan-Haripurdhar-Nerwa-Sarahan but I would not suggest this route as its very long, remote, tiring and boring. Also, there is no direct bus on this route.

Food and Stay

Small shops and stalls on the way to Churdhar Peak

Local people have installed various snack stalls all along the trek. One can get tea, eggs, biscuits, milk and decent food at these stalls. It is also advised to carry your own energy bars, juices, fruits, water etc for the comfortable trek.

Temple and Dharamshala at Churdhar Mahadev

For stay, one can carry there own tents and beautiful spots are available for camping. There is also religious Dharamshala if you climb from Sarahan side. Rates are very moderate and they provide bedding and washrooms also.
People who are not regular climbers must carry enough water and should keep light baggage.

Budget

It varies from person to person but one should keep a budget of around Rs5000 per person for 2 days for this trek including travel by bus and staying at nominal hotels or Dharamshala.

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