Marvel Adventure–feel the excitation

BORASU PASS TREK ---
THE GATEWAY FROM UTTARAKHAND TO HIMACHAL

Trek Cost :

₹ 24,000 + 5% GST (Dehradun to Shimla)

ABOUT THIS TREK

Grade : Difficult

Region : Uttarakhand

Altitude : 5360 m

Trek Distance : 63 Km

Trek Days : 9 Days

Best Season : May to June & September to October

Nearest Railway : Dehradun

Nearest Airport : Jolly Grant

The Borasu or Bara-Su pass is located in the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal near tibet border. It is an ancient route between Har Ki Doon valley and Kinnaur Valley. The trek start from the well known trek base Sankri and goes through Har Ki Doon valley. Those who have done Har Ki Doon trek knows about half of the route. Lastly near the Pass climb need to walk on the morain zone. It ends at the beautiful Himachal hamlet Chitkul, famous as the last Indian village. The total route is a mixture of stunning meadows and glacial zone. Honestly Borasu Pass is the rarely explored region of the Garhwal Himalayas. It offers varied landscapes with various rivulets. This trek offers some best views of the Mt. Swargarohini. The trek leads you through the lesser explored trails with many flora and fauna. If you want to chase next level thrilling tough adventure there are dozens of reason to choose this trek as a pro trekker. The every day changing landscapes passing through mountains villages Taluka, Dhatmir, Gangad, Osla and Puani with dense forest of walnut, Rhododendrons, willow, chestnut, Pine and Chinar trees. After that you will find green bugiyals of Har Ki Doon valley, followed by glacial moraine zone. The Pass standing at the altitude of 5,360m/17,224ft is the ultimate challenge to the trekkers who have done many treks and want to push for another hard level. Yes, Borasu Pass is very difficult trek. Till Har Ki Doon its easy to moderate class hike. The real challenge comes after the Har Ki doon valley when you starts climb on the Maninda Taal route. We will witness also the Mt. Bandarpoonch, Mt. Kalanag (Black Peak), Ata Peak. The view of the mind blowing Zupica Glacier from the upper camp and Pass summit is a lifetime achievement.

Gallery

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS TREK

Ancient Valley Har Ki Doon

The beauty of Har ki Doon is not unknown to us. The trail through Govind Wildlife Sanctuary full of flora and fauna. Enjoy the trail with river, rivulets, spring, jungle and green bugiyals.

The Magnificent Views of Mountain Range

The Mt. Black Peak, Mt. Swargarohini seires, Mt. Bandarpoonch, Hata Peak etc are closely visible on this trek. You can experience a grand view of these mountains. Don’t forget to click some memorable picture of this spectacular mountain ranges.

Glacier

The view of the Zupica Glacier is heacven on earth. Zupica glacier feed the river Bapsa which originates from the same valley. Capture the Zupica glacier, frankly it is awesome.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 | Arrive SANKRI

DEHRADOON is the closest Railhead and Jolly Grant Airport is the nearest airport for this trek. From Dehradoon/Airport drive to Sankri,230kms, 7/8 hrs. Sankri is the base village for this trek located at the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. You will be recieved by our Guide/ Trek Leader. Overnight stay in Cosy Homestay.
Altitude : Sankri village – 1950 meters/ 6 ft.

DAY 2 | Drive to Taluka & Trek to CHILLURGAD

After breakfast 11kms drive by car via a offroad jungle route, 1 hrs. Then start trek for Chillurgad, 10Kms, 5/6 hrs. Expected to reach Chillurgad campsite by afternoon. Overnight stay at Chillurgad camsite.
Altitude : Chillirgad camp – 2700 meters/ 8910 ft.

DAY 3 | Trek to Boslo

Timings will be same, we will start trek after breakfast to Boslo, 12kms, 7/8 hrs. Packed lunch. Expected to reach Boslo by afternoon. Evening tea and snacks followed by dinner. Overnight stay at Boslo campsite.
Altitude : 3400 meters/ 11220 ft.

DAY 4 | Trek to Rattha Tho

After morning breakfast start trek for Rattha Tho via Har Ki Doon and Maninda Taal, 8 Kms, 5/6 hrs. Hot/Packed lunch depending on the trekkers speed. Acclimatisation walk followed by evening tea snacks. Dinner at night. Overnight stay at tents.
Altitude : 4200m /13451 ft

DAY 5 | Trek to Upper Lamjung (Borasu Pass Base Camp)

After breakfast start trekking through morain zone with boulders. 7 kms, 5/6 hrs. Stream flowing through the trails towards har ki doon valley. Hot/Packed lunch. Evening tea and snacks at campsite followed by early dinner. Overnight stay at tents.
Altitude : 4900m /16076ft

DAY 6 | Trek to Bonga via Borasu Pass

Longest day of trek and riskiest also. Steep and bit technical ascent till the pass through ice and loose rock zone. Start as early as possible in the morning, reach the Pass at sunrise time. Then steep descent to the Bonga campsite. Todays trail is full of ice patches and glaciers. Cross the ice fields and reach Bonga campsite by afternoon. Same meals included. Overnight stay at tents.
Altitude : Borasu Pass- 5360m / 17224 ft. Bonga – 4000m / 14763 ft

DAY 7 | Trek to Chitkul

Today is another long and last day of trek. 15 kms, 8/9 hrs. As yesterday was a tiresome trek through Borasu Pass, today might be seem difficult. After breakfast start before 9 AM, trek through steep ascent and descent. Reach a wooden bridge where smooth road starts. Drive two hours for Chitkul. Evening tea and snacks followed by dinner. Overnight stay at Homestay.
Altitude : 3490m / 113218 ft.

DAY 8 | Chitkul to Shimla drive

After breakfast leave for Shimla, 236 kms, 7/8 hrs. Your trip ends here. The transportation is not included in the cost. A cab will be arranged and trekkers will share the cost, pay directly to the driver.

DAY 9 | Reserve Day

This day is reserve for any unforeseen weather condition on the trek when we unable to move campsite. If this day is used then all the trekkers need to pay 2500rs extra per head.

HOW TO REACH THE BASE VILLAGE SANKRI

Sankri is a remote village in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. The village is only connected via road to Dehradoon and Haridwar. The Nearest Railway station is Dehradoon, by the way you can arrive via Haridwar railway station also. Haridwar railway station to Dehradoon is 1 hour bus ride. From Dehradoon the best option is to take the Uttarakhand Roadways govt bus service. The bus leaves from the Mussoorie bus stand sharp at 8:00 AM in the morning, and will reach Sankri by 5:00 PM, cost you 400. Two other private bus service is also there from Dehradoon ISBT leaves around 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM. If you don’t want to take the time consuming bus journey or hates it, you can definitely book a cab from Airport/Dehradoon railway station (ask MARVEL ADVENTURES to book a cab). Currently a 5 to 7 seater cab charges 6000 from Dehradoon to Sankri, if the group size is 5 or more you should book a cab for better journey experience, and also it will be economical for all of you and time saving.

FINEST TIME TO EXPERIENCE

The Borasu Pass lies at a very high altitude, so there is a very short weather wind allow us to do this trek. The peak summer and the autumn. The snow takes april month to melt. From the month of May it becomes trekkable. In the month of May-June and Mid-September to October we organise this trek only. The both season offers extream high class views of the surroundings. In the summer you may get few afternoon showers, mist or fog but autumn is dry and clear. Borasu Pass is at such altitude that if there is bad weather there will snowfall even in summer and autumn also. We should be well equiped with all good trekking gears. Therefore you can do this trek only in four months May, June, September and October.

HOW DIFFICULT IS THIS TREK

Borasu Pass is sometimes called an expedition rather than trek. The altitude takes you above 5000 meters with tricky terrain, steep climb, ice patches, morain bolder zone. This all makes this trek difficult+ trek. You need 4/5 high altitude trek experience before attempting this. Gain some experience about mountain on moderate and difficult treks. So, this is not suggested for beginners at all. The trail after Har Ki Doon will test you physical and mental stamina. You need be very fit for this trek. The boulder zone is risky, and the pass climb and descending needs technicality. All the technical part will be facilitated by our trek leader. The Pass climb day will be very long and tiresome descending. Borasu Pass considered as one of the toughest trek. Another thing is the altitude sickness, if you by chance adapt with the mountain, don’t get acclimatise. You will be surely get hit by the AMS. You need to follow our acclimatisation guideline strongly. And lastly if you have low confidence that you can carry your backpack or not, please offload your backpack, there is no shame on this that you cannot carry, know your limits to avoid any sickness or injury.

TREK INCLUSIONS

TREK EXCLUSIONS

WHAT TO CARRY BALI PASS TREK

Like other treks bring all the trek gears and personal hiking gears. But the first thing you need to carry on every trek is a bit fitness and endurance. So before attempting a trek always do some Cardio and other endurance exercises to build your exercise. And in the list of hiking gears includes Rucksack, Waterproof Trekking shoes, warm layers of Jackets, Thermal Inners, Woolen and sun caps, Sunscreen(SPF 40) and toiletries, good quality water bottle, multiple pair of socks, light weight rain poncho or jacket, warm gloves, a day pack Headlamps with extra cells, sunglasses etc. If you are checking for this trek we believe you are a pro trekker, so you know better what to bring on a trek as of previous experience. At last if you have any queries or its confusing what to carry, please feel free to contact us. Don’t overweight your backpack, otherwise trek will seem to be very difficult.

Frequently Asked Questions

Acclimatisation is the most important part of high altitude trek. Acclimatisation is the process where your body start getting cope up with mountain weather & atmosphere that is different from your hometown. This change of environment may affect your normal performance in that environmental conditions. So you need to be well acclimatise to safely do the trek. Not every time depend on the high altitude medicines to avoid AMS, go for natural acclimatisation. Otherwise your body will depend permanently on the medicines whenever you go to the high altitude. The natural acclimatisation is more powerful than medicines. We need to accept the himalayas as it is challenging. It is not that himalayas are unbeatable, but requires to follow rules and systematic approch. How do human body actually acclimatise to the high altitude? In the high altitude the air pressure gets lower so the density. That is why the molecules spreads out in more space and get apart from each other. This affects lower oxygen consume per breath. Our body reacts with that change and starts to take more breath that is hypoxia. We often called it breathlessness in laymen term. Then body try to take more breath to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in our blood. This results increase pH of blood, making our blood more alkaline and body starts urinate more for exerting of bicarbonates. On the other side the body starts to produce more hemoglobin count which are the oxygen carriers in our blood. This thickens our bloods and now our heart need to pump more to throw the blood in the distant organs hence the blood pressure gets higher. This indicates slight high pressure and pulse rate is normal in high altitude areas. There are three golden rules to acclimatisation in the field of mountaineering is –
1. Climb high sleep low
2. Ascend slowly, take your time. And do not over exert.
3. Hydrate & hydrate yourself more & more.

Our expert justified few ways to acclimatise naturally are discussed below-
At first check your itinerary. Trekking is not a game in hurry. You need time to complete. It is not anything you achieve but enjoyed. This is a sport that is away from any competition. Any trek should not be judge by time & distance. Do not over exert yourself, don’t go beyond your limits. Fix your itinerary comfortably. Do not try to cover more distance and altitude gain in one day to minimize the trekking days and cost. On the very initial days approach slowly even you are fit enough to trek faster. Take more time to gain altitude. This allows your body enough time to adjust with the atmosphere. Always bring a well hydrated body in the Himalayas and keep hydrated yourself on the trek days. Drink 3-4 liters of water every day on trek, and consume enough tea, soup, dal and other liquid includes in your meals. Do not consume any type of alcohol drinks 2/3 days before you start the trek, and also don’t on the trek. We do not allow any trekker to consume alcohol on the trek, if found he/she will be sent back then and there. We do not also advise to consume any hard drinks, too much coffee is also not good. ORS and other energy/glucose tablets are best on the trek. After arriving on trek base, trekkers may feel cold weather. But do not cover yourself fully with all of the woolen cap, muffler, neck warmer and all. Let your body to sense the atmosphere change with the sense organs. It will help in natural acclimatisation. Allow your skin to feel the cold. your ears to sense the pressure change. Keep that open while gaining altitude, unless there is a blizzard or bad weather condition. Don’t be a show off man, don’t show unnecessary bravery. Keep your body protect from cold weather. Protect your body from cold wind, cover your head at night & bad weather, cover your neck, tonsils and body tip like fingers, toes etc. Get proper sleep at night. It doesn’t mean that you should sleep at day time or in the afternoon as soon as you reach the campsite. Sleeping is important on every trek to get refresh and rest for next day trek. If you find difficulty in sleep bring immediate notice to the trek leader or guide. As you reach the trek base try to keep yourself dry, do not loose the body heat. Do not skip your soup in the evening. The garlic soup & other helps in blood circulation, keeps your body warm. You remain active on the high altitude. After reaching campsite everybody gets tired, this is normal. But do not get into your sleeping bag & take a nap. This will not help you to get acclimatise. Have some rest for a while, then explore the nearby places, go for the acclimatisation walk. You need to follow the golden rule ‘climb high sleep low’. Climb a bit higher in acclimatisation walk and get back to the campsite. You can indulge yourself in games, or can go for photography. Eat proper meals throughout the day, but lite. Not so much spicy foods, consume easy to digest foods more.
Trekking is a adventure sports, you need to bring a sportsman sprit and fitness on any trek. There is a big worry in many trekkers that how much they need to be fit for a trek. The himalayas are full of steep uphill, rough terrain, walking in the snow all these can be very challenging for trekkers specially for beginners. We will discuss here how to get fit for any trek with a complete training guide. Trek to uphill mountain is not in our daily routine so it is simple that we will find it tough to climb uphill. And with a backpack it seems very challenging. But only a month of regular exercise can make you fit for the trek. Cardio exercise is the best for pre trek exercise. Do some cardio exercise like jogging, swimming, cycling, jumping jacks etc will help you to build your endurance. Don’t forget to do some leg exercise like squats, lunges, stair climbing etc to build stamina of your legs. Now we made a routine exercise for you –
1. Cardiovascular endurance : On your trek you will constantly gaining altitude with your backpack in low oxygen atmosphere. Your heart will do more effort in this condition. So you need to go through cardio exercise at least for one month regularly to counter this constant uphill climb comfortably, infact you will find it bit easier. Jogging for 4 kms in 30 minutes is your first target for this. Start with slower jog and continue to fill the target.
2. Leg exercise : After one week of jogging add some leg exercise like squats and lunges to your routine. This exercises will build stamina of your leg that will help you on steep uphill climb. Start with 10 squats and 10 lunges of 2 set in first week. Then increase to 3 sets. Try to fulfil your target to do 3 sets of 15 each before the trek.
3. Strengthening the core : For strengthening your core body plank and hip raise are best. Do plank for 20 seconds for first three days and then start increasing by 10 seconds till 60.
Along with that do 10 hip raises 2 sets, and increase for 3 sets of 15 each. That should be the goal. So, get ready for your next adventure, make yourself fit enough to do the adventure activities.

There are three level of fitness we categorise :
Level 1 : It is the minimal fitness with that you just able to finish the trek. You struggle a bit, but not too much to do the challenging section. We find most of the trekkers with this much of fitness.
Level 2 : This is one level up fitness you bring on the trek, that you find the trek not very difficult or moderate but easy. And you can carry your own backpack easily throughout the trek. You don’t feel exhausted at the end of every day trek. You are find yourself still not tired and active after reaching the destination. You enjoy the other activity and enjoy exploring the nearby or involving yourself in some game.
Level 3 : This is the fitness we admire most & the ultimate mountaineer like fitness. The trekkers with this fitness finds trek easy for them and they are still very active after the whole day trek even with their rucksack. Not only that these people are fit enough to tolerate bad weather conditions, contribute in some work like tent pitching & kitchen activity, bringing water from nearby water source. Give a hand if other trekkers are in trouble or in some rescue operation.
Rucksack is a most important equipment on every trek & packing your rucksack is a important task for your trek. On a typical trek you need to carry your own rucksack, and if your rucksack is not comfortable to carry you will eventually start hating your backpack and also the trek. A rucksack need to be perfectly pack that it should be comfortable to carry on your back. It should not hurt you anyhow. The mordern day designed rucksacks are very light weight and have many chambers to pack seprately. A good quality rucksack have well paded for comfortable carrying in waist and shoulder. If you are planning to buy a rucksack, please keep the things in your mind and don’t forget to check the strength of rucksack and other straps.
Before you pack your rucksack go through our basic rule. This will help you to pack easily as a beginner. You just can not do every day packing and unpacking on multiple day of trek. Imagine how irritable and time consuming that will be. The A B C D E rule to pack your rucksack—

A – Accessibility = While packing your rucksack pack in such way that every thing are easily accissible for you. Use the different parts to achieve different things easily. For an example use different chambers for toileteries, different for your dry fruits and snacks, different for clothes, different for small items like gloves, socks, woolen caps etc. Keep the items at top or side pockets that you may need on the way like rain wears, sunglass, sunscreen etc.
B – Balance = Your bag need to be packed in such way that it can stand straight when you leave your backpack alone on a flat surface. The more your backpack is balanced the less it will hurt your shoulder. The weight distribution on both shoulder should be equal in order to comfortable carry.
C – Compression & Compartments = While packing your backpack compress all the cloths and the things that can be compresed. It will give you more space inside your rucksack. But remember don’t do more compress or less, do as much as it needed. Compress till it gives you more space to adjust other things. Now use more compartments or make more compartments by using different colored plastic bags, like for socks and underwear use red color plastic bags, for inner and thermal clother use yellow bag, for woolen cap & gloves use green one. It will not only give you another layer of waterproofing but also help you recognise all the different things. This will also help you to find your stuffs quickly.
D – Dry = Always keep your backpack dry from outside and inside also. Use rain cover from outside. And from inside all of your stuffs should be kept dry, otherwaise it will be more heavier than usual. Wet rucksack is not only heavier but also prone to damage, not good for rucksack maintenance. Use rain cover to protect from get wet.
E – Environment = Make a list of your stuffs that need to be packed inside the rucksack according to the environment of the trek you are going. Keep in mind the weather in that perticular month you choose to trek. Pack your backpack with stuffs you need in that weather conditions.

EXPERT’S ADVISE:
-> Always keep the heavy things in the middle of the rucksack and closer to your back.
-> The medium weight things should be kept in the lower compartments & liteweight items should be kept in top section of your rucksack.
-> Use plastic layer from inside to keep the stuffs dry.
-> Don’t forget to put rain cover from outside in rain and snow.
-> Adjust the shoulder straps to balance weight on both shoulder. Put the waist starps also to get better support and balance.
-> You can use you rucksack as a pillow inside the tent, or can rest your leg on rucksack.
Lots of trekkers are very worried about their accomodation on trek days. Wheather it gonna be comfortable or not, safe or not. Here is the answer. We have the good quality tents and sleeping bags for high altitude treks. Our mattress are very soft and thick to provide a comfortable sleep at night. But you should keep in mind that trekking in wilderness in himalayas are not any four or five star category. This is an adventure trip, if we provide a homely/hotel feeling on your trek, then there will be no adventure left for you. But obviously we will definitely provide a safe and cozy tent for your stay. Our tents are tested in bad weather conditions also. Sleeping bags are very warm to spend nights with a good sleep. And at the trek bases we arrange the best homestay available at the village. Homestays are sanitised and clean from inside. Toilets are well maintained and hygiene.
We go to the each and every trek base we organise and choose our guides on the basis of their experience, behaviour, past record, knowledge, abilities and good personality. They knows all about the routes and reacue & evacuation plans. They know how to handle in bad weather conditions. Our guides are well trained for work in the mountains, knows about the camping gears. They have years of experience in safety methods and protocols on the trek. Our guides are very happy to help and eager to serve you better. They always maintain health and hygiene. They are very friendly and make the more enjoyable for you.