Chambala Valley Trek

This is a trek that is set in a remote and largely unexplored area of the Western Himalaya . It is highly unlikely that you will meet other Westerners on this trek, the village children do not beg; in fact locals actually enjoy having their photo taken. The Dhaula-Dhar and Chamba valley region of Himachal Pradesh is inhabited by the Gaddi people: Hindu shepherds who migrate each spring with their flocks from the foothills of the Kangra valley to the rich grazing areas of Lahoul and Spiti - a journey that will entail covering high passes and mountainous terrain during the summer months before returning back to the lowlands to escape the onset of winter. In the company of Mark Butterworth you will have a real insider's view of the people, their society and traditions.

Christina Noble's book 'Over The High Passes', publisher, Fontana/Collins, ISBN 0-00-637350-X, gives a perfect description of the Gaddi people and this region. The area is renowned for wildlife. In recent years a leopard killed the Butterworths' chickens! Besides leopards, there exist black bears, porcupine, various types of deer and mountain goats, langur and rhesus monkeys, jackals, pine marten, and the local equivalent of the yeti known as a Gye.

Trip Overview