Chandratal Lake is growing its popularity among the youth in India with each passing summers. Now, families with kids have also started showing interest in making a trip to this pristine lake in Spiti Valley. And why not, as the distance from Delhi looks like Chandratal lake is just a couple of days away only.
However, like someone said, “not everything that glitters is gold” and so is the trip to Chandratal lake. All these novice travelers or adventure lovers forget that Chandratal lake is located at an altitude of 14000 feet in Himachal Pradesh tribal belt.
This much altitude is more than enough to make you sick of acute mountain sickness. Even the road to Chandratal lake from Manali is one of the worst roads you will ever come across in your life. It feels as if you are driving on a river bed and dodging the furious water crossings every few kilometers.
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Let's quickly dive into the details:
Itinerary for Chandratal Lake from Manali for 5 Days
In this article today, I am going to share the most popular itinerary for Chandratal lake. This itinerary keeps a distance to travel in a day balanced and, to an extent, also considers acute mountain sickness issues. You might have read my detailed travel guide of Chandratal lake at the link Delhi to Chandratal – Travel Guide.
If not, then please read this travel guide to know more in detail about Chandratal lake. You must be aware of details about the regions and what it offers on any adventure trip. It helps you prepare for the unknown in such remote locations of Himalayas.
Traveling to Chandratal from Kinnaur side?
If you are coming to Chandratal lake from Kinnaur side, there isn’t much to worry about AMS as your body will be acclimatized. In this article, I am talking about making a trip to Chandratal lake from Manali side because of less number of days at hand.
This plan does not cover Spiti Valley and is limited to a visit to Chandratal lake only. In case you are interested in making a trip to Spiti Valley, then better refer to my article on planning a Spiti trip from Manali side.
Before going on a trip to any high altitude region in the Himalayas, I always urge everyone to read the article on Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization. Please keep in mind that in case you are planning the trip from Manali side, you can never avoid AMS issues.
![Why avoid traveling on Manali Leh Highway in October for Ladakh trip? [5 Safety Reasons]](https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/yt_vid_thumbs/ladakh/104.png)
Day 1 | Delhi – Manali – Solang Valley
- Reach Manali by overnight Volvo and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
- If there is time then explore Manali
- Manali Local sightseeing which includes Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple, Mall Road, Local Monastery, Old Manali, Vashisth Hot Water Springs (never found it interesting) etc.
- About 12-14 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between
- Overnight at Solang Valley or Manali
Day 2 | Manali – Rohtang Pass – Khoksar / Batal
- Head early morning towards Chandratal via Rohtang Pass
- Drive through Batal – Chattru – Gramphu towards Batal Chandratal is out of the world with one of the worst roads you will ever ride/drive
- You can either stay at Khoksar PWD Rest House to acclimatize more or if you are comfortable with dhabha night stay or PWD rest house stay without light, then stay at Batal
- The reason to sleep at Khoksar or Batal is just to acclimatize more
- About 3-4 Hrs to Khoksar and 6-7 Hrs to Batal
- Overnight at Khoksar or Batal
Day 3 | Khoksar / Battal – Chandratal Lake / Battal
- Head early morning to Chandratal lake to get the reflections in the lake.
- Spend the time up there at the lake, explore the region around and have lunch at the lake.
- Drive through Batal – Chattru – Gramphu towards Batal Chandratal lake is out of the world.
- Camps are about 1-1.5 KMs from the Chandratal lake. You can either stay there if you felt good the previous night or be back to Batal (preferred) where there is a PWD rest house now though without electricity. Unless you want to stay in a guest house with electricity, better stay at Batal and save time as well as energy for the next day.
- Private camping is not allowed at the banks of lake.
- About 1-1.5 Hrs drive
- Overnight at Chandratal Lake or Batal.
Day 4 | Chandratal – Batal – Gramphu – Rohtang Pass – Manali
- Drive through the same Batal – Chattru – Gramphu route
- Head back to Manali via Rohtang Pass
- About 7 – 8 Hrs drive easily if you do not get messed up Rohtang Pass
- You may take the overnight Volvo to save a day but to make hectic 😉
- Overnight at Manali
Day 5 | Manali – Mandi – Jahu – Bhota – Una – Delhi
- If not taking Volvo and driving self to Delhi, you can try a different route
- Take a longer but different route to Delhi from Jahu – Bhota – Una side
- The route is pretty scenic, excellent roads and offer good views
- About 14-15 Hrs, as it is about 55 KMs longer route but devoid of bad roads and truck traffic
- Sweet home
Day 6 | Buffer day to be kept in case of road closure due to landslides or snowfall or perhaps you want to enjoy more 🙂
Stay options at Chandratal Lake
Thankfully there are no concrete buildings near Chandratal lake and only a few temporary camps run in season time at a designated camping site near the parking lot. You can get in touch with Bishan Thakur – Parasol Camps & Retreats at 09418845817, 09459910098, Nawang: 09459073908, 01906-200204. You can also write to them at parasolcamps@gmail.com, info@parasolcamps.com. These camps are more spacious, have mattresses, quilts, and decent comfort. He does have a dining area & covered washrooms if required. There are a couple of other camps too nowadays.
Well, at Battal you can stay at Chandra Dhabha run by Dorje Uncle. It has a shed-like room for 7-8 people. Workers and the Dhaba family itself occupy most of the space where food is served, so if you are lucky, you may get space to sleep there as well. They charge Rs 125-150 per person for a night stay and provide quilts as well. You can take as many quilts as available with them and if not in use by anyone. Best is to have your own sleeping bag.
There is a PWD Rest House as well now at Batal but without any electricity. You can take rooms there and eat at Chandra Dhabha with Dorje Uncle and Aunty Ji. 08991722020 is the contact number of satellite phones at Batal, and you can inquire from Dorje’s uncle if he can book a PWD Rest House room for you or a couple of igloo type huts just in front of his dhabha that can save you from cold winds in the evening or night.
Dorje Uncle’s son Tenzin now also set up camps at Chandratal, you can reach him at Tenzing Camp – +91-8991722020. Else call up the satellite phone and ask Dorje uncle to do the bookings for his son’s camps.
Can I make a trip to Chandratal in 4-5 days from Delhi?
Well, as we read in this article that it is possible to make a trip to Chandratal lake in 5 days from Delhi. It will give you enough time to relax and enjoy this beautiful wonder of nature in the remote corner of Himachal Pradesh.
Taxis to Chandratal Lake from Manali
You can get connected directly to some taxi drivers in Spiti Valley or Manali at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. The rates of the taxis are about Rs 11000-12000 depending on the number of days you plan to travel.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands to most parts of the Himachal.
Can I make a Delhi to Chandratal trip in 3 days or extended weekend?
At a minimum, you will need at least four days to visit Chandratal lake from Delhi. In case you are going to follow some insane AMS prone plan of taking the overnight Volvo from Delhi to Manali and then on the next morning of Day 1 reach Chandratal lake and rest up there. On Day 2, you can travel back from Chandratal to Manali and rest. Finally, on Day 3, you return home from Manali to Delhi.
Or you can do the other way round by reach Manali on Day 1 and rest for the day. On Day 2 reach Chandratal and sleep overnight at Batal or Chandratal and Day 3 reach Manali and take the overnight Volvo to reach home by Day 4 morning.
If you ask me, I will highly suggest against both these travel plans for Chandratal. Still, if you want me to force, I will put my bet on the second plan where you sleep at Batal on Day 2 after visiting Chandratal.
Conclusion
I am sure that the above itinerary may not help you 100% with planning a trip to Chandratal lake but will certainly act as a starting point for it. Do share your valuable thoughts or any questions or any doubts you may have in the comments section of the article. We can discuss more on your upcoming travel plans for Chandratal lake or any other parts of Spiti Valley 🙂
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39 Comments
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Hi Dheeraj,
For a trip to chandratal and rest of the Spiti valley, I called multiple numbers of the drivers given in dow. We are 7 adults. Some of them told me it’s not possible to go with a sumo or scorpio with 7 people and luggage in these roads and I should book a tempo traveller and some told me sumo will be perfectly fine. So wanted some advice.
I do believe that with 7 people and luggage it will surely be tough and should be avoided.
Thanks Dheeraj. We have booked a 12 seater Tempo Traveller for 7 days @35k . Sounds fare or I have been duped ? I have already sent the advance.
It sounds OK to me. Regular taxi costs about 3500 per day, so tempo for 12 is usually 35% more, maybe some 10% here and there. Plus less days costs more on per day basis as you cover the distance. However, just to be on safer you can also double check with a driver named Nittu at these numbers +919418344252, +917018346811, +919736464283. He does have a new tempo traveler too.
Hi, Can Manali to Chandratal lake be done in 1 day,
Like first day reach chandratal lake from Manali, stay a night at the camps and then leave the next day back to Manali
And i’l be travelling with my Mom, just 2 of us.
Can we atleast get to see the lake in terms of walking distance since there is no direct road to the lake from the camps to & back
Manali to Chandratal can be done in one day. The road end is at the walking distance from the lake.
Ohh ok….Like on day 1 can i do Rohtang pass and then to Chandratal lake, spend some time there and then go to Kaza for a 1 night stay and leave next day (day 2 )to Manali from kaza?
I replied to your other question.
Hi Dheeraj, i have read all the articles that you have posted and i really appreciate all the information that you have provided all lf us with !
We, a group of four people are planning to visit Chandrataal in the long weekend of 15th August this year in our MUV (Ecosport)
Can you share some insight on the road conditions during that time window as it’ll be the first time we will be driving on such roads.
We are planning to do
Delhi to Solang on 12th, stay for the night.
Solang to Chandrataal site on the 13th with an overnight stay.
And then 14th- Chandrataal to Manali followed by 15th- Manali to Delhi.
Is it a good itenerary or we shall add another buffer day keeping the weather+road conditions in mind?
Also is it advisable to get the Beyond Rohtang La permit online a month early?
Really appreciate the time and efforts you’ve put to answer everyone’s query!
Youve made travelling alot easier with all these experiences 🙂
Thank you Abhi !! Sorry for delayed reply, been busy with some stuff at the office in last few days. It will be peak monsoons, rivers and water crossings will be in spate. Upto Manali and Rohtang Pass, in case of rains, slush and landslides could be common. So, no silver bullet but it is a matter of taking a risk.
You should have a buffer day in place. You will not get Beyond Rohtang PAss permit before 5 days of your travel, I think they have restricted it to get the permit 5 days before the date of travel. There is no much fuss about that permit, so you should be OK with 5 days in avdance as well.
Hi Abhi,
I visited chandrataal on 17th June weekend. The roads a pretty bad and virtually non existent. the major lot is so tricky that there is hardly place for 1 vehicle to go forget 2 requiring crossing each other. If you have never driven on bad roads, AVOID. Take a cab. Will save ur MUV & urself from over working. There are lots of nallas which makes it further difficult.
I did the mistake of reaching chandrataal around 4 PM and climbing to lake same day. Managed with minor difficulty but spending the night became difficult. Blood oxygen levels went really low. Try consulting a physician on how to overcome that.
However, its a beautiful place. All (senic) beauty and nothing else. Feels amazing. The climb was smooth and risk free.
Hope this helps… All the best
Hello Dheeraj
thanks for the insights. Me and my friends planning to go to Chandartal from Manali on Saturday 30th June 2017. Advice if that would be right time?? and also things we should carry with us. We are planning to stay for one day near Chandartal, hopefully will carry tents and sleeping bag. Kindly advice.
June – mid July is fine to travel to Chandratal lake. You should read: Delhi to Chandratal Lake Spiti Valley – Travel Guide
I am visiting Chandratal lake next week and the post helped me with lots of information. Thanks for sharing!
Best wishes for the trip Isha, feel free to post any further questions you may have for it.
HI DHIRAJ
WE HAVE PLANED A TRIP TO CHANDRATAAL .WE REACH SOLANG VALLEY ON THE 13TH NIGHT .ON THE 14TH WE LEAVE FOR CHANDRATAAL AND SPEND 3 NIGHTS THERE MAY BE AT PARSOL CAMPS OR AS YOU ADVICE .17 & 18 WE HAVE BOOKINGS AT CLUB MAHINDRA MANALI .SO I WANTED TO ASK IF IT’S WORTH STAYING AT CHANDRA TALL LAKE FOR 3 NIGHTS AND IF SO IS THERE ANY TRECKING TO DO THERE .OR SHOULD WE GO TILL KAZA VISIT KEY & KIBBER AND STAY IN CHANDRATAAL FOR 1 DAY . KINDLY ADVICE
If you are looking forward to a very relaxing trip, then, in that case, it should be OK to stay at Chandratal and do the hikes around the lake, maybe even towards Samudri Tapu however with high altitude there could be a struggle. Regarding going to Kaza, I will suggest that on 14 you directly go to Kaza, 15 spend day at Kaza and explore Langza, Hikkim, Komic and then on 16 you reach Chandratal from Kaza, stay overnight and next noon start for Manali to reach by evening.
Hi, we are a group of 6 persons looking for a stay at the camping site near chandratal , what will be the cost of tents at the camping sites.
Thank you
Please read stay options section of the article: Delhi to Chandratal Lake Spiti Valley – Travel Guide
hi dheeraj,
i need the working number of batal.
08991722020 is no longer in service and we’re planning a trip to chandrataal in the end of June.
without that number, I’ll not be able to make a booking of camp as parasol camp is very very expensive.
and without booking, i may not get a permit in manali
please correct me if i am wrong
Lavish, no booking required from this year. You just to provide the required information to get the permit to travel beyond Rohtang Pass. Just ensure that you travel to Khoksar to make the entry to checkpost and then come back to Gramphu and travel to Chandratal or Spiti.
Thank you so much Dheeraj, that is really helpful.
We’re planning to book camps and Batal stay there impromptu(not booking earlier) – I hope that is not a problem.
Really appreciate you going the extra mile 🙂
Yes Lavish, that is correct. No pre-booking required bro to get the permit for Rohtang Pass from this year !! 🙂 🙂
hello dhiraj. we are total a group of 25 ppl and planning for chandratal lake we are reaching Ambala on 13th july morning. from there how can we plan the dayz ? how many dayz should we plan for stay at chandratal ? we have 8 kids age 10 to 14 is is ok for them ?we are planning to take 2 bykes from manali is it ok ? we have return train tickits from chandighar on 20th morning 10 am.
Hi Chirag,
Kids of such age are OK to be taken as they can convey the inconvenience. You should refer the itinerary mentioned in the article above for planning the trip. If you guys have experience in riding the bike in such a terrain, it is OK to take it else avoid. Also, please note it is an adventure destination not a family or leisure vacation spot. You will go through some hassles and family, in particular, will not like the roads and bumpy ride. Since, it is a very large group, people might be prone to AMS in the group.
Hi,
We are planning to reach losar on 24th May 2017 from Shimla. Is that possible? Will the road open that time?
Regards
Ajay
Road from Shimla side will be open but not from Manali side.
Hi dheeraj,
A group of friends (6-8people) are planning to visit chandratal around 12-13th June.
We will reach Manali on 10th, acclimatise at solang valley on 11th, and head out towards chandratal on 12th early morning.
We plan to keep a day in hand if anyone needs further acclimatising at battal.
We plan to camp overnight at Chandratal and come back to Manali the next day.
(How should we go about the Rohtang pass permit, as we plan to only do chandratal lake and back)
Also, what mode of transportation would you advise us to take (if at all roads are open by then)
Thanks in advance
Ashish
Manali does not help in acclimatization, so it is better to stay at Solang and Khoksar or Solang and Battal. You will have to take the permit for Rohtang Pass as you will be crossing it. In case you are hiring a taxi, then taxi guy will arrange the permit.
I will advise you to hire the local taxi in Manali.
Hi Dheeraj,
Any way to reach Chandrataal if we are travelling to Spiti via the Shimla route in Mid-May?
TIA
No Aaditya, you cannot travel to Chandratal in the month of May.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning a short trip to Chandrataal lake first week of June. I heard that roads are open. However is it a good time to do this trip ? Secondly can we camp there..I mean can we bring our own tents and camp. Or it is not allowed. If not then what’s the other option to stay overnight out there. We will take bullets on rent from Manali and go.
A little help will be appreciated 🙂
Whosoever told you that roads are open gave you the wrong information. The road from Manali to Kaza is not expected to open before mid of June at least as per last reports. Camping is only allowed 1.5 KMs from the lake at designated camping sites.
Thanks a lot Dheeraj for that update. Yeah i meant that only that the roads will be open by 1st week of June or so. I called up parasol camps and had a word with Bishan thakur… he told me that the roads will open by 1st week.
Lukesh, please follow the thread for updates: Manali – Kunzum Pass – Spiti Valley Road Status
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning spiti valley tour in Mid October. Is there any Tents camps available at Chandartaal in MID Oct ? or any other staying option near Chandartaal
It could be quite cold Sarin at that time of the year. Most of the camps wind up but since weather has changed a lot, keep a check with Parasol guys who wind up in the last. But, beware that it will be quite cold with winds at Chandratal in October mid.
Hi Dheeraj,
Is it possible to visit Chandratal from Manali via Rohtang during mid May (17th-18th May to be precise)?
Thanks
No, traveling to Chandratal lake is not feasible in the month of May.