How to make a Sach Pass trip in 4-5 days?

Sach Pass, nestled in one of the remote corners of Pangi Valley is popularly known as the daddy of all mountain passes in the Himalayas. Every adventure lover seeks a Sach Pass trip once he covers Ladakh & Spiti and gets bitten by the incurable bug of adventure travel.

Over the last decade, this mighty mountain pass has lived up to the stature of offering extreme adventure and horrible roads to any motor vehicle travel enthusiast. And why not?

Any Sach Pass trip will always be filled with numerous uncertainties of roads being open or not, active landslides, numerous water crossings, plenty of waterfalls, horrible road conditions, 20 feet snow walls, etc..

Can you ask for anything more??

Adventure cannot get any better than a ride or drive to the daddy of all passes, “The Sach Pass.”

About Sach Pass and Pangi Valley

Before I dive into the topic of planning a Sach Pass trip in 4 days, let me share a brief about Sach Pass and Pangi Valley.

Sach Pass is situated at an altitude of 4,420 Mtrs or 14500 feet lying on the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. It connects Chamba Valley / Churah Valley with Pangi Valley in Himachal Pradesh.

Sach Pass lies about 127 km from Chamba and about 175 km from Dalhousie. Every year the pass gets open from late June or early July to mid-October, and then the road closes for winters after heavy snowfall.

The Route Break Down

It is the shortest route from Chamba to the Killar with a distance of about 160 km. Hence, once open, this route is preferred by the locals too. The other routes to Killar are Chamba – Manali – Udaipur Killar, about 680 km, and Chamba – Jammu – Doda – Gulabgarh – Kishtwar – Killar about 570 km. It is the shortest route for Pathankot to Leh over Manali – Leh Highway as well.

The breakup of route direction and distance to Sach Pass from Chamba is as Chamba – Tissa (63 KM) – Bairagarh (90 KMs) – Satrundi (106 KMs) – Sach Pass (120 KMs) – Bagotu (130 KMs) – Killar (166 KMs).

The altitude graph goes like Tissa (1570 Mtrs) – Bairagarh (2800 Mtrs) – Satrundi (3400 Mtrs) – Sach Pass (4420 Mtrs) – Bagotu (3600 Mtrs) – Killar (2590 Mtrs)

Once you enter Pangi Valley, you unlock yourself some of the most beautiful and amazing places to explore in the Himalayas. You will need at least 4-5 days to explore Pangi Valley after reaching Killar. You can then head towards Udaipur – Tandi – Manali for going back home.

Some of the beautiful places to explore in Pangi Valley around Killar are Dharwas, Luj, Sural, Hundan, Findroo, Findar, Mindhal, Parmar, etc.. The entire Pangi Valley offers many picturesque villages. There is a PWD rest house in Cherry where you can stay in peace along with few basic guesthouses in Killar.

Common Itinerary – Sach Pass Trip in 4-5 Days

In this article, I will not be taking you through the complete circuit of Sach Pass. I will focus on making a trip to just Sach Pass and return the same route. It takes you to Sach Pass from Chamba side, goes over to Killar and then exits via Udaipur – Tandi – Rohtang Pass – Manali route.

Day 1 | Delhi – Pathankot – Chamba / Tissa / Bairagarh

• This day you will be just driving out from Delhi without much sightseeing apart from what comes on the road. You can stop for food at Chamera Lake that comes on the route.
• It will take about 3.5 Hrs to reach Bairagarh from Chamba, so an early start from Delhi is mandatory.
• Follow the route alongside Chamera Lake, in case you need to go to Bairagarh. On the shorter route, Chamba will not come. So, look for directions accordingly.
• About 12-16 Hrs drive to Chamba (12 Hrs) / Bairagarh (16 Hrs).
• Overnight at Chamba / Tissa / Bairagarh, whichever suits your timings.

Day 2 | Chamba / Bairagarh – Satrundi – Sach Pass – Killar

• Leave very early, if from Chamba and enjoy the vistas en-route.
• Leaving early is mandatory because else there will be too much water in nallas that can strand you in between nowhere. You will miss the chance of visiting Sach Pass.
• You can plan for lunch at Bagotu Nalla dhabha after crossing Sach Pass towards Killar.
• About 8 – 9 Hrs of drive in the case from Chamba else will take about 5 – 6 Hrs to reach Killar from Bairagarh.
• Overnight at Killar.

Day 3 | Killar – Sach Pass – Satrundi – Bairagarh / Chamba

• Follow the same route back to Bairagarh or Chamba.
• About 8 – 9 Hrs of drive in the case to Chamba else will take about 5 – 6 Hrs to reach Bairagarh from Killar.
• Overnight at Bairagarh / Chamba.

Day 4 | Bairagarh / Chamba – Gete (17 Km) – Jot (12 KM) – Gete (12 KM) – Khajjiar (7 KM)

• Take a well-deserving rest day after loads of adventure in the last 3 days and enjoy a tourist place – Khajjiar.
• Today take the scenic drive from Chamba to Jot – Gete to Khajjiar.
• About 2.5 – 6 Hrs of a drive depending upon where you start in the day, Chamba or Bairagarh.
• Overnight at Khajjiar.
• In case you have just 4 days in hand, you can go back home as per the route of Day 1.

Day 5 | Khajjiar – Dalhousie – Delhi

• Follow the same route back to Pathankot from Khajjiar and further to Delhi.
• About 14 Hrs of a drive to reach home in Delhi.
• Overnight at sweet home.

Can I make a 4 day trip to Sach Pass?

Yes, you can make a trip to Sach Pass in 4 days. In the itinerary mentioned above, you can directly return home from Chamba to Delhi on Day 4. You can skip the relaxing days of exploring Khajjiar and around to complete your Sach Pass trip in 4 days.

An Alternate Plan – Dalhousie to Sach Pass to Manali

In this plan instead of returning back from Sach Pass via Dalhousie – Chamba route, we can continue into Lahaul Valley. In this alternate route plan of Sach Pass trip in 5 days, we will be taking the route to Sach Pass from Chamba side and then return home via Manali side.

Day 3 | Killar – Cherry – Purthi – Udaipur

• Start your day early else at time Madgram Nalla near Udaipur will be flooded and you will not be able to cross it.
• Easy drive to Udaipur exploring the beauty on the route. You can have lunch at Purthi Dhabha if required.
• About 5 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between
• Overnight at Udaipur.

Day 4 | Udaipur – Tandi – Manali

• Visit Trilokinath Temple while going towards Tandi.
• In case you want to return, better stay at Sissu else for Baralacha La go over to Jispa and stay there. In case you are short on time, you can directly reach Manali from Udaipur and save a day for you.
• About 8 Hrs of drive from Udaipur to Manali.
• Overnight at Manali.

Day 5 | Manali – Delhi

• If there is time explore Manali, that is if going by overnight Volvo which starts around 5.30 PM.
• 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.
• Back home.

Alternate Plan – Sach Pass to Killar to Kishwar in 5 days

Now, you can also make the road trip of cliffhanger drive from Killar to Kishtwar instead of traveling from Killar to Manali via Keylong – Udaipur route. Let us look at how you can adjust the above Sach Pass 5 day itinerary to travel on this route.

Day 3 | Killar – Kishtwar

• Start your day early to reach Kishtwar by evening.
• The route is popular by the name Cliffhanger drive. The rough drive can give goosebumps to anyone. Hence, it will take some time to cover the 120 km journey from Killar to Kishtwar via Gulabhgarh.
• The road is pretty narrow with a deep drop running aside it.
• About 6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between the journey.
• Overnight at Kishtwar.

Day 4 | Kishtwar – Patnitop

• Wake up easy after a tiring day and start for Patnitop in Jammu to halt the trip before returning home
• Patnitop is just 120 km from Kishtwar and roads are mostly decent.
• About 5 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between the journey.
• In the evening, do some local sightseeing in Patnitop or enjoy the sunset.
• Overnight at Patnitop.

Day 5 | Patnitop – Delhi

• You start the trip back home after an early breakfast.
• About 12-14 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
• Back home.

Petrol Pumps on Sach Pass Trip

Fuel availability is key to making a successful remote Himalayan trip. Hence, a trip to Sach Pass is no different from others being such a remote region of Himachal.

• You will find several petrol pumps on the way to Pathankot from Delhi.
• A couple of petrol pumps there on the way to Banikhet from Pathankot
• There is one near Chamba or Banikhet.
• Manjir, Bhadram. There is one fuel pump at Bhadram and Manjir. Bhadram is about 40 km from Banikhet towards Sach Pass and Manjir is about 28 km ahead of it. It is recommended that you top up at these fuel pumps.
• Do not forget to top up fuel at Churah petrol pump which is about 8 km from Tissa towards Sach Pass. Do Top Up Here.
• The next important petrol pump is at Tandi near Keylong on Manali Leh Highway. It will only come on your route if you are doing the full circuit from Killar – Udaipur – Manali route.
• Finally, near Manali, you will find a few petrol pumps and then there is no shortage of them all the way to Delhi.

Other articles in the series:

• If you are planning a trip in summer then refer my article on Sach Pass Trip in July.
• If you are looking out for a day by day trip plan to visit Sach Pass and nearby villages, then check my Most Common Itinerary of Pangi Valley Trip

Conclusion

I hope this day by day plan or itinerary for a Sach Pass trip in 4-5 days will be useful for travelers planning their short journey to this place. Feel free to share it with your family & friends who are looking out for a short adventure to Sach Pass in this coming season.

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