Camping under the stars: Bunbuni Pass trek

We set off for a trekking expedition, and there were moments when we ended up getting lost, but all together gave us a new perspective on life, awe-inspiring views, and a complete "Into The Wild" experience!

It was summer of 2019 and we needed a break from the mundane city life once again. And this time we thought of doing something different: a trek! Well actually, everything was unplanned and we set off to meet a few friends at Kasol and they proposed the plan of trekking to Bunbuni, and the very idea got me super pumped.

We boarded the bus from Majnu-ka-tila and reached Kasol early next morning, met our friend who’d been staying there for a couple of months, and made some new friends too. We decided to spend the night there, as two more of our friend’s had decided to tag along next morning.

So we finally set out the following morning for the adventure. We were a group of nine.

Our first stop was at Kalga where we rented some sleeping bags and tents, and that’s where the trek begins.

Kalga Village, a peaceful haven in Himachal: Read in detail about Kalga and how to get there in my article here.

Bunbuni is a detour en route Kheerganga. It is a vast open meadow at an elevation of 10,987 ft (3,348m) above sea level, which means it is higher than Kheerganga (2,950m). While Kheerganga remains the most popular trek around the Parvati Valley region with tons of tourists visiting it all round the year to take a dip in the hot springs, it tends to be crowded, has a couple of shops and even accommodation facilities.

We wanted to experience the exact opposite. A deep trek through the pine forest, with just raw nature, absolutely disconnected from civilization and definitely not a touristy spot. Bunbuni is a lesser explored paradise in the same region. We had set out in search of that nirvana and this place ticked everything on the checklist.

It is an 8-9 km, moderate level trek which could be completed within 5-6 hours according to the person’s fitness level. The trail is quite steep and the way is not well marked, so make sure to ask the locals for directions before starting off. The trail is steeper for the first half and then comparatively less sloped in the second leg of the hike.

So we set off from Kalga during the early hours of the day through the alpine forest. For the first half of the climb uphill, we followed a very steep slope and we were accompanied by a bunch of doggos from the neighborhood, and by a bunch I mean about 8 of them (not even joking). We walked around ancient pine trees that are at least a few hundred years old. Rarely we came across a few locals who were up collecting wood. We could see dense forests upon mountains a few kilometers away and realized that we were walking in one such woodland too. Snowcapped mountains were visible farther away.

After a couple of hours, we decided to stop for lunch break. We found a shaded, relatively flat terrain area and began gathering some wood and hay to start a fire. All of us were starving by now. We carried with us some maggi, biscuits and water. And so we cooked and shared the food, while our furry friends snacked on some biscuits. We made sure all the plastic was collected and no waste was disposed on the way.

Once we were all done, we took off to continue our journey. Meanwhile we had run out of water, so we tried to follow the sound of the stream nearby to refill our bottles. After climbing a few more meters, we realized that we lost the actual route somewhere on the way. One of the turns we took ended up leading us on the wrong route. Mountain dogs are usually known to guide people in such situations, but they sort of mislead us too. Also, we had lost network connectivity a long time ago so google maps cannot be relied upon, but it showed us where our end destination is located and so with a rough idea, we decided to move forward. And this was the hardest part of the climb. We had to go uphill at some really steep hills were no evident trail was present, literally cutting through tall grassy bushes, not even knowing where we were resting our feet while taking each step. By now it was already noon and the sun was right above our heads, it had gotten quite hot.

After a tough almost vertical climb, we were able to trace back to the trail. We began seeing large open grasslands till the eye could reach. Some small streams too where we’d stop and refresh. The snowy mountain peaks seemed a lot closer now. We came across a shepherd home on the way, they ensured us that we were on the right track and that we’d reach Bunbuni pass within an hour. They had a number of buffalos, cows, sheep and wanted to keep one of the dogs to protect their herd.

Views en route Bunbuni Pass

The climb

Approaching Bunbuni peak

Shephard huts on the way

And so after about 9-10 hours, we finally reached Bunbuni.

Words cannot do justice to how magnificent the view at the top was. The snowcapped mountains were right before our eyes, it seemed so close now. The unadulterated beauty of the Himalayas just left me in awe. Bunbuni was lush green with wild flowers covering the area like a carpet. The 360° view was the best part. Everywhere I laid my eyes, the frame was just astonishing. With only the sound of the breeze and nothing more, the silence here was comforting. And the fact that we were the only outsiders there at the time, made this secluded offbeat hike all the more enjoyable!

It was dusk now, and so we decided to set our tents towards the edge of the egg shaped hill.

Bunbuni was almost empty with only a few shepherd families who come from Mandi and live here during summers. They lived in 2-3 shepherd huts laid next to one another and survived on basic necessities. They had several buffalos and so cattle farming is their main source of making a living.

The buffaloes were also their children’s playmates. On reaching there we saw toddlers rolling under and on top of the livestock with complete innocence sparkling in their eyes. They seemed content in their own little world.

By Rifan Rahim

We watched as the sky changed colors and the sun set into the mysterious valley. After sundown, the cold winds began getting stronger.

After the exhausting trek, all of us were pretty hungry, so we asked one of the gaddi woman if she could cook a meal for us, and unhesitantly she agreed. After an hour or so, we were welcomed into their humble abode - a minimal setting with the kitchen and dining area on one end, followed by a small space where they’d sleep, and a calf tied towards the father end of the hut! She served us a meal of dal and rice which we wholeheartedly ate (we paid about 150 Rs per person).

We were told that we’d be able to see the milky way from here, but that night turned out to be cloudy as it was right around the beginning of the monsoon months.

It was pitch dark. We sat around a bonfire, had some chai while we gazed at the starry sky that was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds. It was very windy and cold by night.

After we felt well rested, we woke up to a misty sunrise as we opened our tents. This feeling was so refreshing. We allotted duties to one another as we did throughout the expedition: some to collect wood, to start the fire, to refill water from the stream flowing nearby which was fed by a glacier, and others to cook the last packets of maggi and clean up the area.

After a couple more hours of basking in the sun, we decided to start for our return journey (cause we were almost out of food & monies) so that we’d be able to catch the last bus from Barshaini to Kasol (which is at 6pm). One of our friend was going to Kheerganga from here, which is downhill from Bunbuni for another 3-4 hours. And with him left most of the puppers (guess they were still in the mood to explore). Except Alex who stayed back, he probably wanted to get back to his home in Kalga to his humans (which he eventually did).

The goodest boy, Alex from Kalga

And so we bid farewell to the shepherd family, we couldn’t be more grateful to these kind hearted people who let us into their homes.

Finding the way back was all smooth. We reached Kalga sooner than we expected.

And all the while I couldn’t stop thinking about the babbling brooks, the highlands of wild grass, flowers & innumerable pine trees, the undulating hills, the striking shades of green that changed after each hill we crossed, the red wild berries we plucked and ate on the way, the glorious views of the mountains, and the kindhearted locals we had met, the paradise of Bunbuni gifted me a wholesome experience. This was everything a mountain lover could ask for. If only I could aptly describe what this felt like, I’ll let the photo talk for now.

Often times we’d want to keep these places to ourselves and it’s not always an easy choice to share it online, but this place inspired me in ways I didn’t think of. Even now I sometimes close my eyes and image the snowy peaks right before me. And so I want others also to know about these pure regions, but please PLEASE make sure you conserve the area and keep it as unadulterated as possible.

This small trek marked the beginning of something for me and I can’t wait to go out there and make more such memories in the wild. After all, Isn’t that the beauty of every first experience?

Some aspects to remember while going on the Bunbuni Pass trek:

• Best time to visit Bunbuni would be the summer months from April-June and September-October. After October, these mountains become drenched in snow, even the shepherd’s move down before the harsh weather arrives!

• Carry your own tents & sleeping bags (you can rent these from Kalga for approx. 300-500Rs), food supplies, utensils, water bottles and match boxes to start a fire when necessary

• Keep in mind that there is no cellphone reception in the area

• It is not an easy trek as it is considerably steep, and the route is not easily recognizable or marked, so go with a local or anybody who is familiar with the region, but I wouldn’t advice on going alone

• To be on the safe side, download the map of the area offline

• Wearing trekking shoes is definitely a plus (which I ridiculously ignored)

• Manage your waste well, and do not dispose any sort of plastic on the way

• Be kind to the locals at all times

P.S.- Attending nature’s call in the wild was weird but yet another experience teheee :P