Trekking in the quiet Bhaba Valley of Kinnaur has been a routine for the local Shepherds and small groups of experienced Backpackers. The enchanting valley has remained off radars of Commercial Guided Trek Operators, until now.
Pin Bhaba Pass is one of the shortest trans-Himalayan treks that Kinnaur has to offer. Its significance is understood by those who have done Pin Parvati Pass, it’s neighbouring bigger sister trek.
To put it in perspective, Pin Bhaba Pass is a ‘Mini Pin Parvati Pass’ Trek in the making. It captures all the exciting aspect of Pin Parvati Trek in a shorter time span. It is power packed with a stark contrast of an evergreen Bhaba Valley of Kinnaur and the mysterious Cold Desert of Pin Valley. It has picturesque camping grounds that are only inhabited by passing shepherd folks. Route finding, river crossing, traversing a near 5,000-meter snow pass is routine. The views from the pass are identical to what one gets from Pin Parvati Pass. In just 5 days of trekking, you get the money worth of an 11-day expedition trek that is Pin Parvati.
Also, read more on – 10 most asked questions about Pin Parvati Pass Trek
When Shrinivas Sudhir trekked to Pin Bhaba Pass in August, he was completely taken aback. Being an amateur photographer, he helped in visually documenting the trek. Enjoy the high-quality Pictures of the Trek uploaded on ‘Medium’ Blogging platform (link is enclosed below)
Click here to see the Photo Journal of Pin Bhaba Pass
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WANDER THE HIMALAYAS 
Exactly what I have been thinking of. Must be done before it’s swarmed by agencies. Till now only independent trekers have been doing this trek. Thanks for posting it here Vaibhav
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You are welcome, Arvind. You are correct when you say that. With Uttarakhand and Kashmir becoming unstable places for running routine treks, Trek Operators are concentrating in Himachal. It is easy for logistics and operations and one can easily set under the table deals with Forest Department Officials for waiver of camping and park entry fees. You be surprised how some of the so-called ethical companies do such deals to save costing and environmental guidelines that are flaunted. To compensate, launch a batch or two of a cleaning drive and post an engaging content on the website to show a caring side. There have to be guidelines in place that need to be driven by the state Forest Department. Place restrictions on the number of private trekking companies allowed on a trail. Restrict the batch size and number each company can run in a season. Place environmental fee to be used in ensuring proper waste disposal. Make bringing the trash down mandatory for all the groups. Ensure hiring of local village people in support operations. Support local guides and operators in getting the gears and equipment, make it available at the base location of the trekking trails. Assign rate of equipment hire, porter charges, guide charges so that people do not need Guided Trekking Companies. I believe only NGT can bring such legislations and make the stakeholders accountable for it.
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Beautiful pictures! 👍
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Thanks Swey 🙂
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Hi Vaibhav. Can this trek be done in reverse, that is, from Mud to Kinnaur? How easy is it to find a guide in Mud?
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Hi Neeraj. You can do this trek in reverse but the issue of acclimization needs to be considered. I suggest you either spend time site seeing around Kaza for a day or two before you head to Mudh to trek. Local guides are available at Mudh. I suggest you speak in Kaza as well and get a few contacts and rates. Are you planning to carry all your logestics yourself or hire help? Mules are used to ferry load on this route. Beware of the conning style of mulemen here. They charge higher, give excuses of not going further on a slight instance of bad weather and change wage rate at the end of the journey. Tackle them with firmness but respect.
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Hi. Yes I’ll be spending a few days in Spiti before the trek so acclimatization should not be a problem. I’ll be alone on the trek so I’ll have to hire a guide and one mule perhaps. Thanks for the heads up on the mule-men. Do you happen to know what rates they charge these days?
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Hey Wandered ! Good blog. I wanted to know when is the best time to do this trek. July/August/September. Please suggest.
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Pre and post monsoon. Tilk June last week and from mid August till October.
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Thanks much for sharing your experience! I was wondering if you encountered any rockfall on Bhaba pass itself?
I attempted it June and saw quite a bit of that, which was a surprise given this trek’s not super difficult reputation. So, watch out, fellow Bhaba fans.
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