My prashar Lake Journey

Details

Prashar Lake, located in the village of Baghi, is approximately 50 km from Mandi. It is a popular destination for a weekend getaway due to its easy trekking trail. The trek to Prashar Lake is known for its scenic beauty and serene surroundings. With a manageable distance, it is feasible to complete the trek and spend a rejuvenating weekend exploring the picturesque lake and its surroundings. Prashar Lake offers a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, making it an ideal destination for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts.

• Transportation:
  1. Taxi: If you are planning a trip from Chandigarh to Baghi for the Prashar Lake trek, hiring a cab for a round trip is a convenient option. A cab allows you to have a hassle-free journey, and you can enjoy the scenic views along the way without worrying about driving or navigating through unfamiliar routes
  2. Self drive: You can take your own car to the base of the trek , or to the top prashar lake as well.
  3. Buses from Chandigarh to mandi and from mandi to baghi are easily available. It’s important to note that there are only 1-2 buses available in the evening from Baghi to Mandi. Considering this limited availability, it becomes crucial to plan your trek and transportation accordingly
  1. Round trip to prashar: A direct bus is available from Mandi to Parashar Lake which leaves at around 08.00 am from the Mandi bus stand, reaches prashar lake at around 12 pm and comes back to Mandi at around 5PM the same day. In winters, usually, roads get covered with snow, and in such cases, trekking is the only option available. The bus charges around INR 100.
  2. Further, You can reach mandi by bus and can hire a cab from mandi to baghi or from mandi to prashar lake.

• Stay :
  1. Kishna Camps: 7807090086, 8351090086 https://www.instagram.com/prashar_lake_kishna_camp/
  2. There are two guesthouses available at the lake as well.
     1. Forest Guest House contact Numbers 01905-235360,  094591-37877, 094184-11746.
     2. PWD Guest House Contact Number 01905-22151
  3. Accommodations are also available at the temple complex

My Itinerary

1. Transportation: We hired a cab from Chandigarh to Baghi and returned the next day. (Taxi cost from Chandigarh 6500)
2. Stay + food + guide: We booked our stay at Kishna camps. (we were 4 people and he charged 1500 per person which includes guide, Day 1 food (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner), stay at the campsite on a sharing basis, and breakfast for day 2)
3. Total cost of trip = Taxi (1625 per person) + kishna booking (1500) + Food/ drinks at eating joints at prashar lake (100 per person) + dinner on way to Chandigarh on Day 2 (140 per person) = 3375 per person

My Prashar Journey

Let me tell you, considering the difficulty level, the cost and the accessibility of this trek, this trek is the best trek you can do at a beginner level.

Day 0

Me and my colleagues planned our visit to prashar lake on a weekend and left for Prashar Lake at around 12-1 AM Saturday from Chandigarh.

Day 1

So we reached the village baghi at around 9 am and met kishna there. Kishna owns a small eating joint at village baghi and served us breakfast there. There’s also a clean washroom available near the cafe itself so you can freshen up there.
We started our trek at around 11 am from the baghi. The initial 1-2 hours of the trek were in the complete sunshine with some patches of snow on the trail.

As we moved further the trek became more beautiful and patches of snow got converted into 2-3 feet of snow. We stopped at a shelter point (a government school) and had our lunch there.

As we moved ahead it started snowing and trekking in snowfall is a wonderful experience.

I was excited and wanted to reach the base camp as soon as possible. I asked the guide for the way and started doing the remaining trek alone. As I proceeded further a dog accompanying us during the trek started moving ahead of me and guided to be the base camp. 🙂
A dog guiding your way to base camp is another experience 😛

I started playing songs so that in case i get lost, the guide can hear the music and come for my rescue 😛

At around 4 PM I reached the campsite. We were served our evening snacks and enjoyed bonfire in the chilly winter evening.
We had our snacks, did a little bit of chit chat, had our dinner, and went inside our camps to sleep.

Day 2

So we woke up early, freshened up, and had our breakfast…There were properly cemented (not ten ones) and clean washrooms available at the campsite.

So we started our trek to prashar lake at around 9 AM. The trek from campsite to prashar is one of the most beautiful trails I have seen so far… The view from this trail is so damn mesmerizing. Also, the trail from the campsite to the lake is fairly easy. You just have to walk and enjoy the view in front of you

And finally, we reached the prashar lake at around 12-1 PM… Well, you can see the images and check how beautiful the whole lake site is

There are some eateries available at the lake site. You can have something to eat there (Don’t forget to order the Maggi )

At around 12-1 PM, we stared our descend to village baghi. Kishna came here at the top and took our rucksacks with him on his jeep. Thanks to him the trek down became much easier.

We experienced another snowfall during way back (cherry on the top).

Snowfall while trekking down on day 2

Finally, at around 6 pm we reached the village baghi. Took some rest and left for Chandigarh. On the way we stopped at a restaurant and had our dinner.

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01

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Food

• Eating joints are available at the prashar lake.
• No shops located on the trail..

05

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Time to Visit

• Prashar Lake offers a different view for every season and is open all year
• I would advice you to visit in late December or between Feb to march to witness the beautiful snow covered trail

02

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Washrooms

• Clean cemented washroom near kishna cafe in baghi
• Clean cemented washroom (unlike many other camping sites) at the kishna campsite prashar lake.

03

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Shoes

• If going in summer any shoes will work
• At some places the trek was really slippery (due to melted snow) so better take shoes with proper grip.
• If going in winter and rainy waterproof shoes are advisable

04

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Miscellaneous

• The trek is an easy trek so u can take drinks, snacks along and enjoy them with bonfire at the campsite.
• Trail from Campsite to prashar is the most beautiful part of the trek so save your phone/camera battery accordingly.
• There are two trails for the trek.
  • First one is around 11 km and less steep
  • Second one is around 8 km but really steep.
  • We trekked up using the first trail on day 1 and descended using the second one on day 2