Pang is located 350 km away from Manali and if you have not heard its name then I believe you have missed a great adventure of the world till now. Pang is located on the Manali-Leh highway, it is a part of Ladakh. The army transit camp located here is called the highest transit camp in the world, its height is 4600 meters (15100 feet) and this place is a part of the Trans Himalayan range.
The main attraction of Pang growing in the womb of Ladakh is the amazing rocks present here, these unique designs made in the earthen mountains present here look as if nature itself has carved them with its own hands. On reaching Pang, I always feel like reaching another world, to be honest, after seeing the photos shared by NASA, Pang feels like Mars, I even tell my friends that Pang is the Mars of India.
These rocks are formed by the confluence of wind and ice, these shapes sometimes look like palaces, sometimes like spaceships and sometimes like mysterious statues. And if there are no clouds, then the shadows formed by the rays of the sun further enhance the glory of these shapes. Let's start our journey which took place on 18th June from Delhi. We reach Manali by car for which we had to drive 600 kms, there was a long jam due to landslides on the way in which we got stuck for 3 hours.
After crossing the jam, we reached Barua village at 9 pm, had dinner and had a wonderful sleep on our warm bed. We are a total of 7 people who have come here to volunteer in a running event. I came to this highway for the first time in 2014, then I crossed this highway on my bicycle and for the first time then I saw these amazing views of Pang with my own eyes. Even today when I think about it, I cannot believe that even after 11 years, the mountains here are still standing the same as they were then.
We travel with our convoy and reach Pang after 3 days which is 350 km from Manali. This distance can be covered in one day but since we are runners, we had to go slow. From Manali, we cross Rohtang Pass which is the first pass on this highway, then we go through Keylong and get our vehicle entered at Darcha check post. Foreign tourists' passports are also entered here.
After visiting the first lake on this highway named Deepak Tal, we cross Baralacha La pass in some ghats and cross Bharatpur Tent Colony which is the base camp of Mount Yunam. From here, we move ahead to Sarchu from where we reach Gata Loops which are famous all over the world for their 21 hairline bands.
After crossing the third pass of this highway named Naki La, we cross Lachuchung La in the next few km and enter this wonderful valley which is called Pang. In Pang, we stay every year in a hotel run by a local lady. The facilities on this highway are very basic, so no one can get high-fi treatment here. We stay in a structure made of stone and mud and enjoy the views here while roaming in the evening.
Before entering Pang, there is a gate-like structure which is the iconic structure of Pang. On moving ahead from here, a river flows on our right side and the eyes are wide open after seeing these art works on it. This blog was in the name of Pang, how did you like today's post? Have you ever heard about Manali-Leh Highway?
Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to translate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from canon 77d (55-250mm) and edited on laptop lightroom app, post thumbnail created in adobe photoshop.
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