About Bhrigu Lake

Bhrigu Lake or Brighu Lake is a lake located at an elevation of around 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located to the east of Rohtang Pass and is around 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Gulaba village. It can be reached by trekking either from the Vashishth temple, which is famous for its hot water springs, close to the town of Manali.

It is named after Maharishi Bhrigu. Legend has it that the sage used to meditate near the lake and hence it has been rendered sacred; the locals believe that due to this the lake never freezes completely. This lake is held sacred to the sage, Rishi Brighu, a great saint of Indian history. It lies on the various trek routes of the region.(Source: Wikipedia)

Altitude

14,000 ft (4,270 m);
The trek starts at an altitude of 10,300 feet(3,100 m) at Gulaba(Manali) and climbs to about 14,000 ft (4,270 m) at the top. This means there is an altitude gain of 3,700 ft during the trek.
If you are beginner to first high altitude trekking, you might like to read about AMS here.

Best Time to visit

The best time to venture into this trek is from Mid-May to Mid-August as it is during these months the temperatures in the region are moderate enough for trekking and ideal enough to get the best views of the spectacular display of nature.

Bhrigu lake is famous for the high altitude alpine meadows which are rare to find or you have to trek for atleast 2-3 days to reach such apline meadows.

Most apline meadows start above 11,000 ft after the tree line and so they require 2-3 days of Trek. That’s why most people can’t reach here and they go crazy when see such meadow in Switzerland or Europe. But, you can explore them easily in India itself at Bhrigu Lake.

These meadows during Bhrigu Lake Trek, stretch far and wide, almost like an endless carpet. Walk barefoot, feeling the dew under your feet is a bliss.

Weekend getaway/short-itinerary from Delhi:

Day 0: Take an overnight bus from Delhi to Manali.

Day 1: Gather at Manali Bus Stop around 10:00 am and freshen up. Drive to Gulaba(1 hr drive). Trek to Rohlikohli site.(3-4 hrs).

Day 2: Trek to Bhrigu lake and back to Rohlikohli campsite. (6-7 hrs).

Day 3: Trek back to gulaba. Ride to Manali (reach back by evening). Overnight bus back to Delhi.

Day 4: Reach Delhi around 6 a.m. Get back to work 😉

Detailed-Itinerary:

Day 0: Overnight journey from Delhi to Manali.

Take an overnight bus/train from Delhi to Manali. Try to reach Manali next day maximum by around 10:00 a.m.

Day 01 : Arrival at Manali Base Camp (optional)

Arrive at Manali Base Camp. We take you for an acclimatization walk through
manali town. Or you can explore the town on your own. Evening we will quickly catch up for an
orientation regarding the trek route , things to carry and how to pack your bags. Overnight stay
in Manali homestay / guest house.

Day 02 : Drive from Manali to Gulaba | Trek to Rohlikohli Campsite

The ascend till Rohlikohli is moderate and will take around 3 – 4 hours to reach. There are two
streams on the way to the campsite (Chor Nallah and Kohli Nallah). Rohli Kohli is a beautiful
camp site and offers amazing views of the Solang Valley. Overnight stay in tents at Rohli Kohli
Camp Site.

Day 03 : Trek to Bhrigu Lake

We start the day early and post breakfast we will begin trekking towards Bhrigu Lake. It takes
around 3 hours to reach Bhrigu. We will carry packed lunch and have it by the lake side. Care
should be taken that no littering happens over here. According to many accounts Rishi Bhrigu
meditated here and used to take bath in the holy water. After lunch we will descend to Rohli
Kohli campsite and relax for the rest of the day.

Day 04 : Trek back to Gulaba and Departure

We will start the last day trek with a descent to Gulaba. The trek is easy as it has a moderate
desc.
Day 05: Reach Delhi

Reach Delhi back in the morning. It’s time to go back to work.

How to Reach:

The Bhrigu Lake Trek begins from Gulaba(Manali). You will have to reach Manali (540 kms from Delhi), then drive from Manali to Gulaba( 24 km from Manali on Manali-Rohtang Pass road) via Kolang, Palchan and Kothithe.

Reach Manali from Delhi

Reach Manali from Delhi by Bus

The travel time from Delhi to Manali is 14 hours and you can book your tickets directly at ISBT or at Redbus. To reach Manali Volvo buses are the best option if you are looking for something in terms of comfort as well as value for money. They depart after 5pm in the evening and reach Manali in morning the next day.

Volvos cost around 1400-1500 per person whereas regular bus costs around 700-800 per person.

Reach Manali from Delhi by Flight

The nearest airport to Manali is in Kullu and is around 50 km away from Manali. Air India operates flights for Kullu from Delhi. From the airport you can exercise an option of a taxi to Manali which charges around Rs. 2200-2300/- for Innova/Tavera. Smaller cars like Alto charges around Rs. 1800/-.

Reach Manali from Delhi by Personal Car/Taxi

By hired taxi: One can hire a taxi from Delhi, at quite reasonable depending on number of people travelling, cost would be approx 2.5–4k per day varying on the car type and the service provider. But is a useful option for a group.