The Pangi valley is a remote, rugged and poorly developed tribal area. It is one of the most remote areas in Himachal Pradesh state. Pangi valley is divided into the Saichu, Hudan Bhatori and Sural Bhatori valleys. These are inhabited at elevations of 7,000 feet to 11,000 feet above sea level. Roads are poor, with few of them surfaced. The Sach Pass at an altitude of 14,500 feet is open for vehicular traffic between mid June and October, but closed by heavy snow at other times of the year. Some of this isolation has now eroded, but Pangi retains all of nature’s majesty and grandeur.
Pangi Valley in the upper part of Chamba District is a remote world in itself. Placed between the Middle and the Greater Himalaya, Pangi remained locked within itself. This valley is remarkable in its rugged grandeur and austere beauty. The scenery is sublime and imposing where nature appears in her wildest and grandest moods. Everything is on a stupendous scale. The great river rolls along in a deep and narrow gorge, lashing itself into fury, sandwiched between adamantine cliffs that confine it. On the lower ranges are grassy slopes of rich pasture with dense forests of pine and cedar, while higher up the stern and majestic mountains attaining an altitude from 18,000 to 21,000 feet rising far above the line of eternal snow. But all this is not rugged and sublimity and naked beauty.
Every few miles the traveler reaches tolerably open nooks of surpassing beauty, which
may have been small lakes in some gone by age, while the river was cutting its course. People of Pangi valley are mainly Hindu and Buddhist. The people with Mongolian features are called Bhots and they live in higher reaches of the valley called Bhatoris such as Sural Bhatori, Hundan Bhatori, Parmar Bhatori, Chasak Bhatori and Hilu-Twan. The major tribe inhabiting this area is Pangwal. These rugged people have their unique customs, traditions, and institutions. The native Pangwals and Bhotis are robust, hardworking, handsome people who keep the valley’s unique culture alive in folk songs, music and tribal dances. There are number of exciting treks from Pangi valley to Lahaul, Kullu and Kishtwar in Kashmir.
When the valley is locked from all sides in winter, aerial route is the only way left to and fro movement like Lahaul. Pangi Valley is now connected by road from Chamba via Sach Pass (4414 m) and from Manali via Rohtang Pass (4116 m) and Lahaul valley. Best season to visit Pangi valley is between May to October. It is a real paradise for the adventure seekers and explorers.
