Kugti — The Last Village In Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
3 Comments / Miscellaneous / By
At less than 10 km from village Kugti, began what’s otherwise known as the ‘second-largest sanctuary in the state of Himachal Pradesh’.
Kugti Sanctuary, I didn’t know — before I got there and a part of me made me Google about the place — is one of the last homes for the Himalayan tahr.
It, also, is territory for Snow Leopard.
And so began my day-trip from Bharmour to Kugti!
Kugti — The Last Village In Chamba
To give you an idea, from Kugti, Keylong, in Lahaul Valley, is less than 50km (speaking of the aerial distance). If we build a tunnel tomorrow, it will be less than one and a half-hour drive away.
Right now, it’s a 2-day journey that takes you through a needless 350km drive
Think of Kugti as the gateway for Chamba to Lahaul-Spiti, tomorrow.
“In summer months you will find a lot of Gaddis (local shepherds) making their way to Lahaul, from Kugti sanctuary. They start from the lower altitude villages near Chamba and finish their journey in Lahaul. Takes them nearly six months to do a return trip,” I was told.
“There is no phone reception in the village. In winter, there’s no electricity either,” the person added.