CHANDIGARH: Parvati Valley in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, known as India’s “Death Valley” and “Bermuda Triangle”, has long been associated with trekkers disappearing on its trails, many of them foreign tourists travelling alone. Over the past 15 years, police, local rescuers, porters, families and even helicopters have joined search operations, but many missing trekkers have never been found.
This year alone, five trekkers have gone missing in the valley. Sources said around 124 trekkers, mostly solo travellers including foreign nationals, have gone missing in the mountains of the valley over the past 15 years. Of these, around 99 were traced, dead or alive, by rescue teams, while approximately 25 remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead.
For most visitors, the valley is known for its cafés, trekking trails, pine forests and the famed hashish associated with villages such as Malana.
Among those who went missing this year was 32-year-old Narender Rawat from Delhi, who disappeared on August 24. His last known location was Manikaran, and he has not been traced since. On August 9, Sukant Guin of Jharkhand, who was studying in Jalandhar, Punjab, went missing near Malana while trekking from Naggar and never returned. Another Delhi resident, Mohit Chaudhary, went missing on May 10. His body was found on May 14 near the Waichin rivulet in Malana.
Sources said that, apart from hazardous terrain and poor mobile coverage, rescue and search teams consider drug tourism a critical risk factor. Known for high-grade cannabis, locally called “Malana Cream”, the valley attracts tourists to unfamiliar and difficult terrain, sometimes while under the influence.
The trails leading out from Barshaini are among the busiest in the state, drawing thousands of trekkers each year to Kheerganga, Mantalai, Malana and Pin Parvati Pass. The latter crosses terrain above 5,000 metres, including boulder fields, river crossings, glaciers and snow slopes, and is regarded as one of the toughest treks in the Indian Himalayas.
Even Kheerganga, one of the more accessible routes, has witnessed frequent disappearances. The narrow mountain tracks run above deep valleys and through dense forests, making them treacherous.
Local tour operators have repeatedly urged the Kullu administration to establish registration check posts, make local guides mandatory and set up a dedicated Tourist Information Centre. They argue that mandatory guides would improve safety while generating employment for hundreds of local youths.
Talking to TNIE, Kasol Valley Adventure Tour Operators Association president Dhale Ram Suman, a local search-and-rescue expert who also owns Raju Cafe in Barshaini, said 124 people, including foreign nationals, had been reported missing in the mountains of Parvati Valley over the past 15 years.
“Till 2024, some 113 people had gone missing. Parvati Valley is narrow, and the track routes were made many decades ago, before Independence, when emperors ruled. Almost all of them run through forests, and no one has upgraded or repaired them. There are also no mobile signals in these areas,” he said.
Suman said most missing trekkers are solo travellers who lose their way because they do not hire local guides familiar with the terrain.
“We have given many representations over the years to local authorities, including the deputy commissioner, SP and local MLA, asking the administration to make it mandatory for trekkers to take a local guide and register with the administration before entering the trails," he said
"Check posts should also be set up at all trail routes, where the trekker’s name, address, date and time should be recorded. This would make it easier to keep track of their movements, but our requests have never been heard,” the rescue expert said.
Suman cited the absence of tracking systems on high-altitude trails such as Pin Parvati Pass, Sara Umga, Sar Pass, Kheerganga and Mantalai as a major obstacle to locating missing trekkers. He said rescue teams often have no clue about where a missing person went, and by the time they are located, they may already be dead.
Chhape Ram Negi, a veteran rescue expert from near Jari village who has rescued thousands of people from the mountain trails over the years, also blamed the lack of guides.
On October 4, Negi rescued a group of 12 youths from Ludhiana who had lost their way near Chanderkhani. A day earlier, he had rescued two girls from Gurugram who had lost their way in Malana Magic Valley.
“The basic problem is that trekkers go without a guide and get lost. In most cases, they go solo. Either they slip and fall into a deep gorge in the jungle, or they are attacked by wild animals and are killed or injured and never found. Mostly, they are attacked by bears,” he said.
Negi said rescuers sometimes find animal paw marks or hear wild animals during searches and may have to abandon the search because of the risk of being attacked themselves. If a trekker falls into a gorge rescuers can generally locate the person, dead or alive, he said.
“Parvati Valley has steep mountains, dense forests and a ferocious river. Many venture out without guides, get high and lose their way in the dark, or slip into the river,” Negi said.
He advocated setting up check posts at hydel projects and other entry points before trekkers enter the forests. Records of all those entering the trails should be maintained, he said, and trekkers should not be permitted to enter without a guide.
Police data also showed that 1,078 people were reported missing in Parvati Valley between 2003 and 2023, but only 498 were traced.