Friendship Peak Trek
Friendship Peak is a 2-day trek in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, topping out at 5,175 m. On TrekBaba's normalized scale — the same formula applied to every trek in this catalogue — it scores 64.2/100, which puts it in the Difficult band: this is for trekkers with prior high-altitude experience; the grade comes from altitude and long days, not just distance. With a high point of 5,175 m, AMS risk is severe — this altitude band demands proper acclimatization and the willingness to turn back.
Explore the route
Scrub the trail — satellite view, live altitude. 10.3 km
Route drawn from real OpenStreetMap geometry (847 sampled points simplified to 69), elevations from the Copernicus DEM. Imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics | Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Why Friendship Peak is graded Difficult
- Max altitude 5,175 m — altitude is weighted 35% and non-linearly, because AMS risk climbs steeply above ~3,500 m.
- Total ascent 1,484 m over 2 days — how much climbing your legs actually do.
- Longest day 7 km — one brutal day makes a trek harder than the average does.
- Trail type: snow — exposure (snow, scree, ice, pass crossings) is weighted 35%, the same as altitude.
Score 64.2/100. Bands: Easy <40 · Moderate <64 · Difficult <85 · Very Difficult ≥85. How the formula works. Easier alternative: Kinner Kailash. Next step up: Pin Bhaba Pass.
What you'll see from Friendship Peak high point
From Friendship Peak high point, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Mukar Beh (6,069 m), Manali (5,669 m), Hanuman Tibba (5,860 m), Jojomb (5,700 m), Goplang Goh (6,003 m) and Chachi Mug (5,730 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Only peaks proven visible by line-of-sight over the terrain — not nearby-but-blocked ones — placed by true bearing and sized by how much they fill the view.
Dawn & dusk from Friendship Peak high point
In May, sunset drops right behind Manali at 19:13 — from Friendship Peak high point.
Nothing lines up this month.
- Hanuman Tibba21°
- Manali1°
Nothing lines up this month.
Sun times and azimuths come from the NOAA solar-position equations for this viewpoint's GPS; the peak bearings are our own viewshed moat. Times assume a flat horizon — a ridge to your east delays real first light on the ground, often by 20–60 minutes, while a high summit opposite catches it a few minutes early. The 12° and 35° bands are editorial choices, not physics: a peak 90° from the sun is side-lit, which is often the better photograph.
Best time to do Friendship Peak
The best months for Friendship Peak are May–June and September–October. April and November are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–August are risky (The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided). The route is effectively closed in December–March. Expect snow on the trail in December–March. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -23 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 5 °C in August.
The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided.
Best-season estimated from the trek's region and altitude — verify locally before committing to dates.
What the thermometer actually does up there
Computed from 10 years of Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (2016–2025), with every sample point lapse-rate-downscaled to its true altitude — this is Friendship Peak high point at 5,175 m, not the valley town. Temperatures are downscaled to the point; wet and snow days come back at the reanalysis grid scale (~10 km), so read them as weather over the area. A climate estimate, not a forecast.
Friendship Peak trek cost — operators compared
Friendship Peak costs ₹30,000–₹41,999 per person with an organised operator (8 of 11 listed operators publish a price; the cheapest captured is Moxtain). That works out to roughly ₹5,250 per trek day. Fees typically cover meals, tents and guides from the base village; transport from the railhead, gear rental and permits vary — see the inclusion grid below. Prices are read from each operator's own page (latest capture 2026-09-22) and link straight to it.
- ₹30,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Moderate to Difficult
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹34,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Difficult
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ✓Gear
- ₹35,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ✗Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹36,500as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 6
- They grade it
- Difficult
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹38,000as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Moderate to Difficult
- ✗Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✓Stay
- ✓Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹38,450as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- —
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
Show 5 more operators
- ₹40,000as of 2026-08-11
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Challenging
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- ₹41,999as of 2026-09-22
- Days
- 8
- They grade it
- —
- ✗Transport
- ✓Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 10
- They grade it
- Easy
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 9
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ·Transport
- ·Meals
- ·Stay
- ·Permits
- ·Gear
- Days
- 7
- They grade it
- Moderate
- ✓Transport
- ✓Meals
- ✗Stay
- ·Permits
- ✓Gear
Operators self-declare difficulty. TrekBaba grades every trek by one formula — normalized: Difficult. We link out to each operator; we never copy their words or photos. Prices were read from each operator's own page on the date shown — confirm with the operator before booking. Where we have read a price more than once, the sparkline is our own dated capture log, not the operator's.
Not affiliated with any operator. Prices are dated facts read from each operator's own page; confirm before paying. See every operator on the operators index.
How to reach Friendship Peak & staying safe
To reach Friendship Peak, the nearest railhead is Joginder Nagar (~51 km, OSM) and the nearest airport is Bhuntar Airport (~55 km, OSM). The road ends at Solang, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before SBI ATM (~15 km, OSM) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Nikhil General Store (~14 km, OSM).
Plan 2 acclimatization days into the itinerary. At its most remote point the route is about 3.6 hours from the nearest drivable road (near Friendship Peak high point) — a floor for any evacuation, not a promise. The nearest hospital is Civil Hospital, Manali (~16 km, OSM), 16.1 km from the trailhead. Water: Ravi Source (~7 km, OSM).
How far you are from a road
Computed against our own route line and the OpenStreetMap drivable road network over Copernicus GLO-30 elevations: hours = (crowfly_km x 1.4) / 4.0 + max(0, elev_point - elev_road) / 600 [terrain factor 1.4, 4 km/h walking, 600 m/h descent]. It is a floor, not a promise — a real evacuation with a casualty is slower, and a crow-fly line ignores what stands between you and the road. Read it as relative remoteness: which part of this trek commits you. Nearest drivable ways: Beas Kund, Atal Tunnel.
Estimated, not measured. Remoteness is computed from our own route geometry against the OpenStreetMap drivable road network (motorway-track) and Copernicus GLO-30 elevations; mobile coverage is a terrain line-of-sight estimate, not a carrier guarantee. Treat both as planning aids.
OSM-mapped masts only, carrier unknown — a mast-in-sight proxy, not a coverage guarantee. Carrier-by-carrier coverage needs a cell-tower dump; no open, no-signup one exists today, so we publish nothing rather than guess.
Friendship Peak permits & restrictions
Permit required: Yes · Indian Mountaineering Foundation (peak is above 15,000 ft) + DFO Kullu for the forest/camping leg; ABVIMAS to be informed
IMF peak fee below 6,500 m: US$500 for a 2-member team plus US$200–225 per extra member (IMF's own peak-fee and application pages disagree; both undated). No rupee schedule is published.
IMF expedition application (90 days ahead for foreign teams, with an IMF-appointed liaison officer); DFO permission required for trekking between 9,000 ft and 15,000 ft under the DC Kullu / DDMA order of 17 Sep 2022
Crowding, and where to go instead
When the interest arrives, relative to this trek's own busiest month (June).
A percentile of trailing-12-month English Wikipedia pageviews for Mount_Friendship (44 months observed)— measured within TrekBaba's own catalogue, bots excluded. It is a proxy for attention, not headcount.
Friendship Peak trek FAQ
How difficult is the Friendship Peak trek?
Friendship Peak is graded Difficult (64.2/100) on TrekBaba's normalized scale, which weighs max altitude (5,175 m), total ascent (1,484 m), the longest day (7 km) and terrain exposure identically for every trek.
What is the best time to do Friendship Peak?
May–June and September–October. April and November are shoulder season — doable, with more weather risk. July–August are risky (The SW monsoon (Jul–Aug) brings landslides, leeches and washed-out views across the Garhwal / Kumaon / HP approaches — best avoided). The route is effectively closed in December–March. Expect snow on the trail in December–March. Reanalysis climate data for the route's own altitude puts the coldest camp night at about -23 °C in January, and the warmest daytime high near 5 °C in August.
How much does the Friendship Peak trek cost?
Between ₹30,000 and ₹41,999 per person with an operator, based on 8 published prices captured from operator pages (latest 2026-09-22). The cheapest listed is Moxtain.
How many days does Friendship Peak take?
2 days is the standard itinerary; operators run it as 6/7/8/9/10 days including travel from the base town. The longest walking day is 7 km.
What is the maximum altitude of Friendship Peak?
5,175 m (16,979 ft), which TrekBaba rates as severe AMS risk. Plan 2 acclimatization days.
Is a permit required for Friendship Peak?
Yes — issued by Indian Mountaineering Foundation (peak is above 15,000 ft) + DFO Kullu for the forest/camping leg; ABVIMAS to be informed. IMF peak fee below 6,500 m: US$500 for a 2-member team plus US$200–225 per extra member (IMF's own peak-fee and application pages disagree; both undated). No rupee schedule is published..
Which operators run Friendship Peak?
Moxtain, Thrillophilia, Super Trekkers, Bikat Adventures, Himalaya Shelter, Trekup India, Trek The Himalayas, Trek Nomads, Trekmunk, Tour My India, Universal Adventures list Friendship Peak. Each is linked to its own trek page above with the captured price, days and inclusions.
How do I reach the Friendship Peak trailhead?
To reach Friendship Peak, the nearest railhead is Joginder Nagar (~51 km, OSM) and the nearest airport is Bhuntar Airport (~55 km, OSM). The road ends at Solang, which is where the walking starts. Withdraw cash before SBI ATM (~15 km, OSM) — it is the last dependable ATM. The last reliable shop is at Nikhil General Store (~14 km, OSM).
Is Friendship Peak suitable for beginners?
No. Friendship Peak is graded Difficult; TrekBaba recommends prior high-altitude experience.
Which peaks can you see from Friendship Peak?
From Friendship Peak high point, a line-of-sight computation over the terrain model proves Mukar Beh (6,069 m), Manali (5,669 m), Hanuman Tibba (5,860 m), Jojomb (5,700 m), Goplang Goh (6,003 m) and Chachi Mug (5,730 m) are actually visible — not merely nearby. The model looks 40 km out, so a famous giant further away (Kangchenjunga from the Singalila ridge, say) is not listed even where it is visible.
Treks like Friendship Peak
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This trek's altitude, ascent and exposure are computed from OpenStreetMap route data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) over the Copernicus DEM — its difficulty grade is provisional, pending field verification.
Difficulty grade, peak horizon, per-camp climate, remoteness, sun alignment and the crowding index are all computed — the moats — and every one of them is an estimate, labelled as such where it appears. Found-fact and operator values are public approximations pending field + source verification, not citations. Peaks named on this page: Mukar Beh, Manali, Hanuman Tibba, Jojomb, Goplang Goh.