For the longest time I shied away from this trek thinking of the extreme weather conditions. As much as I’d like to call Himalayas home, I am a plain-dwelling, sunshine-loving mere mortal after all. Extreme cold is not my thing and that’s exactly what Chadar trek is all about – crazy subzero temperatures day & night! Think temperatures ranging from -1ºC to -20ºC.



Chadar means a blanket, a blanket of ice that forms over the Zanskar River during winters. Zanskar is a wild river flowing through the gorgeous ravines and inaccessible canyons of Ladakh. In winters, specifically during January and February, the river freezes and calms down. She lets the locals trapped in the remote Zanskar valley to walk over her and reach civilization in case of any emergencies.

Of course the fad these days is trekkers like you and me who go there to walk on the frozen river for exclusive bragging rights and a unique experience to last a lifetime! And even though we aren’t prepared to handle the extreme cold, with some preparation, as I find out, we can very well trek and enjoy it as well. So here are my top tips that might help you endure and enjoy Chadar better.


The day I landed in Leh, the temperature outside was below zero and it was biting cold. I couldn’t last outside for more than few minutes before I scrambled back to the heated room. The next day was no better and neither was the third day. But meanwhile, as we started walking and camping, the body was slowly adjusting to the subzero temperatures and by the end of the trek, it wasn’t that cold anymore. Cold is surely a state of mind, keep saying this to yourself. Prepare mentally more than physically for this trek and you are good to go!

I am someone whose hands and feet get very cold, even with ample protection. So you cannot imagine my joy when I was given these nifty little things that kept me so warm and safe to say, sane. These warmers are small one-time use exothermic pouches that release heat using up oxygen and last up to 10hours or more. They go comfortably into your gloves, socks or jacket and keep you incredibly warm. They are apparently used all over the cold weather countries but I had never heard or seen them until this trek. And from now on, I’m never going anywhere cold without these. This is what they look like - http://www.amazon.com/HotHands-Body-Super-Warmer-count/dp/B0007ZF4Q8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389717306&sr=8-1&keywords=body+warmers. In India, you can find these in Delhi apparently. I got these from two very helpful fellow American trekkers.

Update - Tracked the whereabouts! Pricey, but yay! :) Adventure 18 store in Delhi sells handwarmers and footwarmers. If anyone has used them, please leave a comment below on how well they work.
Also here's a handy list of all adventure equipment selling stores in India, check with these places as well, they might have stock too - Camping and Trekking Equipment in India
Gumboots cost 350Rs and they are hands down the best thing you can buy for Chadar trek. They have good grip, they keep you warm and dry and they work like a charm on the Chadar. Your normal hiking shoes will be comfortably tucked into your backpack while these magic boots do all the hard work. Take my advice, leave your bulky shoes home and thank me later. If you don’t have hiking shoes, don’t buy them only for Chadar, carry your running shoes and walk in the gumboots. I did the entire trek in these knee length boots and have no complains!
It gets very cold and windy by night, two sleeping bags or a liner + sleeping bag is a must. If your trek agency isn’t providing you two bags, carry your own sleeping bag. You need good sleep and you don’t want to be cold in the night. And tuck your water bottle, socks, gloves and whatever it is that you want to stay warm in the morning inside your sleeping bag. Anything left outside will be frozen and super cold.
The locals walk on the Chadar as if it is a piece of cake! They walk fast and take strides like a penguin on the slippery ice. They knock the ice sheet when in doubt and sometimes they just keep their feet through the broken ice. They know what they are doing. At least on the first few days, observe them and shadow them. Do not cross and go on your own until you can gauge the Chadar. After 2-3 days you will be an expert too but until then, watch and learn. Trust me, falling into the icy cold water is no fun. No, I didn’t fall but I can imagine the horror.
This is a fact you have to make peace with. You will slip and fall, yes, there is no escaping. At least on the initial days you will. There is nothing wrong in falling down, we are not used to walking on glossy shiny frozen sheets of uneven ice. When you fall down, roll over on your knees and get up slowly and resume the walk. If luck is on your side, fresh snow will cover the glossy ice sheets making it easy to walk otherwise be prepared to fall down and get up a lot. Don’t worry, everybody falls, even the locals. It is just a part of the experience!
Cold drains out charge out of electronics very fast. Extreme cold drains the charge even faster. Keep all the batteries safely tucked in your jacket pockets. If the battery is blinking low, warm it enough and you can use it for some more time. I carried 3 batteries and stored them in gloves and jacket pockets when not in use. Had enough charge to shoot 64GB!
The only downside of walking in gumboots is that the sweat collects in your shoes and dampens the socks. Yes, you will sweat while you walk but you won’t feel it until you rest at the campsite. While you are walking, your feet will still feel very warm in gumboots. Keep a spare pair of socks for when you reach campsite, changing into fresh pair of warm socks will feel so good I can’t even tell you. It is something you have to experience yourself.
The Tibetan Markets in Leh have the best stuff to protect you from the cold. Ranging from insulated snow-proof pants to warm woolen socks, you can get all the gear you need for Chadar in these markets. In fact I would suggest you to buy woolens in Leh rather than some fancy city shops. Spend an afternoon wandering in the market to pick up a lot of useful and handy stuff. Worked well for me.
When I think subzero temperatures, I think frozen water. But at times during the trek, neither the river freezes entirely nor the water in your bottle. And neither does the metal bottle give you frostbite. You are always given hot water and gloves are almost always on, so no frostbite. And with the metal bottle, you can use it to warm your hands and keep it inside your sleeping bag as well for warmth. So don’t hesitate to carry those metals bottles and flasks if you want to.
This is not a tip but a request. I collected so many centerfresh and other candy wrappers thrown on the pristine Chadar that it makes me sad. We go to these places and litter like it’s nobody’s business. Please pick up those wrappers and take them with you. I would like to ask people to stop throwing the candy covers but if they are not listening, I hope one of you will pick up the wrappers at least, whatever keeps Chadar clean.

So now, who all are ready for the Chadar Trek?

I just got back from Chadar Trek 2 days ago and these are my top tips to enjoy the very unique frozen river trek. Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions.

This story appeared in the January 2013 issue of National Geographic Traveller India

The ghost town of Kuldhara seen from the ruins of the Khaba fort

Desert National Park

“Gar firdaus, ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast”

And my quest of chasing the rainbow continues.... :)

We were trekking deep in the Chamba Valley of Himachal and the campsite never seemed to arrive. It was almost 5 in the evening, we were walking on slippery slopes, while it rained. And then, just as we arrived at the campsite, a sliver of sunshine and a colorful rainbow welcomed us, the joys of trekking!

Often times something unexpected comes along your way when you meant to do something as a means to achieve something else but the unexpected something steals the show from the expected something. I don’t know how much of it makes sense to you but I see that I am saying something way too many times. What I mean is, the whole idea of going to Kugti Pass was considered at all as a means to go to Spiti in Himachal. 

Misty View of Olichuchattam Falls

Misty Forests we were going through

Last day trek from Bedni to Wan<<

What would be the recipe for a refreshingly incredible trek? One killer cold night? Or one killer descent? Or one killer ascent? Or all of them perhaps?  There is a look from others that I have gotten used to – whatever-joy-you-get-by-inflicting-such-self-torture-is-beyond-sanity look. And I am used to reciprocate by giving a you-would-never-fathom-the-redeeming-quality-of-it look! Only this time it was more fun because of the telling signs of “self-torture” as many would like to put it – A weekend well spent! :P What started out as a lazy picnic trek took a whole new dimension the next day making it one hell of a memorable action packed ordeal. At the end of it all we could say was WHATTADAY! 

Promise me a glimpse of awesomeness and I’d walk a thousand miles! Doesn’t sound real? Let me elucidate – I traveled 270 kms away from Bangalore, hiked to 1750 meters for a 5 minute Sunset and a 15 second Sunrise. No Kidding! Tadiyandmol held a promise of something I longed since the inception of the trek bug in my mind – A walk above the clouds! And this trek to the second highest peak of Karnataka was just about that and this post will tell you how it lived upto its expectation and more.

Today is the day I will be reaching new heights! 

- It is at Ghora Lautani that you first hear the sound of silence. After a night above the Didna village and another night at Bedni along with many other hikers, Ghora Lautani offers one, the much awaited feeling of isolation from civilization!

The morning of September 29th 2009, we woke up at an altitude of 8600 ft and we were about to do something which put in terms of simple mechanics amounts to zero work. Well, it’s zero work by no means and we were about to go all the way down to Wan river through the valley and gain the same altitude again to reach Didna – our next campsite and a cute little village and the last little village where we would come across civilization.

The team of 26 was split into three groups and 8 of us along with Rajesh started the 5 hour hike at 8.30 AM. The trail goes down along a not so steep incline and the initial stretches were looking like the forests in Western Ghats. I was longing for the feeling to resurface that I was wandering in the foothills of the Himalayas. Earlier this morning it did feel like that with Nanda Ghunti in front of us and the chilling temperature but now it doesn’t anymore. As I said, it was a bright sunny day and the heat was not doing any good to help me with the feeling that I was roaming in Western Ghats. We crossed numerous pretty streams and bridges as we walked along.  This trail passed mostly through huge trees flanking on your both sides depriving you of clear views.

People don’t matter.. only snow matters!

Yes. I said that. But we’ll get to the details, sequences and consequences that led to this blunt declaration later. Having said that, today let’s meet the people who made this trek more enjoyable and then ride along to Loharjung. 

SKELETONS! :D

Okay so now that I have your attention, Roopkund is a mysterious lake in the greater Himalayas where a park ranger found hundreds of skeletons and carcasses one uneventful day(for him). Since then, people have been fascinated and amused by the find. NGC came and put forth its theory while there is a lot of local folklore too. Either way, the stories are interesting for sure. The most scientifically backed theory would be a group of people along with porters on their way to some place were hit by hailstorms the size of cricket balls at Roopkund and met their death instantly. This story goes consistent with the cracks found on each one of the skulls at the site. There will be another post which will be dedicated to the stories associated with Roopkund and its formation. For now let’s just remember the journey and how it felt to be there.

This trek was organized by IndiaHikes and our team was lead by the efficient Mr.Rajesh along with the very knowledgeable Mr. Mahendra, our guide and his group of helpful porters. All the human elements were perfectly in place. The only problems we faced were due to the unknown forces of nature. But we came out with flying colors and now we have an awesome story to tell!

Here are some memoirs of moments during the trek and you can decide how awesome it was.

Mission: Kumara Parvatha
Objective: Set foot upon the Peak
Agents : Vinod, Imran, Rama and yours truly
Strategy: Climb from Kukke, Reach Peak and get down to Girigadde the same evening.
Attempt: second time for me after an unsuccessful attempt last December.

Okay. Now that the plan is chalked out and we are all set, let’s begin the journey which turned out to be an affair to remember! It was a sudden plan and we were off to Kukke on Friday night. It was an uneventful ride until we were somewhere around Gundiya Check post after which the ride was pretty bumpy and by 6.30 in the morning we were at Kukke. Last time I saw this place, we reached around the same time and I found Kukke to be a sleepy little town. However the town was teeming with activity this morning. After freshening up at the public restrooms and having breakfast, off we go by 7.30. Oh, but before I start I wanted to check my weight and so I did! Wait and watch to know by how much it came down.




We hit the trail by 8 AM. This being monsoon season, we were apprehensive about the leech infested first 5 kms of the trek. Salt, tobacco, pain relief sprays (more for leeches than pain ;) ) were duly packed. Well as expected, there were lots of leeches but constant vigilance and the salt/spray worked like a charm. It was not as tiring as the last time partly due to the pleasant weather and partly maybe due to my trekking experience since then.2 hours of trekking takes you above the forest canopy and it is now that one can get a good view of all the mountain range surrounding and the clouds if lucky! A couple of shots and an hour later we reached Bhattaru Mane. We had lunch at 11 and by 12 we started to reach the peak and return back to Bhatta’s place.

Actual Date of travel : 6-7 December 2008

KP was looming above the temple right in front of us and we couldn’t wait to start the journey to the peak. Spirits were soaring high and so the journey begins. We started walking towards KP. A right turn from the temple leads to the trail. After some 15-20 minutes walk on the road through the village, one can spot the official trail with a welcome board informing the details of KP.

Now we were heading into thick jungle and it is steady ascent for most parts. The initial 5km stretch passes through thick canopy of trees and the trail is mostly roots of those trees providing a stable footing among rocks. Initial enthusiasm got us past through not even the first half-an-hour. Realization dawned pretty early! We were totally drenched in sweat and already exhausted. Just half an hour into the trek this was our condition and we were looking at a whole day of steady ascent with obstacles we did not imagine yet. The light breakfast we had was of no help and we were feeling hungry and drained. At that time some angel I suppose offered us an orange. It was pure delight! The citrus fruit had worked its magic effect and we were feeling better than a minute before. It is at times like this that one actually appreciates the value of basic essentials of life. Never had an orange tasted so good in my entire 23 years of existence! And then again, the four of us were getting ahead slowly with frequent breaks to ease our tired bodies. The weight we were carrying got us tired even more than usual. But we were told we will leave our entire luggage at Bhatta’s house. That was some consolation getting us past this rocky ascent.3 hrs of trek in the dense jungle brought us to Bhattaru mane at around 12.30 – 1.00 PM. Rice, Sambar and some pickles were served for lunch. We were good to go by 1.30 again. The plan was to reach the peak by 3 or 4 PM and then start the descent to reach Bhattaru mane by 5-6 PM. So off we go by 1.30.