Day 2 of Chadar trek, Chadar was broken. We needed to climb hills or walk on broken ice. I was not sure of depth of water. That was the first instance of the trek where ice was broken. I was ahead of others and along with me there was a girl from Mysore. She followed our cook who helped her to cross. I had taken my friend Anil's bag which was giving a lot of problem in adjusting. Then my camera was on the left hand side. I crossed one hill with some how difficulty. I was climbing the 2nd hill which was 70 degree elevation with slippery rock. Even because of ice, my gum boot was not having grip. The rock had space to keep only 2 legs. While climbing, my camera bag collided with the rock on the left side and I missed the balance. Suddenly I removed my gloves and tried to put my finger on the rock on the left side for a grip. Luckily I was able to hold on to the rocky edges, otherwise I can't even imagine what could have happened to me. That is the Chadar trek for you.
Chadar trek is the most glamorous trek of India. But you might face more challenges than some of the treks you have done. And also it depends on which slot you have got. You need to return back on the same route from where you have started but you might find different landscape because of broken chadar or overflow of water. You might not complete the trek due to bad weather or broken chadar. Some times because of some VIP's like Lamas visit, trek might close for few days. That is the uncertainty you have for Chadar trek. And it might cost you more than a trip to Thailand.
Chadar trek itineraries
The itineraries going to change as per the organizers. There is every possibility that 8 days will be reduced to 7 days and you might not get the food for that reduced date. Have a detailed discussion with the organizer before booking. We went via Himalayan destinations. They changed the plan little but still I think they were better than few other organizers.
Day 1 - Reporting in Leh (only accommodation free)
Day 2 - Drive to Tilad-Do via Chilling and start trekking , tent in Shingra Koma
Day 3 - Shingra Koma to Tib Cave
Day 4 - Tib Cave to Naerak
Day 5 - Naerak to Tib cave
Day 6 - Tib cave to Shingra Koma
Day 7 - Shingra Koma to Tilad-Do and back to Leh. On the way they might go to Pattar Saheb Gurudwara.
What is that you should know before booking Chadar trek :
Staying in -20 degree temperature and in few places -30 to- -40 can have an adverse effect on your health. Even visit to few places like Changla and Kardungla can create few problems for you. I have heard 3-4 people facing respiratory problems after a visit to Changla Pass which is at high altitude and temperature is below -20. Even after coming to Bangalore we had few problems with skin and pain in legs and hands. I had lost 5kgs and lost lot of hair and upper skin. I am still applying oil to get back to normal skin. For a week I had problem with my shoe and it was paining. Infact I didn't had any problem in Leh except for skin losing its layers. Take care of your skin and your legs. My friend's foot thumb nail came off. It will take few days to recover but it is part of the Chadar trek.
Chadar trek is the most glamorous trek of India. But you might face more challenges than some of the treks you have done. And also it depends on which slot you have got. You need to return back on the same route from where you have started but you might find different landscape because of broken chadar or overflow of water. You might not complete the trek due to bad weather or broken chadar. Some times because of some VIP's like Lamas visit, trek might close for few days. That is the uncertainty you have for Chadar trek. And it might cost you more than a trip to Thailand.
Chadar trek itineraries
The itineraries going to change as per the organizers. There is every possibility that 8 days will be reduced to 7 days and you might not get the food for that reduced date. Have a detailed discussion with the organizer before booking. We went via Himalayan destinations. They changed the plan little but still I think they were better than few other organizers.
Day 1 - Reporting in Leh (only accommodation free)
Day 2 - Drive to Tilad-Do via Chilling and start trekking , tent in Shingra Koma
Day 3 - Shingra Koma to Tib Cave
Day 4 - Tib Cave to Naerak
Day 5 - Naerak to Tib cave
Day 6 - Tib cave to Shingra Koma
Day 7 - Shingra Koma to Tilad-Do and back to Leh. On the way they might go to Pattar Saheb Gurudwara.
What is that you should know before booking Chadar trek :
- Since Chadar trek comes mostly in Jan and early Feb, your flight to Leh might get cancelled. You should check with the organizer for this situation before booking. They might give you different slots.
- What happens if you fall sick before the trek in Leh. That is the most difficult situation anyone might face.
- What if Chadar trek during your slot is postponed. So always have a buffer before the start and end of the trek. Keeping buffer, book a flight.
- Check with your organizer about refund policy because 20k is a big money.
- At -20, even if you heat water and keep it for a some time it will become ice. We faced lot of problem with water in the hotel where we stayed. For 20 days I didn't took bath. On last day of our stay in Leh, we were given accommodation in hotel Grand Dragon by Air India where there was hot water facility. Check accommodation details. But my suggestion is to adjust to the climate and situation. I went with Himalayan Destination, they were nice people and you can go with them.
- If you have a connecting flight, please make sure that it is of Jet Airways. In Leh, I think out of 3 service providers, it is the best option we have. Even if flight get cancelled, they will clear the backlog, the next day. Air India and Go Air has pathetic service. Vistara is yet to start their service in Leh.
What are the preparations you have to do for Chadar trek : (Consider the worst situation and prepare)
- Check you have sufficient thermals and water resistant pant.
- You should have a bag with proper adjustment and rain coat.
- A head torch will be very helpful.
- Hand gloves : one woolen and one water resistant.
- Cold cream, sun cream, lip guard, crack cream and badam oil to protect your skin.
- Power bank with high capacity since you don't get any power supply during trek. During trek, you won't get signal.
- Prepaid sims won't work so better prepared with Airtel postpaid in Leh. Vodafone was not working.
- Its paradise for photographers so better equipped with good camera or mobile with good camera quality.
- Toilet kit and medical kit.
- If your shoe size is more than 10, arrange gum boots from your place only. In Leh you will get boots with max size 10. One of my friend found it very difficult since his shoe size was 13. He used normal shoe and in some instances he walked bare foot. He was in very difficult situation without proper shoe..
It is very necessary to acclimatize to the climate before going to trek. Instead of locking yourself in a bed, go for a walk outside. Roam around the places. Drink more water. During trek also do the same thing. After coming to the camp, roam around the tent. change your socks while going to bed and wear new one (Woolen socks can keep your leg warm). Next day you can use the same old socks for trek. During trek, wear one thermal and keep one more as a standby if it gets wet. I bought a jacket from Leh which was sufficient to keep me warm. You will get better sleeping bag, so no need to worry inside the tent.
How difficult will be to walk on ice ?
Trek is easy if chadar is perfect. I walked without stick with so much ease. Except the described incident, I didn't find any difficulty. While coming from Neerak village, I was moving behind porters. Suddenly chadar broke and every one started running back. I and my friend Devraj also started running. We waited till our guide came. I was the first one to cross the broken chadar. He put me in the middle of broken chadar and went back to bring others. I was confident enough and crossed without knowing where to jump. That was one funny incident I remember. There were many batches which went back in the half way. So I suggest you choose the earlier batch so that it will be smooth and ice is not distorted by the too many trekkers and porters. Make sure you take light weight luggage with you while trekking. Falling in ice is common thing. So don't loose your confidence.
How about food ?
Don't expect any luxury but eat whatever given to make sure that you are fit for the trek. You will get tupka, maggi, noodles, paratha. In Leh you can try restaurants like Wazwan and Red Sauce. I liked Neha snacks which gives tasty vegetarian food. I tried few local foods like tupka, chu-tagi, momos and noodles in Red Sauce. My friends liked mutton dishes in Leh.
Any after effect of Chadar ?
Any after effect of Chadar ?
Staying in -20 degree temperature and in few places -30 to- -40 can have an adverse effect on your health. Even visit to few places like Changla and Kardungla can create few problems for you. I have heard 3-4 people facing respiratory problems after a visit to Changla Pass which is at high altitude and temperature is below -20. Even after coming to Bangalore we had few problems with skin and pain in legs and hands. I had lost 5kgs and lost lot of hair and upper skin. I am still applying oil to get back to normal skin. For a week I had problem with my shoe and it was paining. Infact I didn't had any problem in Leh except for skin losing its layers. Take care of your skin and your legs. My friend's foot thumb nail came off. It will take few days to recover but it is part of the Chadar trek.
What about places to visit before or after trek ?
I suggest you to visit far away places first. Because you never know when roads will be blocked. We missed Nubra Valley because of the bad weather. Taxi rates are standard. So you can check the rates from the sheet they have, Install google trips and you can find the places easily. I visited following places :
- Hall of fame (Kargil war memorial), Pattar Saheb Gurudwar, Magnetic hill and Sangam of Indus and Zanskar river.
- Pangong lake (priority).We went via changla pass 2nd highest motorable road in the world.
- Hemis monastery, Thiksey monastery, Shey palace
- Leh palace , shanti stupa
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| PC : Karthikeyan Sumbaramaniam, on the way to Hemis monastery |
What we missed is Khardung la (highest motorable point) and Nubra Valley.
Some other places you can visit are (next time I am going to cover these places) :
- Lamayuru monastery
- tso kar
- diskit gompa
- Stok Kangri trek
- Taglangla pass
Buses are not available in winter and most of the guest houses will be closed. Try to book accommodation in advance. There is lot of uncertainty over internet. Due to bad weather you might not get it anywhere in Leh. For shopping you can try Tibetan market in Leh.
There is nothing better than Lehed and completing most glamorous chadar trek in India. Go for it.
Full Chadar trek experience and Leh experience will be covered in next post.
Full Chadar trek experience and Leh experience will be covered in next post.
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2 comments
Write commentsAnna thank you... lot of information..
ReplyNice post. shimla manali tour packages
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