Short itinerary
Day 1. Fly to Leh. Altitude 11,400 ft.
Stay in the guest house.
Keep your woolen cap and gloves handy.
Day 2. Drive to Tilad Do via Chilling. 11,400 to 10,390 ft.
Drive 65 km.
Stay in a tent.
Day 3. Tilad Do to Shingra Koma. 10,390 to 10,550 ft.
Trek 10 km.
Stay in a tent
Day 4. Shingra Koma to Tibb Cave. 10,550 to 10,760 ft.
Trek 15 km.
Stay in a tent.
Day 5. Tibb cave to Naerak camp.10,760 to 11,150 ft.
Trek 12.5 km.
Stay in a tent.
Attraction Frozen waterfall.
Day 6. Naerak to Tibb Cave.
11,150 to 10,760 ft.
Trek 12.5 km. Stay in a tent.
Day 7. Tibb Cave to Shingra Koma.
10,760 to 10,550 ft.
Trek 15 km. Stay in a tent.
Day 8. Shingra Koma to Tilad Do and drive to Leh.
10,550 to 10,390 and drive to 11400 ft. Trek 10 km. Drive 65 km.
Stay in the guest house.
Day 9. Return from Leh.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1.
Fly to Leh.
Altitude 11,400 ft.
Stay in the guest house.
Keep your woolen cap and gloves handy.
Flying over miles and miles of heavily snowed mountains will tell you just why it’s impossible to reach Ladakh by road in the winters. The moment you land at Leh airport, one of the highest airports in the world, you will feel the fresh and crisp air and a drastic drop in the temperature. The town has just begun shedding off the thick winter slumber and is slowly coming to life. Taking a stroll through the Leh market, you will find that very few shops and eateries in the town are open for business; but if required, some last-minute shopping for the trek can be done here. The chill in the air will serve only as a preview of the temperatures during this winter Trek. The night is spent in a copy guest house.
Day 2.
Drive to Tilad Do via Chilling.
11,400 to 10,390 ft. Drive 65 km. Stay in a tent.
You can start the morning by witnessing the sunrise from the Shanti Stupa, from where you can get a panoramic view of the entire town of Leh and its surroundings. You can also see the peak of Stok Kangri almost beckoning you to climb it.
But today’s agenda includes a very picturesque and thrilling long-drive to Chilling. The roller-coaster ride takes you along the Indus to the village of Nimu, where the Zanskar converges into Indus. After stopping at this confluence point to take in the view, the drive continues and the road begins descending right into the river valley. There are quite a few heart-stopping moments as the vehicle negotiates the steep hairpin bends over the snow-covered road. The road goes past Chilling to Tilad Do. Among these mammoth mountains, the feeling of insignificance of one’s being does not escape anyone.
Day 3.
Tilad Do to Shingra Koma.
10,390 to 10,550 ft. Trek 10 km. Stay in a tent.
The biggest challenge of this day, and all the remaining days, is to get out of the warm toasty sleeping bags and go out into the giant freezer outside, but the steaming cups of tea being served provide ample motivation.
After passing Shingra Koma, you reach the camp-site for the day at Gyalpo. The Gyalpo campsite is at a bend in the river, surrounded by high peaks and walls of rock-faces which almost look man-made. All that is left to do is to soak in the views, have an early dinner, and call it a day.
Day 4.
Shingra Koma to Tibb Cave.
10,550 to 10,760 ft. Trek 15 km. Stay in a tent.
This day follows the same early morning routine: bed tea at 7, breakfast at 8, and quick-march at 8:30. Have a good breakfast, as today is the longest walk of the day – almost 15 km. But that is nothing to worry about, all the walking keeps you incredibly warm.
At Tibb, there is a big cave. This cave is the dwelling of all the porters, and they welcome you warm-heartedly in here. The highlight of the day is to share a cup of butter-tea with them!
Day 5.
Tibb cave to Naerak camp.
10,760 to 11,150 ft. Trek 12.5 km. Stay in a tent.
Attraction Frozen waterfall.
Today is the most spectacular of all days on this trek. Walking on the river you cross deep gorges and reach a point where Juniper trees are covered with prayer flags. The porters give you a twig of this tree tied with a piece of prayer flag as a badge of good-luck and good-health. A few steps away stands the mother-of-all frozen waterfalls – a huge instance of suspended animation several feet tall and equally wide. You can see dozens of colors in this enormous ice structure as sunlight plays off its surface. Right next to the waterfall is a bridge across the river which is a part of the summer-time road from Zanskar to Leh.
Day 6.
Naerak to Tibb Cave.
11,150 to 10,760 ft. Trek 12.5 km. Stay in a tent.
Today you start the return journey and go back to the Tibb cave. And if you thought that it was just a matter of retracing your steps back to Chilling, you can think again. The Zanskar River reacts to the slightest change of temperature, and constantly keeps repackaging itself. The Chadar would have assumed a completely new form, and will it will almost be impossible to say whether you have been here before.
On the way, you can meet a lot of locals wearing their traditional woolen Gonchas – some of the monks who are hiking from the Lingshed Monastery to Leh, some of them young students accompanied by their parents returning to their schools in Leh after the winter vacation. Watching the locals negotiate the Chadar is a fascinating sight. They are suitably adept to the climate and seem very much at home in the sub-zero temperature and the biting cold winds. Nothing wipes the smiles off their faces and dampens the warmth of their spirit.
Day 7.
Tibb Cave to Shingra Koma.
10,760 to 10,550 ft. Trek 15 km. Stay in a tent.
Starting from Tibb, go up to Gyalpo today. The high walls of mountains rising from the sides of the river almost look like castle walls. You can see several trails of pug-marks all along the trek – footprints belonging to foxes, ibex, or snow-leopards. You would be lucky to view a snow-leopard; but you can almost be sure that you are being watched by one all the time.
Day 8.
Shingra Koma to Tilad Do and drive to Leh.
10,550 to 10,390 and drive to 11400 ft.
Trek 10 km. Drive 65 km. Stay in the guest house.
This is the last day of treading on the Chadar – the last chance to immerse in the pristine beauty of the frozen river. Once you reach Tilad Do, it is time to say good-bye to the Zanskar and the Zanskar. Our team and our porters will take good care of you and make this trek one of the most memorable experiences for you. Tonight you get to sleep in a warm guest-house again.
Day 9.
Return from Leh.
As this unforgettable journey gets over, you depart from Leh having a newfound respect for the Zanskaries who brave all odds and survive with style in their beloved land. This trek also leaves behind a tremendous feeling of accomplishment – one of having undertaken and endured an extraordinary and challenging trek. The Chadar trek will be a cherished memory for life.
Meals
1. Morning tea
2. Breakfast
3. Lunch
4. Evening tea
5. Dinner
Inclusions
1. Accommodation-(Camping) and Leh guest house (according to Itinerary).
2. Meals while on trek (Vegetarian).
3. Trek equipment.
4. Permits required for the trek.
5. First aid medical kits and oxygen cylinder.
6. Qualified & experienced trek Leader, Guide and Support staff, and logistics.
7. Transport from Leh to Tilad Do and return.
Exclusions
1. Food / Meal / Beverages in Leh.
2. Any kind of personal expenses.
3. Medical & Travel insurance.
4. Mules or porter to carry personal luggage.
5. Airfare to and from Leh.
6. Tips, Laundry, Phone Calls
7. Environmental fee, ALTOA fee, Wildlife Charges
8. Anything not specifically mentioned under the section “Tour Inclusion”
For the cancellation Policy: – For the cancellation of trek services due to any avoidable/unavoidable reasons, we must be notified of the same in writing.
Cancellations prior to 24 days from the start of the trek
Book any other trek till one year or get 95% refund
(Note: If the trek charges are more, the balance needs to be paid by the trekker)
Cancellation between 24 days and 14 days to the start of the trek
Choose to go for the same trek, with any other batch, till a year or get 80% refund
Cancellation between 14 days and 10 days to the start of the trek
Choose to go on the same trek, in the same season, with any other batch, or get a 70% refund.
Cancellation less than 10 days to the start of the trek
Transfer your trek (same trek, same batch) to your friend no cash refund.