Duration : 08 Nights / 09 Days.
Destinations : Leh - Tilad Do - Chilling - Tilad Do
to Gyalpo - Tibb Cave - Naerak - Tibb - Leh.
Chadar in Hindi means 'a blanket'. During winters, large sections of the Zanskar River freezes to resemble a blanket of ice, thereby deriving the name. As heavy snowfall isolates a few desolate villages from the main habitation, the Chadar Trek remains the only way to reach these villages. Through much of the trek, steep canyons accompany you on both sides. Sometimes the canyon walls are the only support you have as you make your way across fast flowing icy cold river water. Thick snow covers much of the trail and at night, you camp in tents on ice or in ancient caves..
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Detail Itinerary
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Day 1: Leh:
Arrive at Leh airport, to be received by our
representative & transferred to the hotel. Take a full
day rest at the hotel as you need to acclimatize well.
Overnight Guest House in Leh.
Day 02: Drive to Tilad Do via Chilling
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 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.
To reach the camp-site, you have to cross the frozen
Zanskar; and this is when you take your first steps on
the Chadar. It takes a while to get a hang of walking on
the ice sheet. As the evening comes, the TTH team
pitches tents on the banks of the Zanskar, and hands out
thick warm sleeping bags. To get some exercise and keep
warm, you can climb up the nearby mountains and get a
good look at the frozen river. As the sun sets, it drags
the temperature down with it, and the sleeping bags in
the tents look quite inviting.
Day 03: Tilad Do to Gyalpo
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.
Today is a long walking session, about 12 km, on the
Chadar. The trek leaders from TTH give a briefing about
the day, and give tips on how to walk on the Chadar.
Depending on the weather, the Chadar can assume various
forms. It can be a cold and hard surface of slippery
ice, or it can have a dusting of snow over it, providing
a good grip. The ice can be thick or thin, and its best
to keep closely following the guide. The locals, it
appears, have a sixth sense as to where exactly to step
on the Chadar. At places, it might be necessary to wade
through ankle deep water, or climb on the cliffs at the
side of the river. Eventually you get used to walking on
the Chadar, which looks like a cross between gliding and
skating. Mid way to Gyalpo, the porter-cum-cooks prepare
hot bowlfuls of soupy noodles for lunch. It is important
to keep up a decent level of fluid intake. Nothing makes
you adapt to the conditions faster than nicely
circulating blood in your system.
After passing Shingra Koma, you reach the camp-site for
the day at Gyalpo, where the tents have already been
pitched by the porters. 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 04: Gyalpo to Tibb Cave
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 14 km. But that is nothing to worry about, all
the walking keeps you incredibly warm.
Today's walk through the deep ravines of the Zanskar is
stunning. The sublime walls of the mountains on either
sides of the river keep the sunlight away from the
Chadar for most part of the day. There are numerous
caves in these mountains, big and small. Today is the
day when you can see frozen waterfalls, some higher than
the others. As the fable goes, centuries ago the local
villagers faced a dearth of water and went to Tibet to
plead for water. They were given a box which they were
to open once they reached the village, and not any time
sooner. But curiosity got the better out of them, and
when they opened the box, two fishes jumped out of it,
creating two huge waterfalls. One of those waterfalls,
miraculously, is not iced-up even in such freezing cold.
The rocks below this waterfall are covered with moss,
and this is the only greenery you'll see on this trek.
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 05: Tibb Cave to Naerak
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.
The Naerak village lies several feet above the river, a
vigorous hour-long trek can take you to the village if
you want to see the life of a Zanskari. The camp is set
up close to the river.
Day 06: Naerak to Tibb
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 them 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 07: Tibb to Gyalpo
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 08: Gyalpo to Tilad Do, and drive to Leh
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 Zanskaries. TTH 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 09: Depart 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..
- Our Services:
- Includes
- • Accommodation – 4 days in Leh and 6 days on
Chadar
• Breakfast and dinner in Leh and all meals while on trek (Veg.)
• Trek equipment including Tents, sleeping bags, fleece liners, trek mats etc. Your personal trekking equipment must be bought by yourself, ie Shoes, Clothes, Backpack etc, we will share the list with registered participants.
• Necessary Permits \ permissions with environmental fees.
• First aid medical kits and oxygen cylinder.
• Qualified & experienced trek Leader, Guide and Support staff to help trekkers.
• Transport from Leh to Road head and return.
Cost does not include
• Air fare
• Enroute Meal
• Insurance.
• Any charges for carrying still/video cameras etc.
• Alcohol, soft drinks, bottled water, beverages, etc.
• Entry fee if any
• Personal expenses like tips, telephone calls, laundry, etc.
• Any meals/services not mentioned above
• Porter to carry personal luggage. We expect you to carry your own backpack, in case you don't want to, we will arrange for a porter and the charges can be paid on the site.
• Anything not specifically mentioned under the head price includes.
• Any cost arising due to medical emergency, to be borne by the trekker/ trekkers (if any)
• Due to weather conditions/ Chadar deforming conditions Wanderers will not be liable to any sorts of refunds. Depending on the situation and availability, we would offer an alternate trek/ trip.
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Terms And Conditions
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Package Rates are Per Person and is subject to minimum 02 Passenger traveling together.
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Package is completely subject to availability at the time of confirming the booking.
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Cancellation & other policies as per the Hotel/Company rules.
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Entrance fees at any point shall be paid by customer directly (if any)
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In case of unavailability in mentioned hotels, alternate hotel options of same category will be arranged.
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All Packages quote are subject to change in case of any increase in the hotel cost, transport cost, forex fluctuation or any other increase of government taxes.
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All our packages are based on Nights basis and the last day is for check out which will be as per the hotel policy. We will not be responsible for any extension of stay in the hotel unless explicitly approved in writing by us.
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Payment policy:
- The airfares and taxes are calculated as on a mentioned date and any increase in the airport taxes or airfares will be borne by the customer.
- You need to make an advance payment as per the specific package terms at the time of confirming the tour and make the balance payment as per the payment conditions of the package.
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Cancellation policy:
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45 Days: Full refund (after deducting any
expenses that have been incurred for hotel
bookings, transport, etc.
30-45 Days: 75% of trip cost will be refunded (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.
15-30 Days: 50% of trip cost will be refunded (after deducting any expenses that have been incurred for hotel bookings, transport, etc.
15 Days: No refund