For Departure Dates just call 7350530009 / 7350540009 / 7350550009

List of Essentials

Mountain/adventure travel requires one to be adequately equipped with the right kind of personal gear. Since one is travelling in the wilderness there will be hardly any opportunity to buy anything once you hit the trail so we urge you to carefully pack everything into your bags. Also please keep in mind you can rent out or purchase equipment from our Gear Store, if required.

    Day pack (25ltrs)
    Dry fit shirts and trousers 4 pairs
    Fleece jacket
    Balaclava and Buff
    Gloves
    Warm Socks (lots of extra pairs)
    Water and wind proof trousers
    Water and wind proof jacket
    Thermal upper and lower (3 pairs)
    Day wear shirt x2 or 3
    Underwear 5-7
    Boots
    Camp shoes / Sport sandals
    Hand towel
    Waterproof sack cover
    Down booties
    Toilet paper
    Two 1 ltr water bottles (preferably thermos flasks)
    Torch with extra batteries.
    Body Moisturiser
    Lip care
    Body Powder / Anti-Fungal (feet and body)
    Sun screen lotion
    Sun cap
    Sunglasses
    Head torch with extra batteries.
    Toiletries
    Personal medicines
    Pee bottle (Optional)
    Camera with extra batteries.

…LOADS OF ENTHUSIASM!! AND A PLEDGE TO LEAVE NO TRACE

Carry your stuff in a duffel bag, soft shoulder bag or a rucksack. Avoid suitcases, trolleys or any other hard luggage. As you will be walking long distances carrying a rucksack, avoid bringing unnecessary items on the trek. Please avoid carrying expensive watches, jewellery and electronic items on the trek.

Transport Options

By Air

For travel between Delhi and Leh, the advised mode is the flights that ply between these two places. There are a number of flights that operate on this sector with all of them being early in the morning to take advantage of the clear weather over Leh. In case you are travelling from outside Delhi, it would be best to stay in Delhi the previous night to catch the connecting flight the next day. As flights in this sector tend to be expensive, you are advised to book early to get the best fares.

Weather Details

In Leh, the temperature in the daytime will be between -10 to 0 °C, depending on weather condition. The temperatures would drop after sunset till sunrise, and one can experience temperatures as low as -25 °C.  Feather jacket is a MUST not just for the trek but around Leh town, with warm gloves and warm hat. If we visit monasteries it is necessary to take your shoes off, in such cases thick warm socks are necessary.

On the trek, one needs to plan for extreme winter conditions, which means you need to be prepared for -10 to -30 °C temperatures, cold winds and protection from snowfall and getting wet.  Especially plan for getting wet feet, so we advise you to wear water proof rubber boots with warm liner inside, this is sufficient if you are walking through ankle deep water. You may be required to cross water which can be knee deep, in such case you would need to remove your boots cross barefoot or with sport sandals and after crossing dry your feet wear warm socks and continue the trek. The walking on Chadar is walking on hard ice which is slippery. In our experience, gear like Yak-Tracks (a grip made of metal and rubber which can be attached below the boots) is very helpful. Please be prepared for taking a detour if the ice is not formed, in such sections we may have to do some scrambling on the rocks or traverse on some lose unstable sections.

Please keep in mind that the above information is not exact and does not account for sudden changes. Whatever the temperatures and conditions rest assured we will be prepared to handle it with ease as we use equipment of very high specifications.

Duration: 09 Days

Season: Jan-Mar

Grade: Vigorous

Region: Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir)

Description

Chadar Trek

Dwelling in the heart of Himalayan peaks in Ladakh, is the mountain desert kingdom that is a visual treat for all travelers, national and international. The Chadar Trek Ladakh, which is done on the frozen river of Zanskar, is looked upon as an adventure seekers paradise. Trekking in ladakh , especially the trek to chadar is every travelers dream, and rightly so because the lunar landscape and endless skies overhead makes trekking at chadar memorable. It also challenges the skill and endurance of trekkers. The beauty is even more surreal as one moves ahead and so, this is one of the most celebrated and exquisite trek of the region. Walk on a frozen river bed, live in caves along the way and fight the twin difficulties of cold and altitude which makes this trek adventurous. The Chadar Trek Ladakh is without doubt one of the best treks for all adventure lovers.

The Chadar Trek is considered an exciting and surreal trek and one out of every outdoor enthusiast wants to go at least once. You will be basically trekking upstream on the frozen Zanskar River. The temperatures are treacherous and you have to be careful of the path you tread for you are walking on a sheet (Chadar in Hindi) of ice. Hence the name Chadar Trek.

The Chadar trek is endangered trek and may cease to exist in the next 4-5 years or as many as it takes for the road that is being carved out on the rock face above the river. When completed, access to the Zanskar villages in the interior will be fairly straight-forward. Though for the best, the completion of the road will mark the end of an ancient local practice.

The region is a difficult place to travel especially in the winters. The mountains are steep and in the winter snowfall closes many of the mountain passes and makes the few roads treacherous. Villages, especially the remote ones become completely inaccessible during the snowbound season usually November to March. And the frozen Zanskar then becomes a boon to the many snow-bound villages by becoming the passage to civilization. Zanskar trek or the frozen river trek offers experiences of a lifetime to adrenaline seeking trekkers.

The Chadar trek is on one such route and an ancient route at that. It connects villages in the Zanskar valley situated deep in the mountains with Chilling, on the road to Leh. This ancient route has been used for centuries for trade and transportation.

When not frozen, the Zanskar, is big and fast-flowing river. For most of its length between Chilling and the Zanskar valley the river is confined within a steep canyon. When you trek on the frozen Zanskar you are basically walking on a sheet of ice of varying thickness. Below you have the river flowing beneath. If you follow your guides instruction, you should be safe.

One landmark that will stay in your memories is bound to be the trail on shiny ice on the bank of Tsarap River. From Chilling onwards you will trek towards a narrow valley filled with breath-taking views of ice-peaks and amazing hanging icicles that you are bound to find really bizarrely pleasurable to watch. You will also get to spend the night at cave camps, which is an experience in itself.

When you start the trek in the morning it will not be gloomy despite the temperature. The sun will be up and the sky will be as blue as it can be.

Trekking on the ice can be intimidating and you and having a good guide is critical on the Chadar trek, which with Namoh Adventures will always be an affirmative.

The trek from Chilling to Padum is both challenging as well as an incomparably exiting experience. The landscape acquires a pristine grandeur in winter as the trail enters into the gorge of the Zanskar, where temperatures sometimes drop to 30 to - 35 Degree Celsius.

Undoubtedly, Chadar is a great trek to do and the Chadar frozen river trek is a very exciting trek. Both, the National Geographic and Discovery channels have made films on the Chadar trek. During the day, the average mean temperature is minus 10 while temperatures fall to minus 25 and 30 in the night. Keep in mind that the Chadar trek is not a difficult trek with multiple layers of sensible trekking. We offer optimized chadar trek cost to countless adventure freaks. Trekking in ladakh is one of the most nerve-wracking things to do, if you are a real trekker, you must go for it