Frozen river trekking India, known as the Chadar trek in the Ladakh region.

14+

Age

India

Country

March to Nov

Dates

13 Days

Duration

Trekking

Activities

Frozen River trekking India, is one of our best selling trekking tour, we recommend you. India has every kind of landscapes inscribed in its boundary from hot plain lands to the high lands in north part of the nation. Though remote but the highlands are quite adventurous and many adventurous activities can be carried out. Among them walking over a Frozen river of Zanskar is an ultimate experience for adventure lover. The Frozen River trekking is one of the most unique and challenging treks in India.The trek is across an ancient route that used to be a part of the Silk Road form where centuries ago traders from the Zanskar region walk over the Chadar to transport their wares to Leh. In present times, the Chadar is still the communication lifeline of the Zanskaris during winter when the remote roads get blocked by snow. On the Frozen River trail, you have the opportunity to visit and stay in remote Ladakhi hamlets, interact with the locals, and experience a way of life that has not changed in hundreds of years. The dramatic primal landscapes, the ever-shifting Chadar, and the opportunity to explore the culture of Zanskaris make the Frozen River trek a truly unique adventurous and cultural experience.

Outline itinerary

Day 01: Delhi – Leh (Complete Rest in Leh for acclimatisation)
Day 02: Leh – Shey – Thiksey – Hemis
Day 03: Drive to Tilad Do via Chilling. 65 kms drive
Day 04: Tilad Do to Shingra Koma. Trek 10 kms.
Day 05: Shingra Koma to Tibb Cave. Trek 15 kms.
Day 06: Tibb cave to Nerak camp. Trek 12.5 kms.
Day 07: Nerak to Lingshed
Day 08: Lingshed – Frozen River
Day 09: Lingshed – Nyarakpulu
Day 10: Nyarakpulu – Tso Mopoaldar
Day 11: Tso Mopoaldar – Tilatdo
Day 12: Tilatdo – Chilling – Leh
Day 13: Leh – Delhi

Delhi – Leh (Complete Rest in Leh for acclimatisation)

After your arrival in Delhi, you will be transferred to hotel for lunch and then again to airport for the flight to Leh. Flying over the heavily snowed mountains one can imagine how remote is Ladakh and is impossible to reach by road in winters. The moment you land at the 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. Upon arrival you will be transferred to the hotel from airport and the rest of the day is free for acclimatization. Overnight stay in hotel.

Leh – Shey – Thiksey - Hemis

Today after breakfast in the morning, go for a sightseeing trip to some ancient monasteries in this area. The main attractions of the area are; Shey Gompa about 15 Kms far from Leh which used to be the summer palace of the kings of Ladakh and was built by Deldan Namgyal in the beginning of 17th century. Main attraction in Shey is the 12m Shakyamuni Buddha statue inside the Dresthang Gompa. Thiksey Gompa, which is close to Shey is about 17 kms from Leh and is considered to be one of the most beautiful monastery in Ladakh and belongs to the Gelukspa order. Hemis, about 45 kms south of Leh is one of the most famous and largest monasteries in Ladakh and belongs to the Drukpa order and was founded in the early 17th century. The setting of the monastery is perfect cradled in a lovely valley, surrounded by streams and fronted by long Mani walls. Overnight stay at hotel.

Drive to Tilad Do via Chilling. 65 kms drive

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. After breakfast get in a very picturesque and thrilling long-drive to Tilad Do via Chilling. The road goes past Chilling and finally reaches to Tilad Do.
To reach the camp-site, you have to cross the frozen Zanskar river by stepping on the frozen ice sheet. It takes a while to get a hang of walking on the ice sheet. As the evening comes, the team pitches tents on the banks of the Zanskar river. As the sun sets, temperature decreases and the tents seems quite inviting for warm accommodation.

Tilad Do to Shingra Koma. Trek 10 kms.

Today is a long walking session, about 10 km, on the Chadar. After breakfast, the trek guides will give a briefing about the day, and give tips on how to walk on the Chadar. Depending on the weather, the Chadar can change into various forms. It can be a cold and hard surface of slippery ice in some place and it can have a dusting of snow over it, providing a good grip at other. The ice can be thick or thin, and its best to keep closely following the guide and local porters. The locals have a sixth sense as to where exactly to step on the Chadar. At some places, it might be necessary to walk through ankle deep water, or climb on the cliffs at the side of the river. Eventually you get used to walking on the Chadar after hours of walking which looks like a cross between gliding and skating. Upon arriving to the campsite, have dinner and overnight stay in camp.

Shingra Koma to Tibb Cave. Trek 15 kms.

After breakfast in the morning start your walk on the Chadar which may feel like a walk inside a deep freezer. Tibb cave is almost 15 km from Shingra Koma which takes around 7-8 hrs to reach. Today trek is one of the most beautiful days of the trek as the river starts to curve and you can see the uphill slope of ice as we ascend the river into Zanskar. En route we will pass incredible waterfalls on our left, normally frozen into aquamarine ice cliffs and glittering when sunrays falls over it. Sometimes we had to walk along a narrow margin of ice, constrained by the canyon wall on one side and deep rushing water on the other side. Have lunch under the overhang of rock by the river and rest for a while. The trail from here to the camp site is one of the most beautiful parts of the trek as it passes through narrow gorges where the width of the river is wide enough to walk side by side. Our camp is near one of the caves that are blackened by centuries by use of the fires by locals. After having dinner, stay overnight in the hut.

Tibb cave to Nerak camp. Trek 12.5 kms.

Today it’s another spectacular day of the Chadar trek. Distance between Tibb caves to Nerak camp is 12 kms long. The trail is beautiful as it goes through the cliffs and gorges and valleys of Chadar. After lunch in the midway to Nerak camp and covering almost 9 kms we pass the ‘incense tree’, so called because the locals use its branches to burn in their morning rituals and prayer. As we move to the corner, you will observe the first glimpse of the bridge high above the river that links Zanskar with Ladakh, and Neraks village with Lingshed Monastery. After further walking, the valley gorge opens up, and the small huts that mark some of the summer grazing of the Neraks villagers can be observed. Overnight stay in the Nerak camp.

Nerak to Lingshed

After breakfast in the morning follow the river for some distance walking in the Chadar. After walking for an hour, leave the main river and start trekking following a side stream towards Lingshed Monastery. The climb to Lingshed (3875 mt) is steep and remote. From here we walk another 30-45 min (steep uphill walk) till reaching spectacularly situated Lingshed Monastery (4000 mt). We can see many meditation caves in the cliff below the monastery. From here you can see Mangan La and Hanumil La pass and other spectacular scenery. After spending some time at Monastery, return back to camp for overnight halt.

Lingshed - Frozen River

Get pepped for a fun day of the Frozen River Chadar Trek. Explore the landscapes of Lingshed, visit monasteries and meet and greet the local people. Overnight stay in Lingshed guest house.

Lingshed - Nyarakpulu

On a ninth day, trekkers will trek till Nyarakpulu. Dinner and overnight stay in Nyarakpulu guest house.

Nyarakpulu - Tso Mopoaldar

Take a walk of around 5 hours from Nyarakpulu to the campsite at Tso Mopoaldar.

Tso Mopoaldar - Tilatdo

Early morning, after breakfast, embark on a trek till Tilatdo. Overnight stay and dinner in Tilatdo.

Tilatdo - Chilling - Leh

After arriving in the morning, set off on an trail to Chilling. Drive ahead and reach the hotel in Leh. Overnight stay at Leh hotel.

Return from Leh to Delhi

After the early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the Leh airport for the flight to Delhi. After the scenic flight, you will be received by our representative at Delhi airport and will transfer to Hotel. In the afternoon get on the sightseeing tour of the Delhi on your own. As per your flight schedule, you will be transferred to international airport for the flight to onward destination.

Frozen River Trekking India, is a phenomenal winter expedition. If Ladakh is a remote Himalayan region of Indian Himalaya, then Zanskar would be called the remote region of Ladakh! The region gets its name from the Zanskar river that cascades through the stunning Zanskar Gorge famously referred to as ‘The Grand Canyon of Asia’. Zanskar river is a tributary of Indus and is popular for whitewater rafting and kayaking in the Summers. In the winters, the temperature in this cold, arid desert plummets drastically falling as low as -30 degree celsius forcing the Zanskar to freeze on the surface. Thus the top layer forms a veil of ice referred to as ‘Chadar’ by locals. Since all the roads leading out of Zanskar are closed due to heavy snow on the high passes, walking on ice is the only way for Zanskaris to venture out or outsiders to venture in. The Zanskaris have been walking this road of ice in winters for generations to reach Leh.
In the past decade, the Chadar trek has gained popularity among ardent hikers who visit this region to walk on the frozen river and see for themselves this incredible marvel of nature. Extreme temperatures, stark landscape, magnificent gorge, frozen waterfalls, and a mirror-like road of ice. The Chadar will test you and fill you with wonder and awe. This is an experience incomparable. Sometime it has a short life because of a road being constructed connecting Zanskar and Leh.

Things to Carry
• Duffel bag Down/synthetic camp booties
• Sunglasses, Light gloves
• Sleeping bag
• Flashlight/Headlamp with extra batteries
• Daypack
• One liter water bottles wide mouthed
• Trekking Boots
• Water purification/filter
• Camp shoes/sneakers
• Walking stick/Trekking pole
• Cotton socks
• Note book with pens and pencils
• Gore-Tex jacket
• Lip balm
• Light wind jacket Sunscreen / Moisturiser
• Down jacket/vest
• Camp towel/towel/sarong
• Fleece jacket/vest
• Personal toiletries
• T-shirts
• Personal medicines
• Money pouch/belt
• Trekking pants
• Energy bars
• Thermal tops
• Vitamin tablets
• Thermal bottom
• Extra passport photos
• Warm hat and Bandana/scarf
• Sun hat/baseball cap
• Wind- and rain-gear with hood
• Swiss Army Knives (Classic pocket tool)
• One pair cotton trousers or shorts
• Two cotton shirts/T-Shirts One warmer (jacket with hood

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Frozen River Chandar trekking in Ladakh