Chadar trek - Admist the mesmerizing zanskar Valley

The travel experience - Bangalore to Leh

It was a normal day when i started my journey for chadar Trek from Bangalore International Airport on 3rd February 2016, with vivid thoughts running through my mind i reached the airport and boadred my flight.my eyes were just scanning every traveller carrying a bagpack at the terminus as if " oh is he also going for the same trek " being so excited about the trek made me think stupid of myself . I had done my research about previous year treks and how the condictions would be which brought alot of what- if situations to my mind. So far i could just think of no matter what happens i will bear everything and finish what i started.

I reached Kushok bakula Rimpochee Airport ( named After one of the Lama's) around 10 in the morning on 4th feb and the captain just announced "Welcome to Kushok bakula Rimpochee - leh airport the outside temperature is -13 Degrees ", the first thing that striked my mind was okay so here we are and Leh is ready to welcome me with it chilling weather . The sun was bright and the first few seconds i felt like this does not feel like -13 but it didnt take much for me to realise that i how wrong i was when i stated to feel my hands going numb even with my gloves on, the taxi was awaiting us at the airport and i just sprinted towards it to save my self from the windy breeze that was like iceing in the cake .

The group meetup - first day in Leh

I reached the hotel where my stay was arranged and met my fellow group member who would be sharing this experience with me for the next 7 days , this was the time when we started to blend in with some people and at times judge who will i best go along with and who is not my type. We were a total of 8 people to start the trek the next day and we had one day to acclamatise to our surrounding which we all utilized to the best by roaming around the streets of leh coming across local ladakhi people dresssed in fur coats and boots. it happened to have snowed the last night i could find traces of snow everywhere on the streets with small water outlets freezed. Post lunch the whole group planned to do a small trek to a nearby monastry which we could see from our guesthouse window and we planned to conquer it the sameday though it looked just next door but it took us a very good 3-4 hours to reach onttop of it. After that exhausting expereince we called off the day and as the sun when down we started to have a taste of how the temperature was dropping drastically, we just made outself cozy in our bed with high confidence to start out expereince for out trek the next day .

The first leap on chadar:

We started with 3 hours drive from our guest house to our base camp in chilling early morning on 4th Feb , on the way we picked all our porters and cook who would be a part of our team and would be our guide during this 6 days trek across the valley, driving through the valley by my side was the zanskar river with mild blue water gushiing through foren sections of the river making that crackling sound everytime the water hit the iced section of the river. After the first camp site on day one the journey continued all the way till naerk which was the last point of the trek and started out return the same way back , but the abrupt atmosphere of the valley kept changing and challenges became harder and harder while we were on the way back, route was though same but it felt like a new way back to the base camp. Temperature kept fluctuating between -12 degrees to - 27 degrees during the night, with camping just below the clear sky zanskar definately gave me some memories to cherish for life.

In the end i would like to summarize this trek as a one time go for all adventure enthusiasts, you will not regret a single moment you would spend in the beauty of zanskar.

Warm Regards

Varun Singha