I’ve always been an avid trekker, but had unfortunately never tried winter trekking before. Luckily, this Chadar trek from Thrillophilia paved the way for my first one. I learnt about the trip from some Thrillophilia Chadar trek reviews online, and decided to go for it. I went along with some of my friends, who were first timers in the sport of winter trekking as well. We were all quite nervous as to how the trip would pan out, but as it turns out, all our anxieties were absolutely in vain.
Excellently organized and executed, our Chadar trek with Thrillophilia turned out to be one of the best experiences of our lives. The booking process was extremely easy to begin with, and we faced absolutely no hassle with the verification and confirmation processes. We were also always supported throughout our 9 Day trip to the mountains, and never kept wanting anything.
We took the trek in January of this year. Due to the extremely low temperatures here, all trekkers are mandated to spend two days in Leh before participating in the Chadar trek in order to get themselves acclimatized to the climate here. We spent the first two days exploring the city on foot, visiting some temples and markets. We also took the Flavour of Winter Ladakh tour offered by Thrillophilia, which proved to be a great way to explore the local cuisine here. On our fourth morning in the city, we went for a mandatory medical check up and received the green flag to move forward with the tour. From hereon began our adventure in earnest.
Rising early in the morning, we drove along the Zanskar to the starting point of our trek in Chilling. We were greeted by some excellent views, such as the magnificent Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and the Zanskar-Indus confluence. We also drove across the enigmatic Magnetic hill, where cars appear to climb uphill on their own! Finally, we embarked at Chilling and started our trek to Chadar Lake.
The trek upriver was a tricky one. Equipped with our heavy coats and boots, we had to tread softly along the frozen river so as not to disturb the ice there. Navigating our way was difficult, but our expert guide made sure that nobody in the group faced any significant trouble. Our first stop overnight was at Gyalpo. We pitched our tents amidst the snow-packed peaks and started a bonfire to relieve the cold. The next day, we started our trek to Tibb Caves. This trek lasted for about 5-6 hours. We were greeted by some exquisite views of frozen waterfalls along the way, which remains till date some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever encountered. After a fair bit of trekking, we reached a dry sand area near Tibb Caves, where we pitched our tent for the night.
The following day, we made our way to Naerek. We were told that the frozen waterfall near Naerek was one of the highlights of the tour, and were not disappointed. With its icy waters suspended as though frozen in time, the Naerek waterfall was quite a treat to witness. We also got to visit the nearby village, where we got to interact with the local villagers and try some food. Camping at Naerek was quite an adventure- the temperature went down to as low as -30, and we had to put on several layers of clothing to keep warm!
Having reached Naerek, we then made our way back down to Leh in a three-stop journey. While tracing our way back to the Tibb Caves, we realized that the Zanskar Chadar had shifted and changed its form completely, and had quite an adventure re-learning its ebb and flow again. From Tibb, we made our way back to Gyalpo and headed towards Shingra Yokma. The towering cliffs, rising like sheer white walls around us, were striking as they shone under the glittering morning sun. We spotted some animals as we trekked through. We were also asked to keep our eye trained for a snow-leopard, but unfortunately did not get to see one.
Having descended back to Leh, we spent a full day recuperating from the hectic trek. Although quite eventful, the Chadar trek remains one of the most unique and memorable trips of my life. True to the Thrillophilia Chadar trek reviews, the tour itinerary was not wanting for anything. Besides, all of the tour was quite expertly handled as well. We had an expert trekking guide through us at all times, who never hesitated to offer insightful and interesting information about the attractions we passed. A whole team of support staff accompanied us as well, to make sure that everybody in the group remained comfortable and healthy. Although a rugged adventure, the accommodations here were top-class; while at Leh we stayed at clean and well equipped guest houses, at the trek we got to share spacious tents. Sleeping backs and good quality thick mattresses were offered as well.
The Chadar trek package offered by Thrillophilia comes with the added complimentary Flavours of Winter Ladakh tour. The tour was kept open for the first five trekkers who opted for it, and my friend and I got the chance to take part in it. I’m glad that I decided to choose this particular trek as my first winter trekking adventure, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who’s looking to escape to the mountains!
