Trekking the frozen chadar

Zanskar river, a tributary of the Indus, has been a lifeline for the people of Zanskar district for thousands of years. While it provides water for agriculture during summer, sub-zero temperatures render its high mountain passes inaccessible during summer. The frozen river becomes a highway for the landlocked people. The Zanskaris walk on the frozen river, also known as Chadar to get to Leh, a city in the Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir. Adventure lovers also love to trek on this frozen river.

The Chadar trek is a 8-10 day course that starts from Chilling, a village about an hour’s drive from Leh, leading to a narrow valley providing breathtaking views of surrounding snow-clad peaks as you walk on the white sheet of frozen Zanskar river. Nights are spent in tents on river-banks and temperatures can drop to as low as -35 degree Celsius. When the sun is up, mercury struggles to rise above -15 degree Celsius. A number of trekking agencies provide all-inclusive packages costing between INR 25,000-30,000 per person and the treks are usually scheduled on a weekly basis in the months of January and February.

A typical day of the trek starts at 6 or 7am with a hot cup of tea served to you in your tent by the guides and porters. And on any given day you walk 12-14 kilometres on an average at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level. Needless to say, the trek is physically demanding and requires a great level of fitness.

Getting used to walking on the Chadar takes a while. The embarrassing slips and falls may hurt, but sure serve as metaphorical ice-breakers getting to know your fellow trekkers better.

One of the highlights of the trek is Tibb cave — a huge natural cave in a gorge. The village of Nearek is where you’ll turn around to retrace your steps back to Chilling, but if you think you’ll be walking the same route you’ll be surprised. The Chadar keeps changing!

In September 2011, Venkat went on a solo trip to Ladakh after which he quit his job to devote nearly all his time for travelling and exploring.