Rumbling Zanskar beneath the Chadar: Zansker Valley Trek

Zanskar Frozen River Chadar Trek. It can be difficult, but it is a life changing trek. Surrounded by the steep mountains, in the winter, the snowfall closes mostly all the mountain passes of this place, leaving the roads treacherous. Amidst the puffed up winter the villages become cut off from rest of the world. The nature’s furry evident during November and March. The only way left for the snow-bound villagers is to trek on top of the ice of frozen River Zanskar. Locally known as the Chadar Trek, remains the only route, connecting villages in the Zanskar valley - deep in the mountains with Chilling wind, along the frozen Zanskar River. For centuries, this route has been used by the traders and transporters, in February when the ice is most stable and reliable.

The zealous Zanskar is big and fast, and confines within a steep canyon. Amidst the extremes of the nature, if it mesmerizes you to walk over the frozen river with a rush of chilling water flowing a few inches beneath your feet, embark upon the journey to trek on the Chadar of the frozen Zanskar River. The hike from Chilling to the Zanskar valley takes more than a week, and at night you will usually sleep in the caves by the canyon walls. A wild adventure to revisit your innate self.

Explore one of the most exciting and unique treks – a very special and an extraordinary trek on the shiny ice on the bank of the Zanskar River. You will be dropped by a vehicle at Chilling Sumdo, to trek ahead in the narrow valley, surrounded by breath-taking views of ice-peaks and unexpected hanging icicles that will attract your gaze in the godly eternity. Entice your experiences, as you spend the night at cave camps with a born fire, burning to keep you warm and relaxed.

The trek begins at around 9:00am, when the sun is up in the blue skies to cheer you up, despite the sub-zero temperature. The trek goes along the Tsarap River in the region of Nyerag, Lingshed and constitutes to river Zanskar. Explore and experience the mesmerizing Chadar Trek, an experience of a lifetime, and an endangered activity, as within 5 years, this wonder will cease to exist in its current form, only to live in the legends, as per the conjectures of the experts. The road will certainly be safe and more convenient than the river, but its completion will mark the end of an ancient local practice.

Experience the exceptional resourcefulness of wild Ladakh and its indomitable spirit, in the face of daunting odds. Walk on the ancient valley of Zanskar, one of the mightiest rivers in Ladakh, as it freezes over in the dead of winter while, covering the river Zanskar by a thick blanket of ice. Absorb the life changing experience in the seven to eight days’ trek from chilling to Padum in both challenging and incomparably exiting stances. Be there, in the pristine landscape that captures the grandeur of winter, sometimes at minus 30 to minus 35 Degree Celsius in the gorge of the Zanskar Valley.

To start walking over the river, fly to Leh. Flying over these vast and heavily snowcapped mountains, which will aptly tell you why it is impossible to reach Ladakh by road in the winters. As you arrive 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. The town has just begun shedding off the thick winter slumber and is slowly coming to life. Take a stroll through the Leh market to find the very few shops and eateries in the town are open for business; but if required, some last minute-shopping for the trek can be done here. The chill in the air will serve only as a preview of the temperatures during this winter trek. The night can be spent in a cozy guest house.

On the second day start your morning by witnessing the sunrise from the Shanti Stupa, from where you can get a panoramic view of the entire Leh and its surroundings. You can also see the peak of Stok Kangri almost beckoning you to climb. But, the schedule includes a very picturesque and thrilling long-drive to Chilling. The roller-coaster ride takes you along the ancient Indus to the village of Nimu, where the Zanskar converges into Indus. After stopping at this confluence, continue descending right into the river valley. There will be a few heart-stopping moments, as the vehicle will negotiate the steep hairpin bends over snow covered road. Among these mammoth mountains, the feeling of being insignificant will not escape your feelings.

Cross the frozen Zanskar to reach the camp-site; your first steps to the Chadar Trek. It takes a while, to get a hang of walking on the icy sheet. As the evening comes, you will ground the tents on the banks of the Zanskar, and reach for the needful accessories. To get some exercise and keep warm, you can climb up the nearby mountains and get a good look at the frozen river. However, as the sun sets, it will drag the temperature down with it, and your sleeping bags in the tents will look quite inviting.

The challenge ahead, is to get out of the warm toasty sleeping bags and go out into the giant freezer outside; with generously motivating steaming cups of tea to kickstart your third day. It is a long walking session, about 12 km, on the Chadar. The trek leaders will give a briefing about the day, and give tips on how to walk on the Chadar. Depending on the weather, the Chadar can assume various forms. It can be a cold and hard surface of slippery ice, or can have a dusting of snow over it, making the trip more versatile. Stay close to your guide and feel the pounding hearts of the trek mates, for the ice can be thick with a thorough fare or thin with a cracking halt. Experience the sixth sense of the natives, as to where exactly to step on the Chadar. In the mid-way to Gyalpo, the porter-cum-cooks will prepare hot bowlfuls of soupy noodles for lunch, for it is important to keep up a decent level of fluid intake. After passing Shingra Koma, you reach the camp-site for the day at Gyalpo, where the tents will be pitched by the porters. The Gyalpo campsite is at a bend in the river, surrounded by high peaks and walls of apparently man-made rock-faces. All that is left is to soak in the beauty of the wilderness, have an early dinner to call it a day.

On the fourth day, follow the same early morning routine - bed tea at 7AM, breakfast at 8AM, and brisk trek at 8:30AM. A filling breakfast will help you, for this is going to be a long walk of the day – almost 14-km. Walk through the deep ravines of the Zanskar to have the stunning experience of the mystifying frozen trail. The sublime walls of the mountains on the banks of the river will keep the sunlight away from the Chadar to let you have a mackled feel. The trek will lead you through numerous caves in various shapes and fabled frozen waterfalls, once that tumbled to the mighty Zanskar. Visit the century old Tibetan mythos that still flow in Ladakh, which once prayed by the natives in the dearth of water, and had the wishful box that had to be opened, back in village, but curiosity undid it, with two fishes jumping off, making two huge waterfalls, which never ice-up, even in the freezing cold. The rocks below this waterfall are covered with moss, the only greenery your visit will see on this trek. At Tibb, arrive at the big cave, dwelling of the porters, and share a cup of butter-tea with the smiling Ladakhis.

Set out for the most spectacular day of the trek, the fifth day. Walk on the river to cross the deep gorges and reach the point, where Juniper trees are covered with prayer flags. Have a twig of this tree tied with a piece of prayer flag from the porters as a badge of good-luck and good-health. A few steps away stand the mother-of-all frozen waterfalls – a huge illustration of suspended animation several feet tall and equally wide. Grasp the oodles of colors in the colossal ice structures as the sunlight washes off its surface. The Naerak village lies several feet above the river, where a spirited hour-long trek will take you amidst the lives of Zanskaris. The camp will be set up close to the river.

On the sixth day, start your return journey to the Tibb cave. However, if you think it be just a matter of retracing your steps back to Chilling, you need to think again, as the Zanskar River reacts to the slightest change of temperature, and constantly keeps repackaging itself. The Chadar may assume a completely new form, making it almost impossible to say whether you have been here before. On the way back, meet the locals, in their traditional woolen Gonchas – some of them can be monks, hiking from the Lingshed Monastery to Leh, some young students accompanied by their parents, returning to their schools in Leh after the winter vacation. Watch the locals negotiating the Chadar, a fascinating sight, made to frame for an experience of life-time. Nothing wipes the smiles off their faces and dampens the warmth of their spirit.

This is the wild seventh day, and you will start from Tibb to go up to Gyalpo, through the high walls of mountains rising from the river banks, almost like castle around you. Spot the pug-marks, all along the trek – footprints left by the foxes, ibex or snow-leopards. If you are lucky, the snow-leopard may pay you a visit; but you can almost be sure that you are being watched by one, all the time.

On the eighth and last day of treading on the Chadar – have the last chance to be immersed in the pristine beauty of the frozen river. Once you reach Tilad Do, it is time to bid adieu to the Zanskar and it wild beauty, frozen in time. Be assisted by the Tonight, sleep in a warm guest-house or hotel, again. As the startling journey draws to its close, brace yourself to depart from Leh with the newfound experiences of the untamed Ladakh. Cherish the spirit arose by the trek, leaving behind a fabulous feeling of accomplishment – an enduring, extraordinary and challenging trek. A living memory for your life.

Are you interested to know more about the rumbling trek of Chadar?

Let us hear from you at +91 33 4046 4646