WHAT’S INCLUDEDACCOMODATIONS Hotels/Guesthouse (5 nts), basic camping (16 nts)

TRANSPORT all hotel-airport transfers, Leh-Delhi airfare, all

transportation in Ladakh GROUP SIZE Min 4, Max 10, avg 6 GROUP

LEADER English, Hindi, and Ladakhi-speaking trip leader throughout,

Chadar trek guide, helper/cook TREKKING all trekking , camping and

ice equipment, Zanskari special porters MEALS INCLUDED all meals

while camping MISC monument entrance fees, and taxes.

NOT INCLUDED

International air fare, passport and visa fees, medical insurance,

immunizations, meal costs in New Delhi and Leh, tips and donations,

beverages, laundry fees, souvenirs, internet, and phone calls.

TRIP OVERVIEWThere are few if any adventure treks in the Himalayas to match the Chadar (frozen river) winter expedition for sheer awe inspiring beauty, and none to match it in terms of day to day challenge and excitement. Most people know of Chadar as one of the most grueling treks. But few people still brave the frozen Zanskar River. Local Zanskaris have used The Chadar for centuries to access the outside world for day-to-day supplies when the passes are locked into frozen winter silence. A traverse on the frozen Zanskar is no easy task, with walking on slippery ice for hours together, sleeping in ice caves, crossing over sheer rocky cliffs, and battling with the oxygen thin air as cold as -30oC. The Chadar trek is not only a full scale winter trekking expedition, but a trek into the past, where we, in our high technology gear, will trek side by side with smiling locals wearing woolen Gonchasand sounding the ice with their stout poplar staffs to drive away the demons that lurk there!

ITINERARY

CHADAR TREK- A Walk Through History Level: Difficult 23 DAYS

HIGHLIGHTS Traversing the frozen Zanskar River (The Chadar) on foot Trekking through remote Zanskar villages Experiencing sleeping in ice caves Spotting wildlife clinging on to high cliffs Standing underneath gigantic frozen waterfalls Visiting ancient monasteries and spectacular palaces Learning about the unique Zanskari culture and history

DAY 1 NEW DELHI Arrive at any time. DAYS 2-3 LEH Morning flight from New Delhi to Leh –Ladakh’s cultural capital. Allow a full day of rest to acclimate to the high altitude. Next day, we will visit the colorful Leh market, Tsemo, Hemis, Shey and Tikse Monastery. DAY 4 CHILLING Drive from Leh to Chilling Village, the starting point of our trek. DAYS 5-21 CHADAR TREK seventeen days of trekking through the frozen Zanskar River, climbing over icy cliffs, passing through isolated villages and stunning winter landscape, and sleeping in ice caves with temperatures dropping to below -20oC. We enjoy a full day of rest at Lingshed Village, Ladakh’s most remote region, and KarshaVillage with trips to the ancient Karsha Monastery and Zangla Palace. Our trek ends on Day 21 at Chilling and we drive back to Leh. DAY 22 LEH We have a full day of rest after all the hard work. In the evening we say our good-byes and have a last group dinner. DAY 23 NEW DELHI Morning flight back to New Delhi. Tour ends on arrival at the airport.

TRIP DATES (START – FINISH) Jan 11 – Feb 2 Feb 6 – Feb 28

DAY 2 DELHI TO LEH (1 HOUR)We catch the early morning flight from New Delhi to Leh, the capital of Ladakh. WAI will make the roundtrip flight reservations for you at the time of your registration. The flight into Leh is beautiful and a befitting introduction to the Land of High Passes. Upon arrival, we check into our hotel. We recommend that you take rest during the day to allow acclimatization to the high altitude. In the evening, we have a short orientation walk in the colorful and lively market. Accommodation: Hotel/Guest house (with room heating and hot water); meals not included

DAY 1 ARRIVE IN NEW DELLHArrive in New Delhi at any time. You will be welcomed at the New Delhi airport by our Wheels Across India (WAI) trip leader and transferred to your joining point hotel. If you arrive early, you can allow yourself time to explore Old and New Delhi. After an introductory meeting, we have the option of having a group dinner at Karim’s Restaurant, which prepares one of India’s oldest and finest cuisines. Accommodation: Hotel; meals not included

Joining point address: Hotel Namaskar India8a/99, W.E.A, Channa Market, Karol Bagh, New Delhi, 110005, India Telephone: +9990381291 /+9313113014

DAY 5 - CHILLING TO MARKALAG / TREK ON CHADAR (3200M; 3 HOURS)Today is the first day of our Chadar Trek! We walk on and off on the frozen river through gorges and deep valleys. It takes a little while to get used to the "Ladakhi Shuffle" of walking on the frozen Zanskar. Boots with "sticky" soles are helpful as well as poles. We stop for lunch at Tilat Sumdo, the confluence of Charap River. After lunch we continue our trek to Markalag. Tonight there are a number of choices for camp sites. There are also many caves (locals call it Bago) which can be used for the shelter. Tonight we camp at Markhala.Accommodation: Camping; all meals included

DAY 3 – EXPLORE LEH AND ITS SURROUNDINGWe spend the day enjoying the sites around Leh. Our first stop is the famous Hemis monastery, cradled in a lovely valley surrounded by streams. We stop for lunch at the colorful and gigantic Tikse Monastery (12 stories) which resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. In the afternoon, we visit the SheyPalace, which used to be the old summer palace for the King. Shey also has the largest golden Buddha statue in Ladakh. We end our day at the Namgyal Tsemo Monastery, which is perched on a mountain-top overlooking Leh. Tsemo Monastery contains a three storey high golden Buddha statue, library of old scriptures, and beautiful frescoes. The ruins of Tsemo Fort above the monastery offer spectacular view of surrounding mountains and Leh city. We watch the sunset from Tsemo and then take the stairs down to the main market. The evening is free for you to wander through the market area and visit the local shops. Get a good night’s sleep as one anticipates the first day of the Chadar Trek! Accommodation: Hotel/Guest house (with room heating and hot water); meals not included

DAY 4 - DRIVE FROM LEH TO CHILLING (3180M; 2 HOURS)We prepare ourselves today to start our trip on the Zanskar River. We drive from Leh to reach our starting point in Chilling village. The road to Chilling follows the Indus River upto the confluence of Indus and Zanskar River. From the confluence we drive along the frozen ZanskarRiver till we reach our campsite at Chilling. Accommodation: Camping/Family guest house; all meals included

DAY 6 - MARKALAG BAGO TO BAKULA BAGO / TREK ON CHADAR (3400M; 4-5 HOURS)We continue on the Chadar to the cave at Bakula Bawo. It is believed that the first Bakula Rinpoche of Ladakh spent a week meditating in this cave. A juniper tree above the cave is considered holy to the locals who traverse this gorge. We will either spend the night in a cave or in a tent. Accommodation: Camping; all meals included

This is only a suggested itinerary which might change if unavoidable circumstances (illness, weather conditions, natural disaster, political demonstrations and protests) arise during the trip. The group leader(s) has the right to change the itinerary in such situations.

DAY 8 - TIPYEAK BAGO TO NEYRAK PULU / TREK ON CHADAR (3390M; 6-7 HOURS)We have a challenging day ahead of us as the Zanskar might not be as firm in a lot of places. We pass through some stunning landscape and come across a gigantic frozen waterfall called Chumchar, which looks like a huge ice cliff. There are high chances of spotting blue sheep, and ibex clinging onto the mountain side. We stop for lunch at Yokmado near one of the many caves that are used as shelter by the Zanskaris. We continue on the Chadar to reach our camp at Neyrak Puluvillage. If the ice is in good condition this walk will take about 6 hours otherwise it may take up to 8 hours. At Neyrak Pulu, we will camp in a natural cave, which can accommodate more than forty people! This is the biggest natural cave on the Chadar. Accommodation: Camping; all meals included

DAY 7 - BAKULA BAGO TO TIPYEAK BAGO / TREK ON CHADAR (3678M; 5-6 HOURS)We leave camp after breakfast and continue our journey on the Chadar. The water in this particular section tends to melt more easily and we may at times have to traverse the steep rocks. We stop for lunch at Tsemodo and enjoy the spectacular scenery all around, and then continue towards our camp at Tipkyeak Bago. Accommodation: Camping; all meals included

DAY 9- NEYRAKS PULU TO LINGSHED/ TREK ON CHADAR (3890M; 5-6 HOURS)After a short walk on the Chadar for about two hours, the trail ascents steeply towards a point called Lingshed Sumdo, which is the confluence of the Lingshed Tokpo and Zanskar River. We walk through tremendous canyons, stopping within the gorge at a point called Tipu for lunch. We continue to Lingshed, a fairly large village with an interesting monastery and solar school and hostel built by an Austrian who still sends teachers there and looks after the school. Lingshed is one of the most remote parts of Ladakh and for 6 months this village remains completely isolated from the outside world. In the winter (Jan-Feb) it can be accessed only by the Chadar trek, and in the summer it can be accessed by a 4 day grueling trek from Lamayuru or Padum. We will stay with a local Zanskari family and experience traditional hospitality. Accommodation: Local homestay; all meals included

DAYS 11-12: LINGSHED TO TSARAK DO Via TIB GONGMA (3400M; 5-6 HOURS EACH DAY)Day 11: After enjoying a full day of rest, we begin our day with a short walk through the valley before reaching the Chadar. We then resume our hike on the frozen river (depending on ice conditions) and reach our campsite for the first night at Tib Gongma. Day 12: We continue walking on the Chadar and through some of the remotest parts of the Zanskar Valley towards our destination at Tsarak Do. Accommodation on Days 11-12: Camping; all meals included

DAY 10- FULL DAY REST IN LINGSHED VILLAGEWe have a free day to relax and roam around the village. In the morning we visit the Lingshed monastery and the school of monks. The monastery houses about 60 monks. If lucky, we can get to see a worship within the main temple. Accommodation: Local homestay; all meals included

DAY 14- PIDMO TO KARSHA (3800M; 3-4 HOURS) We proceed towards Karsha and pass the small village of Rinam

where we stop for lunch. On arrival at Karsha we have plenty of time to explore the area. On the other side of the river we can see Padum- the only town and administrative center in the Zanskar Valley. We will spend the night in Karsha. Accommodation: Guest house or homestay; all meals included

DAY 13- TSARAK DO TO PIDMO (3500M; 6-7 HOURS) We continue traversing the Frozen Zanskar walking on and off on the ice. We stop for lunch at the pretty village of Hanumilbefore continuing another 3 hours to our camp at the village of Pidmo. Accommodation: Camping or local homestay; all meals included

DAYS 17-21 - ZANGLA TO CHILLING (6-7 HOURS EACH DAY)Day 17: We start our return journey by descending down the Chadartowards Chilling. After passing Pidmo village we are back on the Chadaragain and by late afternoon we reach our camp at Tsarak Do. Accommodation: Camping; all meals includedDay 18: We trek from Tsarak Do back to Neyrak Pulu. Accommodation: Camping; all meals includedDay 19: From Neyrak Pulu we begin making our way to Tsomopaldar. We stop for lunch at Tipkyeak Bago from where it is another two hours to our campsite. Our campground is located in a lovely hillside with lots of juniper trees. Accommodation: Camping; all meals includedDay 20: We trek from Tsomopaldar to Tilat Sumdo Accommodation: Camping; all meals includedDay 21: This is the last leg of our trek! We hike from Tilatdo to Chilling. Upon arriving in Chilling, we will drive back to Leh. Accommodation: Hotel/Guest house (with room heating and hot water); breakfast and lunch included

DAY 15- FULL DAY REST IN KARSHA VILLAGE;We use the day to relax and wander through the beautiful village of Karsha. A major highlight of this village is the famous Karsha monastery, which is the largest monastery in Zanskarand was first founded by Great Lama Phagspa Shesrap. From the monastery, you have amazing view of the glaciated mountains and deep ravines all around. Accommodation: Local homestay; all meals included

DAY 16 - KARSHA TO ZANGLA (3370M; 2-3 HOURS)We take a short walk to the village of Zangla by crossing the Chadar on a wooden bridge. Zangla is where the erstwhile king of Zanskar resides. We will visit the fort and go around the large village where you will see children skiing, sledging on shovels!Accommodation: Guest house or local homestay/ all meals included

DAY 22 – REST DAY IN LEHWe enjoy a full day of rest and do our last minute souvenir shopping. In the evening we say our good-byes and have a last group dinner. Accommodation: Hotel/Guest house (with room heating and hot water); meals not included

DAY 23 - LEH TO NEW DELHI Catch the early morning flight back to New Delhi with sweet memories of Ladakh. Trip ends on arrival at the airport and you are free to depart anytime. We are happy to arrange accommodation for you in New Delhi.