Summer adventurists cannot have enough of rafting over the speeding waters and ferocious rapids of the River Zanskar, and winter adventure fanatics cannot limit their pace on the freezing layer of the unnaturally calm waters of the Zanskar. The mystifying Zanskar River freezes into a sheet of ice in winters and remains the only route to access the Zanskar Valley. …
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3 beautiful monasteries of Spiti Valley
In Tibetan, gompa or gumbas mean a remote place which is a university associated with Tibetan Buddhism. I would suggest for you to visit these places and stay a night at each place to experience the culture. Key Monastery, Chicham and Kibber We reached Chicham village in about an hour or so from Kaza and walked down to the construction …
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Enigmatic quest to Ladakh & Spiti
That’s what made me & my rider- Rajendra, decide that we are getting Leh’d again and perhaps every year. And to fulfil our quest for additional dosage of adventure, it was decided to add Spiti Valley in the itinerary. Well that addition did enhance the severity of this trip, but we were blessed with the serenity of the Valley, happy …
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J&K: The crown of India for a reason
Leh in J&K is a road trip that nearly everyone takes but for some reason we all have different set of memories and different set of experiences that makes this land more mystic than ever. Every now and then social media pages flash one album after another with a common tagline “Finally Leh’d” but underneath this ubiquitous line hides days …
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100DaysInHimalayas with people and tribes of the mountains (First Draft)
This is what happens when the two artistic minds collaborate. And, the combination becomes more lethal and interesting when we know there is a tinge of vivid colors of Himalayas in it. The two great artists who have joined forces on a photography project called 100DaysInHimalayas are Dhritiman Mukherjee – famous wildlife photographer – and Bollywood music director Shantanu Moitra. …
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Unlocking the godly sights of Spiti from Kaza to Kibber to Key
Spiti Valley for some reason is not as well known as Leh of Ladakh district in J&K. Any time I told someone that I am heading to Spiti for a month, they gave me “where the hell is that?” look. That people are unaware of this amazing place nestled in the hills of Himachal Pradesh was both a relief and …
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7 tips to catch a good night’s sleep at minus 30 degrees
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” This is a beautiful quote from Charles Dickens which immediately floats across my mind as soon as I see mercury taking a gradual flight toward the upper end of the funnel. …
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10 reasons that will convince you to visit Ladakh in winter instead of tourist season
“We could not cease from exploration, and end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” ~T.S. Eliot I truly realized the importance of T.S.Eliot’s lines when I happened to visit Ladakh this winter. Initially, a lot of people told me that my decision to visit Ladakh in winter …
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12 interesting facts you probably didn’t know about Chitkul
Our thoughts are filled with beautiful pictures of snow, small wood houses and water streams flowing by a reasonably inhabited remote village as soon as we think of Chitkul. The village has charm of its own; this is why it has gradually started gaining ground amongst domestic as well as overseas travelers. Internet is flooded with myriad travel stories and …
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Shimla draped in first snowfall of the season
Sunday morning came with a scenic surprise for people of Shimla. The queen of hills received its first heavy snowfall of the season which turned out to be an eye candy for locals as well as the tourists. And the moment I saw my surroundings turned white, I called my buddies and made a plan for a snow walk to …
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Triund trek: My rendezvous with Dhauladhars, guardians of Himachal
Happy New Year Travelers! Traveling on foot allows you more freedom to explore and discover a culture on its own terms, processing the experience and the landscape as you walk. Putting your patience and perseverance to the test, it’s also an opportunity to reset your own life to a different pace for a period of time. The oldest migratory route …
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Bhaba Pass trek: My journey from green pastures to cold Himalayan desert
Bhaba Pass is situated in Himachal Pradesh and connects Kinnaur with Spiti valley. There is some difference of opinion about the maximum height of Bhaba Pass and that ranges from 4850 meter (15912 feet) to 4910 meter (16108 feet). In this trek one starts from the green pastures of Kinnaur and ends in the cold Himalayan desert of Spiti, the …
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A trip to Chitkul: My quest to be Himalayan for life
To be born and brought up in the Himalayas is a great privilege not everyone gets. And I am one of those lucky chaps who grew up rolling in the mud of the mighty mountains. Exploration is an instinct that grew stronger and stronger as I traded off countryside living for higher education. There is a saying: if the smell …
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Kinner Kailash trek: Trail that introduced me to the god of Himalayas
It all started from a room of the Boys Hostel of Center of Excellence Sanjauli, Shimla in the month of October, 2005. Everyone from the hostel hurdled at the bus stop to wish ‘all the best’ to the group of eight trekkers. We took an HRTC bus till Rampur, from where we had to take another bus to Reckong Peo. …
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I spent two months deep in Himalayas, this is what I earned
All most two and half months in Himalayas, trip started with meratone driver from Manali to Leh. It took me continuous drive of 22 hours, and finally midnight it was when I arrived in small Himalayan town. I took few days off before getting into any adventure activities and later plan was ready to explore Zanskar via Suru Valley. Finally …
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