Is it better to go on a camping trek rather than a homestay trek? Would you rather choose a path with homestay or lodge accommodations, or would you prefer to camp? First of all, as these two are distinguished by their unique characteristics. Ideally, you should try both to get separate, distinct flavours instead of sticking to one forever! Also understand that the following points are general or gross in nature with overlapping areas or sets. Unfortunately Indian Himalayas have a limited choice of already established homestay or tea house based treks. However, we constantly try to find or cre ..read more

The tour would be for two people, starting around mid November. Both of us are mountain guides and endurance athletes in the USA Rocky Mountains and feel very comfortable at altitude and doing long hikes. Our original plan has been to camp, bringing gear with us and trekking without a guide. With that in mind we are certainly interested in more challenging days if we pivot to a guided tour. Typically, late autumn, i.e., November, is not conducive to high altitudes (camping at or above ~ 4000 m/13000 ft) in the Western Himalayas. It is mainly due to the chances of snowfall, cold conditions, o ..read more

Namaste, greetings from India :). Most likely, you are planning your next trekking trip in the Indian Himalayas. Or maybe you’d like to include a trekking or hiking option in your India tour? If either of the answers is yes, please continue reading. Here is your comprehensive guide to getting the essential information and planning your India trekking trip. We divide the article into two major parts, in which it will give you both general and specific information. However, the aim of this article is not to describe trek routes in India but to provide a more broad spectrum of understanding to ge ..read more

Sikkim has always been a special interest to a section of travellers all around the globe. Sikkim is still a little known Himalayan Kingdom, isn’t it? Whether to get a closer look at the big Himalayan mountains or to taste the core nature of Sikkim, you will probably plan a: Full trekking programme. Or visiting interior places in Sikkim, villages and hikes connecting the core of Sikkim and its people, culture or religion. But what if you are a: Foreigner or an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) travelling alone? Or you are keen on a solo hiking experience? Wait, is there a problem in Sikkim tre ..read more

Tarsar Marsar Trek 2022 update Here is an important update regarding the Tarsar Marsar trek that you have booked with us, HT. This is also helpful to trekkers who have not yet booked the trek and are in their planning stage. Due to Amarnath Yatra Indian army and govt authorities are not allowing anyone to go ahead of Pahalgam apart from the pilgrims/Yatris. This is probably for security reasons. We were waiting in the hope that eventually as the Amarnath Yatra settles in, the army will again allow the tourists to go ahead to Aru. However this seems unlikely now as long the Yatra continues. Mos ..read more

Is it good to go on treks in the Darjeeling-Sikkim area during late May or early June? Certainly it is not the best of your choices, but you can’t shift your plan. My family of four (my husband and me and our 2 sons, aged 8 and 10) will arrive in Darjeeling on May 28th. As a part of our six months of travelling we are very interested in multiple day treks in the region, both in West Bengal and Sikkhim. What comes to mind is the Singalila-ridge trek and Yuksom Dzongri trek. We have a time-window of approx 17 days, leaving for New Delhi on June 14th. Since we are trekking in the Andes mountain ..read more

About the trail: The crossing of Umasi La at ~ 5300 m/17385 ft is an extravagant trans-himalayan trek that connects Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir to the Zanskar region in Ladakh. Due to its difficulty in arranging and approaching, it is rarely visited by trekkers. Although somewhat visited by climbers and mountaineers around the world for its abundance of world class high altitude climbing opportunities. This trail is a true crossover trek in nature, where the pass itself is on the Great Himalayan Range. We start from Paddar Valley in Kishtwar and finish near Padum in Zanskar Valley, cutting t ..read more

About the trail: This is an enterprising route that we propose for those who love to spend and explore longer durations on the mountains and explore the area from almost all possible angles. On the way to Nanda Devi East basecamp Our trail is above Munsiyari, following Gori Ganga valley and its tributary Ralam Gad, which are connected by Brij Ganga Dhura (pass), the same as Ralam Khal (as shown in the map below). It is different from Ralam Dhura or Ralam Pass (~ 5,500 m), which connects Ralam Valley to Darma Valley towards the east. This area is in the heart of the Kumaon Himalayas and just ou ..read more

Trekking gear or equipment are a necessity on any multi-day trekking programme in the Himalayas. Be you a first-timer or a seasoned trekker, every time you ask a common question to yourself before a trekking tour, “Do I have all the required trekking gears?” If the answer is yes (assuming you know your own stuff), then you are done and need not continue to read this blog. However, if the answer is no, then stick to this article. This may also be useful for you to create a strategy for what gear to buy, even if you are not new to Himalayan trekking. Here, I am assuming that you are joining an o ..read more

Should you plan for the Goechala trek in winter? Typically between December and February? A straightforward answer to this question is a humble no. “It is most unlikely. But – here comes the big “but” – not impossible.” – Roald Dahl Let us try to analyse whether it is a feasible idea to plan Goechala in winter or not. Who may plan Goechala trek in winter? It is a no-brainer that a winter trekking trail leading to ~ 4600 m/15100 ft and deeply rooted in the high Himalayas will have many challenges to deal with. First and foremost, I assume that you are not a novice in the mountains. You must b ..read more