Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

- E P I C H I K E S O F T H E W O R L D -
MORE LIKE THIS
INDIAN HOMESTAY TREKS
LADAKH-ZANSKAR
Ask an old-time adventurer how to cross between these two most archetypally
Tibetan regions of northern India and you are likely to be regaled by tales of the
fabled Chadar Ice Trek. Only really feasible in February, that route involves
gingerly walking down the frozen Zanskar River in dramatic canyons and across
teetering snow bridges. However, a recent onslaught of ill-prepared domestic
Indian trekking groups along with warmer winter weather (and thus thinner ice)
have combined to make the Chadar at once less special and much more dicey than
in past years. These days you’d do better to take the mid-summer mountain route,
spectacularly roller-coasting up sharp ridges and back down into roaring river
valleys. With good route planning it’s possible to do the trek with minimal baggage
by sleeping in homestays en route. Start from the Photoksar road’s southern end,
around five hours’ walk before Lingshed.
Start // Kyupa La
End // Zangla
Distance // 40 miles (65km)
More info // www.gesar-travel.com
GOCHALA TREK
In the forest-rich former Buddhist Kingdom of Sikkim, October is the ideal month to
avoid the leeches and get the clearest skies. The best-known trail here is the
stupendous Gochala Trek, a week-long classic whose great prize is staring down
the 28,169ft (8585m) of Kanchendzonga, the world’s third-highest mountain, and
communing with many other Himalayan giants en route. There are no villages so
the choice is between camping or bedding down in pretty basic huts. You’ll need a
guide and a permit too, but arranging either is very easy at short notice in Sikkim’s
bustling capital Gangtok, or in the charming little ‘royal’ village of Yuksom, where
the trek actually starts. Some hikers are satisfied with a shorter trail to Dzongri,
which still serves up sublime views, while if you don’t want to pay guides and
National Park fees, there are a series of short village-to-village homestay hikes
around Yuksom that are, perhaps ironically, less touristy than the far more difficult