Fruits are kept in refrigerators so that they do not freeze. This is how cold it gets in the city of Leh in winters. The city is covered by a blanket of snow. Leh at 11,800ft is higher than your entire trek. It is colder too. The temperature varies from -5 °C in the daytime, which drops to -15°C or less after sundown. Keep a jacket, woolen cap and gloves handy in the flight to face the blast of cold air the moment you land from the plane. The first day at Leh is for acclimatization so take as much rest as you can at the comfortable guest house of Leh. Keep yourself hydrated and drink as much water as you can. Tea is also recommended; Hot water buckets are always available to you.

The second day at Leh is for you to take rest and get acclimatized with the weather and oxygen level of Ladakh. You can roam around the market of Leh, visit nearby attractions like the magnificent Shanti Stupa. Moreover, exploring the cafes and trying the local cuisine- the hot, steamy Thukpa and the butter Chai, can be a delight. The city of Leh opens partly during the winter month, the market opens up at 5 in the evening for local needs. Don’t worry if you have forgotten anything, the market of Leh will have you covered. Buy all your gears from your city. Our team would give a briefing of the trek
on this day and also prepare you for the medical examination due the next day.

Visit the SNM Hospital/Medical Camp for checkup. By the end of the Chadar season 2018, a new policy for the safety of trekkers was introduced by the J&K Govt. As per this policy each trekker has to visit the Sonam Norboo Memorial Hospital and get a routine check-up done. On completion of this we sort the wildlife permits and permissions and head back to our accommodation. At last, after successful completion of medical examinations, the frozen river awaits the enthusiastic Cloud Runners. Buckle Up! We also recommend you segregate your luggage on this day. Keep a rucksack with necessities for the trek. You can keep the extra luggage at the guest house or take it to the trek where porters would carry the luggage all through the trek. In case you are keeping your luggage at the guest house, we recommend you to keep 2-3 pair of overall clothes with you in a smaller rucksack (with other necessities).

Drive from Leh to Tsomo (60 Km drive, 10,550 ft) and trek (2-3 hrs) to Shingra Koma Get ready with your Bags. After a refreshing healthy break-fast provided by Cloud Runners team, you’ll be driven from the city to our first camp site. On the way, you’ll be experiencing curvy roads (with witty BRO road signs), the whole route will keep you at your toes as the vehicle makes hairpin turns. You’ll also get to see the beautiful Sangam of Indus Zanskar river. The delusional magnetic hill, manmade Ice Stupa and the folklores of Sri Pathhar Sahib Gurudwara. After the drive to Shingra Koma. It would be around 2-3 hours’ trek. Our team will soon give you tips on how to walk on Chadar. It takes a while to get used to it, we recommend walking as much as possible. It will help you get comfortable walking on the glassy ice sheet. We call it the penguin walk. You will fall a few times but if you haven’t taken fall, you won’t be able to experience Chadar in whole. Our team will also be providing you crampons to wear on shoes for your safety all through the trek. Enjoy your first day camping while socializing and watching the sky. You’ll be in the hold of nature for the next 5 days!

One might think walking on ice is the hardest task at Chadar but yet more difficult is to climb out of your sleeping
bags and stepping out of the tent in the morning. On this day at Chadar, you’ll be leaving for the longest trek of the
whole trip. Leaving Tsomo Paldar around 9 o’ clock, you’ll be trekking 14 kms today. Wake up with the sun at about 7 am and prepare to leave the campsite by 9 am. Make sure you fill your thermos with warm water before you leave, all liquids
tend to freeze in this region given the extreme temperatures, so a thermos is a must. You will only get sunshine around 9-10 am, that too in patches as the giant Rocky Mountains on both sides of the Zanskar river block the sun. You’ll be
experiencing nothing but pure crisp air and huge rocks on both sides of you as you walk through this huge valley. The
color of the Zanskar river flowing in the middle is vibrant and deep blue and sometimes you will see water flowing
right beneath you under the thick ice sheet. You will see a few frozen waterfalls along the way. Our staff will cook you
a warm meal mid-way, so fill your bellies and enjoy a hot cup of tea. By 3 PM, you’ll be at Tibb, and the last 200-
meter walk is extremely gorgeous. The caves and gorges of Tibb will keep you in awe. You’ll be camping overnight at Tibb.

The trek from Tibb to Nerak is 12 kms long. This is the day when you encounter the much awaited frozen waterfall.The morning walk on the Chadar may feel like a walk inside a deep freezer. Your face should be the only exposed skin but it’s enough to give the deep freeze feeling. As you walk on the Chadar, listen to the sounds it makes. Depending on the thickness of the Chadar, the sounds change. You will soon start recognizing where the Chadar is thick and where it is thin and dangerous. The day is made beautiful with the cliffs and gorges and valleys of Chadar. 5 hours into the trek and after your lunch break is when you see the first sights of Nerak. Prayer flags around Juniper shrubs by the Chadar signal that you are now close to Nerak and before that the waterfall. Nerak is a village located about 2,000ft higher than the riverbed. The Chadar trekkers camp not at the village but at the camping ground 200 ft higher than the river. There is a lone shelter at Nerak campsite which serves as a Rafting point in the summer months. During winters, it serves as a shelter for the Chadar trekkers.

The return path is theoretically a retrace of the route you took the last 3 days but in reality, can feel like a totally new one. The dynamics of the Chadar can make the whole place look and feel different. Old Chadar breaks, new one’s form where there was none earlier, texture of the Chadar changes and so on. Sometimes the Chadar breaks right under your feet and floats away like a raft. You have no option but to run on to the safer sheet ahead. You see the same broken raft getting stuck somewhere downstream and other icicles clinging on to it to form a whole new Chadar elsewhere. The Chadar trek is an experience. Your experience and what you see
will be totally different from anyone else’s.Camp overnight at Tibb.

Today is the last day of the Chadar trek, and we will hike to Bakula. It will take you about 7 to 8 hours to reach Bakula. From Bakula, we will drive back to Leh and that marks the end of the Chadar The frozen river trek. Rest on the last day, make yourself comfortable in the cozy rooms with electric heating on the bed. You would enjoy the celebratory dinner on this day. Tap yourself you have finally completed one of the most challenging treks of India. Stay overnight at the hotel provided by us.

After the day, leaving on this day would be provided transport to the airport. We’ll be there to bid goodbye to you. Take back home the memories of the natural home you visited and cherish them on your way back. If you’re staying in Leh for a day or more, you can
rent bikes, visit monasteries and cherish your success and memories.