Chadar – The Frozen River Trek

How often does one boast about walking on a frozen river in a dreamlike destination? Stamped as one of the most thrilling experiences in Ladakh for an adventure aficionado, the Chadar trek route connects villages in the Zanskar valley deep in the mountains with Chilling and the frozen Zanskar River.

Bringing back the vigour of younger days, the once-in-a-lifetime experience will make you come across breathtaking sights. It also gives you the much-needed nudge to be physically fit before you even get there.

The Chadar frozen river trek is an extremely glamorous trek. It is easy to see why. Travel magazines worldwide show incredible pictures of Buddhist monks walking bare feet on the frozen river. The Discovery and the National Geographic channels have both made films on the Chadar trek. Anyone who returns from the Chadar trek adds to the aura around it by talking about the conditions in a revering way.

It is a 6 day trek in inhospitable conditions. It is a trek over a frozen river in Ladakh. Average mean temperature during the day is minus 10. In the night, temperatures fall to minus 20 and 25. Ice forms, breaks and changes colour on the river every few hours. At places the Chadar (or ice) does not form over the river. Trekkers then have to forge a new trail climbing over snow covered embankments to descend to a spot on the river where the ice is more stable. The truth is the extreme conditions are not hard to beat.
With multiple layers and sensible trekking, the Chadar trek is not a very difficult trek. But what sets it apart is its unique experience. Everything about it is unique: the scenery, temperature, atmosphere, the frozen river, sledges, unusual camp sites, caves and the ever changing Chadar. So unique that it has to be experienced. In our Indiahikes list of treks, the Chadar, by far, is the most unique trek.