Trekking and chilling in the Indian Himalayas

warreng

Hi.
Myself and 2 mates have got 2 weeks in India (last two weeks of October) to play with.

We are all wedded to the corporate ladder so time is precious and we need to be quite organised. Ideally we would like to do a trek for 5/6 days, see some amazing landscape, and kick-back for the rest of the days either side of the trek in small towns/villages and get involved in the local culture. Ideally we do not want to go too high up 4,000 m + as we have not got much time to aclimatize.

So chilling, trekking and some more chilling.

I have done alot of reading and there seems to be plenty of options. But can anyone recommend a good route/itineray we could take from personal experiences? We fly in and out of Delhi, but think we want to spend as little time as possible there and head straight up north. Ideally we don't want to be doing the trek with thousands of others.

Any help would be most appreciated. Cheers.

IainC

Singalila Ridge Trek, Darjeeling.

warreng

Cheers for relpying Ian, but we are looking to go up to Himachal Pradesh or Uttaranchal.

Annie_T

Chamba in HP. Contact Orchard Huts ( the name is something like that) thru Mani Mahesh Travels. They have a beautiful place - great house, amazing food and lots of peace and quiet and few tourists. Chamba is a great little town. MM Travels organise treks all over the place so just give them your time limits etc.

IainC

I haven't been to Chamba but I have been to Mcleodganj, which is a little old Hill Station that is home to the Tibetan Government in Exile, which might fit the bill, or Manali. Manali itself is very busy but Old Manali is good for chilling. Both towns have lots of short treks.

warreng

Cheers guys, all sounds great - I'm busting to get there. any experiences of Spiti/Lahaul valleys?

IainC

Sorry I haven't been to Spiti, but I plan to next year. If you see any pony or yak caravans heading for Ladakh, can you let me know?

Midnite Toker

Start in Almora, where it is easy to arrange porters and guides (try the Shikar Hotel for a first contact). Next day, you go on a bus to the starting point of the Pindari Glacier trek - 4 to 5 days. This trek stays below 4000 metres (although there's lots of climbing and descending).

Another suggestion is to take an early morning "press taxi" from Rishikesh to Joshimath then trek up over the Kuari Pass to the village of Ghat.
Joshimath is a smaller place than Almora, though... you might have to wait a day or two for a porter/guide, whereas in Almora you're almost certain to find someone for the next day. Also, not far from Almora is the Papa Sali ridge - a bit of a mellow place to hang out. Or half an hour in a share-taxi takes you to the hippy hamlet of Kesar Devi. Some good day walks around the area. Both of these latter places have superb views to the Himalaya, plus reasonable joints to stay in.

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iasis

Ok...so if you want to do a trek from Himachal Pradesh..I believe you have to try the Chandrakhani pass...From Naggar all the way up to the mountain-you will reach the 3900m altitude- and then starting getting down to Malana valley! The landscape is beautifull and is the most beautifull way to go to Malana although the most difficult one!
Imagine that you have to walk about 5h per day...one day to reach the top and camp(6h also possible..it depends on your physical condition) and the next day the way down to Malana village...(another 5h) and camp or rent a room in Malana...and then the last day the way from Malana to Jaree...(5h)! From Jaree you can go into the Parvati valley(Kasol-Kalga-Pulga etc) or go up if you like Manali etc....!
Take care and have fun!

Midnite Toker

I've not done this particular trek, but it sounds like a fantastic one. However, a few words of caution, in case you haven't seen the reports from this region over the last five years: You should really only consider a trek in the Parvatti valley with a trusted group, as many people have disappeared or been murdered in this region. Even those wandering alone away from Mannikaran have met a gruesome end. Some speculate drugs mafia are operating... whatever, it's certainly not safe if you are one or two doing it under your own steam.

Manali's an OK place to hang out, but you have to like the "scene," thick with Israelis on Enfields and carrot cake munchies.

Alan D

Too many foreigners have disappeared in mysterious circumstances in this precise area. The trek sounds great but I would advise not walking it alone (accidents can happen). To date these disappearances have not been explained despite lengthy investigations by the police, the international media and also, I think, the Israeli Intelligence services.

As MT says only go with a few people you know and trust.