Trekking from Suraj tal to Chandra Tal during August

Hi Everyone!
This is my first post on India Mike. We are planning a trek from Suraj Tal to Chandra Tal during Aug, 2012. We are based out of Bangalore and this is our first visit to Lahul-Spiti area, and posting here hoping to get some advice from experts :-) . Following are the main questions:

1. Can someone please recommend a good guide for that area and some advice on what should a reasonable charge to organize the trek? We are a small group - 2 to 3 people
2. Are tents etc needed or can one stay in the villages en route
3. Is august good? I have heard from some sources that it may get difficult on this route due to melting glaciers
4. How much time should be spent for acclimatisation and where
5. Any other advice as seems fit

Thanks a lot

Let me first clarify, I am not an expert but had planned this trip from the opposite side and can say the following:
1. Surajtal (actually Baralacha La) is 5000m and Chandratal 3800m, so you are going in reverse. Bad for acclimitisation. See if you can do it the other way round.
2. At this kind of height, couple of nights at good height (3000-3500m plus) before starting is recommended (Losar is the closest place to Chadrataal). You could spend one night extra at Chadratal as well. AMS is not very predictable so if you don't have time, you could straightway spend first night at Chandratal and start.
3. August is supposed to be dry there and while you cross two rivers (done early morning when they have less volume). Not heard of glacier melt causing problems but better cross check.
4. You will need Tents after Chadrataal as there are no villages enroute.

@treksen
I had done Chandrataal to baralacha last year in July end. You can see the blog here

I know the name/number of the guide who assisted me during this trek. PM me if you want the details as I think it is against forum rules to promote a particular person/company.

regards
sathya

rajatsurey: Thanks a lot for the inputs. So, is acclimatization the main reason why most people do it Chandratal-> Surajtal and not the other way round? Or are there other disadvantages to it as well? Is spending a couple of nights at Surajtal likely to be enough for acclimatization. We were actually open to start either from either from chadratal or baralacha la, but wanted to start from the later so that we could spend an extra night at chandratal at the end of the trek. Also, what is AMS?

vsathyanarayan: Nice blog and awesome photos ... getting more and more motivated to do this trek. I will send to a separate mail of the contacts. But could you please advice on the expected cost - for a group of 2 to 3?

Well, AMS is acute mountain sickness (happens because of lack of oxygen as one goes at higher altitudes). Most people do lower to higher altitude as your body progressively acclimitises to greater heights. Some people do it the other way (as you are basically coming down rather than climbing) - but not recommended and certainly not if you are not experienced trekker at that altitude. If you get sick you will not enjoy the trip so better be safe than sorry.

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, definitely makes sense. And valuable advice too. Will plan to start from Chandratal.

A generic question: It seems, for all the right reasons, that posting personal contacts is not allowed on this site, neither is posting recommendation on guides/ other service providers. But if one wants to request the same from another member on a personal basis, what is the channel? Doesn't look like its possible to send direct email to another member?

I think I passed you on the way, you were going to Chandratal, I was returning to Batal.

Not much to contribute, but there I met a Czech couple in Batal who had had problems crossing the snow bridges and had aborted the trek. So perhaps that is something to keep in mind. On the other hand ^vsathyanarayan did it afterwards and I don't think he had the same problem.

Also I've seen plenty of people post numbers/details of guides, I think there's no problem with legitimate suggestions/recommendations of that sort.

thanks aaaaag. So folks, could you please provide pointers to some guides / trek organizers etc. I do understand that this will be suggestions only and I will apply due diligence from my end:-) ... but recommendations from people experienced in that area will be valuable to newbies like us.

So, these snow bridges - they would tend to melt somewhat in the summer months / later in the day - right?

You can send private messages (PM) once you have made 10 posts. As mentioned by Aaaag (hope got the number of a's right!!), the rule is to avoid marketing someone and making this a commercial site. A genuine sharing of recos and contacts should be okay - but it is better done through PM to be on the safer side.

I have contact of a guide who I had contacted for Chandratal-Baralacha La but did some other trek instead so cannot vouch for his quality.

Mod note: while we do not allow recommendations of guides, hotels, drivers etc by NEW members (in case they are advertising) it is quite OK for senior and long-standing members to do so. The purpose of Indiamike.com is to share information in PUBLIC so please share your recommendations here on the forum itself so that other members can benefit too.