Chadar Trek

The Chadar trek is a winter walk on the frozen Zanskar river in Ladakh. Chadar means sheet: the ice that forms over the river in the coldest weeks, and for a few days that ice is your trail. It runs 9 days, 8 nights from Leh, in January and February only.

The first three days stay in Leh, at about 3,500 m. One is a walk around Tsemo Monastery and Shanti Stupa to get used to the cold and to walking in it. Another takes in Shey and Thikshey, the medical check and the permit. Then a drive of about 3 hours, over Tilad Do and Bakula, brings you to the river. You step onto the ice for the first time near Tsomo, with a short walk and an afternoon to learn how to place your feet.

After that the gorge closes in. You walk to Tibb Cave past waterfalls and caves, then on to the camp beside the river below Naerak, where a huge frozen waterfall waits. The way back retraces the same ice to Tibb Cave, the road-head at Bakula and Leh. You sleep in tents on the river, and the nights can drop to -30 C.

It is a trek for people who are fit, comfortable in the cold and happy to go slowly on uneven ground. The longer Classical Chadar is a separate trip on the same river; see the trek bytes below for how the two differ.

• Days: 9 days, 8 nights, Leh to Leh.
• Highest point: 3,500 m, which is Leh itself. The river camps are lower.
• Grade: challenging. Walking days run 3 to 6 hours, on ice, rock and snow.
• Season: January and February, best from mid January to mid February.
• Getting there: from Leh airport and back, pickup and drop included.

The cold is the hard part, not the altitude. We build in the Leh days, and the ice decides the rest.

• Walking on the frozen Zanskar: for five days the river ice is the path, through deep gorges with rock walls on both sides.
• Three days in Leh first: a gentle walk around Tsemo Monastery and Shanti Stupa, then Shey and Thikshey, so you meet the winter cold before you meet the river.
• Your first steps on the Chadar: the drive from Leh ends at the river, and day 4 is a short walk to Tsomo, with time to learn the ice.
• Waterfalls and caves on the way to Tibb Cave: the walk of day 5 passes waterfalls and caves in the gorge, and the locals on the trail tell the story of the place.
• The frozen waterfall near Naerak: day 6 is long, 13 km, and the frozen waterfall near the village is its reward. The camp is beside the river.
• Nights down to -30 C: camping on the river in the coldest weeks of Ladakh, a rare winter trek, with hot meals and hot drinks through the day.
• A winter road for Zanskar: the frozen river has long been the way in and out for Zanskaris in winter, and you walk the same route.

The Chadar is the frozen top layer of the Zanskar river. In summer this is a fast, cold river in a gorge. In the coldest weeks of Ladakh the surface freezes into a sheet, and the sheet becomes a path through the gorge. That is the whole idea of the Chadar trek: you walk on the river.

The ice is not the same every year. A strong chadar needs good wind and subzero temperatures, and snow does not help it. Because of that, the best weeks change from year to year. As a rule, the middle of January to the middle of February is the best time, and that is why this trek runs in January and February only. It sits outside the June to mid-October season of our other Ladakh treks.

A strong chadar is the first requirement for a safe and good trek. We read the ice as we go and keep the schedule second to it.

Why the river matters in Zanskar

The frozen river has long been the way into and out of Zanskar in winter. Locals still use it. On day 5 you walk deep into the gorge, and the story of the place is better heard on the trail from the Zanskari people themselves than read in advance.

What the route looks like

The trek is an out and back walk. From the road-head near Bakula you step down to the river bed and reach Tsomo. Then you walk on to Tibb Cave, and on to the camp beside the river below Naerak, and come back the same way. The trail is on ice, rock, snow and river bed. The top of the whole trip is Leh at 3,500 m, and the river camps are between about 3,150 m and 3,400 m.

We tell you the days and the temperatures before you go, because the cold is the part to prepare for.

If you are weighing the dates, tell us the month and the weeks you can travel, and we will tell you what the ice usually does around then.

The river part of the Chadar trek is five days. They are not equal, and it helps to know which is which.

Day 4: Leh to Tsomo. A drive of about 3 hours, over Tilad Do and Bakula, brings you to the road-head. You go down from the road to the Zanskar river bed and walk along its sides to the camp at Tsomo (3,150 m). The first steps on ice involve some swaying, balancing and slipping, and everyone has to learn it. The walk is short on purpose, and the rest of the day is for the camp.

Day 5: Tsomo to Tibb Cave. About 3 hours and 7 km, with lunch on the way. You are deep in the gorge now, with waterfalls and caves beside the ice. The campsite at Tibb Cave (3,190 m) is reached early, and the afternoon is rest.

Day 6: Tibb Cave to Naerak. This is the longest day of the way in: 5 to 6 hours and 13 km. It is also the day the itinerary calls the most rewarding of the trek, because of the huge frozen waterfall near Naerak. We camp beside the river rather than climbing to the village, and anyone who wants to can walk up to Naerak for photographs.

Day 7: Naerak back to Tibb Cave. 4 to 5 hours and 13 km, retracing the route. The ice looks different on the way back, and the light is different.

Day 8: Tibb Cave to Bakula and Leh. 5 to 6 hours and 14 km, passing Tsomo again, to the road-head at Bakula. From there we return to Leh.

Day 9 is departure from Leh airport.

Day lengths are 3 to 6 hours, and the longer days are the two 13 km days and the last 14 km. There is no pass on this trek. The effort is the cold, the footing and the days on ice.

You camp each night on the river. Hot lunch is served on the trail on the walking days, with tea and hot drinks through the day.

Most people read the itinerary and ask why three of nine days are spent in Leh. The reason is the cold and the altitude together.

Leh sits at about 3,500 m, and the Ladakh administration asks every visitor to rest for at least 48 hours in and around Leh before going higher, especially after flying in. On the Chadar the river camps are lower than Leh, so the altitude is behind you once you are on the ice. But a flight from Delhi puts you at 3,500 m in a day, and in winter you land in the cold as well. The two Leh days give the body time to settle.

Day 1: arrival. You are met at Leh airport, taken to the guest house, and you meet the team over evening snacks. The leader briefs the trek, and you have dinner. The flights land only in the morning, because of the afternoon winds, and in winter snow or cloud often delay them.

Day 2: acclimatisation. A walk of 5 to 6 hours around Tsemo Monastery and Shanti Stupa, both at about 3,600 m. The goal is to get used to the weather and to walking in these conditions, which matters more on this trek than on a summer one.

Day 3: Shey and Thikshey. A morning at Shey Palace and Thikshey Monastery (about 3,600 m). The medical check at the SNP hospital and the permit from the district administration are handled the same day.

The winter in Leh

Winter is very harsh in Ladakh. Daytime temperatures in town stay between about -6 and -9 C, and after sunset they go below -18 C. Many shops and hotels close for the season. On the trek too, heating ice for water takes time, and the camp routine is built around it.

The temperatures you plan for on the river range from about -9 C by day to -25 C and colder at night, and the nights can drop to -30 C. This is why the first days are for the walk, the layers and the rhythm of a winter morning. The cold is easier to meet at 3,500 m on day 2 than on the ice on day 4.

Plan one spare day around your flights if you can: flights in winter are often delayed.

We run two Chadar pages, and they are two different trips. Both are winter treks on the frozen Zanskar river, so both belong to the January and February season, not to the summer Ladakh season of June to mid-October.

This trek: the Chadar trek from Leh. It runs 9 days, 8 nights, with three days in Leh and five on the river. From the road-head near Bakula you walk to Tsomo, Tibb Cave and the camp near Naerak, and return by the same route. It is the shorter and more usual way to experience the Chadar, and it needs the least time off.

The other: the Classical Chadar trek, the longer version via Zangla and Padum. This is a longer route that goes on towards Zangla and Padum, in the deeper part of Zanskar. Its page has the days and details. If you have more time and want the fuller version of the river, that is the one to read.

How to choose

• Choose this one if you want your first Chadar, with a defined number of days, and the walk out and back from Leh.
• Choose the classical version if you want the longer route through Zanskar and have the extra days.

Neither is a trek for a first winter outing in light layers. Both depend on the ice, and both are challenging in the cold more than in the height.

If you are coming to Ladakh in summer

The Chadar is not a summer trek. If you are planning for June to mid-October, the Markha Valley trek is the classic Ladakh walk of that season, and it uses the same kind of acclimatisation day in Leh.

Send us your dates and what you want from the trip, and we will tell you which of the two fits.

A winter trek puts a lot on the way it is run. The Chadar is the clearest example in our Ladakh list.

Private, small groups. Your group is your own, usually 2 to 10 people, and the pace is set by the group and by the ice, not by a crowd. Day 4 and day 5 are short, so the camp and the ice come first.

Camping on the river. You sleep in tents beside the river at Tsomo, Tibb Cave and below Naerak. Winter camping means hot food and hot drinks at every stop, and the team heating ice to make water, which takes time and fuel. Mornings begin early, with hot coffee and breakfast.

Judgment on the ice. A strong chadar is the first requirement for a safe trek. We read it as we go, and the schedule comes second to it.

Who it suits

It suits someone who is fit, comfortable in the cold, and happy to walk 3 to 6 hours a day on uneven ground for several days. Good fitness matters, and so does a willingness to be slow and careful on ice. It does not suit someone who dislikes the cold or who wants comfort.

What the days feel like

Leh days are rest and short walks. River days start early, and you are in camp by afternoon. Evenings are tea, snacks, soup and dinner, then the sleeping bag. We brief the group on the days ahead and what to wear.

Acclimatisation and rest days are built into this itinerary from the start, not added later.

Tell us your dates, your winter experience and the pace you prefer, and we will shape the days with you.