Sure, there is so much more about Ladakh than what we have experienced so far visiting Ladakh in summers. The lakes, clear blue sky and the Milky Way in the night are second to none. Ladakh is equally beautiful, serene and magnificent in winters. It is quieter and there are less people compared to the road trip summer season and you only tourists you see are the trekkers who visit to trek the frozen Zanskar (Chadar Trek), the Markha Valley or photography enthusiasts trying to spot a snow leopard.

The main market and most of the hotels, restaurants and cafes are closed. The temperatures go down to -5 to -15 degrees (a usual day) surely making the day to day life difficult. The taps, pipes and tanks are all frozen and so one has to heat up the drinking water as well.

Now these subzero temperatures also bring along best of nature as well. The frozen water bodies are a sight. When you walk on the frozen Pangong Tso, you realize it is actually beautiful in winters (to me, probably more than summers). One can actually drive or walk on the frozen lake. It is incredibly beautiful. If you are in Ladakh around late January, you will experience almost all the water bodies frozen and as mentioned earlier, it is incredibly beautiful.

Frozen Pangong:

We were all there for our chadar trek expedition with Wanderers and we kept 2 days in the beginning and 2 days in the end free for us to explore Ladakh in winters. I will be writing about the Chadar experience with Wanderers but in this blog, I wanted to just share with you all that it is equally important to explore Ladakh in Winters because there is (actually) no place like it.

We also went to see the Indian Army team playing Ice Hockey on a frozen water body close to Leh. I had absolutely no clue about Ice Hockey and so I was thrilled watching the Team play. It was so amazing that we all spent half a day just watching them play. While we all have reasons to complain when we get up in the morning, our soldiers try to figure out how to manage their day and follow their passion irrespective of how challenging the times are. Here is a quick view of an Ice Hockey match. If you are a nature lover, it is an amazing (for sure difficult if you are not equipped properly) to camp by the frozen river. Talking quickly about Chadar Trek and the frozen Zanskar here (as I said, the blog on Chadar will follow) but just a quick view of how amazing it is to camp by the flowing river when the sides (or the most part) of it are frozen. The temperatures go as low as -20 in the Zanskar valley and the winds make it difficult but at the end of the day it is all worth it. By the way, parts of Indus are also frozen and for long stretches as well. It is that almost all the water bodies are frozen making Ladakh a completely serene experience.

The zanskar and Indus confluence at Nimoo is a magnificent sight as well. One should experience that in winters. Here is the sight from Zanskar and Indus confluence.

Overall, I would like to say it was incredible to be with Wanderers at Ladakh in winters. I did some treks with them too and I thank Wanderers team for all their hospitality and the great times we had together.

Happy to be associated with Wanderers!!

It is not really a difficult trek : Someone who has attempted a few high altitude treks in Indian Himalayas can attempt the Everest Base Camp trek. Goes without saying that you need to be fit to scale the ascends and descends but it does not necessarily require an extremely hard training schedule. Scaling a height 18500 ft (5640 Meters) is obviously not going to be easy but it is a gradual ascend through multiple villages offering comfortable stays.

Home Stays instead of Camping : Almost all the treks in Nepal offer an organized and comfortable stay option. Overnight stays at Phakding, Namche, Tengboche, Dengboche, Lobuche and Gorakshep have home stays with beds, common (but clean) washrooms, multi cuisine restaurants and hot shower facility. Charging electronics comes with an additional cost but the good part is that it is available.

Phone coverage while on the trek : Buying two SIM Cards from Kathmandu (Thamel) provides you a complete coverage (well, almost) in the entire Khumbu region. Service providers NCell and Namaste Telecom (NTC) are the two preferred service providers and absolutely strong signals throughout the trek. You can also buy an Internet pack with it and Whatsapp and other social media tools are sorted.

Meeting trekkers from around the world : Meeting travellers from around the world just adds to the fun. Sharing experiences over dinner adds to your learning and helps you understand the challenges and thrill of other slopes around the world.

Thin air challenge : Trekkers who have trekked in Ladakh, India will understand the challenge of thin air. Although, it is important to acclimatize well before (and during) the trek but the trek is not as challenging as treks in Ladakh.

Witnessing eight thousanders : It is difficult to explain in words how it feels to witness the mighty Mt. Everest (8848 Mtr/29028 ft). Having said that, there are other mighty peaks that one witnesses on this trek. Mt Lhotse (8516 Mtr/27939 ft), Mt Makalu (8470 Mtr/27788 ft) and Mt Cho Oyu (8201 Mtr/26906 ft) are other 8000 Meters+ peaks that one experiences on the Everest base camp trek.

Chopper Services : Almost all the treks in Nepal have a very well organized rescue as well as chartered chopper services available. In case of any emergency, the chopper is available to lift you up even from Gorakshep. It is a cashless process (using the insurance) and you are in Kathmandu within 45–60 minutes.

Celebrating successful attempt : Thamel offers a great variety of muti cuisine restaurants, pubs and clubs. From wood fired pizzas to live rock shows everything is a just a few steps away. Travellers from around the world make it a great town to be in.

Season for the trek : Although the Everest Base Camp trek can practically be done throughout the year, the best time to attempt is March, April, May and September, October, November and December.

Attempting EBC via Gokyo Ri : Attempting Everest Base Camp trek via Gokyo Ri is an alternate, extremely beautiful and slightly more challenging option. Taking a different route from Namche Bazar via Dole through Gokyo village/Lakes, Chola Pass and connecting back to the EBC trail at Lobuche.