Green Trails in India

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Rick Mc

Indiahikes.com is our favourite hiking site for the subcontinent. Very professional.

Since 2011 they’ve been promoting hiking in India. One problem was poor infrastructure for waste management on the trails.

To stay sustainable for the future, all their hikes are litter-free. In fact they pick up more than they bring. Indiahikes groups carried out over 2 tons of trash last year.

Film maker Lakshmi Rebecca — a non-hiker — joins the company on India’s most popular hike, Roopkund. She filmed the adventure.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

India can’t rely on governments to solve waste management. Organizations like this are needed.

Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Rick Mc

This Women-Run Guide Service is Changing Himalayan Trekking in India

Back in 2009, Thinlas Chorol set up the Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company, which has the distinction of being Ladakh’s first travel company completely owned and operated by women. It is also known for promoting ecotourism. …

… With the encouragement she received at SECMOL (Students Education and Culture Movement of Ladakh, an organization that helps educate children from remote regions of Ladakh) and the support of her American English teacher, Thinlas went on to gain some commendable professional expertise.

She attended a mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) and spent a semester at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand, where she picked up wilderness and leadership skills. …

Since then, many Ladakhi women have approached her to train them as trekking guides and, today, the company has 8 guides, 4 trainees and 20 employees in all. …

Ladakh’s First and Only All-Women Travel Company and the Woman Who Started it All

official website – ladakhiwomenstravel.com

Jyrgalan Trek, Kyrgyzstan

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Rick Mc

June 20 – September 20 is the hiking season.

Alesha and Jarryd:

Everything you need to know about the Jyrgalan trek, the newest adventure destination in Kyrgyzstan! …

As this trek is still brand new and under development, exact costs are

still being worked out. It really depends on how much support you are looking to take with you in terms of cooks and horsemen.

For a general idea though expect to pay around $50 per person per day, including a guide, basic food, a cook, pack horse and horseman to carry your gear. …

The trek we did was spread out over 3 days, 2 nights, but this can be personalized …

If you don’t travel with trekking gear this is not a problem, as you can rent almost everything from EcoTrek in Karakol, or pick up stuff in Bishkek. …

Breaking Trail On Kyrgyzstan’s New Jyrgalan Trek

NEW – Phulara Ridge Trek, India

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Rick Mc

Best months: March to May, September to mid-November.

This trail starts off from Sankri, which is in western Uttarakhand, almost touching Himachal. If you are familiar with Kedarkantha, it has the same base camp, Sankri. However, the trail to Phulara ridge heads in a different direction.

From Sankri, over two days and two camps, you climb up to the Phulara ridge. That’s when the fun begins. You traverse this ridge for a long time — it’s almost an entire day’s trek. …

India Hikes – Phulara Ridge

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

India Hikes covers over 200 trails. Check out indiahikes.com

INDIA – 13 best treks

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Rick Mc

India Hikes recommendations:

1. Rupin Pass
2. Roopkund
3. Kashmir Great Lakes
4. Buran Ghati
5. Pin Bhaba Pass
6. Tarsar Marsar
7. Kedarkantha Trek
8. Kuari Pass
… see our Kauri INFO page
9. Gaumukh Tapovan
10. Goechala
11. Hampta Pass
12. Sandakphu Phalut
13. Brahmatal

Brahmatal

The trekking is GREAT in India. But logistics are often troublesome.

Next time I get to the subcontinent I plan to try a guided trip with India Hikes.

However, their list is certainly not definitive. Markha Valley is our favourite trek in India. It’s not included.

find a trekking guide for Nepal

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Rick Mc

Micah Hanson is an expert on independent trekking in the Himalayas (indietrekking.com).

In collaboration with a Sherpa friend from Nepal, Micah launched Sherpana.com.

There hikers who don’t want to go it alone can book trekking guides online and review the guides.

In addition the site allows people to join each others treks, if they choose, so that they can share the cost of the trip with other trekkers. (It reminds me of TrekkingPartners.com, a site I’ve used in the past.)

They’ve tried to make pricing as transparent as possible, and allow people to book only the guide and pay for the food and lodging directly to the lodge owners.

Prices do look competitive. For example, this upcoming trek:

Everest Base Camp Trek (13 days)

Price for 2 hikers would be $352 (each) for 13 days, but you can add extra days and side trips like the Cho La pass to Gokyo, ect. Extra days for 2 people, would be an extra $15.50 per person per day.