Travel and trekking in the Himalayas.
Some flowers that I photographed and later tried to identify on the Tirath trek, roughly arranged by location. Chalocha (2300m) Large bellflower on the trail near Chalocha Nada Thatch (3250m) and Shankha (2800m) Ruby cinquefoil at Nada Thatch False strawberry Tiny Asiatic forget-me-not Around Tirath (~3700m) Alpine bistort in the grassy meadow A rattle lousewort near a stream Himalayan marsh…
The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu is one of the best-preserved wilderness areas in India. One of its most remarkable treks leads to the Hans Kund spring, regarded by the locals as the source of the Tirthan river. The area surrounding the spring aptly called Tirath, is a significant pilgrimage site for the people of the Seraj region.
Kareri Lake is a high altitude glacial lake situated at an altiutde of around 3000 metres on the trail to Minkiani Pass. In 2021, I was based out of Dharamsala in March and decided to visit Kareri Lake over the Holi weekend. Usually the route doesn’t open till mid April but with hardly any snowfall in the winters the way up to the lake was already free from snow in March. The lake used to be less…
In October 2019, I did a solo trek through the Markha valley taking the classic route that goes from Stok to Hemis and crosses three high passes - Stok La, Ganda La and Kongmaru La. The trek can be done independently in the summers as most of the villages have basic homestays or campsites with food available on demand. I spent the first night in my own tent, the next 4 nights in homestays and the…
It was a fine September morning as I reached Leh, more than 9 years after my last visit. As most of the establishments in Leh had closed before the onset of winter, I decided to look for accommodation close to the main market. After about an hour of walking around, I found a decent budget hotel (Mehak) to stay at the start of Changspa Road. By the time I checked in, I was feeling hungry and really…
This is a trek report of a not so frequented trek that I did with a couple of my friends in the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). Our original plan was to go to Tirath, the source of Tirthan river, but that route was closed due to incessant rains in the days preceding our visit. We asked our guide for some other routes within the park and took up the most interesting option that he could…
Prashar is a small lake situated in the Himalayan foothills, about 49 km north of Mandi town in Himachal Pradesh. The lake lies in between the Dhauladhar and the Pir Panjal ranges and offers breathtaking views of both. Prashar is accessible by road most of the year except in the winter from late December to February. There is also a 7 km trail that starts from a village named Baagi that is…