The Zanskar River is the first major tributary of the Indus River , equal or greater in volume than the main river, which flows entirely within Ladakh , India. It originates northeast of the Great Himalayan range and drains both the Himalayas and the Zanskar Range within the region of Zanskar . It flows northeast to join the Indus River near Nimo .
7-599: 33°46′19″N 76°50′43″E / 33.7719174°N 76.8453493°E / 33.7719174; 76.8453493 The Chadar Trek or the Zanskar Gorge trek is a winter trail over the frozen Zanskar River , which lies in the Indian union territory of Ladakh . It is traditionally the only means of travel in the area during the harsh winter months. The trail has become popular with foreign adventure tourists . The walls are near vertical cliffs up to 600 m high and
14-706: A narrow gorge towards Zanskar's central valley (known locally as gzhung khor), where it unites with the Doda river to form the main Zanskar river. This river then takes a north-eastern course through the dramatic Zanskar Gorge until it joins the Indus near Nimo in Ladakh . The area has homestays, Buddhist monastery and valley tourism. Lower (northern) sections of that gorge are popular in summer with tourists making rafting trips, typically from Chiling to Nimmu. In winter when
21-571: The Zanskar River (a tributary of the Indus ) flows in a narrow gorge that is only 5 metres (16 ft) wide in places. The overall distance is approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi) – an average trekker walks 16 kilometres (10 mi) per day. The best time to do the Chadar trek is January to February, when the temperature during the winters drops sometimes to -30 to -35 degrees. Chadar trek starts from Chilling however with time
28-547: The local wildlife, primarily the snow leopard . It used to be its prime territory for the snow leopards in the winter, but now they dwell up higher in the valley. Zanskar River Zanskar ( Zangs-kar ) means "white copper" or brass. In its upper reaches, the Zanskar has two main branches. First of these, the Doda , has its source near the Pensi-la 4,400 m (14,400 ft) mountain-pass and flows south-eastwards along
35-667: The main Zanskar valley leading towards Padum , the capital of Zanskar . The second branch is formed by two main tributaries known as Kargyag river, with its source near the Shingo La 5,091 m (16,703 ft), and Tsarap river, with its source near the Baralacha-La. These two rivers unite below the village of Purne to form the Lungnak river (also known as the Lingti or Tsarap). The Lungnak river then flows north-westwards along
42-463: The organisers tend to drive ahead to about 1 km away from the first camp at Tilad Sumdo (10,390 ft) or motorable Shingra Koma . Over the next days the trek moves to higher camps via Tsomo Paldar and Tibb cave to Nerak (11,150 ft). Nerak is the frozen waterfall and the return point of the trek, after this trekkers traverse back to the Shingra Koma starting point. There are other variations of
49-514: The trek which go until Lingshed , while a bigger version goes to Padum over almost 14 days. A road ( Nimmu–Padam–Darcha road / NPD Road, Nimmu is 35 KM from Leh on NH 1) is under construction by Border Roads Organization (BRO), under Ministry of Defense, to maintain year round connectivity between Leh and Zanskar (HQ- Padum) and is expected to complete in couple of years. The locals have been demanding this road, especially to answer medical emergencies during winter. The road construction has disturbed
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