Himalaya Zanskar River Ice Trek

Overview

Chadar means blanket — the sheet of ice that forms on the Zanskar River each deep winter and becomes, for a few weeks, the only road through a gorge 600m deep. From Chilling you walk the frozen river itself for five days towards Nyerak, reading the ice as your Zanskari guides do: white and squeaky is good, black and wet means climb the bank. At night you sleep in smoke-blackened caves such as Tibb while the temperature falls past minus 25. The variable that catches people out is the ice itself. A warm spell can break the chadar mid-trek, forcing waist-deep wades or long waits, and the January-February window is narrowing as winters warm. Acclimatise properly in Leh at 3,500m first — medical checks and ALTOA registration are enforced — and know that gumboots from Leh market outperform expensive trekking boots on wet ice. Expect £900-1,400 for a guided package out of Leh including permits, camp staff and cave-camp equipment; flights to Leh are extra, and build in two spare days for weather.

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Prefilled for 1 January 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.