India’s Largest & Safest Trekking Organisation

Indiahikes suspends treks till May 22 due to COVID-19 lockdown | April 3, 2020

With 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister of our country and the number of COVID-19 cases on a rise, it won't be possible to run any treks until the third week of May.

With deep regret, we have to call off the treks. It is just not going to be possible to run any trek in this Corona crisis. So, we are suspending all treks till May 22nd.

It was a tough decision for us to make. Most of our staff members are on a salary, with their livelihood depending on us and our decisions.

But COVID-19 crisis is a serious threat to our nation. All of us must make sacrifices to safeguard not only ourselves but also people around us. Not travelling now is the best thing we can do.

If you have an upcoming trek in these dates, check your inbox for an email from your Trek Coordinator. We have written to you with the next steps to take.

Please stay safe. And stay tuned for more updates.

Are you ready for #IHStayTrekFit Challenge? | March 30, 2020

Indiahikes Instagram has launched a brand new fitness challenge!

This is a unique challenge which revolves around indoor exercises and strength training to keep you fit. It consists of different exercises that focus on and strengthen various sections of your body.

From planks, push-ups, spot jogging, Russian twists to squats, bicycle crunches, this challenge has it all.

All these are stay-at-home exercises.

To participate, simply tag your workout pic with #IHStayTrekFit on Instagram and we will feature your pic in our Indiahikes Stories.

So, are you ready to take the challenge?      

Bingo Session: On Indiahikes Instagram | March 27, 2020

How many things have you experienced on a trek?

Right from asking 'aur kitna dur?' to having snowball fights, been stuck in a whiteout, slipped on ice to witnessing an alpen glow - what all have you done on treks?

To find out, we are holding a Bingo session on Indiahikes Instagram. And so many trekkers are hiking down the memory lane to tick off what they have done/experienced.

So, if you've ever been on a trek, now's the time to find what you've missed :)

See you on our Instagram!

The last glimpses of mountains before the pause | March 25, 2020

With Indiahikes treks on a pause, the past few days were spent evacuating the slopes.

Our Trek Leaders and mountain staff departed from the basecamps and travelled all the way back home.

On this note, sharing a last glimpse of the Kedarkantha trek. It is a photo shared by Trek Leader Pranav Dharamsey.

And, here's a message by Trek Leader Vivek Sahu, who reached home last night, "Finally I reached home now after many search and enquiries. And I am going on quarantine for 14 days to protect myself, my family and my dear ones. I have separate room. I hope I will be fine after 14 days."

Hope you all are quarantined too. Stay at home, stay safe and stay tuned for more updates.

Should you trek in the times of COVID-19? | March 19, 2020

Indiahikes Founder Arjun Majumdar says, "Yes and No." (Watch video)

He says, "Yes, you must trek. Trekking has tremendous benefits for the mind, body and spirit. Especially in these stressful times. If you are cooped up at home, with a work-from-home situation, then a trek can make you feel happier. It boosts your immunity and gets the hormones back in circulation.

But these are treks that you do on your own. These are treks that you do not go in groups (or with your friends).

These are not Himalayan treks. These are treks that you do out of your own city."

Indiahikes Trek Season On Pause Due To COVID-19 | March 20, 2020

Indiahikes Mountain Team is wrapping up campsites on the slopes.

But before storing equipment, our team is ensuring that everything - all tents, sleeping bags etc are washed, cleaned, sanitised and ready for the next use.

This is a herculean task. And yet, it is much-needed in times like these.

Indiahikes Operations Team is right now on its toes to get stock of all equipment and ration so we are ready to open batches as soon as the Coronavirus pandemic is contained.

We will keep sharing such behind-the-scene peeks. So, stay tuned for more news from the mountains.

Indiahikes Safety Measures against COVID-19 | March 12, 2020

Our teams have constantly been screening the travel history (past 40 days) and the health of trekkers. We are also checking those who have travelled within India to the zones most affected by COVID-19.

At our base camps, if trekkers come with any symptoms of cough, cold, fever, they are not allowed on the trek. Fortunately, we haven’t had to turn anyone around, because the pre-trek safety check is making sure no one with symptoms comes on the trek.

We are providing hygiene liners to all our trekkers. These are used as a first layer before entering sleeping bags. We are washing, disinfecting and sunning these liners thoroughly after every use.

We have issued isopropyl alcohol solution to all our camps. You may know that isopropyl alcohol is the main content of a hand sanitizer. It is a rubbing alcohol and kills germs. All our team members are constantly using these to stay hygienic.

Treks opened for the rest of the year | March 12, 2020

We have opened up batches for all our treks from June onwards, all the way to October.

This includes our Himachal treks like Hampta Pass, Bhrigu Lake, Beas Kund, and all our Uttarakhand treks like Dayara Bugyal, Rupin Pass and Brahmatal in the post-monsoon season.

We have also opened up dates to our Kashmir treks — Kashmir Great Lakes and Tarsar Marsar.

As a bonus, we have also opened up the Warwan Valley trek in Kashmir. We have been waiting for 4 years to open up this trek, and hopefully, this year works well for Kashmir.

So go ahead and postpone / plan your future trek. Let’s hope the Covid-19 is not here to stay.

Calling Off All Our Nepal Treks For Summer 2020 | March 12, 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced us to take a hard call on our international treks.

The whole world is trying to avoid international travel to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, and we feel this is a step trekkers must also take. India has already closed doors to other countries. Nepal is likely to follow suit.

So we will not be running our Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Khopra Ridge Trek or Everest Base Camp Trek.

We are as dejected as you, but when there is a question mark of safety, calling off these treks is the responsible thing to do.

Watch Latest News on Coronavirus, Green Trails, Snow On Treks  | March 11, 2020

Indiahikes News Video for the fortnight is out! In this video, Chief Editor, Swathi Chatrapathy takes us through the latest development around Covid-19 pandemic. This is especially for trekkers who are planning to travel from other countries for upcoming treks.

Apart from grim updates on the pandemic, Swathi takes us through some happy developments like Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) joining hands with Indiahikes to introduce 'sustainability' in its syllabus for mountain courses.

The trek news also covers surprise snowfall at Lohajung, the latest view from Chandrashila summit after we opened the route and a glimpse of Dayara Bugyal trek which is beautifully draped in snow.

So, if you're wondering what's been happening in the mountains, watch the trek news to find out!

NIM includes 'sustainability' in syllabus in collaboration with Indiahikes | March 10, 2020

Our Green Trails team has arrived at a collaboration with Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) to include sustainability as a subject in their course. Starting now, anyone doing a Basic Mountaineering Course, or an adventure course will be learning about sustainability in the mountains while they do these courses.

Our Green Trails team has been pushing for this for the past one year. And, this is just a beginning. We also have a meeting scheduled with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttarakhand on March 12 to introduce such a course with the forest department.

We are going to be working with a lot of other institutions and the forest department to make sustainability a part of the trekking ecosystem in our country. This is our final goal - to define the future of trekking in our country.    

COVID-19: What to do if your local store is out of hand sanitizer | March 9, 2020

For any trek you're going on, we strongly recommend carrying hand sanitizers along with you. Rub your hands with hand sanitizer once every two hours, especially on your train / road journeys to your base camp.

But many trekkers are worried that their local stores have run out of hand sanitizers.

So here's an alternative that works as effectively: Buy isopropyl alcohol which is available at medical stores. Mix 9 parts of isopropyl alcohol with 1 part aloe vera gel (either store-bought or natural gel). You could add 5-6 drops of clove oil / tea tree oil for extra antibacterial properties. This will give you a hand sanitizer with 70% alcohol content. It's safe to rub on your skin and works as well as a store-bought hand sanitizer.

You could head over to this page for a detailed recipe.