Over the past few years, we have been facing a hard reality. We have seen increasing treks suspended due to external factors like landslides, flash floods, snowstorms, extreme weather, sudden government restrictions, and even local unrest. Surprisingly, even our small weekend treks in South India have seen unexpected closures due to elephant movement and forest fires.

In such cases, we try our best to create alternative treks for trekkers on the same date, but that is not always possible. In such cases, we issue vouchers for the whole trek fee, which is valid for a year.

However, despite the vouchers, trekkers feel the pinch in their wallets. This is mainly because their flight and accommodation expenses are wasted.

Re-introducing The Indiahikes Shield:

This is why, last year, we introduced the Indiahikes Shield—a comprehensive protection plan for your trek.

Subscribing to the shield entitles you to a full refund of your trek fee, even in the event of a last-minute trek suspension from our end.

The Indiahikes Shield is a safeguard against all trek suspensions: weather disruptions, government orders, security concerns, war-like situations, or any other external factor.

Here’s how the Indiahikes Shield works:

You can buy the shield for a small fee to protect your upcoming trek. You'll be able to add the Shield during the registration process.

If you have opted for the Indiahikes Shield, in case we suspend treks due to unforeseen circumstances, you are entitled to a 100% refund of the trek fee.

PS: The Shield does not apply if you cancel the trek on your own.

You might wonder if the shield is necessary. Why add to the trek fee? 

This small investment could save you from a significant financial loss. To give you a live example, over 120 trekkers have already benefitted from the Shield this year, as we were compelled to cancel our Jammu & Kashmir treks in May & June in light of the Pahalgam attack.

Every season, many of our groups get called off due to unforeseen circumstances. These are not in your hands or ours. The Indiahikes Shield protects you from a money loss in such situations. We strongly urge you to opt for the Indiahikes Shield.

We noticed that not enough trekkers know about this facility we have at Indiahikes, which is why we thought we would reintroduce it to you today. We hope you make the best of it.

Many trekkers write to us looking for treks that help them switch off from the world and reconnect with themselves.

At Indiahikes, we believe that every trek has the potential to do this, especially when the experience is thoughtfully facilitated.

Still, some trekkers are searching for something beyond scenic beauty and adventure. They’re drawn to treks that feel deeper, more reflective, even spiritual.

So we spoke with our teams, and they pointed to a few treks that consistently leave a lasting impact on the mind, body, and spirit.

As we listened, we realised these treks do have a certain energy—something about them feels almost otherworldly.

The list may be short, but each trek offers the kind of deep, transformative experience so many trekkers are seeking.

Most people don’t know what goes on before a trekking season begins. Our team conducts a high-stakes recce of every route, often with just a small crew moving at a rapid pace. These recces are critical to assess trail accessibility, identify risk zones, and prepare for sections where technical support might be needed. It’s one of the many ways we ensure safety at high altitudes.

 Here’s an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes account from the team in the field. A lot of it might sound casual since it was sent on an informal WhatsApp chat, but it takes a high order of experience and skill to pull off something like this:

Written by Faizan Devdi 
Experience Manager, Indiahikes 

Yesterday, Trek Leaders Shivam, Yashwant, and I went on a speed hike to Kedartal.

We couldn’t make it to the lake. We had to turn back just 500 metres before it due to extreme weather conditions. We were also running a little late because we hadn’t anticipated how tricky the Spider Wall and the stream crossings would be and ended up spending a lot of time there.

Kedartal is such an underrated trek—seriously. I feel bad for not knowing earlier how raw and thrilling the experience is.

According to our plan, we were supposed to start from Gangotri at 5 in the morning and return to base by 6 in the evening. With this plan, we would’ve covered 24 km and approximately 5,000 ft of elevation gain.

Each section of the trail had an adventure waiting for us. The beginning itself is a steep ascent for about two hours.

I’d only heard about the Spider Wall on this trek. I finally got to witness it yesterday, and what an adventure it was! It completely tested our skills. We tried to navigate the wall for almost 45 minutes. Every step demanded full focus.

There are multiple rockfall zones, too. Thankfully, we were carrying helmets. Miss a sight, and a rock could easily come rolling over your head. Since it was just the three of us, we made sure to cross these sections carefully and look out for each other.

In just one day’s hike, we had to cross the river four times.

The streams weren’t too wide—they were fairly narrow—but the current was strong. A couple of times, we stepped in but had to come right back because the water went above our waists. Eventually, we found the right spots and crossed all sections safely.

And honestly, I’ve never seen such majestic mountain views on an Uttarakhand trek before. I said what I had to say.

There were so many huge mountains, one after the other—almost all of them above 6,000 metres.

On the way, we saw herds of blue sheep—so many of them! They stared at us, looking all confused, while we just got more and more excited seeing them.

The idea behind the speed hike was to do a quick recce since we had limited time. But it was also to push our limits and see where we stand as Trek Leaders. More than anything, it was just about enjoying the trail for what it is.

Even while struggling at the Spider Wall, navigating the streams, and staying alert in rockfall zones, we kept smiling and laughing throughout the day. We shared stories and got to know each other a little better. It gave us space to talk about our trek-leading journeys at Indiahikes and our future aspirations—openly and without judgment.

Despite all the challenges, the trek made us fall in love with trekking a little more.

While we’re a bit sad that we couldn’t make it to the lake, we have no regrets about turning back just 500 metres short—safety comes first.

Proud of Shivam and Yashwant. Both of them showed incredible leadership and outdoor skills yesterday. I was happy to see the amount of knowledge they both have. I personally learnt a lot of things from them.

It’s a story added to our backpack now, and this shall be shared with a lot of pride for years to come.

If there's one trek that is underrated in our country, it is the Pin Bhaba Pass trek. But within Indiahikes, it's a different story.

"Pin Bhaba Pass is among the most sought-after treks internally at Indiahikes. Every trek leader has it on their bucket list. It is among the top 3 treks for Sandhya and me. We had never seen a pass crossing like this before," shares Arjun Majumdar, founder and CEO of Indiahikes. He and Sandhya, our co-founder, documented the trek together in 2016.

What trekkers don't know (yet) is that the scenery on this trek is grander than anything they have seen. Yes, it is tougher than most other pass crossings, but the rewards are disproportionately high.

Since words can do only so much justice, we have instead made a tribute video to Pin Bhaba Pass, a part of our classic Why We Love series.

This film celebrates the Pin Bhaba Pass trek like nothing else can, with some phenomenal visuals from the trail shot by our seasoned filmmaker, Dhaval Jajal. More than that, it shows five seasoned trekkers from Indiahikes sharing their love for the trek from the bottom of their hearts.

Incidentally, just today, we opened a few additional groups to the Pin Bhaba Pass trek since most groups were full. You'll find them here.

Written by Lakshmi Selvakumaran
Head of Green Trails, Indiahikes 

A month and a half ago, we made a quiet but important decision at Indiahikes.

For a few years now, we had stepped back from working closely with the local communities around our base camps. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to. We just weren’t sure how much of a difference we could make when it came to a problem as deep-rooted as waste. 

We’ve always been able to handle waste on treks. It’s built into our system—our teams green sweep trails week after week, trekkers pitch in, and we have regular clean-up drives. But waste in villages… that’s a whole different story. It’s larger, more permanent, and honestly, quite overwhelming. The kind of waste we saw around the villages we work in—plastic wrappers, broken glass, old packaging—made our weekly clean-ups feel like drops in the ocean.

But something shifted at the beginning of this quarter.

We asked ourselves a simple question: What if we just started small?

Not with grand solutions or campaigns. Just with simple steps. Conversations. Clean-ups. A bit of awareness here, a small session there. We decided to stop waiting for the “right” way to help and instead begin with what we already knew—how to care for a place.

So we rolled up our sleeves and started cleaning. We spoke to school children. We invited them to join us. We walked through villages with them, collecting waste, sharing stories about the mountains, talking about where trash ends up, and how small changes at home can make a big difference.

Today, in just 1.5 months, we’ve done over 12 Community Outreach Programmes. Over 90 students have joined us. And together, we’ve collected 1,052.1 kg of waste.

The harder part? Each piece of waste has been segregated by our team and sent to Waste Warriors for safe disposal.

But more than the weight of the waste, it’s the lightness we feel seeing villagers and children taking ownership—reusing, segregating, and thinking differently.

It’s the early days. We’re just getting started. But something tells me this quiet beginning might just turn into something lasting.

For the past few years, we’ve been quietly running Adventure Therapy Treks at Indiahikes. It’s a limited-edition program—we’ve taken just nine groups over three years — but it stands out as one of the most powerful experiences we facilitate.

But what is adventure therapy all about? And how does it have a lasting impression on participants? Why is therapy more impactful in the outdoors? That is what we discover in this video.

In this interview, Swathi Chatrapathy, the Chief Editor at Indiahikes, speaks to Izzat Yaganagi, the Director of Indiahikes School of Outdoor Learning (InSOUL). Being a certified counsellor for 15 years, a mediator, and an avid trekker, Izzat designed and led the first 4 Adventure Therapy treks at Indiahikes and continues to play a key role in shaping the programme.

What we cover in this video:

• What makes an Adventure Therapy Trek different from a regular trek
• The story behind how Adventure Therapy started at Indiahikes
• How group therapy works in the wilderness
• The role of nature and community in emotional well-being
• The growing recognition of the outdoors as a tool for mental well-being
• How therapy is slowly shedding its taboo in India

Whether you're a trekker, therapist, educator, or simply someone curious about healing in nature, this episode gives you an intimate look at how trekking can transform lives in ways you never imagined.

Speaking from inside Indiahikes, the story of the Pench Tiger Trail is quite incredible.

Usually, it takes around three years for a new trek to gain popularity and start attracting trekkers. But with the Pench Tiger Trail, something unexpected happened.

We opened the trek only late last year, and already, it has left a deep impression on trekkers, including our founder (here's an uncut video of his reaction to the trek). We were surprised to see many of our groups in August, September, and even October already full.

We had deliberately started with a conservative number of groups. But with the number of requests coming in from trekkers, we’ve now opened up a few more groups from August to January.

Why do this trek? 

It is not every day that you get a chance to enter such protected tiger reserves of our country on foot. They are cordoned off to tourists and even trekkers. But here, in Madhya Pradesh, the forest officials personally invited Indiahikes to bring forth a trek, which resulted in the Pench Tiger Trail.

Trekking inside the Pench National Park is truly a privilege. It is home to endangered animals like the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger, leopards, the mighty Gaur, the Indian wolf, and the Sloth bear. 

Even though you are not very likely to cross paths with a tiger on this trek, you are sure to know that they are around. From pugmarks to territory marking signs and scratches on trees, signs of their presence are everywhere. That’s why the name: Pench Tiger Trail.

We know these treks are not for everyone. They demand an extraordinary level of fitness, experience, and mental strength.

The moment we posted it on our YouTube channel, it immediately took off. It got tens of thousands of views within hours, sparking so many conversations around it.

That’s when we realised something:
These treks may not be doable for everyone right now, but they’re aspirational. They light a fire in people. They show what’s possible when you push your limits.

 And honestly, some of the most breathtaking sights in the Himalayas (and outside) are found only on these difficult treks. These treks test you, but they reward you incomparably.

 What makes them so challenging? What makes them worth it? This video will give you an idea.

All our treks from May 16th onwards are scheduled to run as planned. 

What is making us take this call? 

• With the recent announcement of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, followed by a calm night with no military action, things are looking positive.
• There are no signs of unrest on any of our treks. The trails and base camps remain completely safe and unaffected.
• All airports are now reopened and operational with passenger flights, including Chandigarh, which is reassuring news. This gives us confidence that trekkers will be able to reach their base camps comfortably.  

After assessing the situation thoroughly, keeping trekkers' safety in mind, we believe it is safe for trekkers to travel and trek as per their plan. 

Our teams are fully ready to welcome trekkers in the mountains and ensure a safe and transformative trekking experience — one that trekkers have been looking forward to for a long time.

Please note: In case there is a re-escalation of cross-border tensions, we will monitor the situation and make necessary safety decisions promptly. While we do not expect this to happen, trekkers need to be aware that it remains a possibility.

We are suspending all our upcoming treks in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh scheduled until May 15th 2025. 

This is a difficult but necessary decision, taken in light of the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

While our trekking trails remain unaffected and Dehradun airport is operational, the larger situation poses too many uncertainties. It is not wise to travel away from home under these circumstances.

Since this suspension is from our end, the cancellation will be handled as per our policy.

We will be reviewing the situation closely and will share a clear decision on how we plan to proceed with upcoming treks.

Amid escalating India–Pakistan tensions, all ongoing Uttarakhand regular treks and summer camps have been concluded early with immediate effect.

1. All children participating in our summer camps are being safely brought down to the base camps today, May 9, 2025. 
2. They will reach Rishikesh tomorrow, May 10, 2025. 
3. We are working with the parents to ensure they board return flights to Mumbai and Bangalore by tomorrow, May 10, 2025. 

While our trekking trails remain safe and Dehradun airport is fully operational, the larger situation poses too many uncertainties. 

This was a difficult decision, but one we felt was necessary to ensure the safety and peace of mind of trekkers and their families.

Ensuring the safe return of all trekkers remains our highest priority at this time. 

If you need any help in making a decision or have any concerns, please feel free to call us at 08046801269. We’re here to help you and provide the guidance you need.

Amid escalating India–Pakistan tensions, all ongoing Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh regular treks have been concluded earlier than scheduled.

1. All trekkers are being brought down to base camps today, May 9, 2025. 
2. Transport arrangements are underway to ensure their return to Dehradun, Rishikesh, or Kathgodam (in case of Ranthan Kharak) by tomorrow, May 10, 2025.

While our trekking trails remain safe and Dehradun airport is fully operational, the larger situation poses too many uncertainties.

This was a difficult decision, but one we felt was necessary to ensure the safety and peace of mind of trekkers and their families.

Ensuring the safe return of all trekkers remains our highest priority at this time. 

If you need any help in making a decision or have any concerns, please feel free to call us at 08046801269. We’re ready to help you and provide the guidance you need.