Our co-founder Sandhya UC delivered this speech at a Women’s Day gathering organized by Women’s Web in association with CoWrks. On this Women's Day we're taking a look back at those incredible stories of women in the outdoors.

Last week we received an enthusiastic blog from our trekker Ananya. She is in her 20’s – young, free-spirited and like any other young woman of today. The blog talked about her fantastic journey on one of our treks last winter.

I was mesmerised at how well she wrote. I loved her photography too. She was self-taught as far as I could see.

She had come on the trek alone. She came with the usual apprehensions, mingled with a lot of like-minded trekkers, made friends for a lifetime, and left the trek with a lot of memories.

This is the face of women that I see every day. Normal women doing not-so-normal activities.

I am in a position to see this closely because behind me are some interesting statistics.

To give you a background of Indiahikes: we are India’s largest trekking organisation. We run treks across the Himalayas. More than 15,000 people trek with us every year. This large database throws up some interesting statistics.

32 percent of our trekkers are women. Out of this 32 percent, 80 percent of them are single women who either come alone or with their friends. Some of their friends are other women or men who are either colleagues or friends. In numbers – approximately 3,800 women are travelling solo with us every year.

This number seems to be inching up. In the near future, will it reach 50 percent? I am not sure. But the current numbers are a very good representation in a sport that is considered risky and not for the faint-hearted. Many solo working women now trek and travel regularly to the remotest corner of our country – this seems extraordinary.

Yet, I am not surprised. The reason is trekking is not the usual travelling. It is a lot safer – you get to trek in like-minded groups. You are protected not only by the organisation but also by the group. It is letting women explore a side of themselves that they probably had never done before.

In short, trekking is giving women a space to open up their mind, body and spirit.

Last year, a couple of senior women managers from SAP India trekked to Deoriatal-Chandrashila (12,083 feet). Nothing unusual about it. Now we have got used to groups of single women trekking with us.

At the end of the trek, we usually have a reflection session. Here’s what happened in this group.

The ladies broke down and cried their hearts out. They had discovered they were capable of a lot more than they had imagined. Their body had more capacity, their mind was a lot tougher and their spirit, which they thought was dead in their corporate jobs, was very much alive. The trek had kick-started everything back again. They felt alive again!

This sudden outburst of emotions didn’t surprise me as well.

A trek usually brings about profound changes in a person. It happens in every group that we run.

What is really heartening is to see more and more women experiencing this change. And restarting their lives.

But this change is not just limited to our trekkers.

Let me share stories about some normal women who have done extraordinary things. They are working with us, so I know them well.

Anuja is from Lucknow. Her parents are doctors. In her high school, Anuja discovered that her parents were no longer getting along. They were divorcing. This came as a shock to her. Until that time, she thought everything was perfect in her family.

She passed out of high school, graduated and as soon as she could, moved out. She did few odd jobs and landed in Mumbai. In Mumbai, she picked up photography. She must have been good because she soon started getting assignments with the Times of India, Midday and other publications.

But there was an adventurer’s streak in her. She soon started trekking with us. Like the ladies I have mentioned earlier, she rediscovered her mind, body and spirit. As she got more into trekking, she wanted to work with us. At that time we were not really sure if we could have a full-time photographer/videographer work with us. Because of this, we turned her down.

Anuja was persistent, but so were we, in turning her down.

Meanwhile, she started to trek more in the Himalayas, on her own. This requires some courage. Trekking in the safety of Indiahikes is one thing, but doing it alone is another matter altogether.

Soon she picked one of the tougher treks to do in the Himalayas. The infamous Pin Parvati Pass that rises to 17,500 feet. If that was not enough, she did not do it from start to finish, like a trekker. Instead, she joined a group of shepherds and tagged along with them. I had not heard of anyone doing something like this earlier, leave alone a woman!

She lived the life of a shepherd for 15 days. A single lady in the Himalayas. She lived with them, learnt how to tend to sheep, walked with them. She crossed the pass along with a flock of sheep, completed the trek and did not look back.

When Anuja applied again, she did not want to be a photographer. She applied to be a trek leader!

This was unprecedented. Trek leaders are mostly men. The rigorous profession suits them physically. Here we were faced with this puny, gutsy woman who wanted to be a trek leader.

Today Anuja is one of the rare few women trek leaders in India. There are a few others who took to trek leading after her.

Anuja leading a trekker on the Hampta Pass trek.

But her journey has not been smooth. Twice on her treks, she damaged her left and right knee in freaky accidents. Once she slipped on a cow dung at the end of a trek. At another time she missed a stair in the darkness at our base camp. Both times, her ligaments were damaged badly enough to require surgery.

Last summer, however, she surprised us by volunteering to man a high altitude camp at 14,000 feet surrounded by permanent snow and ice for one month — Bhagwabhasa. These are absolute desolate settings. Temperatures are sub-zero all the time. You live in tents in a cold desert. Nothing but a small patch of land is yours. You are up every day at 3 in the morning getting trekkers ready to trek.

On most days high winds rip through the camp. Blizzards that flatten tents are not uncommon. Snowfall happens anytime. It is a task that not even the men would rise up to do.

Anuja is a living legacy. Through her work, she has inspired countless women to dream of picking up such careers. Our women applications for trek leaders have gone up. On her treks, Anuja is constantly surrounded by our curious trekkers who want to be like her. We get emails every other day telling us about how inspiring Anuja has been in their lives.

While Anuja is inspiring people to go beyond what they are capable of, Lakshmi, on the other hand, is slowly bringing about a transformation in the mountains.

Lakshmi is an academician. After completing her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from IISc and KAUST, Saudi Arabia, she worked with the best researchers in the world, travelling around Europe.

But she was hugely motivated to do her part for conserving the environment. She decided to leave her research job and intern with us in our Green Trails project.

Just to give you a backdrop, our Green Trails project is something that we have been doing for over 5 years now. It started with trying to make trekking environmentally sustainable in the mountains – because we knew it was beyond the government to do anything much at that time. We were noticing growth in trekking. We decided we could set future best practices. We were the market leaders, whatever we did would become the practice for everyone. Today our Green Trails project has grown to something much beyond that.

Today we are doing projects in renewable energy and upcycling waste that is generating income for the locals. We have also formed self-help groups making way for model villages. All of this is being done quietly thanks to women like Lakshmi.

Lakshmi joined us as an intern on our Sandakphu trek. The work was something new to her. Yet, she took to it with aplomb. She setup waste management practices that were new and unique to the village. Along with the District Forest Officer, she mobilised efforts to clean up the village.

Lakshmi made posters in Hindi and Nepali that directed people on how to segregate waste. Her posters are still a bit of a hoot with us because she used Google to translate into Nepali. But her message reached people where it mattered. When her internship ended, Jaubari was a model village in waste management.

Looking at her capabilities we asked Lakshmi to join us full-time. She took our offer and is now heading our Green Trails effort across 3 geographies in India.

Considering the remoteness of our locations and the far distances between our treks it is astounding to see the strides she has made. Even as I speak to you, around 25 village women will gather tomorrow morning in the hills of Uttarakhand to make attractive pillows. For every pillow they make, they earn Rs 50. In an hour they can make 3 pillows. In probably 4-5 fun-filled hours, they earn as much as the men.

Women of village Wan, pose gleefully with their self-made upcycled pillows. Picture by Green Trails Fellow Anagha

These pillows are special. These pillows are stuffed with shredded waste plastic, old tents, and ragged clothes. While on the inside it is waste getting upcycled, on the outside, they look extremely attractive. When trekkers buy it, they buy it for the lovely cushions they are.

The colourful upcycled pillows. Picture Credits: Karthik Maddineni

People imagine that it is easy to do that. It isn’t. First, waste plastic is painstakingly picked up on our mountain slopes. It is done in extreme weathers of snow and low temperatures. Most of the picked waste may have been lying around for years. Our trekking teams pick up the trash while they are on a trek. Group after group pick up trash all through the year.

This trash is stuffed in sacks and brought down to our base camp. At the base camp, our teams sit on these piles of garbage and segregate the recyclables from non-recyclables. This is an almost inhuman and back-breaking job. Our team has to dive through filthy garbage, often maggot infested.

Shredded plastics are inserted inside a pillow cover by a Green Trails Intern.

After we have segregated the waste, we clean them up and make them ready for upcycling. The clean waste is manually shredded into fine strips for stuffing into pillow covers. As you can see, to make one pillow, it takes a lot of physical labour. The villagers themselves realise the required hard work. As a result, they now collect their trash and bring it to us for segregation. The villages around our treks that didn’t look very clean now have a different look.

Lakshmi is the force behind this. Working remotely and sometimes hands-on, she has been able to galvanise a team across the length and breadth of Himalayas to carry out such difficult tasks. She has been able to get reluctant villagers to leave aside their inhibitions and care for their surroundings. She has been able to motivate our team of trek leaders to go beyond their tasks.

At one end our teams are bringing down tons of waste from the mountains. Last year it was 11 tons. On the other hand, there are research fellows who are thinking of ways of harnessing natural resources such as wind, rain and water.

These trek leaders move from one village to another building dustbins and conducting awareness drives on efficient waste management practices. It is not easy but there has been a distinct change in the villages. All of this with Lakshmi at the centre holding the reins.

It is incredible to see what someone as young as she can achieve. She is just like us. But she has never let her gender come in the line of work. When she works in the mountains she is hands down running up and down our mountain slope. She sleeps when she can. She eats what is available or sometimes not at all.

She constantly works and every day I see there is a difference. At times she despairs but she never gives up. The mountains in our country, especially around trekking zones, are witnessing a change. Villages in these remote corners are waking up to a cleaner, greener surrounding. They are utilizing their resources to make productive things out of waste. Thousands of trekkers are coming back from treks as responsible citizens, spreading the message of Green Trails even further.

Lakshmi is a reminder of what women can do if they let go of their gender.

The quiet revolution that is happening in our mountains has started to inspire many women like Lakshmi. People from around the world now want to participate in these projects.

Women like Ananya, Anuja and Lakshmi are the faces of new women that I see today.

What I notice is that none of them is the type that you see in newspapers. If you met them you would not even glance at them. They may not even come across as articulate. Yet, they are making big differences in their own ways.

In my journey at Indiahikes, I have the privilege to hear these stories from women every other day. It is perhaps the nature of work that we do.

You may think that these changes that I notice are one-off cases. They are not. I am backed by statistics. 32 percent of our trekkers are women. 80 percent of them are single women. It is hard to shake off these numbers. There is a definite change that is happening in our country.

1. If you’d like to listen to Sandhya’s TedX Talk on her journey in entrepreneurship, head over to this page – How I Climbed The Mountain Of Entrepreneurship

2. If you’d like to follow Anuja and Lakshmi on Instagram, follow these links – Anuja on Instagram, Lakshmi on Instagram.

3. If you’re inspired by this story and want to work with us: Head over to our careers page. We have lots of positions open. We also have lots of applications coming in. So the sooner you apply, the better.

4. If you ended up here by chance and were actually looking for treks to do: Then head over to our upcoming treks page. You’ll find all our Himalayan treks there.

This is the full text of the speech that Sandhya Chandrasekharayya, partner at Indiahikes, gave for Women's Web. In her talk, she speaks about very real and everyday women achieving incredible feats in the trekking world!

Some Extraordinary Stories Of Ordinary Women In The Mountains

Winter is one of the most unique seasons for trekking. There are so many sights and sounds unique only to this season, especially in the Big Snow Season of January, February, and March, that you’ll not see them at any other time of the year. 

Yet, 75% of trekkers don’t know about these experiences. 

They walk right past it without realising the uniqueness or rarity of the experience. I don't want you to make the same mistake. 

Which is why I'm penning down some rare experiences to expect this winter. These are more likely in Jan, Feb and March (compared to December), when true winter has set in. A lot of them are made possible only by the expertise of our Trek Leaders and technical team, so it is also subject to whether you’re trekking with Indiahikes or not. 

Without further ado, let me share the 5 unique winter experiences with you. 

Sliding is one of the most fun experiences of trekking in snow. It can turn even the most seasoned trekker into a gleeful 5-year-old! 

But what most trekkers don’t realise is that to experience snow slides outside of winter, you have to climb up to altitudes above 14,000 - 15,000 ft. So you see snow slides on challenging treks like Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati and Hampta Pass. These are tough treks, not ideal for beginners.  

Here’s where winter works its magic. Winter is the only time when beginners have a chance to experience snow slides at lower altitudes. You’ll find slides on all treks like Dayara Bugyal, Deoriatal-Chandrashila, Kedarkantha and Brahmatal. 

“From Brahmatal top, we slide almost all the way back down to the campsite in January and February. It’s the most amazing fun,” says Mrinal, a Trek Leader and Trainer at Indiahikes, who spent the previous winter season at Brahmatal. 

Just for this sliding experience, winter trekking is worth it.

Here’s a rare visual experience that is reserved only for winters — winterlines at dusk. You may have seen these winterlines in photographs, where the horizon turns into a fiery shade of red, almost like it is on fire. 

A winterline above a sea of clouds at Sandakphu. Picture by Geet Tryambake

What’s even more rare is that winterlines occur only in the mountains, and have been observed mostly in the Himalayas and the Swiss alps. These winterlines are false horizons created during sunset. It is believed that it “occurs due to refraction of light when the dust particles, moisture, and smog, rising from the plains below, meet the cooler mountain air.” 

“On treks like Sandakphu, where you’re above a sea of clouds, the winterline makes for spectacular visuals. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime visual experience,” says Dhaval Jajal, senior Trek Leader and Filmmaker at Indiahikes.

A winterline at the Pukhrola campsite on the Kedarkantha trek. Picture by Nitesh Kumar 

Walking in the forest in winter is one of the most unique experiences, especially immediately after a snowfall. “In winter, the forests are so quiet that when you stop to rest, all you’ll hear is the gentle thumping of your heart,” says Nitesh Kumar, Senior Trek Leader at Indiahikes. 

There’s a reason behind the silence. Most of the birds and animals either migrate to lowlands or go into hibernation in winter. This leaves the forests extremely silent. All you hear every now and then is the soft rustle of snow drifting to the ground from trees. 

“I love to make trekkers have a silent walk in these forests. All it takes is 10 minutes of silent walking. It changes the whole mood of the group. It brings in a kind of calm that trekkers have never experienced elsewhere,” he says.

A frozen forest walk at Kuari Pass. Picture by Sandhya UC

Here’s a winter experience that requires some skill and technique, but our teams have been able to pull it off in the past — snow shelters.  

“Trekkers find it hard to believe that you can be warm sitting in the heart of snow, without a tent,” says Dushyant Sharma, Senior Trek Leader at Indiahikes and the face of Youtube show Chalein Trekking Dushyant Sharma Ke Saath. 

A snow shelter is a waist-deep pit that you dig into freshly fallen snow. The packed snow around you traps heat and keeps the cove warm. Additionally, since you’re underground, you don’t feel any cold surface winds. “With a foam mat and a sleeping bag, you can actually feel warm and cosy in the shelter,” says Dushyant.

However, you need the right settings to make snow shelters — the right amount of snow and the right hardness. It is possible only in peak winter months of Jan, Feb and March, when there’s a deep deposit of snow at the campsite.

Senior Trek Leader Dushyant Sharma settles into the cozy snow shelter at Pukhrola on the Kedarkantha trek.

At Indiahikes, we have always aimed at helping trekkers become independent. We strongly believe that DIY is the future of trekking. So this winter, we are introducing a Winter DIY Masterclass, where you pick up winter trekking skills on your trek. 

We’ll have sessions like (a) How to arrest yourself if you’re slipping in snow (b) How to create a campsite in fresh snow (c) How to make walking on verglas safe (d) How to cut steps in snow on a summit climb. 

These are just some of the learnings you can expect on a winter trek with Indiahikes this year. Even as we speak, all our Trek Leaders are undergoing training to be able to facilitate these learnings to trekkers.

Indiahikes technical team member clearing out a trail in deep snow, one of the skills trekkers can expect to learn this winter. Picture by Manoj Singh Bisht

These are just some of the unique experiences to expect in winter. There are so many more, like a high-adventure summit climb in snow, or how the meadows turn into vast snow fields. 

Within the Indiahikes team, the excitement is palpable, now that winter is coming. It is one of the most adventurous seasons of the year. “Everyday is action-packed in winter. Not a single day goes by without some thrill,” shares Dushyant. 

It also comes with its challenges — for us as well as trekkers. Expect every trek to become one grade more difficult. You’ll have to work on your fitness well in advance to enjoy all of these experiences. 

So if you haven't started planning your winter trek yet, it's already getting late. Plan immediately. You’ll find all our winter treks here. 

To give you quick access, here are links to the top winter treks in our country:

If you need any help, head over to this page for some helpful information. You’ll also be able to contact us from there.

Winter is one of the most unique seasons for trekking. Yet, not many trekkers know about the uniqueness of the experience. Here we outline 5 such experiences that you can expect to have on winter snow treks.

5 Unique Winter Snow Experiences in Himalayas

winter treks snow treks kedarkantha dayara bugyal deoriatal chandrashila kuari pass sandakphu brahmatal winter experiences snow slides glissade 

I have the most happy announcement to make today!

We have finally announced dates to Rupin Pass and Buran Ghati for this September and October. 

Until now, we had held back from opening these groups because there was a government order that banned trekking in the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh after September 15th. 

This afternoon we have finally got a green signal from the government to run the treks. We could not have been happier! 

Rupin Pass and the Buran Ghati are the two most sought after high altitude treks in India. Trekkers have been waiting to register for these treks for a few months now. 

Dates are open from mid-September until mid-October. 

Unfortunately, there is bad news too. We won’t be able to open more than 8 groups for these treks this season. 

So my advice is to plan your trek as soon as possible. 

If you have any questions about these treks, do go through the FAQ sections on the trek pages. 

1. You’ll see greenery at its best in this season. 

Since the monsoons have just watered the grasslands, you’ll see them at their lushest best. The meadows of Dayara on the Buran Ghati trek are best experienced in September and October. On the Rupin Pass trek, the Saruwas Thatch campsite is going to be a flowerbed, and you camp right beside it.

The meadows of Dayara on the Buran Ghati trek are a photographer's delight, especially in the post-monsoon season. Picture by Indiahikes Head Photographer Avinash SH

2. The hills are alive with small and big waterfalls. 

This is especially true of the Lower Waterfall campsite on the Rupin Pass trek. Because it is just after monsoon, hundreds of waterfalls burst to life on the walls of the cliffs that surround you. It’s a sight you’ll not get to see at any other time of the year. Even on the Buran Ghati trek waterfalls cascade down from the slopes all around you. 

The Lower Waterfall campsite at Rupin Pass is an experience on its own, with an incredible number of waterfalls on the sides of the cliffs. Picture by Indiahikes Head Photographer Jothiranjan

3. The mountains are at their crispest best.

Since monsoon clouds are washed away by mid-September, the sky is void of any clouds. This is when you see the mountains at their crispest best, where you can see every nook and cranny of the mountain sides.

With lovely blue skies, the mountains stand out crisp and flawless in the post-monsoon season. Picture by Sooraj Jain

4. The sunrises and sunsets are worth dying for.

This is something unique to this season. We have seen the most dramatic splashes of colours in the sky. Also, since the skies are squeaky clean, the sun and its alpenglow on the mountains around are astounding.

Somehow, the dispersion of colours during sunrise and sunset are so dramatic in the post-monsoon season, that its hard to beat the drama. Picture by Sushrut Sardesai

5. There is snow but not so deep that you sink to your knees.

Rupin Pass and Buran Ghati are treks that climb to around 15,000 ft. These are extremely high altitudes that retain snow almost throughout the year. While there will not be snow for you to sink to your knees, you will find some snow, especially as you approach the passes.

While there isn't too much snow in September and October, there is still enough to give you an alpine experience. Picture by Anirban Banerjee

That's about the Rupin Pass and Buran Ghati treks in the post-monsoon season.

If you have any questions, don't hestitate to get in touch with us! 

Rupin Pass and Buran Ghati Opened For Sept-Oct!

We have introduced a new safety protocol at Indiahikes. Something that’s unheard of in the trekking world. 

Every trekker aged 58 and above must submit a Treadmill Stress Test (TMT) report before they register for a trek.

Why have we implemented such a bold safety protocol? 

1. More and more people above the age of 58 are now trekking in our country. 

For us at Indiahikes, this is a heartening trend. With a vision that Everyone Must Trek, we have always dreamed of a day when trekkers of all ages and backgrounds would trek, especially those who are older. When older people trek it adds a new meaning to their life. So when we see an increase in the number of elderly people trekking, it’s incredibly heartening. 

(The year 2020 and 2021 saw a dip because of the pandemic. But we are already seeing the numbers increasing in 2022.)

“Yet, not all of them above 58 are aware of their physiological health. They could be marathon runners or ardent trekkers. But we have noticed that many of them are not aware of underlying cardiac issues. These issues could put them at grave risk at high altitudes,” says Lakshmi Selvakumaran, head of Experience at Indiahikes. 

We saw this first hand just two months ago, when a 62-year-old trekker joined us on the Gaumukh Tapovan trek. He returned from the trek halfway, feeling very tired. When he reached home, further clinical investigation revealed several blocks in his heart. Despite going through an angioplasty, the trekker suffered a heart attack within a few days and passed away. He was only 62.

This one incident left us in deep thought. 

Would he have lived if he hadn’t come on the trek?

Even though we are the safest trekking organisation in the country, are our existing safety protocols enough?

We ran through some of the basic precautionary safety measures we follow. 

Before the trek, we ask for a Fitness Proof from trekkers, failing which trekkers are not allowed on the trek. 


At the basecamp, we have a thorough Safety Check-In, where trekkers' oxygen and BP levels are monitored, their medical history thoroughly examined, ensuring they are healthy enough to go on a high altitude trek. For example, those with BP readings higher than 160/100 mmHg go into the Trek Leader’s watch-list.  


During the trek, we have a 3-Time Health Checks protocol everyday. A part of the health check is to ensure oxygen levels of any trekker never dip below a healthy 90. Those who have BP issues have their BP also monitored everyday. 

Yet, with the increasing number of older trekkers joining our treks enthusiastically, we had to bring in protocols that ensured greater safety to them. 

We needed a fool-proof measure to ensure that those who have underlying heart issues do not step into high altitudes.  
 

2. A Treadmill Stress Test (TMT) is the most certain way to assess a person’s heart condition. 

It took us several weeks of research and interviews with cardiologists to decide upon the Treadmill Stress Test. We considered other tests such as the Coronary Artery Calcium Score (CAC) as well. 

“We found the TMT had higher chances of ascertaining your heart condition, and it is more pocket-friendly than most other tests. This helps trekkers make informed decisions about trekking at high altitudes,” says Sandhya UC, co-founder and COO of Indiahikes.

“Further, in this day and age when we read so much about increasing cardiovascular diseases, if the TMT report calls for it, trekkers can take immediate action towards getting their issues rectified,” adds Sandhya. “It could potentially save their life.”

What we know is that most of our trekkers who are above 58 and fit have never considered getting a TMT done. Yet, this is where the danger lies. 

Trekkers are generally fit, follow an active lifestyle. Many of them are regular runners, and hit the gym regularly. Yet, they may be completely unaware of underlying cardiac issues. A TMT is a good wake up call.

3. We are already seeing proof of this protocol working. 

Last week, we implemented the new TMT protocol on a small scale among trekkers who have registered with us. Within a week, we got an email from a trekker aged above 58 with his TMT report. 

Without revealing his identity, I’m going to quote his email, because it helped us realise the power of a TMT before a trek: 

“I have tested positive in the Treadmill Test which was part of my comprehensive health check prior to the VoF trek. The report says that there were significant (undesirable) changes noticed during the test. I have since met with a cardiologist, who prescribed a CT CAG test, which has thrown up the presence of blocks in my arteries. The investigation and treatment are underway as we speak. However, I have been strictly advised not to strain myself and avoid going to any trek or visit places at high altitudes.”

As soon as we read this email, we were thankful that our insistence of a TMT probably saved his life. 

“Even if we have the best medically trained team members, world-class safety equipment and the strongest protocols in place, we wouldn’t be able to stop a heart attack at high altitudes,” says Arjun Majumdar, founder and CEO of Indiahikes. 

Some further details about the TMT Protocol: 

This protocol applies irrespective of your fitness or prior trek experience (with or without Indiahikes) 

The protocol applies irrespective of whether the trek is easy or difficult.

This test report will have to be submitted within 10 days of booking your trek. Send the report to your Experience Coordinator over an email.

This test will be valid for a period of one year. Which means that if you have done a TMT test within the past 365 days, then you can submit the same reports and they will be accepted. 

You can use the same report for any number of treks over the next one year. 

“I know that it’s unheard of that a trekking organisation would expect someone to do a TMT test,” says Arjun. “Yet, for over a decade Indiahikes is known to bring in such radical reforms that have taken trekking forward.”

“When we introduced fitness checks in 2018, trekkers were shocked. They were wondering how an organisation would tell trekkers not to pay if they were not fit. It directly hampered the organisation. Yet, today, it has become a norm, making trekkers so much fitter than pre-2018 days. We see a direct reflection of it in the health of trekkers on our treks,” shares Suhas Saya, head of Exploration and Documentation at Indiahikes, who played a key role in implementing fitness protocols at Indiahikes. 

“I also remember people being amused when we introduced oxygen cylinders on our regular treks. Oxygen cylinders always belonged in the mountaineering world, and here we were, using them on 12,000 ft treks. Yet, within months of its introduction it started saving lives. We know how many hundreds of lives these same cylinders have saved,” shares Sandhya UC, co-founder and COO of Indiahikes. 

“It is hard-hitting realities such as what happened to the 62-year-old trekker that are catalysts of strong safety protocols. We did not have to take responsibility for an incident that occured 10-15 days after a trek. Yet, deep down, we know that the trekker may have lived on if he had not exerted his heart on a trek. It’s up to us as an organisation to learn from these instances, take responsibility and introduce protocols that save lives at crucial junctures,” concluded Arjun Majumdar, founder and CEO of Indiahikes.

We have introduced a new safety protocol at Indiahikes. Something that’s unheard of in the trekking world. Every trekker aged 58 and above must submit a Treadmill Stress Test (TMT) report before they register for a trek. Read why

A New Safety Protocol at Indiahikes

Safety Protocol Safe Trek Senior Citizen Age Limit Fitness Health Check up

A New Safety Protocol at Indiahikes - A Treadmill Test (TMT) For Those Above 58

It's a rainy day in Bangalore. Our office balcony has taken on a green glow from all the lushness around. The beech tree in our garden is heavy with the weight of rain. Tiny raindrops are glistening at the tip of every leaf. The smell of wet earth is intoxicating. 

Our office team is getting ready to head out this weekend on a lovely trek near Bangalore.

I can't help but think about what the hillsides must be like right now. Cool and misty forests, tree trunks laden with velvety moss, lush grasslands teeming with flowers and tiny critters, rolling green hills in the distance. It's such a wonderful time of the year to trek. 

That's why I thought that today, I'd talk about some offbeat treks you can do on your own. Not in the Himalayas, like I usually share. But somewhere close to your home, where you could trek to a hill, a lake, a river or a forest.

Of course, I cannot cover all states across the country, so today, I'm going to talk about some off-beat trails around popular regions -- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Calcutta. I’ll share three treks around each of these regions, so that you have options. I hope this fills up your upcoming weekend. :)

Top 3 Offbeat Monsoon Treks In Karnataka 

This is an all time Western Ghats favourite at Indiahikes. The grasslands on this trek are other worldly. Once you step into them, you’ll never want to leave. Yet, as you carry on, the trail gets better and better, because within hours, you reach the Bandajje waterfall, not the base of the waterfall, but the very snout of the waterfall! 

It takes a weekend to do this trek. You will need to camp at the base and have cooking gear with you. Typically you take an overnight bus on a Friday to Mudigere, trek on a Saturday and get back home by Sunday. 

Starting point of the trek: Kalabhyraveshwara Temple, Durgadahalli, Mudigere
How far is it from Bangalore: 280 km
Best route to get there: https://goo.gl/maps/CG8Fg6yiD49yf834A

Find all details about the trek here - https://indiahikes.com/ballalarayana-durga-bandaje-falls-trek

Watch how to do Ballalarayana Durga on your own:

Ballalarayana Durga boasts of a few of the best meadows in the Western Ghats. Picture from Indiahikes archives.

 We all have heard of the Kudremukh trek endlessly, (so much so that the forest dept. has introduced a daily limit on the number of trekkers who can go on the trail). But here’s a trek hidden within the Kudremukh National Park, yet treading a completely untrodden trail. 

It takes you through incredibly dense forests, usually thick with fog at this time of the year, beautiful streams that form the Bhadra river, and finally up a steep climb through meadows to get to the peak. The view from the top is similar to what you see from Kudremukh — endlessly rolling hills with unreal shades of green. 

Starting point of the trek: Bhagavathi Nature Camp, Kalasa Main Road
How far is it from Bangalore: 310 km
Best way to get there: https://goo.gl/maps/LM4ov9QJXAJFW7H9A

You’ll find all details about this trek here - https://indiahikes.com/kurinjal-peak

A view from the first viewpoint on the Kurinjal Peak trek. The view only gets better and better. Picture by Naveen Ganiga

If you are not looking for an overnight trek, this is a wonderful option. It’s a day hike near Kolar, just around 2 hours away from Bangalore. You could easily take your family early in the morning and return by evening.

The initial trail starts with forests all around, and opens out into a mix of boulders and grassy knolls. It’s a breezy 1 hour trek, with terrific views from the top. You can easily spot the Nandi Hills range, including Skandagiri, Brahmagiri and Channagiri from here. As the name suggests, there are ruins of an old fort at the top, along with a small shrine dedicated to Anjaneya (Hanuman). 

Starting point of the trek: Vaddahalli, Kolar
How far is it from Bangalore: 80 km
Best way to get there: https://goo.gl/maps/Ae41nPmTxX9Xs5qn9

You’ll find all details about this trek here - https://indiahikes.com/ambaji-durga-trek

Other good one-day trek options around Bangalore: Harihara Betta, Minchikall Betta, Channarayana Durga

Watch this video where we talk about 10 best day treks around Bangalore:

The initial climb towards Ambajidurga through sparse forests and bushy trails. Picture by Jothiranjan

Click on this link for 7 best monsoon treks in Karnataka that you must do

Top 3 Offbeat Monsoon Treks In Maharashtra

Disclaimer: In Maharashtra, rarely are treks offbeat, but well, these are not as common as the usual ones :)

This is a short trail in the Sahyadris situated 35 km from Lonavala. The trail takes you to Ghangad Fort, which sits on top of a hill shaped like a trapezoid. Its unique shape and structure make it stand out, and it's tough not to notice it and be awed by its imposing size. 

Here are some great offbeat treks to do during monsoon around your city. You can easily do these on your own over a weekend or in a single day.

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