Himalayan treks are notorious for the risks that they pose. These risks kept people from trekking in the Himalayas for a long time. It’s still what scares many people. 

But honestly, these are risks that can be dealt with. We ask all our trekkers to take it very seriously! All you need is 

There are multiple risks on a Himalayan trek. But I’m picking four of the biggest risks we see on our treks. I’ll tell you what could go wrong and how to avoid it. I want you to note this down: If you are on a trek with Indiahikes, we will empower you through information so you prepare well for your trek.

Terrain

If you’re unfamiliar with the terrain, it can pose a considerable risk. I’m going to share some thoughts by our founder, Arjun Majumdar, on this - 

“When I was much younger and I would trek, snow sections would terrify me a lot. There would be snow on a slope and we would have to traverse that on a narrow trail. When you step on this section and look down, you realise that with one misstep you could go down a long way. This is very common in the Himalayas. It’s not just snow, it might be a landslide section, loose boulders, scree, an overhang with a river flowing down in the valley.” 

So as a trekker, when you plan a Himalayan trek, get familiar with the terrain. Read about it, speak to people about it, watch videos, and study the terrain on Google Earth. 

Just understanding the terrain will mentally prepare you. You might also require special gear for some sections -- like microspikes for hard snow, gaiters for deep snow, ice axes to cut steps in snow or ice and ropes for river crossings or precarious boulder sections. 

The good part is, if you’re trekking with Indiahikes, we’ll take care of this. Care is one of our core values. So when you are on a trek with Indiahikes, we will take care of you and everything you need for a safe trekking experience. 

We have all the safety equipment you need to tackle any difficult terrain. All you need to do is learn about the terrain and then focus on Point 3, which I’ll get to in a bit.

This photo is from Pangarchulla Trek. Photo by Jothiranjan

Weather

The weather in the Himalayas could be your best mate or your worst enemy. The toughest part is that it’s almost completely unpredictable. Our co-founder, Sandhya UC, who has been trekking in the Himalayas for over 15 years now shares some insight here - 

“The weather actually defines whether your trek is going to be easy or difficult. Even an easy trek like Dayara Bugyal can become very dangerous in the middle of a thunderstorm. If there’s lightning in such an open meadow, it has the potential to take lives. Similarly, if there’s a sudden bout of dense mist, you can get utterly lost -- whether you’re in a forest or an open setting.

But it’s not just the danger that weather poses. It could also lead to an incomplete trek. We’ve had so many experiences where we’ve had to turn around in the middle of heavy snow or rain. Or sometimes, even if you go ahead and complete a trek in bad weather, the experience might turn sour. When we once went to the Kashmir Great Lakes, we trekked through rain for 6 whole days. It was cloudy and grey. We saw none of the colours and grandeur of Kashmir. So the weather really has the potential to change your trek altogether.”

The wisest thing to do to ensure good weather is to time your trek correctly. This is the most crucial part.

Every trek has a very specific window during which it is open (for many 15,000+ ft treks, this window lasts only a few months in a year). We open dates only going by the seasons, weather patterns, and the best time to do the treks. 

I’ve already shared a ready-reckoner table of the best treks to do throughout the year earlier with you. If you missed that you’ll find it here

Having said that, always carry rainwear with you -- summer, winter, autumn. It could rain any time, and your rainwear is your mandatory partner on a Himalayan trek.

This picture is from Kedartal Trek. The unpredictable weather brought snowstorms. Photo by Sushma Honnappa

Altitude

On a high-altitude trek, altitude sickness is another big risk. I’d like to start by sharing what the head of our Learning & Development team, Lakshmi Selvakumaran, has observed. She says & I quote - 

“On any given trek, we see at least 2-3 cases of mild Acute Mountain Sickness. These symptoms are usually headaches or lack of sleep. They are usually managed quickly and efficiently by our Trek Leaders. 

There are, however, some serious cases that require turning around from the trek. And we see these cases around once every week” 

Altitude sickness is one of the most underestimated and less understood risks of high-altitude trekking. And this lack of understanding is usually what takes lives.

If you’re trekking with Indiahikes, you don’t have to worry. Our Trek Leaders are repeatedly trained on handling altitude sickness, and they are equipped with extensive high-altitude medical kits and oxygen cylinders. They rarely have to use them though, because they are trained to treat the mildest symptoms and nip it in the bud, which they always do. 

If you are trekking on your own, however, it’s imperative that you know about treating altitude sickness. You will find relevant information here.

For now, let’s move on to the next risk. 

Trekker's Behaviour

This might seem a bit surprising, but often, under-prepared trekkers are the biggest risk to themselves. Underprepared in terms of fitness, trekking gear, and knowledge about the trek. The head of our Learning & Development team, Lakshmi Selvakumaran observes:

“Not being fit slows trekkers down. It doesn’t allow them to maintain the required mountain timings. They reach the next camp late and don’t have enough time to acclimatise. On the other hand, if they have no knowledge about high altitude, they might wave off a headache as dehydration, not thinking about it as altitude sickness. 

They draw a lot of attention and care from the Trek Leaders and guides, leaving the other trekkers unattended. Not only do they pose a risk to themselves, but they pose a risk to the entire team.”

Why do you think I am informing you about the risks of Himalayan treks?

We have always said and believed that a knowledgeable trekker is a safe trekker. And our vision is to ensure every trekker going into the Himalayas is well-informed. 

While there are many other risks on Himalayan treks, they usually tend to fall under one of these categories. And they differ from trek to trek. 

At Indiahikes, we’ve been documenting the terrain, weather, altitude sickness and trekker behaviour for over a decade and we’ve been able to master the art of tackling each of these risks. 

We work with a vision to solve the problems of the trekking world. With all the information, resources, and technology, we try & make trekking an accessible & minimalist sport.

I’d say it’s still a work in progress, as we’re constantly defining the future of trekking, but if you’re trekking with Indiahikes, or using our information, consider yourself well-informed, well-prepared and safe on a trek. 

We've listed four of the biggest risks we see on our treks. We have always believed that a knowledgeable trekker is a safe trekker. And our vision is to ensure every trekker going into the Himalayas is well-informed.

4 Biggest Risks While Trekking The Himalayas

trekking risks, risk in treks, biggest trek risks, trek risks, trek risks in India

We are looking for chaperones aged 25–40 for our summer camps this year. Perhaps you could be one of them. I believe it will be a very rewarding experience. I’ll explain in a bit.

But first, if you wish to be a chaperone, you must be a resident of either Mumbai or Bangalore (or willing to travel from either of these cities). You help safely bring our summer camp participants from Bangalore / Mumbai airports to Dehradun airport. Afterwards, you accompany them on the summer camp, help the Indiahikes team facilitate the programme, and bring the children back to Mumbai/Bangalore.

Indiahikes will bear the cost of the entire programme, including your airfare. 

Now, let me tell you why this will be very rewarding

We started trekking summer camps for children in the Himalayas only last year. It was a carefully designed programme to inculcate a sense of adventure, teach children camping skills, and help them form a deep connection with nature.

In these nine days, we wanted them to pick up soft skills like taking responsibility, teamwork, and empathy.

Of course, the trek in itself would give them a sense of confidence, resilience, and the ability to withstand hardship.

The summer camp was an unprecedented experience. Each of the 300 children who came for the programme was deeply impacted. The parents wrote to us in disbelief. They could not imagine that their children would be impacted so much.

"Huge love and hugs to the CEO Arjun sir and Sandhya mam for forming such a great organisation..... You are not only organising treks but you are changing lives of we adults and our kids ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Indeed....as the motto of India Hikes says "Everyone must Trek" 100%with you on this, 🙏🙏" said Rashmi Sarkar, Mother of Neev Sarkar, Age 12, Dayara Bugyal Summer camp.

"The summer trekking program by Indiahikes is an amazingly great initiative to help children understand and appreciate nature better through experiential learning. We are regular trekkers with the Indiahikes and absolutely admire and appreciate the commitment of Indiahikes. Our daughter enjoyed the whole trekking to Deoriatal Chandrashila specifically curated for the children. The process starting from the registration with regular communication and group discussion for first time parents, updates during the actual trekking period and till the time we picked up daughter back at the airport was very smooth. And of course the biggest takeaway from the whole experience was to observe actual difference in the child itself. Thank you Indiahikes. You absolutely rock," said Padmini Nanjundaswamy, Mother of Aditi Gopal, Age 12, Deoriatal Chandrashila Summer Camp.

Moreover, our team members, leaders, and even volunteers who went for the programme were deeply impacted. 

“I wanted to learn leadership skills and I wanted to learn how to lead teams in the outdoors. When I got to know that I had to handle 30 children, I was nervous. But as trek went by, the children brought out a completely different side of me. They have so much to say, they have no filters, they say what they mean. It brought out a completely different personality in me. I really enjoyed being with them throughout the summer camp," says Netra Sadhale, who was part of our last year's summer camp. 

This year, we have increased our strength to 540 children. Unfortunately, despite the high demand, we cannot take more children for this programme. Already, most of the slots for the summer camp have been filled.

If you decide to be a chaperone in this programme, you will not only be helping us, but you will also find it an extremely rewarding experience.

Bring children from Bangalore / Mumbai to Dehradun airport, ensuring their safety and comfort. (Note: The Indiahikes team will not be accompanying you during this leg of the travel. You are solely responsible for the children’s until the Dehradun airport)

Conduct regular head counts of the children in the airport, on the flight, and Dehradun when exiting the airport. The children will be between 10 to 14 years old.

Join the Indiahikes team at Dehradun airport and travel to Rishikesh with the children.

Help the Indiahikes team settle the children at the Rishikesh accommodation. Participate in the pre-trek briefing and monitoring of the children.

Accompany the children during the road travel to the basecamp of the summer camp. Ensuring their safety, meals and stoppages are conducted in time.

At the programme, take on the responsibilities of monitoring the children and facilitating their experiences along with Indiahikes team members.

Throughout the trek, you are a caring guide and warden to the children. 

We will book your flight ticket from Mumbai/Bangalore to Dehradun airport and back 

We will take care of your complete transit costs from Dehradun airport to Rishikesh, to the base camp, and back to the Dehradun airport.

We will take care of all your meals and accommodations once you land in Dehradun. 

We will sponsor your trek throughout, ensuring that you and the children have a wonderful time in the mountains. 

The programme is designed based on the curriculum of our experiential learning programmes. Our experiential learning programmes for schools and educational institutions are widely acclaimed in the country.

This is why chaperones will also be awarded a volunteer certificate for the experiential learning programme.

Eligibility criteria to be a chaperone: 

You must have prior work experience (in any field)

Location: We are particularly looking for people in Mumbai and Bangalore. Parents will be dropping off their children at these airports. 

Please note: Even though the programme is a volunteer experience and Indiahikes will bear all your expenses, any last-minute dropout of chaperones is a significant setback to the programme.

Therefore, to confirm your chaperoning, you must pay a refundable deposit of Rs 10,000. This will be refunded within 7 days after you return from the trek. If you cannot make it to the programme, this deposit will not be refunded.

If you think this is something you want to take up, please fill out this application form immediately. 

There will be an interview process, after which we will let you know if you have been shortlisted within 48 hours. 

We are looking for around 20 chaperones. We will close registrations on February 3rd.

You may have further questions about how many children you’ll be handling, which trek you may go on, etc. We have answered all the FAQs below. 

Please reply within 72 hours if you’d like to apply as a chaperone. We will take it forward from there.

How many children will I be handling? 
You could be handling anything between 20-30 children at the airport. We will share a list of all the children with you so you can keep a headcount. At the airport, you will also be assisted by airline staff members. 



Can I select the trek I want to go on? 
Yes and No. You can share your preference, but we need to see which of our slopes needs more.



What is the selection process?
Once you fill out the form, if you’re shortlisted, we will get back to you within 48 hours and schedule an interview. This interview is to get to know you better and understand your background. It will help us understand whether you’re the right candidate for this.



When will I get a confirmation? 
You will get a confirmation within 72 hours after your interview.



Should I book my flight, or will Indiahikes book my flight for me? 
Indiahikes will take care of booking your flight. 

Be a volunteer chaperone: Summer Camp 2024

Join our summer camp groups as a volunteer

Join us as a chaperone for our summer camp

Over the past decade, we have noticed that the trekking demography in our country is changing. What used to be hardcore adventurers heading into the mountains has now transformed into regular people from cities heading outdoors for treks.

Given this reality, several trekkers write to us asking for advice on which trek to choose as their first trek. 

This is why we are putting together this list of the best Himalayan treks for beginners.

These are suggestions from the past 13 years of guiding trekkers onto their first Himalayan treks.

Before we get into details, here are a few points to note about these treks for beginners: 

These treks are suitable for those who have never stepped into trekking trails (even locally) 

No matter the difficulty ratings of these treks, they require at least 1 month of fitness training before the trek. 

These treks can be accessed for almost 10 months in a year. (It’s a myth that all Himalayan treks can be done only in summer).

All these treks will give you a good mix of jungle trails, grasslands and mountain views — some have more than the others. So run through the highlights of the treks to make your decision.

You can expect snow on most of them between December and April.

Having said that, here is the list of the best high-altitude treks suited for beginners! 

15 Best Himalayan Treks For Beginners in India

Best Treks For Beginners In Uttarakhand 

Duration: 6 days from Rishikesh to Rishikesh 
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 11,950 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
* Child-friendly: For children from 8 years onwards
View trek: Dayara Bugyal 

Dayara Bugyal is a highly recommended trek for beginners because of the grand rewards for the little effort put in. It is suitable not only for beginners but also for families with children. 

Most people don’t know this, but it is also a favourite trek among a few of the most seasoned trekkers at Indiahikes. “This trek is superbly rewarding at any time of the year. The forests are splendid in spring, the meadows are an unbeatable green in summer, and they turn orange in autumn, with striking mountain views. The snowscape in winter is a world on its own. You can go any time, and you’ll not be let down,” shares Sandhya UC, co-founder and COO of Indiahikes. 

Duration: 6 days  
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 12,083 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
* Child-friendly: For children from 10 years onwards
View trek: Deoriatal-Chandrashila


Deoriatal-Chandrashila is another go-to Himalayan trek for beginners. Over the years, it has become a stepping stone for beginners to test themselves and progress to lengthier and tougher treks. 

What we love about this trek is that it is enriching from the get-go. Within two hours of trekking, you reach the Deoriatal lake and see stunning views of Chaukhamba and the neighbouring ranges from the lakeside. The forests over the next few hours are another huge reward. Within a day, you feel you’ve got your money’s worth. Yet, the trek only becomes more and more rewarding as you climb to the Chandrashila summit for the 360-degree views! 

Duration: 6 days 
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 12,598 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
* Child-friendly: For children from 10 years onwards
View trek: Kuari Pass


Kuari Pass is a trek that beginners often forget, and they’re making a big mistake! Because once you step onto the Kuari Pass trail, you will feel that very few treks come close.

On this trek, you get the closest views of Mt Nanda Devi and Mt Dronagiri. They are your constant companions on the trek. While these mountains are busy taking your breath away, the oak forests and meadows of Gorson Bugyal compete to steal your attention. It has too many highlights for such a short trek, which is a huge blessing for beginners. 

Duration:  6 days
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 12,250 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
* Child-friendly: For children from 10 years onwards
View trek: Brahmatal


Brahmatal has become popular over the past three years as a winter trek among beginners. And why not? It has a few terrific winter settings:

Incredible views of Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti 

Yet, the mistake trekkers make missing out on this trek in all other seasons — spring, summer and autumn. Few people know this, but Brahmatal has a few of the best rhododendron forests in spring (between March and April). It has rarely seen greenery in summer and striking views in autumn. You can do it in all four seasons and see a different side of the trek.

Duration:  6 days 
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 12,500 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
* Child-friendly: For children from 8 years onwards
View trek: Kedarkantha


Kedarkantha is a Himalayan trek that needs no introduction among beginners or seasoned trekkers. It has risen in popularity so much that we often discourage trekkers from going there in winter, its most popular season. 

But here’s the secret. While the trek may be incredibly crowded in winter, it is beautifully isolated in other seasons. This is especially true on the route we take at Indiahikes, starting from Kotgaon and not from Sankri. The walk through the forests, the camps in the clearings and the summit climb to Kedarkantha become extremely pleasurable in all seasons.

Duration: 6 days 
Difficulty: Moderate 
ighest Altitude: 12,550 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
* Child-friendly: For children from 10 years onwards
View trek: Ali Bedni Bugyal

Ali Bedni Bugyal is an excellent Himalayan trek for beginners because it gives you a taste of what an expedition might look like. After all, it takes you almost halfway up the famous Roopkund trek. 

Yet, Ali Bedni Bugyal has all the softness and charm of walking through lovely forests and meadows. These are a few of the most pristine meadows in our country. A sunrise or a sunset from these meadows, with golden light falling on Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti, will remain one of your best memories for life.

Duration: 6 Days  
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 12,345 ft
Best time: Summer, Autumn
View trek: Phulara Ridge 

Phulara Ridge is not your traditional beginner’s trek. It is usually for the most nuanced trekker, who understands the rarity of such splendid ridge walks. Yet, we have seen that several beginners have gone on this trek and come out as trekkers for life. 

It’s a trek that instils a deep love for the mountains in you. This happens for quite a few reasons. First, the ridge walks, where you’re at a vantage point for over 5-6 hours, trekking in parallel with a few tallest mountain peaks. Second, the pretty campsites give you an authentic feel of camping in the wilderness, mainly because there are hardly any other trekkers. Thirdly, because you’re in the vicinity of many trekking trails (like Kedarkantha and Har Ki Dun), you feel a natural urge to explore more. 

Duration:  6 Days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 14,107 ft
Best time: Monsoon
View trek: Valley of Flowers

This list of the best Himalayan treks for beginners in India would be incomplete without a mention of the Valley of Flowers. One of the most ancient trekking trails in our country, this trail has introduced tens of thousands of Indians to the concept of trekking. 

The perks of going to Valley of Flowers as a beginner? It does not throw you into the deep end. You don’t camp in the wild or trek into the unknown. You are in civilization, staying in lodges and treading on well-laid trails. Helicopter evacuations are possible at your beck and call. So if you’re fearful of going on an isolated trek, this is a comfortable taste of the mountains. 

Duration:  8 Days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 11,850 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
View trek: Har Ki Dun - Ruinsara Tal

Har Ki Dun is another ancient Himalayan trek of our country that is suitable for beginners. It’s a trail dotted with remote villages of Uttarakhand, which are, to date, steeped in traditions. You get to observe this ancient culture at close quarters on this trek. 

Of course, we must warn you that this trek is slightly harder on the legs. We mark it as a moderate trek because the days involve long walking hours. In our itinerary at Indiahikes, we also visit the Ruinsara Valley, which is almost like doing a separate trek on its own. It’s an enriching valley walk (many of our Trek Leaders claim it’s more rewarding than the original HKD valley). Still, it does require an equal amount of effort on the part of the trekker. 

Best Treks For Beginners In Himachal Pradesh

Duration:  4 Days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 14,009 ft
Best time: Monsoon
View trek: Bhrigu Lake

Bhrigu Lake is one of our most recommended suggestions for beginners because, within 4 days, you trek to a lake at 14,000 ft and back without travelling much from a central place like Manali. (Most other treks involve an 8-hour journey to the base camp alone, from a central location like Dehradun).

While it has the perk of being easily accessible, the trek on its own is a feast to the eyes. With vast, unending grasslands spread against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, it is a rare experience in 4 days. To top it off, you climb to Bhrigu Lake, the highest point on the trek, a frozen lake in June that turns a pretty blue and is surrounded by grassy knolls during the rest of the season. 

Duration: 4 days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 12,772 ft
Best time: Monsoon
View trek:  Beas Kund

Here’s another twin of the Bhrigu Lake trek, which is suitable for beginners. Similar in duration and accessibility (4-day trek from Manali), it is the lesser-known among the two. 

Frankly, at Indiahikes, we find it hard to pick between the two treks because despite being so close, they are very different. Beas Kund is a valley walk where the Beas River accompanies you. You trek to the source of the river and back. The campsites, the snow-covered mountains, and the lush greenery in the valley make a great introduction to a typical valley trek in Himachal for beginners. 

Duration:  6 Days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 14,065 ft
Best time: Monsoon
View trek: Hampta Pass 

We’ll be honest with you. Hampta Pass is not a trek we usually recommend for beginners. It is a high mountain pass-crossing in the heart of the Himalayas. Yet, if you have a good fitness routine or are prepared to put in the 2 months of effort it takes to train for Hampta Pass, it would be an excellent trek for beginners. 

It is one of the most dramatic experiences you’ll have as a beginner, trekking from the greenery of Kullu to the stark and barren landscapes of Lahaul. If you have never trekked before, these are views that will stick with you for life! 

Duration:  7 Days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 13,165 ft
Best time: Monsoon
View trek: Tarsar Marsar 

We almost don’t want to recommend Tarsar Marsar as a trek for beginners because it’s too good a trek to be your first Himalayan trek. You’ll be spoiled once you do this trek because once you’ve seen the landscapes of Kashmir and the alpine lakes here, you’ll rarely see anything that comes close. 

But this is one of those few treks that are easy-moderate in Kashmir. Despite crossing two mountain passes, it does not test your endurance or prior experience too much. You will need good fitness levels, much like any other trek, but if you have that, Tarsar Marsar could be the best trek you’ll do as a beginner. 

Duration:  7 Days
Difficulty: Moderate - Difficult 
Highest Altitude: 13,789 ft
Best time: Monsoon
View trek: Nafran Valley

Nafran Valley is a new trek in our country. Indian trekkers barely step on it. We explored it only in 2021 and found it to be a trek that came at par with the iconic Kashmir treks like Tarsar Marsar and Kashmir Great Lakes. 

While it does not have the length or variety of KGL, it has the typical Kashmiri landscapes celebrating meadows and the Kashmir valley. It has two alpine lakes that are typical of Kashmir. It also has high alpine sections, giving you a taste of an excellent high-altitude trek. 

Duration:  7 Days
Difficulty: Moderate 
Highest Altitude: 11,930 ft
Best time: All year, except monsoon
View trek: Sandakphu

Sandakphu is a relatively long trek compared to all other treks on this list, but it is still a good Himalayan trek for fit beginners. It is a rare experience that takes you along the Indo-Nepal border, where you’re constantly flitting between the borders of the two countries. 

On the other hand, it spoils you with views of 4 out of 5 of the tallest mountains in the world — Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu. You have the privilege of trekking in this esteemed company throughout. We would say it isn’t a very typical first time experience because camping / staying in tea houses, the way the trail is laid out, the culture on the trek, is a very different experience from most other treks in our country. But it gives you a good idea of what to expect out of a week-long Himalayan trek. 

That brings us to the end of this list of the best Himalayan treks for beginners in India. 

Does it mean that other treks cannot be attempted by beginners? 

Not at all. There are several treks like Buran Ghati, Rupin Pass, Kashmir Great Lakes and Gaumukh Tapovan that can be attempted by beginners. They only require higher levels of fitness and endurance. 

There are, of course, some treks like Kedartal, Warwan Valley and Goechala that require prior experience. But one or two of the beginner level treks will beautifully prep you for the tougher treks. 

We hope this list helps you plan your first Himalayan trek better. 

If you would like personal guidance to help choose a trek, you’re welcome to write to info@indiahikes.com , or give us a call on the number you’ll find here.

Top 15 Himalayan Treks For Beginners In India To Do In 2024 - Includes Treks In Uttarakhand, Himachal, Kashmir, West Bengal

15 Best Himalayan Treks For Beginners in India - 2024

Best Trek Beginner 15 Best Himalayan Treks For Beginners 

15 Best Himalayan Treks For Beginners in 2024

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

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!

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