At Indiahikes, safety isn’t just a promise. It’s a commitment. 

We are India's safest trekking organisation. This reputation is hard-earned. 

Indiahikes has introduced most of the modern safety systems that you see in Indian trekking. Our legacy continues in our no-compromise safety promise to you.

Your health is monitored three times a day. We check your vitals thrice daily, ensuring we nip any health issues in the bud, even before they show up.

Our trek leaders are handpicked outdoor experts. Our trek leaders are hand-picked and undergo rigorous training in wilderness first aid and emergency care. Our training is so intensive that only 70 per cent make it through our training. 

We always have a HAM kit handy (High Altitude Medical Kit). The HAM kit contains 17 essential medicines, including three life-saving drugs. They also carry bottled oxygen. Our trek leaders are always ready to handle medical emergencies. 

We have an evacuation kit ready for emergencies. With a stretcher, two oxygen cylinders, and an emergency shelter, our teams have tested evacuation protocols in place. They can carry out smooth evacuations even in the middle of the night. 

Our radio communications are always in hand. Except in border areas, our teams are in constant touch through radio communication, ensuring that help is just a push of a button away.

We are always transparent with you. Whether good news or bad, we always keep you informed about the routes, weather and risks involved in your trek. 

Our equipment is world-class and undergoes inspection before every use. Whether it's tents, sleeping bags, ropes, or radios, they are all rigorously tested to ensure your safety.

We issue personal safety gear whenever necessary. We issue microspikes, gaiters, helmets, or harnesses wherever required. In addition, we train you on how to use them.

The safety of women and children comes first. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any misconduct.

Our guides are always available for assistance on the trail. Whether a short or long trek, an Indiahikes team member will always be just a few minutes away on the trail, never leaving you alone.

Safety isn’t just a promise. It’s a commitment. Indiahikes has introduced most of the modern safety systems that you see in Indian trekking. Read through our no-compromise safety promise.

The Indiahikes No-Compromise Safety Promise

At Indiahikes, our commitment to the environment is unwavering. We don’t just encourage responsible trekking; we insist on it. That’s why our Green Trails principles are non-negotiable.  Our no-compromise promise to the environment is:

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1. We promise to leave the trails better than we find them. We carry Eco Bags to clean trails. Using eco bags, our trek leaders, staff, and trekkers go beyond leaving no trace—they leave the mountains in a better state.

2. We promise to keep waste out of landfills. We segregate waste at the source. We refuse to let our waste add to landfills. By segregating all waste at its origin, we transform it into valuable resources. 

3. We promise to compost all food waste directly at its source. We compost our food waste. Food waste accounts for a significant portion of the waste generated during the trek. We ensure that all food waste is composted at its source.

4. We promise to conserve water by minimising usage per trekker. Every drop of water matters, and we conserve it through water-saving nozzles, washing contraptions, our three-sink systems, and rainwater harvesting methods.

5. We promise to compost human waste sustainably. We compost our human waste through our Bio-Toilets. Our specially designed bio-toilets turn human waste into nutrient-rich compost.  

6. We promise to leave every campsite cleaner than we find them. We conduct green sweeps while vacating campsites. Our teams clean every camp of litter before moving forward, leaving the camp better than we found it.

7. We promise to increase the use of renewable energy on our treks. We are innovating energy usage on our treks. By lighting our camps with solar energy and optimising the usage of LPG, we reduce the burden on the environment. 

8. We promise to conserve the forest we trek on. We ban campfires and provide other alternatives for heat (or even sacrifice it). Deadwood is essential for the regrowth of the forests. It cannot be used for our comfort. 

9. We promise to eliminate disposable cutlery. We do not allow the use of disposable cutlery. To cut down on disposable cutlery and minimise our footprint, our trekkers bring their own cutlery. 

10. We promise not to allow wet wipes. We do not allow wet wipes on our treks. They have a lasting negative impact on the environment through chemical leaching, and even the biodegradable ones do not decompose. 

11. We promise to maintain a dustbin-free campus. Our trekkers take back their litter for disposal in their home cities, where the infrastructure can handle it responsibly.
12. We promise to promote sustainable menstruation practices. Our wrap-pack-take-it-back policy requires women trekkers to take sanitary waste back to cities for safe disposal.

We don’t merely promote responsible trekking; we require it. That’s why our Green Trails principles are set in stone. Take a look at our uncompromising Green Trails promise.

The Indiahikes No-Compromise Green Trails Promise 

Last year, we were faced with a difficult conundrum. Should we, or should we not, continue with the fitness checks? 

Our concerns with fitness checks primarily lay in these four areas:

The staggering volume: Conducting fitness checks for 25,000 trekkers every year was proving to be a mammoth challenge. And these numbers were only increasing with each passing year. 

The unfair responsibility: We strongly believe preparing for a trek is a trekker's responsibility. But somehow, by constantly asking for fitness proof, the responsibility of a trekker’s fitness had unfairly shifted to Indiahikes. 

Dishonest trekkers: A few trekkers who managed to trick the system would take pride in having made it to the trek unprepared. This was demotivating for those trekkers who had diligently prepared for the trek. To top it, the tricksters would slow down the entire group by their unpreparedness! 

A safety concern: Despite all these, we were worried about stopping the fitness checks. What if it resulted in more unfit, unprepared trekkers on a Himalayan trek? That would become a huge safety concern.

So we threw this question open to the trekker’s forum, asking—should we do away with our fitness checks? A vast majority of trekkers protested against it. 

“No! Please don't. This, in a way, stands for the Indiahikes' purpose of leading treks safely. This is also a motivation for trekkers to get to the level of fitness required to enjoy the trek. I strongly stand by this. People who are passionate about trekking will vouch for it as it is of great significance.” Vindhya Ramsub

“In my view India hikes stands primarily for two things I like. One is safety of trekkers and second is green trails. If safety is as important, the fitness of trekkers is critical. So dropping fitness is like getting away from core of Indiahikes. You should not even think of it. I know you wont drop Green Trails and same case here.” Ramesh Emani 

There are 337 replies on this thread, most of them requesting to continue checking fitness approvals. This was quite revealing. 

Yet our compulsions were high. Our difficulties in checking fitness were increasing beyond our capabilities. We decided to experiment with an alternate approach for six months. 

In October 2022, we stopped fitness checks for easy-moderate treks.

This experiment was specifically for treks that climbed to around 12,000 ft. It was our safest category. 

These treks have gradual gradients and easily accessible exits. This provided a safety-net while we experimented with stepping back with fitness checks. 

Initially, our teams on the slope reported a negligible difference between the two periods. 

But the unfortunate effects started showing up a few months later. 

These effects were not in favour of the experiment. 

Trek leaders started reporting gross delays in the trek. For example, even on easier treks like the Dayara Bugyal, trekkers who were expected to reach Gui, our first camp, by 11.30 am were reaching only by 1.30 pm. 

“This toppled the entire trek plan. Lunch was getting delayed, trekkers were not getting enough rest, and instead of focusing on experiences, our trek leaders were more worried about giving rest and maintaining timings,” says Arjun Majumdar, Founder-CEO, Indiahikes. The entire focus shifted from enjoying the trek to just struggling to stay on time. 

“Trekkers who had previously trekked with Indiahikes were unhappy. They blamed the absence of fitness checks on the delays. They were not wrong,” says Nandana Kamasani, Head of Experience Coordination at Indiahikes. 

Six months of experimenting have now come to an end. 

3 things we learned from this experiment:

1. Fitness checks are integral to the brand identity of Indiahikes. 

During these six months, we had many Indiahikes trekkers musing about how these fitness checks set Indiahikes apart. There’s a strong impression within the trekking community that Indiahikes trekkers always take fitness seriously. This was a strong brand identity for Indiahikes. 

But over the course of this experiment, the brand identity took a hit. In the absence of fitness checks, there were groups of trekkers who made it to the mountains without preparing for the trek. This affected the quality of the treks and also their Indiahikes experience. They were beginning to question the values of Indiahikes. 

2. Lack of fitness deeply affects the trek experience of the group

We knew about this. But we underestimated how much of the trek would be affected. The growing number of unprepared trekkers in the group started having a domino effect. Trek time, lunch, experiences, and group dynamics took a hit. 

3. Fitness checks keep trekkers motivated.

We realised there were many trekkers who were able to stay on track because of the fitness checks. Sending a fitness screenshot was a conversation starter with an expert. It helped them stay motivated to prepare for the trek. It also helped beyond the trek. They continued on their fitness journey and thanked Indiahikes for it. 

The most important lesson we learned was that we had to bring back our fitness checks. 

Being fit changes the way you trek. It enables you to enjoy the trek. The design of Indiahikes Experience is based on this observation. And over the past six months, we’ve witnessed how deeply fitness (or the lack of it) affects the experience for the entire group. 

Even though it is going to be a big organisational challenge, we are reverting back to our stringent fitness checks. We have brought in new IT systems that will help us screen people faster and more accurately. 

But the truth is, there is no getting away from what we are known for, what identifies us, and what is good for trekking. It is our fitness check to see if you are prepared for the trek. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this update. Drop a comment below. 

For many years, we have wanted to capture what safety means to us at Indiahikes in a film. The idea of safety has evolved so much (and is still evolving). 

Finally, we have been able to put the journey of safety down in a film. It is not only the story of how we look at safety at Indiahikes but also a story of how safety has evolved in Indian trekking.  

The Head of Video Production at Indiahikes, Dhaval Jajal, has somehow been able to capture the thoughts beautifully. He does this in a short film of less than 10 minutes.

I won’t tell you more. I’ll let you watch it yourself. Click on the image below to watch. 

At Indiahikes, safety comes before anything else on a trek -- be it the scenery, the experience, the food, the comfort. Here's a film that explains exactly how we look at safety on a trek.

What Safety Means To Us At Indiahikes: A Short Film

Because if the founders, Arjun and Sandhya, find out what I'm writing, they'd go into hiding with embarrassment! They'd ask me to stop right away. 

Well, there's a reason I'm writing this. 

Everyday, when I open the newspaper or Twitter, I read about so many CEOs and founders. I read about their business outlook, their lifestyles, their habits, their personal affairs. 

In fact, I recently read a book about Mr Ratan Tata, written by a young lad who works with him closely. I was marvelling at the candid image of Mr Ratan Tata I got — he was so different from most of the CEOs we read about. No airs about himself, no flashy lifestyle, just a simple person with good habits and a large vision. 

For the past seven years, I've been working under two of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country. They have built the largest trekking organisation in India, along with it, shaping the trekking habits and behaviours of the country. 

Sometimes, I'm at such close proximity with them that I forget the significance of their accomplishments. I almost take them for granted. Yet, I know that their habits and outlooks have moulded each of us at Indiahikes. 

So today, I thought I'd outline just a few of their habits, which I've found to have a lot of personal and professional gain. 

This is in no way a character dissection because there's so much more to them, but these are observations to learn from, habits to reflect on. 

1. They don’t spend unnecessarily (not their money or others) 

Our founder, Arjun Majumdar, was recently invited to Vellore Institute of Technology as a speaker. They requested him to speak to the E-Cell students about his learnings as an entrepreneur. 

After Arjun had accepted the invite, they offered to book flights for him from Bangalore to Vellore and ferry him in a taxi to the college and back. 

Arjun would have none of it. He didn't want them (or anyone) spending such unnecessary amounts on him. Instead, he booked a two-way ticket in a train, which cost less than 1/10th the flight fare. Even when he returned and got off at the Railway station, he took a bus back home. No Uber, no auto. 

This is something true of Sandhya too. Even after a 26 hour international flight, I've seen her take a bus back from the airport to her home, not indulging in the Rs 800 taxi drive.

Time and again, I have seen them being frugal with money. Whether it is their personal income, the organisation’s finances or anyone else's. They frown upon unnecessary indulgence and believe in saving for a rainy day. 

We saw a hard-hitting impact of this habit during the pandemic — all our treks were wiped out for nearly a year, and yet we had our income flowing. All because the organisation had reserved finances in some way. 

Perhaps this habit has stemmed from the trekking world, where only your needs count and not your wants. The founders have ensured that frugality is not a virtue here, it is a way of life. 

The Indiahikes founders have always been careful about how they spend, whether its their own personal income, the organisation's finances or anyone else's money. Here's Arjun doing a bus ride, which is a normal thing for him during travel.

2. They have been running 5k every morning for the past 13 years (together!)

I think even within Indiahikes, several people don’t know about this habit of our founders. I, too, found out only a few years ago. 

Right from the beginning of Indiahikes, our founders have been running 5K every morning (consistently within 27 minutes). While this consistency is a true testament to their fitness, that is not really the habit I want to point out here.  

They start their run together at 6.15 am everyday, and are in continuous conversation with each other during their run. 

Given that they are always surrounded by team members in the office, they rarely get time to discuss larger thoughts about the organisation and the direction it is headed in. Their morning run is their time to take a step back and reflect on how the organisation is growing. 

They discuss everything, right from the organisation’s objectives, to new explorations, to ingraining the right values in team members, to challenges Indiahikes is facing. 

This is also their time to reflect on learnings from any articles / books they have recently read. 

Watching this habit of theirs, for me, the biggest takeaway is that to build a successful organisation, it is imperative that you dedicate a few hours consistently everyday to nurture and care for the organisation. Just plain work is not enough. 

This shows clearly in the way they have steered the organisation from Day 1, making important pivots when needed and sticking to the strong guns when needed.

For the past 13 years, Arjun and Sandhya have been running virtually together everyday, using it as an opportunity to discuss organisational thoughts.

3. They read at least five newspapers everyday

After their runs, every morning, both of them head back to their respective homes and start their reading. Business news, international news, local news, op-eds, they drink them in like morning coffee (neither of them actually drinks coffee). 

It's not just newspapers. They are voracious readers, always reading to understand how the world's best businesses are run. They are always up to date with the latest technologies and business models in the world. 

This makes a very big difference to how they see Indiahikes. They always look at Indiahikes on a global pedestal, seeing how we can be the best in the world and not just best in India. 

This habit of theirs rubs off on all of us at Indiahikes. Because everyday at lunch we have elaborate discussions on the affairs of the world. Just this afternoon, our conversation was about Sheryl Sandberg stepping down as the COO of Facebook, which in turn became a conversation on women in leadership. 

"Many people know we sit together and have lunch like a family, but what people don't know is that the conversations, the debates and the learnings make our lunchtime as meaningful as it is. All the credit goes to Arjun and Sandhya for that," muses Lakshmi Selvalumaran, head of Experience at Indiahikes. 

Lunch time at Indiahikes is special not only because we eat together, but because of the several discussions and debates we have about the world's affairs. Picture by Jothiranjan

In both our founders' homes, they are the Compost King and Queen. On a weekly basis, you'll see them chopping peels, churning, sieving and composting. Regularly, this compost lands up in our office lawn, which has grown luxuriant with so much healthy manure. 

But it's not just about composting. They are both very conscious of the waste they produce and how they can reduce it. 

Whether it is larger lifestyle changes of avoiding takeaway food and driving electric vehicles to smaller habits like tending to their own gardens, they are very conscious of how they can preserve the environment around them. 

This habit is clearly reflected in our Green Trails practices at Indiahikes. It's not only their intention, but also their large knowledge that helps us better our human waste management in the mountains, reduce the waste we produce on a large scale in our trek operations and overall bring down the carbon footprint of trekking. 

5. They know almost all the employees on a personal and familial basis! 

I'll admit Indiahikes is not a large organisation. We are around 200 strong. Most of us know all other team members at least by name. 

Frankly speaking though, from all I've read on the internet, the CEOs are the last to know all team members. 

Arjun and Sandhya know almost every Trek Leader, every Experience Coordinator, every cook and guide by their names and even their family backgrounds! While most team members know each other well within their own teams, our founders know members of all teams well. 

I keep wondering how they manage to make time and space for so many team members and dive deep into all their lives. But somehow, magically, they do. 

A rare thing I notice is that this is not at the cost of their own family relationships. Arjun lives with his wife, daughter and parents. He regularly takes his daughter trekking and involves his family in all the ongoings at Indiahikes. Sandhya, on the other hand, lives with her husband and her mother. She regularly goes out with them on small day hikes. Her husband is almost a part of Indiahikes behind the scenes. 

This whole outlook of theirs stems from a simple belief —  Relationships come above business. "We believe an organisation is not about markets, products, services or profits. It is about building strong relationships. The stronger the relationships, the more robust is the organisation," they have always believed.

The founders make it a point to take the whole team outdoors regularly to have informal conversations with everyone about trek stories and personal lives.

6. They pursue and encourage a high quality of life.  

Almost everyday after lunch, you'll see several people at Indiahikes running off to their cosy corners or rooms for a nap. This nap time is not only accepted by our founders, but also encouraged. They love their nap time themselves! 

Again, this stems from their deep concern for everyone's well being. 

Whether it is going running in the morning, eating healthy home-cooked food or sleeping well, they are not only practising it themselves, but constantly egging everyone on to do the same. 

Recently, they also moved their homes closer to the office to cut out commute time. They believe commuting to work is one of the biggest waste of human potential. 

A direct reflection of this is that 90% of our team members live within a 1 km radius of the office. Cutting out the commute enables them all to run in the morning, cook their own meals, pursue their hobbies or even work. In the end everyone pursues a healthier lifestyle. 

7. They regularly rescue and care for animals. 

Two weeks ago, I saw Sandhya's room door closed, and I was wondering why it was shut. Our founders rarely shut their room doors, since they want to invite conversations. 

When I knocked and peeked in, I was welcomed by a tiny kitten that ran towards me. Sandhya had rescued it from a neighbouring area, and it was now ours to foster until it found a home. 

If you've ever visited our office, you may confuse it for an animal sanctuary. We have Blacky, Lola, Pepper, Berry, Sapota, Puppy (and now Kittu), all of them being cared for during the day at Indiahikes. 

While we have different team members taking them home after the day's work, it is only Arjun's and Sandhya's deep care for animal welfare that allows us this atmosphere. 

So much so, that a large sum is set aside by Indiahikes every month for the well-being of these animals. (It was their birthday gift to Lakshmi and Sharu, two of our team members who run foster homes for animals.) 

"When we talk about care as a core value at Indiahikes, it extends not only to our trekkers but to every form of life. And that care exudes from Arjun and Sandhya first, and then seeps down to the very last team member of Indiahikes," reflects Izzat Yaganagi, head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes, who has known the founders for over ten years. 

The Indiahikes office doubles up as an animal sanctuary because of the founders' love for animals.

While asking my colleagues for more thoughts on our founders' rare habits, I realised there's so much that we could write a book about it! 

There are so many of their habits and qualities that have inspired us to become better professionally and personally — from aiming higher at our workplace to simplifying our own personal lives, they have taught us hundreds of lessons. 

If you ask me, their strong leadership and pursuit for global excellence is one of the biggest reasons to work here. 

I hope this small post leaves you with a small insider-perspective of our founders. I'd love to know what you think after reading it. Do drop in your thoughts in the comments below. 

An insider-view of the daily habits and qualities of Indiahikes Founders

7 Rare Habits of Indiahikes Founders

Indiahikes founders, working with indiahikes, founders, culture, value

Indiahikes is known for its vast database of trek information. Thousands of trekkers use our detailed documentation to trek every day. This database is highly respected for its credibility and authenticity.

Even though Indiahikes has the largest database of treks, it is not enough. More and more trekkers want to trek in different corners of the country. Many do not know that there are trails right in their backyard.

This is where you can help in identifying treks in and around your city.

At Indiahikes, we have opened the role of a Remote Trek Documenter so that trekkers like you can contribute to the ever-growing database.

By working with us as a Remote Trek Documenter, you will bring out lesser known treks on the trekking map of our country. This comes with a set of responsibilities that we discuss next.

➤ What your role will be as a Remote Trek Documenter

As a Remote Trek Documenter, you will plan your exploration by understanding the trail, charting out a rough map, planning your travel, talking to the locals to get as much information, and finally explore the trail.

This means, you should be an avid trekker yourself. You want to explore and document treks as much as we do.

Next, you should know how to take good landscape pictures of the trek. Pictures take trekkers on a trek even before they go on a trek. Your pictures should enable that. (Even mobile phone photography is OK.)

Lastly, you should know how to express the trek in writing. For this you need to have a good command over the English language. Your documentation should serve as the first draft for our DIY Team to readily take up without much editing.

To summarise, you should have the following skills:

Know how to read and draw geographical maps.

Be comfortable with talking to strangers.

Be Curious to explore lesser-known or completely new trails.

Take excellent landscape pictures using a phone or a camera.

➤ How you will be compensated for your work

Each trek you document will be considered as a project. You will be paid per project, once the documented trek is edited and published on the Indiahikes website.

The pay depends upon the type of trek you document — whether it is a day trek or a multi-day trek. On average, you are expected to earn Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per project.

You are also entitled to the following benefits:

Your travel cost to the trek and back is reimbursed by Indiahikes, irrespective of the type of trek you document. (Travelling in flights or cabs are not considered for reimbursement)

If you are required to travel to another city to document a multi-day trek, Indiahikes will reimburse the cost of stay and food. (Up to a maximum of Rs 700 per day for stay, and Rs 250 per day for food)

Note: Your expenses are reimbursed only upon submission of relevant bills/invoices to the DIY Team.

If this role excites you as much as it excites us, send in your applications to suhas@indiahikes.com by including ‘Working as a Remote Trek Documenter’ in the subject line.

Why do you want to take up the role of a Remote Trek Documenter?

Which treks have you done around your city?

P.S. Here are some of the treks documented by our Remote Trek Documenters:

Drop in a comment if you have any questions and we will get back to you.

We are Looking for Remote Trek Documenters at Indiahikes

Did you know that the concept of a Trek Leader in Indian trekking took birth at Indiahikes? 

Until Indiahikes came about, most people would trek with guides, who would take trekkers from Point A to Point B. They’d be able to tell you the route and a few stories about the trails, not much else. 

But our founder had always envisioned a Trek Leader very differently. A Trek Leader would keep you safe, handle emergencies, care for you, scold you, take medical calls, help you reflect on your experience, have conversations with you about your life, your work, your learnings. In his mind, a Trek Leader was truly a “leader,” not a guide. 

It was with this thought he led the initial few groups himself and later coined the term Trek Leader, which has gone on to become one of the most meaningful careers in the outdoors. 

We’ve always wanted to capture the essence of Trek Leading in a film. But the role has evolved so much over the years (and still evolving) that it was not easy to make a film on it.

But our film maker Mayur Srivastav, somehow, has been able to capture the heart and emotion of the role in a lovely short film. 

The film tells you where the concept of Trek Leading came from, the seriousness of Trek Leading as a career, the challenges of Trek Leading and the impact of trek leading.

Watch it yourself and then share your thoughts in the comments below!

What It Means To Be A Trek Leader At Indiahikes - A Short Film

It was April 2021. We had just started from Tapoban, the base camp of our Kuari Pass trek. We had trekked for hardly two hours, when commanding views of Mt.Dronagiri brought us to a halt. Our trek leader decided it was the perfect time for a break, to enlighten us with stories of the mountains and trails. 

He took us back to 1905, when Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy General of India and an avid trekker, was on a quest to explore the mountain ranges of the Garhwal region. So smitten was he by the pristine beauty of this land, that he asked his local guides the native translation for the word ‘virgin.’ “Kuari,” they said. Thus was born the Kuari Pass Trek.

Kuari Pass is one of those special treks that allows you to stand up close with few of the biggest Himalayan peaks with very less effort. Picture by Valay Bhatt.

Quite fittingly, the Kuari Pass Trek is also known as the Lord Curzon Trail.

As I researched this article, I realized that most trails have a story behind them — some more obvious than others and some shrouded in fables and folklore. Knowing these anecdotes isn’t just about just listening to a story. It provides a depth, a perspective that makes one appreciate the entire experience so much more. 

If you are about to set off on any of these treks, I hope, knowing these stories; some fact, some fiction, adds to the magic of your journey.

Widely considered one of India’s prettiest trails, the Tarsar Marsar Kashmir Trek takes you to two of the most beautiful alpine lakes of the country. But behind the shimmering waters and crystal clear mountain reflections lurks a tale of mystery. 

Trek Leader Vijeet Shaw gives me the lowdown. “Tarsar is considered to be sacred, a lake that is blessed. Marsar, on the other hand, is considered to be cursed. And there is a reason for it. 

“Local legend is that there once was a shepherd who took his sheep grazing in these valleys. One day, his herd ended up going close to Marsar and accidentally wandered into the lake. He ran after them but unfortunately, they had already gone too deep into the lake. 

“For the next couple of days, the shepherd kept hoping his sheep would come back, but to no avail. Almost on the verge of giving up, he looked up to the skies and prayed to the heavens. 

“God heard his appeal and instructed the shepherd to go to Tarsar Lake. He told him that he would find his herd there. At Tarsar, the shepherd found his sheep emerging from the lake, one by one. 

“The shepherd got curious and decided to find out where the sheep were emerging from. But God cautioned him from doing so. Not paying heed to the advice, he went into the lake, looking for the rest of his herd. It turned out to be a mistake. The sheep that had already emerged from the lake got to the safety of the shore, but the rest of the herd never came out.

The striking blues of Tarsar Lake. Picture by – Kishan Harwalkar.

“That is how the lakes got their name – Marsar means the lake that kills (‘Mar’ means to kill and ‘sar’ means lake in Kashmiri) and Tarsar means a lake that gives life, that resuscitates (‘Tar’ refers to ‘तैरना’ or to swim).

“Even today, locals are petrified of going near the lake or touching its waters. And for that reason, nobody camps around Marsar, and it is an isolated lake. You can watch it from a distance, but you cannot touch its waters,” sums up Vijeet. 

One of the most popular trails in India, the Valley of Flowers Trek needs no introduction. Every year, hundreds of trekkers from around the world make their way through the valley to marvel at close to 500 species of flowering plants and pay their respects at Hemkund Sahib.

The name is as simple as it gets. But what is interesting is how the valley was discovered and named.

A trail through the valley with flowers on either sides. Picture by – Rupesh Thakre.

Trek Leader Nitesh Kumar narrates the story.

“In 1931, a British mountaineer called Frank Smythe was attempting to climb Mt Kamet along with a handful of other explorers. After a successful summit climb, the group lost their way. On the way down, they found themselves in a valley covered in mist and clouds. When the fog cleared, they noticed that the entire valley was a carpet of flowers. Frank Smythe found himself in a setting so stunning that he thought he had died and gone to heaven. 

It was only after six years of studying flowers and learning gardening that Smythe returned to the valley again. Armed with extensive knowledge of the region’s flowers and a deeper appreciation of the valley’s splendor, Smythe christened the region ‘Valley of Flowers.’ He also wrote and published a book titled The Valley of Flowers in 1937. 

That is when the whole world got to know about this place. It was 51 years later that the Valley of Flowers was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1988,” says Nitesh. 

Part pilgrimage, part adventure, Gaumukh Tapovan is one of the earliest established treks in India. Young and old come from near and far chanting Jai Gange and Har Har Gange to be in the presence of the holiest river of India — the Ganga. While trekking along its waters is an experience in itself, knowing the significance behind the name ‘Gaumukh Tapovan’ makes the journey a mystical one. 

The snow white Mt Shivling in the dark of the night. Picture by Nitish Walia.

Nitesh talks about the mythology associated with the trek. 

“You can trace the story of Gaumukh Tapovan back to the BC period. 

Fascinating Stories About How Some Of India’s Most Famous Treks Got Their Names.

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