Ever since I heard about the Chadar trek, I have been preparing myself to go there. From the Chadar trek reviews all over the internet that spoke about helicopter rescue missions of trekkers, I was so scared and so thrilled to finally book my slot this year. I was determined, this had to be the greatest adventure of my life, and the hardest test for my willpower.
For treks and adventure activities, I have immense faith upon Thrillophilia. I went on a bike trip to Ladakh with them last year, and it was a fantastic experience. So, instead of sending an inquiry I directly contacted the person from whom I had booked the previous trip, Mr. Aditya. The booking process was seamless, as always, and the transaction was fast. I received the confirmation within 30 minutes, and at that moment I was literally shaking out of excitement.
Upon reaching Leh, I was informed that there would be a minimum period of 3 days to get used to the weather, and then the official authorities would conduct a medical examination to test my medical fitness. I could only go if I passed it. It was a group tour, and 3 out of 7 people had failed the test, so only 6 of us (including our trek leader and cook) started on the journey over the Frozen Zanskar River.
The river was flowing through icy gorges that rose up to around 600 feet, and we saw some dreamy regions where the frozen waterfalls over cliffs took interesting shapes. I had read before about these beautiful views in many online reviews of Chadar Trek with Thrillophilia. The entire landscape was so surreal, and for the initial days I was still processing that I was actually undertaking my dream trek. The first three days were fun, covering 15 km a day with our luggage in sledges. But, reality hit me on the 6th day of the trek when we were hit by a snow storm. It was all pitch black in the night, and the temperature dropped to near about -25 degrees. We were all so scared that we came up together to survive the calamity and return alive, we still had around 3 days of trekking trail left to cover. We came out alive from that storm, but one of our teammates got cold feet.
Thanks to our local guide (also our cook), she recovered pretty fast with some messages and heat treatment using the stoves and the sunshine that sparkled the scenery in the morning.
We completed the trek within 9 days. The extreme cold temperatures that we experienced on the trek is unimaginable. We do not know how we survived, the god was with us. After our return, we were served with some delicious food that immediately brought us back to life. In the evening, we received a call from the customer service department for feedback. We all appreciated both our guides. Without them, we probably would not have seen the rays of sun the day after.
After a good two-days of rest, I came back home with a whole new energy. Completing your dream on your own terms is an achievement, but once you get through it, there is no stopping you. This trek changed my life, and I thank Thrillophilia for this. Without this opportunity and support, it would not have been possible to complete the trek. Two days later I again got a call from the marketing department, asking to share my story of this trek for their website of Thrillophilia Chadar trek reviews. And so I told my whole story. Now, I am on the hunt for another mind blowing adventure to level up my spirits. And Thrillophilia will be my choice for that as well for sure!
