Head On To These 6 Himalayan Treks During Winter Season

Adventurous Everest Base Camp trek tours are a must do for all trekking enthusiasts. At an altitude of up to 5545m, Everest Base Camp can be quite a long duration trek done at a steady speed. This trek provides the unmatched view of the Everest from closest quarters. Stopping at the famed Namche Bazaar is customary, along with a host of other landmarks all the way to Kala Patthar. Due to the heavy traffic of mountaineers, a trek to Everest Base Camp should be well planned, particularly in terms of resources.

Kedar Kantha Winter Trek starts from Sankri, towards Jaadu Talaab, a captivating lake situated amidst dense alpine forest and maple trees. Further up, the Hargoaon pass will provide one of the most beautiful descending trails in Himalaya. This trek chugs through dense forests, snow-laden trail with patches of frosty meadow used by shepherds during the summer season and offers the view of several peaks and ranges. Snow in this trek appears around 10,000 ft. and along the snow paths of this trek, you will discover charming villages, frozen lakes and magnificent views of the great Himalayas.

Trekking the Stok Kangri trek is a considerable challenge both in terms of duration (10 days) and altitude (6153 m). Winter here experiences frequent and unforeseen weather changes and the trek requires technical expertise. Temperatures can be as low as minus 40 degrees considering the wind chill. This trek provides an unparalleled view of the Stok glacier and gives you perfect warm-up for mountaineering major peaks.

Sandakphu is one of the best and definitely most popular treks in the North Eastern Himalayan range. It sits at a maximum altitude of 3635 m and takes around 8-9 days. Falling in Singalila range, this trek offers not only a magnificent and panoramic view of Mount Kanchenjunga but also a partial peek of the Mount Everest. The region is brimming with evergreen coniferous pine, fir, birch forests, bamboo glades, rhododendrons, magnolias, orchids etc. This part of the Himalayan range is closest to a water body (Bay of Bengal), thus winter trekking is equally interesting here.

At the maximum height of 4000 m, Chandrashila trek starts from Chopta and is a 1km climb from the Tungnath Temple, highest temple of Lord Shiva. The ascent will give you a 270-degree view of the Garhwal peaks of the Himalayan range like Chaukhamba, Kedarnath, Nanda Devi and Trishul. The trek, particularly the last part of it can be difficult to spot in winters but has the beautiful Deoria tal on display along with lush green woods and meadows.

A popular winter trek, Kuari Pass set at an altitude of 4150 m giving you splendid snow-capped peaks of Chaukhamba, Nanda Devi, Hathi Ghodi Parvat, Kamet and Dronagiri. During the downward trail, you can also view one of the most amazing snow skiing destinations in India, Auli. The Kuari Pass is traditionally a 6-day trek and is a major trek in the Garhwal Himalayas, although winter trek does have a few tricky patches due to the snowfall and the sleet.