Trekking – Long Weekend 2015 India.

Plan your Trekking Holidays with these Long Weekend 2015 India.

 

Plan your trek in himalayas during these long weekends 2015 India. Year 2015 is packed with three to four day weekend take few days off and you can go for perfect trek in the himalayas or on an adventure trip of your choice. Year 2015 will also give you an opportunity to plan a 10 day holiday to plan a trekking expedition or Leh Ladakh Jeep Safari for 10 days.

 

 

Read Entire Article here Long Weekends 2015 India – Renok Adventures:

 

5 Classic Winter Treks in India

 The peak trekking season in the Himalayas starts from mid may and ends in October but with these winter treks options for trek in the Himalayas one can trek in Himalayas through out the year. These winter treks are at lower altitude and shorter in distance but that doesn’t mean they are the easy treks, some of them are demanding because extreme weather conditions in winters.

Winter may not be best months to venture high into the Himalayas, but for the rewards are high too the 360 degrees views of snow clad peaks and pristine wilderness makes it hard to resist.

http://renokadventures.com/top-5-winter-treks-in-india/

 

Government nod for use of satellite phones in Himalayas

To boost adventure tourism, the government is going to give the much-awaited permission for use of satellite phones by adventurers in the Himalayas on September 27, World Tourism Day.

Kedar-kantha-Trek

“We have got in-principle approval from the Home Ministry for allowing satellite phones in the Himalayas, where there is no phone connectivity. A policy is being finalised and it is likely to be announced on World Tourism Day,” a senior Tourism Ministry official said.

With the government nod, satellite phones-equipped tourists will be able to contact their relatives in case of emergency while trekking in the remote areas of Ladakh, hiking in Sikkim, or exploring the wilderness of the Himalayas spanning across in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Darjeeling.

There is a long-standing demand from the industry for allowing satellite phones in the Himalayas. However, the official said there are certain conditions being laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs for allowing satellite phones like monitoring of the calls made from these areas and the type of phones to be allowed.

Adventure Tour Operators Association founder member India Ajeet Bajaj said, “It will be a game changer for Indian adventure tourism industry as it will take the adventure related activities in the Himalayas to a new height”. About the proposed call monitoring provision, Bajaj said “we have no problem at all with it.”

According to the policy to be announced shortly, the adventure tour operators will be provided satellite phones by the government authorities for use and they would be responsible for its correct use as per the established norms. According to industry sources, the Himalayas attract about 2 million domestic and foreign adventure tourists in a year who go for skiing, hiking, camping and trekking. The number will go up with the satellite permission as the Himalayan ranges are missing many global tourists due to poor communication facilities. At present, the ministry is pushing adventure tourism in the country and announced several schemes like bearing the cost of 50 per cent fee of climbers trekking the Himalayas as part of the campaign,” 777 Days of the Indian Himalayas”, launched last year.

Source: Economic Times

 

Jaipur Trekking and Cooking

Trekking in Jaipur Go fish

Jaipur too is surrounded by hills and as a trekking aficionado I though of trekking to one of the hills cook food and return. So I called few of friends and children and made a plan to trek a hill near malviya nagar with red beacon light on top of it.

All set packed my backpack with all the supplies for the maiden Jaipur trek raw chicken as our chef was very gung ho about it and all sort of spices. Four of us started the trek near the Jaipur shooting range. It was raining and we all were excited to see the Jeep Safari that to in Rajasthan till now we have seen waterfall in my Himalayan Trek – Valley of Flowers. This was wonderful. Initially we didn’t face any difficulty as we were trekking on the trails made by shephers and their cattle but after sometime it became difficult because all the trees were full of thorns. We kept walking and finally we reached our destination the Red Beacon light.

Anil & Rajesh resting after the so called hardest trek for them

Our Stove which failed and we cook our chicken on makeshift chulha

My multifuel stove which ditched us when we required it most …and then we went in to the jungle to collect wood and we were afraid that we will not get good dry wood but we were lucky we got lot of them.

Our Chef – Anil and our Chulha

Cooking and chatting It was no less then any of the best cooking shows and on top of that it was a lesson learnt in how to cook without a stove.

Yummmmmm It was fun to cook there

Our Guest

The Red Beacon light cage….first time we saw it so close Trekking

 

Dayara Bugyal – Simple yet Beautiful

Dayara Bugyal – The biggest meadow of Uttarakhand

Bugyal in the local mountain dialect means “High Altitude Meadow”. Trekking to Dayara Bugyal is one of the most beautiful places in Uttaranchal, situated at an elevation ranging from 10,000 – 12,000 ft. This vast meadow is second to none in natural beauty in Uttarakhand trekking circuit. The possibility of Nordic as well as Alpine skiing are immense here, since during winter it provides one of the best ski slopes in India spread over an area of 28 sq/kms, one can combine a trek and ski during winter trekking season.

Dayara Bugyal trek starts from two places Barsu and Raithal. The road to Dayara Bugyal branches off near Bhatwari- a little township on Uttarkashi Gangotri road about 35 kms. From Uttarkashi, Vehicles can go up to the village of Raithal from where one has to trek a steep incline covering a distance of about 7 kms to reach Dayara and the other route is via village Barsu, 10 kms from Bhatwari from where one has to trek about 8kms to Dayara Bugyal.

Gray langurs or Hanuman langurs, the most widespread langurs of South Asia, are a group of Old World monkeys constituting the entirety of the genus Semnopithecus.

Monal – State Bird of Uttarakhand

This is the best time for birding as all the birds descends from high altitude to lower altitudes due to drop in temperatures.

If some one wants to do this trek here is the ideal itinerary

Day 1 Dehradun to Guest House at Barsu

Arrive at Dehradun/Haridwar in the morning, freshen up, have breakfast and leave for Barsu village Lunch on the way. Arrive at Camp by late afternoon and relax with a hot cup of tea and prepare yourself for trekking in Himalayas. The camp overlooks the Himalayan peaks of Gangotri I, II and III, Jaunli, Draupdi ka Danda and Srikanth.

Days 2 Barsu – Barnala (2700 m) 4 km / 4 hr

Have an early breakfast and get ready for a trekking to Barnala lake (2700 m) about 5 hours away. Trek through the dense forest of Pine and Oak trees. Lunch enroute. Reach Barnala by late afternoon. Explore the forest around the lake and do some bird watching. Barnala is great for bird watching, the most common birds here Whistling Thrush, Red Finch, Monal Pheasant, Koklas etc. Overnight stay in tents.

Day 3 Barnala – Dayara (3250 m) 5 km / 4 hr

Have breakfast and prepare to trek to Dayara. Hot lunch on arrival. The bugyals (meadows), spread over 28 sq kms, are grazing grounds for sheep and cattle and have a 360 degree view of the Himalayas. Spend rest of day walking around the meadows. Overnight stay in tents

Day 4 Dayara – Raithal 7 km / 4 hr

Wake up to a lovely sunrise and walk a little higher for a nice view of Bandarpoonch (6500 mtrs). After breakfast, we will start trekking to village Raithal. Reach camp by early evening. Relax with a hot cup of tea and sumptuous dinner with bonfire. Overnight stay in tents.

Days 5 Raithal – Dehradun / Haridwar

After breakfast leave for Dehradun/Haridwar. Lunch on way, arrive by late afternoon and catch train to go home..

Renok Adventures is having a fixed departure on various dates 3rd November, 10th November and 29th December. For more details please follow the link  www.renokadventures.com

 

I Support Green Hiker !! Green Hiking Tips

Green Hiker tips

HIKING

• Hike in a single file in the middle of the track to avoid further erosion.
• Keep noise levels low, especially when traveling through a forest
• Minimise the use of automobiles wherever possible

CAMPING

• Choose a homestay or a community-run camping site wherever possible
• Set camp 30m away from lakes and streams
• Set up a temporary dustbin to dispose of waste by all campers. Make sure to carry it away

FIRE

• Never leave a fire unattended this will rule out chances of a devastating forest fire
• Minimize the use of growing vegetation as firewood. Opt for kerosene or fuel efficient stoves
• Avoid burning plastic or other toxic substances

COOKING

• Carry food that cooks faster and more easily, to reduce fuel consumption
• A small solar cooker will serve the purpose keeping the environs clean too

WATER

• Never discard rubbish into water bodies.
• For washing, carry water 30 m away from the lake
• Use biodegradable organic soaps for washing and cleaning. These will minimize water pollution

WILDLIFE

• Do not feed wild animals since human food may be damaging to them
• Avoid flash photography. Take pictures from a distance
• Observe wildlife from a distance, especially at sensitive times like mating, nesting and raising young

WASTE

• Never leave behind litter while hiking or camping. Stuff the rubbish into your pocket/backpack/garbage bag to take back with you
• Try and sort your garbage into biodegradable and non-biodegradable at the base camp itself. Ensure that the mouths of the bags are tightly fastened. This will prevent the contents from scattering and emitting foul odour
• Use toilet facilities and where not available, dispose of solid human waste like this – Dig a 15cm hole in the ground, more than 30m away from the lake, campsite and track. Cover it up with soil when finished
• Opt for light, unbreakable utensils instead of plastic or Styrofoam

PEOPLE

• Respect the local people, culture and customs
• Get local guides or choose homestays so that the economic benefits remain in the region
• Help your guides/porters to follow the rules as well. They will then be mindful of them in the future

 

source:http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/critical_regions/high_altitude_wetlands/green_hiker/what_you_can_do/green_hiker_tips/

 

Pro Tips for Spectacular Outdoor Photos

1. Shoot in Low Light of Sunrise and Sunrise: The low-light period around sunset and sunrise is considered one of the best times to take outdoor photos, so get up early in the morning and wait for sunset. However, shooting in low light can also be challenging for beginners. Since longer exposure times are often required in low light situations, a tripod is an essential piece of gear to bring along. Try experiment with camera’s ISO and shutter speed. Keep aperture narrow i.e. higher F number to get good depth of field.

Sunset

 2. Use Flash creatively: Use your flash outside on a sunny day, it will actually fill the shadow areas cast by a hat or umbrella, for example. Faces will also be brighter. Remember though, the flash has limited range, so you need to be within 10-12 feet to realize the benefit.

3.Add a Subject to the Landscape: By placing someone in your landscape, you can establish both a focal point and a point of reference for the composition of your image. By adding a person to the scene, the brain immediately recognizes the scale and tells you what you’re looking at. Adding someone to your landscape can also makes a photo more evocative, as viewers can more easily picture how they would fit into the scene if they were actually there.

You are in Q

4. Bad Weather is Good: Use extreme weather to create striking images with a lot of drama. Overcast days might give you flat images but you can enliven them by shooting into the light. Rays streaming through a fog or through clouds, dark, forbearing clouds, brilliant streak of light are few examples.

Parachute Restaurant at Pang

5. Capture motion with slow shutter speeds: Use slow shutter speeds to capture motion, milky way effect while shooting water fall.

Waterfall

 

ITBP team to ski down Everest

To mark its golden jubilee year, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police hopes to create a world record of sorts by sending a team of experienced mountaineers to ski down Mount Everest in the coming months. The ITBP Mountaineering and Skiing Expedition was flagged off by Delhi’s Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna here on Friday.

ITBP Director-General Ranjit Sinha showing world-class equipment to Delhi’s Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna at the flagging-off ceremony of the skiing expedition to Everest at ITBP headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. Expedition leader Commandant Prem Singh looks on. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

World-class equipment and clothing has been procured by the ITBP for the expedition, including special helmet video mounted cameras to record the process of skiing down.

The ITBP was constituted in 1962 and began mountaineering in 1964. Its mountaineers have held records of scaling Mount Everest six times. Its skiers have skied down from peaks like Mt. Kamet (25,447 feet), Mt. Abigamin (24,130 ft) and Mt. Stoke Kangri (20,077 ft) in the past.

 

Dodi Tal – Darwa Top – Dayara Bugyal Circuit Trek

Yesterday Mr. Kannan messaged me about the alpine style trek for this circuit and immediately I said yes!!

Even I was thinking of doing a solo trek ( without the help of porters or guides) but couldn’t plan it.

The Itinerary which is fixed by Kannan is like this

Day 0 (April 30): Dehradum -> Uttarkashi -> Barsu; stay at GMVN, Barsu
Day 1: Barsu -> Barnala Bugyal (6 km, 4hrs) -> Dayara Bugyal (6 km, 2.5 hrs) ; camp at Dayara
Day 2: Dayara Bugyal -> Nimdhar (16km, 6hrs); camp at Nimdhar
Day 3: Nimdhar -> Dodigad crossing -> Manjhi ; camp at Manjhi
Day 4: Manjhi -> Dodital (5km, ?hrs); camp at Dodital
Day 5: Dodital -> Darwatop (4115m) -> Seema (18km, 7hrs); camp at Seema
Day 6: Seema -> Hanuman Chatti (13km, 5hrs); stay in a hotel at Hanuman Chatti
Day 7: trek to yamunotri

I have starting my research for the trek…I have done good amount of trekking in Uttarakhand but this route is kind of new, very few people go for this except hardcore adventurers. Lets see if I can make this a popular  or not!!

Dayara Bugyal (Bugyal means meadows)

This is going to be long awaited photography trip for me!!

 

Never Give Up – Everything is Mind

When I was doing my Basic Mountaineering Course in HMI Darjelling there was one instructor Mr. Bhutia. We used to call him Bhutia Sir – extremely talented and a very good teacher. Whenever he used to teach us he used to repeat these words !!

• Everything is Mind – u know Everything is Mind
• If you can do it here in this part of Himalayas you will run in others

During my entire course these words help me a lot!!

This pic which I came across (most famous pic on twitter for this week) while reading something on net reminds of everything what Norbu Sir said!!

Dont Give up

This is one example which proves that everything is mind!!  The other example when I went for Stok Kangri Expedition in Leh Ladakh, India. This gentleman in the pic inspired me a lot..he was with us during the trek and also on the summit of Stok Kangri (6153 Metres).

Gentleman in the Red Jacket

While trekking we were sitting and their group crossed us!!

While trekking – Approaching the Basecamp!!

And On the Summit of Stok Kangri Trek !! He is there with us!!

On the Summit of Stok Kangri

Obstacles or blocks or excuse are nothing but creation of our mind !! I think

If they can , We can and You can do