Planning your trek

Hiking and trekking are not about climbing summits. Each day is a challenge and pleasure as the land unfolds slowly in front of you revealing its treasures. This leads to several questions. Which trek should I choose? When do I go? How do I prepare? These are some of the questions that will arise once you decide to go on trekking holiday. The kind of hike you end up doing will depend on your level of physical fitness, time constraints and your budget. A person with no trekking experience should not begin with a hike in Ladakh, no matter how attractive it seems. You will be starting at a high altitude and will definitely have a problem acclimatizing. Far from your holiday being fun, it could end up being torturous. Hiking is a sport that can last a lifetime. Plan well and enjoy yourself, so that you can enjoy a new and more challenging trail the next time around. Choose an area you think you would like to explore. Look at the ideal season for each trek. If you want to see alpine flowers for instance don’t take leave from the office in October, you will be disappointed even if you go to the Valley of Flowers. Check the level of each trek. Be realistic, not ambitious. It is better to choose one that will suit your level of fitness rather than suffer later.

If you have children ensure that the trek has pony or porter support or is easy enough for your kid to do. Look at the number of trekking days involved and the number of days it will take you to get to and from your starting point. In the Sahyadris and in South India getting to the starting point is easy and fast. In the Himalayas it is different and getting to the beginning of the trek can be an adventure in itself. If you are a first timer hiker in the Himalayas and are going with the family it may be a good idea to go to Mussoorie or Shimla ,spend a couple of days doing gentle walks and day hikes so that your body gets used to walking four to five hours a day and then do one of the overnight or two-day treks.Finally the nature of your trek will depend upon your budget.