DALHOUSIE WINTER TREKKING EXPEDITION

Transcription

1 DALHOUSIE WINTER TREKKING EXPEDITION Winter Himalayan Trekking Expedition To groom the youngsters in the field of adventures and environmental awareness, Invincible NGO presents the most interactive and adventurous trekking expeditions to Dalhousie and the nearby area. In the adobe of Snow clad mountains, what s experienced, can t be revealed in words.

2 About the Expedition Dalhousie Winter Trekking Expedition is specially planned to project the young minds into the less explored field of snow trekking and snow crafts. During the months of December-January, the area near Dalhousie remains covered with snow and it creates appropriate situation to feel and enjoy the real Himalayan beauty. Due to its unique geographical situation, while all other hill stations of India are not accessible, Dalhousie can be reached very easily and it is only 3 hour drive from Pathankot railway station. Keeping the town as road head, base camp is set in Kalatop Wild Life Sanctuary and height gain is done up to Dainkund Top (9700 ft), the highest point of the area. Going through the snow patches in Dalhousie, it leads to 5 feet snow in higher reaches. Besides all these, staying in the typical Himalayan huts and knowing about the local culture is covered under Home Stay Program. Page 1

3 About Dalhousie Dalhousie is a hill station in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh and was established in 1854 by the British Empire in India as a summer retreat for its troops and bureaucrats. It is situated on 5 hills and was named after Lord Dalhousie who was the British Governor-General in India while establishing this place as a summer retreat. Geographically, it is located on the western edge of the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas and is surrounded by snow-capped peaks. The city is situated between 6,000 and 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above sea level. The famous Pir Panjal mountain range can be seen from here. Due to its natural beauty and climate, the town has become one of the favorite place for trekkers and nature lovers as well for tourists. The best season to visit the city as a hill station is summer but though its terrain offers wonderful trekking paths through Page 2

4 the year. The snow clad mountain range is easily seen from here, where in the time of winter, the whole area gets covered with soft white snow and that provides a golden chance for snow crafts and adventures. Beyond this, the town is full of hotels and visiting places. Besides this, the area is rich with so many small visiting places like Subhash Bawli, Panchkulla, Kalatop and Dainkund. Many temples are also there. During the summer, some of the nearby lakes are accessible for boating too. Due to proper terrain, many adventure activities like Rock Climbing, Bouldering, Rappelling and River Crossing can be performed. For trekking, the pine forests provides a wonderful opportunity to trekkers in every season of the year. Winter trekking in Dalhousie is a famous hike. In winter, the town remains snow covered and it gives a chance to learn and understand the Nature in a different way. Page 3

5 About Base Camp At an altitude of 8000 feet above the sea level, and 9 km trek from Dalhousie, it is a perfect small Himalayan village: Kalatop. Under the Home Stay Programme, participants stays in these small huts and enjoys the Himalayan leaving of the locality. This behaves as basecamp for the expedition members for next three days. The place is in the inner reaches of Kalatop Reserved Forest, but all the basic facilities are available here. The huts become helpful in the low temperature during late nights. Kitchen is set here with the help of the local people and the place also offers facility of a meeting room cum dining hall, where all type of interactive activities take place for 3 days. Starting from campfire, interaction between participants and briefing sessions by instructors and guides keep this small hall always a busy place. Page 4

6 The village huts are hired for this camping and it also provides employment to the locals. They help in all types of logistical works and to avail water from the frozen ice. Participants also enjoys their stay at this place by listening the local stories and songs in the perfect Pahari Ascent. Besides this, the whole left shoulder of mighty Pir Punjal range can be seen from the base camp. Routine of Sunrise and sunset creates wonderful landscapes full with colored sky. Participants choose to wake up early to see the sky before the sunrise. Cold night welcomes the sun with shining golden snow on the mountains and this is how the day starts with first fall in at basecamp. After the breakfast, the participants leave the campsite and proceed for trekking or other activities and return to the base camp well before the sunset. Administrative team along with Instructors, Guides and Kitchen Staff Members stay at the same place. All type of basic facilities and emergency kits are available at base camp. Page 5

7 About the Forest Kalatop reserve forest is mainly formed of pine woods and other alpine trees. It is considered as dense jungle and is accessible by small jungle trails and a large road joining the village from the main road. Local guide helps here a lot in learning all about flora and fauna. During the morning trails, trekkers often come across the footsteps of snow bears and snow foxes. The remaining of animals are also found at various points. Some very beautiful birds including Monal are also often found. The forest is rich with medicinal plants and is a lifeline for the locality as their most of the employment is dependent on this factor. Cutting of the woods is strictly banned here and is keenly observed by the forest department. One can enter this jungle only by crossing the check post at Lakkadmandi village, then a 3 km trek leads to Kalatop Basecamp. Page 6

8 Dainkund Top (9700 feet) Dainkund Top is the highest point of the Dalhousie Hills and offers a mesmeric 360 degree view from the top. Participants are put in this challenging height gain, where they start from the Kalatop basecamp and reaches to this final point in 3 4 hours. There is no clear and visible trail to the uphill and all trekkers have to climb like a mountaineer in the 4-5 feet of snow. Slopes up to 50 degree and frequent snow slides are fun points for one and all. Senior instructors and local guides, who are trained mountaineers adjoins this tail in quite a typical way and trains the participants. On successful summit to this trekking peak, a group photo is taken with the Indian Tricolor and is happens the most memorable moment of the whole trekking expedition. After spending around 2 3 hours on that high altitude point, the team descends in the manner of climbing down. Sliding through slopes and playing with snow balls and forming snow man besides the trails, all reaches back to base camp and enjoys the campfire with their hot dinner. Page 7

9 Khajjiar the Switzerland of India Khajjiar, locally it is a small round shaped lake situated amongst the dense forest. Due to its grassy slopes and green grounds around the lake, it attracts lacks of visitors throughout the year. Being below the snow line, it is never under the snow cover and is the place where more than 1000 movies are shot! Due to the similar terrain to Switzerland, it is certified as Switzerland of India. Many hotels and other establishments serves almost all type of foods and offers overnight stay too. One long jungle trail from Kalatop leads to Khajjiar, which offers wonderful natural scenery along with small beautiful streams. This way remains closed in the winter. Many a times, Government of Himachal Pradesh organizes cultural dance performances for tourists to introduce the tribal Himalayan culture. Comparatively, Khajjiar is more crowded and hence less preferred by the nature lovers but more by photographers and selfie maniacs! Page 8

10 Schedule/Itinerary Dalhousie Winter Trekking Expedition is schedule from December 15, 2016 to February 02, In this duration, a series of 8 day/7 night long adventure camps will be placed as per the academic schedule of various colleges/institutes. The proposed itinerary for the camps will remain same and is expected as under Day 1: Departure from Ahmedabad, overnight train journey. Day 2: Arrival at Pathankot, departure for Dalhousie by bus, arrival at hotel. Day 3: Day for Acclimatization at Dalhousie. Morning Warmup Walk followed by backpacking session. After lunch, move to the higher hotel accommodation, free time for market. Day 4: Trek to Kalatop Base Camp (9 12 km) Free time after lunch, night halt in cottages. Day 5: Height gain to Dainkund and back to Kalatop Camp (12 km). Day 6: Trek down to Dalhousie, free time for shopping Valedictory, experience sharing, feedback session & certificate distribution. Day 7: Departure for Pathankot and then to Ahmedabad, overnight in train. Day 8: Arrival at Ahmedabad. The schedule is subject to change as per the weather conditions. Any change in schedule or cancellation of the trek can be done without giving any prior information. Page 9

11 Participation Fees The Dalhousie Winter Trekking Expedition is going to be organized by INVINCIBLE NGO especially for youth aged between 14 to 40 on no profit basis. The fees structure is based on the 3 different modes of camping. Type Fees per head Ahmedabad to Ahmedabad 5650/- Pathankot to Pathankot 4520/- Dalhousie to Dalhousie 4220/- The fees includes*: Simple Food (Gujarati, Jain & Swaminarayan food available) Accommodation (on 3/6 sharing basis at Dalhousie, adventure accommodation in basecamp) Trekking, Campfire and others Volunteers, Instructors & Guides Travel, as per the above table First Aid support Forest entry fees Cancellation: On receipt of an application for cancellation, cancellation will be granted by the Project Manager. The cancellation charges will be as under Before 40 days of departure: 10% of the total participation fees Between 21 to 40 days: 25% of the total participation fees Between 11 to 20 days: 50% of the total participation fees In less than 10 days: 75% of the total participation fees * All the facilities and services mentioned above are clearly subject to weather conditions and all other unforeseen situations/factors. No person/invincible NGO will be responsible for any loss of the luggage or valuables carried by the trekker. Page 10

12 How to Register? The Dalhousie Winter Trekking Expedition is scheduled from December 15, 2016 to February 02, The tentative dates for departures are available on NGO website Application and confirmation can be done in 2 parts... Part 1: Application Please visit for online application. Part 2: Fees Payment & Confirmation Pay Online: One can pay online after filling up the application form. Pay Offline: Visit the NGO office and pay at office. The registration will be done on first come first serve basis and advanced booking can be made by paying However, the remaining fees must be paid before 20 days of departure, for more information and registration, call on or write to info@invinciblengo.org. How to organize a special camp? Special camps can be organized by sending a request application on the NGO mail ID info@invinciblengo.org. More details available on The fees structure would be same for the group of the fixed strength. Page 11

13 We are Here! Office: 308, University Plaza, Above Chocolate Room, Vijay Cross Roads, Ahmedabad invinciblengo.org Page 12