Maximum altitude - 12,100 feet
Duration- 5 days and 4 nights
Trekking distance- 9 kms
Trail type- Easy to moderate
Rail head- Rishikesh Railway Station
Airport- Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun
Snow Season- During the months of January and February
Service from: Delhi to Delhi
Base camp- Chopta is the base point to the trek to Chandrashilla peak situated at 2608 m.
Best season- April to June & January to March
Region- The trek would begin at Chopta, where you’d reach by a car/taxi from Rishikesh, Haridwar or Dehradun. The trek would take you up to the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi, Kedar peak and Sari village.
Who can participate- The minimum age required to embark on the trek is 7 years and the maximum age 65 years.
You would start the journey with a road drive from Delhi at around 10:00 PM in the night to Haridwar.
The first day is reserved for leisure activities when you’d get to spend some time in the scenic environs, and enjoy your stay in swiss tents/homestay and brace yourself up for further trek.
The preparations for an outing in the mountains have to start with finding a suitable pair of trekking shoes, and a backpack with a capacity of 5-6 litres with good hip and shoulder support.
You must pack extra clothes, choose synthetic clothes over cotton shirts/tops and it's advisable to keep a pair of thermal inner clothes if you’re prone to cold. Choose a padded jacket as your outer layer, make sure it has a hood as well.
Keep one or two extra pairs of trekking pants, pants with zip-off thighs and quick drying would be ideal for treks.
The other must-have items are (especially if you're trekking during winter seasons)- sunglasses, suncap to protect yourself from the sun’s harsh rays during the day, Hand gloves while handling snow , a woollen cap to keep yourself warm, at least 3 to 4 pairs of socks for cushioning and warmth.
The daypack you carry must be stuffed with water bottles, rainwear and emergency medicines.
Essentials
Keep a light toilet kit handy with you consisting of a toothbrush, a roll on deodorant, moisturiser for skin, lip balm, toilet roll and toothpaste. Make sure that you carry miniature size products and don’t overload on shampoos or soaps.
A personal medical kit is advisable to be carried by the trekkers, it should contain the most readily available medicines like Dolo 650 mg, Avomine, Combiflam, Digene, ORS, Knee brace. Take advice from your trek leader before taking any medicines.
Don’t forget to put essential documents- original photo identity card like aadhar, voter id, etc. At the camp all foreign nationals are required to share their passport and visa details during registration as well as upon arrival.
It is advisable to the trekkers to not bring any non-biodegradable material along, and thereby, contribute to sustainable tourism.
While following the Chandrashila trek, all the participants must follow the instructions of the trek leader and guide for their own safety.
All the participants are required to carry enough money in hand because you won’t find ATMs during your trek at frequent distances. The last ATM is located in Ukhimath which is about 13km away from Sari village.
Tea is a warm beverage and is usually consumed in hilly areas, but it gets very expensive on moving upwards. Therefore, you are suggested to carry tea bags to use during the trek.
Pack an efficient daypack with all the essentials like warm clothes, sunglasses, trekking boots, gloves, socks, woollen caps, medicines, rainwear, water bottles and other essentials.
The weather conditions are the most unpredictable on the mountains; for it might be sunny during the first half, and it might get thundurus and rainy post the first half. Therefore, embrace yourself for frequent weather changes and pack clothes accordingly.
Take a note that sunburn at higher altitude might happen quicker, so keep your skin and eyes safe with moisturiser and sunglasses.
Keep extra batteries for torches and other electronics handy as the batteries in cold might die quickly.
Don’t forget to carry water bottles along, and keep yourself hydrated throughout the trek.