On Thursday, 11th of July, our youngest-ever group of students embarked on a trek to Kunagalu Betta, which we fondly call Puppy Betta for the rock’s resemblance to a puppy's face. 

The five-year-old preschoolers were promptly ready early in the morning at the school grounds of DPS West for their day-hike. The most exciting part? 

The little ones were accompanied by their parents (and for some of them, their grandparents), enthusiastic to join in on the learning adventures which would be held outdoors for the first time.

Students from DPS West have been embarking on day-hikes with Indiahikes everyday since June 25th, 2024. Thirteen groups have completed various treks around Bangalore, including Yathi Raja Betta, Skandagiri, and Kunagalu Betta. The final group trekked on Friday, 12th of July, wrapping up this delightful series of adventures.

The journey of DPS West’s daily hikes began two months ago with a special “Camp in Campus” experience, where students were slowly introduced to the outdoors, while still spending time within the safe and familiar surroundings of their school campus.

This received such positive feedback that it inspired the parents of the school students to get onboard the idea of more full-fledged treks.

Parents and grandparents who joined the treks expressed their joy in seeing their children explore new territories and learn from everything the outdoors have to offer.

We hope this love for the outdoors continues to grow in the young, old, and everyone in between.

For us at Indiahikes, we were thrilled to introduce the more than 500 young adventurers to the joys of trekking. DPS West has shared that they would love to do this again. They mentioned that maybe next time they would try overnight camping. We are looking forward to collaborating with DPS West again in the near future and are excited to watch their journey as they try newer adventures in the outdoors.

In a wave of good news for trekkers, landslides have been cleared from the NH7 route from Rishikesh to Valley of Flowers.

The major landslide that occurred on July 10th took a long time to clear because of the size of the boulders. Smaller walking routes were established by Saturday, but it took a while to clear the road. As of today, the landslide debris has been cleared and traffic is moving smoothly.

If you have an upcoming trek to Valley of Flowers, please keep in mind that this highway is prone to landslides. They are regular occurrences that come with the monsoon. These landslides are usually cleared off within a day, but they may cause long delays in your travel.

In case of such delays, we make small shifts in your itinerary. We accommodate most of the itinerary shifts within your travel plan, but in case of any major delays, it’s best to have a buffer day in your travel plan. So please plan your travel accordingly.

Entrepreneur, author and content creator, Ankur Warikoo, recently joined us on the Bhrigu Lake trek with his WebVeda team. Their objective was to come together as a team, given that they all work remotely, in different parts of the country. This was the first time several of them were embarking on a high altitude trek in the Himalayas.

For us, it was wonderful taking Ankur’s team on the trek. The team was among the most receptive, humble teams we have worked with. Not only were we able to successfully bring the team together, but the programme was a wonderful learning experience for our facilitators as well.

But nobody can articulate it better than Ankur Warikoo, the master orator himself. In this video, he shares some of their takeaways as a team, with a lot of wise learnings for entrepreneurs. As always, his advice is hard to ignore. Take a look.

Yesterday, a 30-member team from Indiahikes set out to clear up a litter hot-spot on the Bijli Mahadev trek.

Given that this is a popular trail, often used by pilgrims and tourists, a large part of the trail is extremely polluted. But we did not imagine it to be as polluted as this.

As our team dug into the trash from every nook and cranny of the hotspot, they collected 522 kg of waste.

They are further painstakingly segregating this waste and disposing it to rightful waste management authorities.

While it is heartbreaking for us to see so much waste on a lovely trekking trail such as Bijli Mahadev, we are also proud to leave the trail cleaner than before.

As per our latest reports one of the minor landslides on the NH7 highway between Rishikesh and Badrinath has been cleared.

But the landslide that struck the day before yesterday, approximately 3 km before Joshimath is yet to be cleared. Because of the size of the fallen boulders, the authorities are finding it challenging to clear the area.

A small walking trail across the landslide zone has been established to allow trekkers and yatris to cross on foot.

However, this could also get closed to allow uninterrupted repair work. In such a case, trekkers and yatris will be taking a 3 km route through the forests above the landslide zone.

The Indiahikes local team is stationed at the zone to receive trekkers who are incoming and also to support trekkers who are heading back from the trek.

We expect the landslide to be cleared by the time the next team travels towards the basecamp, on July 13th.

We have been receiving multiple requests from trekkers to open up a trek in South India over the next two months.

So we have opened up 6 dates for the Kodaikanal Avocado Hill trek in July and August, all of them during the weekends. Although we started running this trek only recently, trekkers have been loving the experience: the solitude of Spice Valley, the rolling hills while trekking, the lush forests.

It’s ideal for anyone who wants to get away from the city over a weekend, and have a mindful experience in the outdoors.

Until 11th July, no trekkers will be permitted to go on the Tarsar Marsar, Nafran Valley, and Bodpathri treks.

The District Administration of Pahalgam has restricted trekking in the region. The Budgam district has also retracted permissions to trek in the area. The government seems to have taken this call as a safety measure in light of the current unrest in J&K.

Trekkers who are already on their way to Srinagar or in the base camp are being diverted to other treks in J&K, which are running smoothly.

Four of our treks in J&K are permitted to run as scheduled: Kashmir Great Lakes, Pir Panjal Lakes, Warwan Valley and Tulian Lake.

We are continuously monitoring the developments. Please keep a tab on our website. We will update you as the situation changes.

There's been another minor landslide at Pipalkoti on the NH7 route.

The good thing is that as fast as landslides happen, they are cleared off as quickly. This particular one is expected to be cleared in the next 2 hours.

If it is not cleared for any reason, the trekking group departing on July 10th will stay at Pipalkoti for the night and carry on with the trek tomorrow.

There are no issues on the actual Valley of Flowers trail. The route is clear and open to trek.

Joshimath, Uttarakhand, July 10, 2024: A landslide occurred earlier today on NH7, approximately 3 kilometers before Joshimath. This route is used by trekkers traveling from Rishikesh to Karchi, the basecamp for Indiahikes' Valley of Flowers trek. It is also the national highway leading to Badrinath.

Authorities immediately initiated efforts to clear the landslide zone. However, the scale of the landslide may cause delays.

Here are updates from our current groups:

Trekkers departing July 9th were stationed at a hotel 3-4 km from the landslide zone last night. They will take a 3-kilometer detour on foot to Dhak, from where they will stay for the night and carry on with the trek tomorrow.

Trekkers departing on July 10th, will either (a) carry on to the basecamp if the landslide is cleared OR (b) Stay at the designated hotel and carry on to Govindghat tomorrow.

If you’re headed to Valley of Flowers, it’s best to include a buffer day in your travel plan, to account for any such disruptions.

Our first ever group to Pir Panjal started on a high today, with the SDM of Surankote, Mr Mohd Farooq flagging off the trek.

Trekkers have been waiting with bated breath to witness this trek. After our exploration and documentation last year, we still maintain that this is the grandest trek in J&K with 10 lakes, 4 meadows and endless jaw-dropping moments.

The flag-off was covered by the local media, who interviewed our trek leader and trekkers. At the first camp, the Indian army gave a warm welcome to the team.

We feel privileged to be working closely with the local administration and people, who have been very enthusiastic about growing trekking in the region. It is a wonderful start to a trek we are running for the first time in the region.

We wish the first team the best weather and the best views. We’re excited to hear back from them after 6 days!

We are thrilled to be back in Georgia for the first time after 2019. The first of the two groups going this year with Indiahikes started off their trek from Omalo today.

The team is already loving the beautiful scenery of the Tusheti National Park. Right from the drive from Tbilisi to Omalo, across the Abano Pass To the lovely village of Omalo, they are loving every bit.

They are also being pampered by Georgian hospitality. In Omalo, they were hosted by our local partner and her family, Eto’o, who is among the warmest people we have met in Georgia. They were not spared of the pampering even on their drive, where they stopped for lunch and were treated to a Georgian feast.

For all those who don’t know about the Atsunta Pass trek in Georgia, it is among the most beautiful treks in Eastern Europe. We dearly call it the “flower-bouquet” trek of Georgia, given the boundless meadows full of flowers. If you love trekking, this trek must be on your bucket list for 2025.

After eight days of high adventure, great weather, and breathtaking views, the first group of Bali Pass trekkers for this year successfully completed the trek and returned to the base camp yesterday. This is a huge moment for both the trekkers and the Indiahikes team, as crossing the pass above 16,000 ft is no easy feat.

Here are some of the highlights that our trekkers experienced on this trek:

• There was a lot of adventure on this trek, be it walking on a knife edge ridge, or crossing the Ruinsara river using Tyrolean traverse. The technicality required on this trek was a daring experience in itself.
• The clear weather offered continuous views of the grand Swargarohini massif.
• The pass crossing was exhilarating, even though there was less snowfall this year.
• The unexpected, dense, green forests after crossing the pass near Lower Damini, added to the trek's beauty.

One major challenge on this trek was the descent from the ridge. The lack of snow made the trail tricky with many boulders and stones, straining trekkers' knees and ankles. However, with the technical support, collaboration, and effort of the entire team, the trekkers completed the trek safely and successfully.

Trek leader Amit Gupta was extremely happy with the way the entire team came together and worked as one to make it a wholesome experience. He said, "Care is something which came out from each team member. Thanks to the overall team effort, they could help each other across difficult sections by holding hands, carrying backpacks on tricky parts, and guiding the trekkers through their fears.”

With a fantastic start to the 2024 Bali Pass season, we look forward to trekkers enjoying a smooth and rewarding experience in the upcoming group.

At Indiahikes, we always wanted to open more treks that are high on adventure. While the Bali Pass is highly adventurous, it comes with a limited trekking window due to weather conditions. Keeping this in mind, to give trekkers an equally adventurous experience, we have opened more groups to the only other pass crossing trek that goes above 16,000 ft - Pin Bhaba Pass. The trek is also accessible for a longer duration from July through August.

Abhi Study Circle, an entrance exam tutorial center, recently collaborated with Indiahikes for a Himalayan Expeditioners Program that took students on the Bhrigu Lake Trek.

The Himalayan Expeditioners Program is the most advanced Outdoor Leadership Program we offer for school students. Himalayan Expeditioners is an immersive experience, pushing students out of their comfort zones and building invaluable life skills and leadership skills.

Seventeen 11th and 12th grade students successfully completed this four-day trek. Sahil, the founder of Abhi Study Circle and an enthusiastic trekker, wanted his students to experience the joys of trekking. This is the fourth time Abhi Study Circle has collaborated with Indiahikes, and each trek brings more valuable lessons and personal growth for the students.

Hemanth, a trek leader at Indiahikes, shared his learnings and takeaways from this trek, and here is what he had to say, “I think we all pushed our limits and achieved it together. For the first time, I didn't hear much about the summit experience. Everyone was sharing how the journey to reach the summit was more beautiful than the summit itself. They came with the mindset that it would be a learning experience, and they truly got the same through it. They were all happy after completing the trek and shared a lot of thoughts. They felt that connection with nature and how nature inspired them in imparting teamwork and collaborative leadership skills, survival skills, pushing one’s limits, being optimistic and living in the moment.”

With such positive learnings and takeaways from this experiential learning program, students genuinely felt a transformational shift in their confidence and mindset and wanted to come back for more treks in the future.

Last weekend was exciting and productive for both the Indiahikes team and the students of Ekya School. As part of the school's transitional outbound programme, they embarked on day hikes to Bananthimari Betta. Their objective was for 9th and 11th grade students to reflect on the new phases of their lives. They wanted their students to reflect on building connections with their new classmates, becoming seniors, and what they are looking forward to in the coming years.

What better location to reflect on these thoughts than in nature? With this unique approach to education, the first two groups of 9th graders from Ekya School set out for an experiential learning programme with Indiahikes to Bananthimari Betta. The students had a great experience on the trek, ending the day with smiles all around. They participated in various activities as part of our hands-on learning programme, including team-building exercises, basic survival skills, and connecting with nature activities. The trek allowed them to make new friends, deepen existing relationships, and reflect on themselves.

Here is what their trek leader, Rahul Paul, had to say about the entire experience. “Students shared that, through this experience, they took back learnings on being more responsible, humble, and collaborative by caring for and helping each other. Few students shared how it was refreshing and rejuvenating for them to spend time in nature and explore the trails leading up to the summit.”

After a successful weekend of trekking with the 9th grade students, next weekend 2 groups of 11th graders will be going for the Bananthimari Betta trek. With this, we are excited to officially kick start our school programmes for the season and introduce them to the world of trekking and experiential learning.

Over this weekend six trek leaders and assistant trek leaders completed a technical training course at Hampta Pass. The course spanned over four days and was conducted by Ashish Sukhadare, our technical safety trainer.

With the Hampta Pass season just around the corner, the team conducted a thorough training session before any trekkers embarked on the trail. While training, they also completed a recce in the process, uncovering a more challenging aspect of Hampta Pass that trekkers don't typically encounter.

After a lot of anticipation, we are finally starting the Manali trekking season from today. The trekkers for Beas kund, Bhrigu lake and Hampta Pass are all geared up and stoked to kick start the season.

Trekkers have already started reaching their respective basecamps, although there is near record breaking traffic in Manali. So trekkers, ensure that you have enough time in your hands to reach your basecamps.

We are as excited and thrilled as you are to start this season and fingers crossed, have a smooth run till September.

For those interested in joining us this Manali season, we have slots available in July, August and September for all of our Himachal Treks.