If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming that you’re considering taking your child on a trek. And that’s wonderful!

At Indiahikes, we strongly believe that children must trek. When they’re young and observant is the best time to expose them to the outdoors. They absorb lessons of resilience, confidence, leadership and also learn to protect the environment. These are deep values that take a very long time to imbibe in a person, but it can happen over just a few days on a trek.

With further ado, here are the best treks for children. These are all treks in the Himalayas. These are good treks for children. They have just the right mix of trek and leisure.

Duration – 6 days | Pick up point – Dehradun | Recommended age: 7-10 years

Out of all our easy-moderate Himalayan treks, Dayara Bugyal would be the best suited for children. It involves just 3-4 hours of trekking everyday. The whole trail promises lots of learning, as your trek mostly through dense forests and open meadows.

Big, snow-clad mountains of the Garhwal Himalayas follow you from day one! So if you want to expose your child to the mountains for the first time, this is the best trek. It also has easy access and an easy exit in case your child does not take well to trekking.

The meadows of Dayara Bugyal offer a great setting for children to trek. Photo by Arjun Majumdar

Duration – 5 days | Pick up point –  Haridwar | Recommended age: 7-10 years

Everything about Deoriatal – Chandrashila trek lends itself as one of the best treks for children. The drive to the base camp, Sari, is short.

The first day’s trek is just around 2-3 hours long. The second day is slightly long, but on relatively flat terrain through lovely forests. The next day involves a grand summit climb, which is just difficult enough for children to get the thrill of completing it!

The scenery of the lake, the big mountains and the quaint villages offer great exposure to the outdoors. So it’s a perfect trek for children and first timers too!

Explore the Deoriatal – Chandrashila Trek

The view of Mt. Chaukhamba from the Deoriatal-Chandrashila trek makes a deep impression on the mind of a child. Photo by Jothiranjan.

Duration – 6 days | Pick up point - Dehradun | Recommended age: 8-12 years

Kedarkantha has been the go-to trek for families for a long time. Because of the short distances, beautiful campsites and the grand summit climb, it makes for a great trek for both parents and children.

What makes it difficult are the steep ascents. Right from the onset, it climbs and gains altitude quickly. But the daily distances are short. If your child is fit and active in sports, he/she will be able to do this trek comfortably.

The trek distances and campsites are perfect for children to start experience a Himalayan trek. Photo by Sitabja Dasgupta

Duration – 6 days | Pick up point - Rishikesh | Recommended age: 12-14 years

Kuari pass is a mountain lovers’ delight. You have an unending vista of the biggest mountains in India opening up right from day one. You even get to see the clearest view of the full face of Mt Nanda Devi, India’s highest mountain.  

More than this, Kuari Pass is a near-perfect trek. You go through ancient forests filled with oaks and rhododendrons. Just as your eyes are getting used to the tree canopy above, the trail opens into meadows. This interplay of different kinds of landscapes makes the trek very exciting.

Kuari Pass offers a brilliant view of Mt. Nanda Devi. The highest peak in India which children read about in their textbooks. Photo by Vaibhav Jain.

Duration – 6 days | Pick up point - Rishikesh | Recommended age: 11 -15 years

Out of the other meadow treks in our country — Dayara Bugyal, Gidara Bugyal, and Bhrigu Lake trek — Ali Bedni has the grandest of mountain views. That’s because of one thing —  the sight of Mt. Trishul and Mt. Nanda Ghunti jutting right out of the meadows.

Jutting out doesn’t mean you see the tops of these mountains, you see the entire face — almost 6000-7000 feet of it — rising right in front of you.

For children, trekking on the meadows of Ali Bedni Bugyal at tender age is unforgettable. Photo by Sandhya UC.

We have several other treks that might suit children. But the above are the best of them. If your child already has some high altitude trek experience, you can consider some of our moderately difficult treks for him/her.

Here are the 5 best and safest Himalayan treks for children to do. All the treks are in Uttarakhand, and they make for a great experience.

5 Best Himalayan Treks for Children

5 Best and Safest Himalayan Treks for Children

Mumma I did it! Dedda we did it! – I was shouting with joy.

“Oh! Mumma I can’t! Please stop!” 

“No beta! We have to complete five kilometres in 40 minutes. This is high altitude trek and we must be trained and fit for it” … blah blah blah… mumma continued. When I heard that we were going to Valley of Flowers (VoF) trek and I would be the part of the group, I literally jumped and danced with joy. Because last year in 2018 my parents had been to Rupin Pass trek and I had to stay at home. So, this time I was very happy about going with them. I love nature and flowers and my dedda showed me pictures and videos of the Valley of Flowers trek. Those beautiful, colorful pictures of flowers doubled my joy. 

But this physical training was disastrous for me. Alongwith dedda, mumma also became “Hanikarak” for me. After her duty hours my mumma took me with her for a walk. No! looooong Walk! Uff! I had blisters in my feet, my legs were swollen, but there was no mercy from my parents. “Beta, there is no free lunch, so to enjoy that gorgeous place you must be fit or you would be dumped.” Mumma warned me.  “How mean these people are!” I cried. 

I didn’t have any  other option. After some weeks, the fitness tracking app showed “Congratulations you finished 5 Km in 37 minutes”. I felt really proud of myself. I got one big chocolate and one scoop of ice- cream for my “great” achievement. That gave me more reasons to be happy. 

Next was the very interesting part of preparation. Yes! Shooooopiiiing! Yuuuuhuuu! Both the sweet devils took me to a big mall and purchased trekking gear like, poncho, trekking shoes, trekking pants, jacket and so many other things. I was very happy. 

Now, finally that day came, about which I was dreaming continuously. My dream of running with flowers was going to be true. Oh! So lucky I was! Weren’t I? 

We took a flight from Ahmedabad to Dehradun. Within a couple of hours we reached Dehradun. I enjoyed the journey. We took a taxi to Rishikesh. I loved the greenery and big trees on the road. We reached there and had some rest in our hotel. We had a scrumptious lunch of veg. Biryani, and Subji. When we reached Rishikesh there was light rain. I loved it but it made my parents a little bit disappointed. I didn’t know why! 

In the evening, the sky was clean and everything looked fresh. I wanted to swim in the swimming pool of our hotel. But my dedda asked us to put on our shoes. We were going out. Wow! Even that wasn’t a bad idea! I realized after some time that we were going out for a loooong walk! Oh ghosh! But now I was not afraid of walking. 

We went to Ram Jhula on foot from our hotel. It was a very beautiful place. I loved walking on the rope bridge. First time in my life, I saw such a type of real bridge and river Ganges. Roaring white water of Gangamaiya made us feel differently. We had ice cream and we returned. We had delicious pasta for dinner at one well decorated Italian Restaurant. We walked almost twelve Kilometres to and fro. We all were too tired and we had to wake up early in the morning so we slept instantly on the cozy bed. 

“Please maa, let me sleep!” But my horrible mumma didn’t allow me to sleep and woke me up early in the morning at five o’clock. With sleepy eyes I got ready and we started walking towards Zostel, Rishikesh. It was not so far but walking with my backpack was a bit difficult for me. One Bolero was standing near Zostel. My dedda inquired with the driver, and yes it was from Indiahikes for Valley of flowers. Great! Driver uncle loaded our luggage. Mumma saw two ladies standing near Zostel. She told me to ask the ladies where they were going. Yes! They were Vani Auntie and Divya Auntie, our co-passengers, you know! 

On a sunny and breezy morning we started our journey. I was too thrilled. Very soon I was friends with both the new ladies and started chirping with them. After some time we had a coffee break at a roadside eatery. The view of the river and mountains was incredible. I loved it a lot. 

Suddenly it started raining and we had to sit inside our vehicle quickly. On the way, the car stopped abruptly and we were asked by our driver uncle to look down the road. It was cake for our eyes. Two rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi were meeting there and forming River Ganga and the place was called Devprayag. I had never seen the confluence of rivers before. It was a sure thing that I would be getting lots of surprises and gorgeous views on this trek. 

We were talking and enjoying our journey. We passed the Rudraprayag and I remembered the horrifying stories of “Man-eaters of Rudraprayaga” by Jim Corbet. Thunder passed through my spine. How scary it was! Our journey was smooth till lunch. 

After lunch, it started raining and we had to wait at many places due to landslides and traffic. So boring! Mumma, Vani Auntie and Divya Auntie started worrying if we would reach Govindghat in time or not. Being only boy with four gal’s gang, my dedda assuring us we would reach in time. So Vani auntie and Divya auntie started calling him “Baba Himanshu”. After Karnaprayag it became very difficult to move further. And it was decided to stay for night at Chamoli. I wanted to cry at that time. But, our other team members also reached there and we got a not-so-bad room to stay. Thanks to team Indiahikes for their continuous guidance on the phone.  

“He Bhaggu! Our All the clothes are wet !” my mumma cried. We all started moving and dancing here and there to hang up the clothes to dry up fast. We couldn’t sleep at night.

The morning was pleasant. One team leader from the following batch was there with us and briefed us for the next programme. We left for Govindghat at six in the morning. It was a sunny day so we didn’t have trouble reaching Govindghat. Our team leader Shashank uncle and guides Debu uncle and Manoj uncle welcomed us. We had a delicious breakfast of Idli and Sambar. 

After documentation formalities we left for the taxi stand to get a taxi to Pulna.  We were getting late so we started walking for a while and got into the vehicle on route. We reached Pulna and our actual trekking started. 

Trail was made of concrete steps. There were lots of pilgrims and mules on the road. I was walking with front leader Debu uncle, Divya Auntie and Sagar uncle. Oh god! Why so much litter on the road? I was busy collecting wrappers and other garbage in my green eco bag as I didn’t want to lose any points on the green trail initiative. I enjoyed light showers and beautiful views. 

After hours of walking we reached the lunch point near a river  bridge. That journey was tiring but interesting. We all were very hungry and there was a very delicious lunch of Kadhi Chaval and papad. Mumma did some bird photography there. Light rain converted into heavy rain after lunch and so we had to stop at one chai shop. I was freezing so my mumma took me inside the shop near the angithi (brazier). Everyone was praising me and I liked that. 

We resumed our journey after some time, and this time I was accompanying one old man, my dedda. Suddenly, I heard a big noise, so I looked at that fatso. That budha admi (old man) was smiling slyly. What a surprise! There was one helicopter roaring in flight. It hovered and flew into the sky. I really loved it. That trip was seriously a bunch of surprises. 

Finally we reached our home stay at Ghangaria. I was among the trekkers who reached first, so I got chocolate from Shashank uncle. I want to talk so much with Divya Auntie and Vani Auntie, but due to tiredness I slept immediately after dinner. 

After a sound sleep I was feeling fresh in the morning. We had breakfast and marched towards Valley of flowers. Butterflies were flying in my stomach due to excitement. Thank godit was a sunny day! 

Now, I knew many members of our team due to an introduction game last evening. Amazing Arpit, Chirpy Disha, Dazzling Divya, Yogi Shikhar, Sarcastic Mohammad, Wonderful Vani, Surviving Asma, Sahana, Latifa, Milind, Anoop  some  more and above all Baba Himanshu. He he he ! I was calling uncle and auntie to everyone but I should have called “bhaiya” and “didi” to some young guys and gals. No one had an objection about that to this little monster! 

First, we saw a big waterfall on the river Pushpavati. It was marvellous. We reached at the gate of VOF and had some registration there. There was an ocean of lovely flowers with riots of colors in front of me.  The trail was not so tough and the scenery was mind blowing. My dream of running with flowers came true and I felt like I was a little butterfly. The further we went, the more magnificent it became. In my mumma’s words the beauty was indescribable. We saw blue poppies, Himalayan balsams, dog flowers and many other beautiful flowers. 

Debu uncle, Divya Auntie, Sagar Uncle and Anoop Uncle and I reached a very big stone in the valley. Voila! We were the first to finish the trek. I was on cloud nine as the view from there was really mesmerising. Lots of flowers, and a big valley and glacier were in front of me. 

We had delicious veg. pulao there and we wen

t further into the valley and returned. We reached our homestay and had nice coffee made by Sagar and Anoop Uncle. Everyone came but my dedda didn’t. I knew my lovely fatty teddy was a fit person but I couldn’t understand why he took so long. So, I started sobbing. Mumma and Vani auntie pampered me. 

At last dedda came. He had lost his mobile in the valley! Oh! Very bad news! We had lots of photos and videos of our trek in his mobile. Mumma took control and shouted “let’s have party! your dedda is going to have a new mobile and my dika has completed her trekking superbly.” We went to a nearby shop and had hot delicious rabdi. 

One more good thing was that I had the highest oxygen level among all trekkers. I was too tired so I skipped my dinner and slept very early.

There was rain in the morning. We had a breakfast of pancakes and started our journey to Hemkund Sahib. Many of our teammates were going up by mules. I also wanted to go by mule but my dedda insisted on trekking. 

After half an hour of trekking I realized I had made a very big mistake yesterday. I was free horse that day and I didn’t have enough water. I didn’t even eat anything at night. Hence, I started feeling low. I was unable to move further and my lips started turning blue. 

Now, it was dedda’s turn to take care of me. He gave me plenty of water and started walking with me. He was assuring everything for my wellness and safety. I got lots of temptations and promises on successful completion of trekking. I had my favourite Maggie on the way. After halfway mumma joined us. They both were encouraging and pushing me. Even ongoing pilgrims were also saying, “Sat Sri Akal Bachcha! Bas ab thoda hi hai!” Mumma suddenly screamed, “Hey look!” It was one more surprise for us. There was a very rarely sighted flower which could be seen only at Hemkund Sahib trek; and that was Brahma Kamal. Yuuuuuhooooo!

We kept walking and that’s it! Shashank uncle welcomed us and congratulated us. We reached there. “Mumma, I did it! Dedda, we did it!” I was shouting with joy. My bahubali dedda lifted me and my mumma simultaneously. But what did I see! That oldie rough and tough fatso was crying! 

We didn’t have much time as Gurudvara was about to close. We sat inside there and listened to sacred Gurubani. Both my parents were weeping  throughout that, but I couldn’t understand why! 

After that we went behind the Gurudvara. Was it a poster or the real thing? I was stunned one more time. All the mountains around us and Hemkund Sahib in front of us. It was a pleasing moment. Oh heaven! The blue sky turned into black and it started raining heavily. 

We took shelter in Lunger and had mouth-watering Khichadi. We had to rush back due to rain. Dedda and I enjoyed the path one more time while cracking jokes and eating Maggie together. At the basecamp we were welcomed by hot snacks and popcorn. I got lots of chocolate from other teammates. I was just happy, happy and happy. 

It was the final day of the trek and we were returning to Phoolna. We had tasty Puri Bhaji and marched on. One more time I saw a helicopter. Watching the helicopter taking sharp turns, and disappearing in the mountains, was a delight for my eyes. 

Suddenly, there was big sound. We witnessed a big landslide in front of us. Trees were rooted out and big boulders were coming down. It was not a movie scene but was real. I was too scared and started crying. Debu uncle Vani auntie and Divya auntie sympathized with me. Debu uncle and Shashank uncle asked us to hurry up and helped us cross the wooden bridge and risky section. It was showering slowly. We enjoyed the path and reached Poolna and at last Govindghat. We had a healthy lunch there. I got VOF magnets from Shashank uncle.  Divya auntie, Vani auntie and my parents decided to travel to Rishshikesh on the same day due to the rain and landslides. One more time we five were together in a vehicle. On the way, I vomited and was unwell.  We had to stay in Srinagar due to lots of landslides on the road. 

We started early in the morning and had superb Alu Paratha on the way. Almost at eleven o’clock, we reached Rishikesh. Divya Auntie and Vani Auntie had their flights on the same day so they left for the airport. Dedda had booked a nice resort with my favourite thing – a swimming pool. We enjoyed ourselves in the pool and rested. In the evening we walked to Laxman Jhula. The bridge was decorated with lights. I played in the sand of the river ghat. My parents meditated in front of Ganges. 

After a lovely dinner we returned back. Next day we left for Ahmedabad. 

Final Note: It was my first trek and I had a great experience. I have learnt so many things from this trek and my fellow trekkers. I understand there is no gain without pain. Being fit is very important. I realized my strict parents will support me and take care of me at my worst. I have written this two years after my trek, so you can praise my memory. Finally it is rewarding. I got a costly pair of inline skates as my gift. Yuuuuhoo!

Valley of Flowers: The Experience of a 12 Year Old

During the Dussehra holidays in 2017, my family consisting of my husband and two girls (then aged 8 and 11), headed out for a trek to Dzongri Top in Sikkim with 15 other friends. The trek was challenging, but we completed it successfully and came back with a bucketload of memories. We had gone expecting great views and a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. And we got that.

What I wasn’t expecting were the after-effects of the trek.

After the trek, I noticed subtle yet profound changes in my children.

I observed my older daughter becoming more resilient. While earlier, she was quick to give up when something got a little tough, I noticed her working through them, whether it was tricky Math problems or running 5 kilometers.

The other significant change I saw in her was from being competitive, she went to being collaborative. She recognized that we all had strengths and weaknesses, and working as a team was a joyful and immensely satisfying exercise.

My younger girl, who always had a very limited food palate, started adjusting to what was offered to her. And this has held her in good stead. She, now, adapts to different situations and people with ease.

Resilience, strength and ability to face difficulties and work together make for great life lessons to take back into their lives.Picture by – Vishnu Shivanandan

Early this year, we went on the Kuari Pass Trek, and I continued to observe these values strengthening my children.

I notice that it’s not just the outdoors. It is also the facilitation of the experience that has made a big difference, something I have observed keenly at Indiahikes. That’s what I’m going to dive into today. 

Family Treks And How They Tie Into Our Vision

Our vision at Indiahikes has always been this – ‘Everyone must trek because trekking transforms lives.’ 

“When we say ‘Everyone must trek,’ it includes the youngest members of our families too. The best way to introduce them to the mountains is with their parents. The thought was that a family trek in the mountains would help parents and children bond more strongly. We also felt this was the best way to get connected more deeply with nature, where they have the opportunity to learn so many life lessons. 

Which is why in January 2018, Izzat Yaganagi, the head of our Experiential Learning Programs (ELP), came up with the idea of  Family Treks.

“We didn’t know if this would work at all. We just announced one group on our website. Much to our surprise, the group filled up within days! That’s how in May 2018, our first family group went on the Dayara Bugyal trek,” recalls Izzat. 

And thus began the journey of our Family Treks! That same season, over 9 groups went to Dayara with families, all of them full! 

With more parents looking to get their children out into nature and away from the regular sightseeing trips or resort holidays, the interest in our Family Treks has been more than encouraging.

A Bonding with father and child. Picture by Aditya

How our family treks differ from regular treks

Let’s start from the basics – the people who make up the trekking group. 

A regular trek consists primarily of adults, though we do have families join these groups with their children. 

On the other hand, a Family Trek group comprises ONLY of families, i.e., either one or both parents trekking with their child/children or even grandparents accompanying their grandchildren. 

“This allows families to connect naturally,” says Izzat. 

Children who are between the age of 8 and 17 can join these treks with their parents. Teens aged between 13 and 17 can join this trek even without their parents. 

While this is the general age range when parents start getting interested in exposing their children to such adventures, we’ve had younger kids join our Family Treks too. In fact, we’ve even had a 4-year old complete a Himalayan trek with his family! 

Very early on, it was clear that the objectives of our Family Treks would be very different from our regular trek groups. 

The objective, for our regular groups, is to create the space for our trekkers to be more in tune with their body, mind, and spirit, which would lead to a transformative experience. 

On our Family Treks, we had to be sure to address the needs of not just the children but also those of the parents and the family unit as a whole. We also wanted children to experience nature with all their senses. This requires much higher facilitation skills, which our Trek Leaders have been trained in.

Children with Indiahikes Trekleader Aditya.

To that extent, after a lot of thought and discussions, we came up with three main objectives for our Family Treks – 

Aditya, who has led many family groups, reflects on this specific objective and says, “The bonds that families make on the treks are unparalleled. In the cities, it is completely different because parents are involved in their routine and kids are doing their own thing. But here, on a trek, they are together for the entire duration with no other distractions. And they are exposed to very out-of-comfort situations and activities. What the kids get to learn about the parents and vice versa is very different” 

On a trek, parents see independence, decision making and the fact that kids can take care of themselves. Picture by – Vishnu Sivanandan

Swarada, who has gone on treks with her family and now leads Family Treks, adds to it. She says, “I am completely convinced about this goal because I have experienced it myself with my family. We faced challenges and hard situations together, and when we came back, our day-to-day problems seemed very small and easy to tackle. We were put out of our comfort zone, and we did something incredible. It’s wonderful to see a deeper understanding come about within a family on these treks. The kids start seeing their parents differently, and even the parents realize how much their kids are capable of.” 

ii) Allow children to connect with nature in a more hands-on way

Izzat elaborates on how being in nature impacts children. She says, “The younger they are when they start trekking and get into nature, it’s much better for them mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They connect to nature with their hearts. They instinctively feel stronger about protecting it.

The way kids get grounded, have that freedom of spirit, the calmness they acquire when they are out in the open and not enclosed within four walls is amazing to watch. 

You see their true nature. When they are barefoot and climbing trees and falling and rolling in mud, looking at leaves, looking at clouds, staring at the night sky in wonderment, they come alive!” 

The children hugging the trees and feeling connected with nature as if they were hugging their mother.Picture by – Vishnu Sivanandan

iii) Bringing latent qualities such as resilience, empathy, confidence, and creativity to the forefront

Izzat details out how a trek helps bring these qualities to the surface.

“A trek naturally creates opportunities to show kindness, to help each other, to look out for each other, to work as a team. Their minds open up, and the boundaries expand. They realize how vast the universe is, how tiny they are but still how they are a part of something much bigger. You hear a lot of ‘I wonder’ when they speak to you. It’s subtle. The kind of joy they experience out in the open, it’s rare to experience that in the city,” she says.

On the other hand, Trek Leader Ayushi talks about watching how the kids slowly start gaining confidence in themselves. “One thing that I always hear is if I can climb Dayara or Chandrashila, I can do anything! This is something that most of the kids express with deep emotion,” she says

And these changes are noticed by parents and much after the trek ends too!

“I hear a lot of stories from parents saying that their children are different after the trek. About how they are looking at life from a very different perspective, how they are more confident, be it in play or preparing for exams,” she adds. 

Izzat, who spearheaded the entire program design with inputs from our trek leaders, talks about the process of designing an experiential program for families. 

“We knew right away that we had to design the entire program differently. We had to make sure that the trek itself was not too difficult. The way we prepared the families for the trek needed to be different, and we had to create a plan that made the entire experience an enriching one for children and parents alike. 

“When it comes to children, we had to think about how to engage the children, what kind of activities to include, and how to break up the day. We came up with a plan and got our trek leaders to try it out and give us feedback. We refined it further, and we noticed that it changed the way children behave in the mountains and changed the way parents and children interact with each other.”  

i. Roles and responsibilities of children and parents

A big part of helping children discover their inner confidence and strength is giving them opportunities to contribute and lead and we do this by giving them different roles and responsibilities while trekking and at the campsites. 

On family treks, apart from fitness, parents are encouraged to get their kids involved in the planning process which includes watching videos, studying maps together, packing gear together.  

Izzat, who was part of the first few family treks, observes, “Kids love taking on responsibilities and being leaders. They rise to the occasion. You see that change in their body language. As soon as they are in charge, you will see even their posture changes. They are standing bolder, their chest sticking out, that sparkle in their eyes, their step is more sure. These are subtle changes, but they indicate an internal shift.” 

Both family and regular treks have trail and campsite activities that help trekkers connect more with nature and themselves. However, the attempt in our family groups is to introduce activities that involve all the senses and deepen family bonds. 

Swarada explains how these activities are presented differently. 

“A lot of activities remain the same. What differs is the way you facilitate them. E.g., we do tent pitching with regular groups and with family groups. But the impact on families while pitching a tent together is very different. It’s like building a home for yourself. And the family is going to stay together in that home. There is an emotional aspect to it with family groups, and the activity itself has more depth. For regular groups, it’s skill-based. It’s about building a shelter for yourself. 

Our regular groups have a postcard writing activity where they write a letter to themselves, usually from the summit top. This is a very profound activity but something that kids might find tough to relate to. So we adapted it and told them to write a letter/poem to one of the natural elements. One of the kids wrote a poem about the mountains, and another child wrote a letter to a butterfly. It was beautiful.”

Trekkers having a trust activity. Picture by Ayushi

Aditya adds, “Hug a tree is part of both groups. In regular groups, we ask trekkers to do it individually. Here, we ask a parent and child to do it together. That adds a whole new dimension to the exercise. 

We also do trust walks where one person, either the child or the adult, is blindfolded, and the other person has to guide them to a particular point. It helps improve their communication.” 

Swarada and Aditya describe some of the other activities they have done with children on Family Treks. 

“I have taken kids on night walks just to take out the fear of the dark from their minds. We asked everyone to turn off their night lamps and to look around and observe. We lay down at a clearing and looked at the stars. Once, I did bouldering with the kids. We make them climb trees. And it’s heartening to see how they encourage their parents,” says Swarada with a smile. 

“In one of my family groups, I told the kids that we would make natural paints. There is something called lichen, which is a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and algae. It grows on trees and rocks. These lichens give out a ‘Mehendi wala’ color. I told the kids to collect as many lichens as they could. After lunch, the kids and I found flat stones, sat down, and ground them. We saw that the color was forming. The kids quickly made brushes out of twigs and leaves and started painting. Some of the kids were using their hands and fingers. It was so much fun. Later, one kid who was exploring the campsite found a charred tree and got pieces of it to use as charcoal and draw. You show kids one direction, and you never know how they take it forward,” recalls Aditya with childlike glee. 

We see family treks as a tremendous experience that deeply impacts families. The family bond gets stronger, a new dynamic emerges with children taking on more responsibility, there is a deeper connect with nature, and children  become more confident, resilient, empathetic, and filled with gratitude.

Find out more about how trekking transforms families here. 

Reflections are an important element of all our treks. The whole idea of having reflections is to bring about a certain awareness of how we are feeling. In regular batch treks, the reflections are always with the entire group. In family batches, reflections are sometimes with the whole group, and at other times, with just the parents or the children. 

“Parents have their fears and concerns, and they open up only when they are amongst other parents. The reflections for parents go deeper when they are by themselves. 

Similarly, kids are a lot more themselves when parents are not around. When parents are around, children say different things, and when they are with other kids,” she elaborates. 

Aditya adds, “With family groups, we use different tools to reflect. With kids, we make them draw or share a story. The Trek Memory booklet encourages children to think back on how they felt in creative ways.”

Children filling the Trek Memory Booklet.Picture by – Vishnu Sivanandan

“When adults come for a trek, they see the changes in themselves but on family treks, they observe the changes in each other.” – Ayushi, Trek Leader 

Safety is a priority no matter what kind of a group is going out for a trek and the protocols followed remain the same.

However, what is different is the choice of trails. Trails are chosen keeping in mind the needs of families and young children. 

“We only choose easy or easy-moderate trails because we don’t want to overwhelm families. We make sure that there is not much walking to do every day. This allows us to incorporate trail activities. We make sure our campsites are big enough so that we can introduce campsite activities and kids can explore the space on their own,” explains Izzat. 

Prathima, our experience coordinator for Family Treks, goes into more detail. She says, “In all of the trails that we choose for our Family Treks, there is an inbuilt safety element. All of these treks, be it Dayara Bugya or Deorital Chandrashila, have easy exit points. This means that we can evacuate the child, the parent, or the family quickly in case of an emergency. Also, most of the trails we pick for Family Treks have at least some network coverage, so help is only a call away.” 

The Green Trails warriors doing the segregation.Picture by – Vishnu Sivanandan

Prathima recommends autumn and summer months. She points out that temperatures will be moderate, and as a result, kids can be outdoors and take part in activities. 

Swarada also recommends March and April as good months to experience snow. 

Want to find out about our top Family Treks? Read 6 Best and Safest Himalayan Treks for children. 

Our Family Trek Parents Reflect On Their Experiences

“Our son, Vidur, is so much more socially open. For my wife, it’s a newfound love for the mountains. She’s been wanting to go back ever since we returned from Raithal. For her, seeing shooting stars for the first time was an unforgettable experience. 

A few days amidst nature makes us want to look at the more significant things in life more closely – time with family and friends, good health and just being happy and at peace with what we have. Summit day was special. Reminds one to never underestimate oneself.

By the end of the trek, we, as a family, were so thrilled that we shared these wonderful experiences together.” 

“I felt connected to nature and did not, for a moment, miss my mobile, internet, or work emails! This experience has left us, as a family, wanting to do many more treks!

I think I have understood more about my children’s capabilities. My children now understand more about nature more and are also more conscious about other things like water wastage and garbage disposal.”

“For all of us, the biggest takeaway was an increased awareness about the environment, conserving water, and not throwing garbage in mountains.”

“It was so cool because I found some skulls, a cow’s skull, a horse skull, mule skull. I even got to take back a tooth from a skull! There were lots of water streams, and we could drink water directly from them. I went on all fours and drank water from the streams. 

One thing that all of us liked was that a dog came with us all the way from Raithal to the summit. We fed him chapathi and eggs and named him Salsa Raja. 

Our Trek Leader, Aditya, gave us lots of activities to do and also explained things. We also had jobs to take care of. Being an Assistant Trek Leader was the most fun part because we had to tell everyone to wake up, do this, do that, and we even got to use the walkie-talkie! I love trekking because after you reach your destination, it means a lot! You’ve reached the top!” 

“I am more determined now to save natural resources such as water. I always thought of this, but I’ve only started actually implementing it after the trek. 

I would like to go back to this trek because of the challenging parts of it. I don’t generally take up challenges but that too has changed now.” 

“I learned a lot during the trip like keeping the environment clean by picking the garbage on the way, avoiding campfire which has a bad effect on the environment, making new friends, pitching tents. Aditya Sir showed me how to segregate the garbage and made me the Green Trail winner because I had picked a lot of garbage.

It was a fun, learning experience for me, and I will remember it forever.”

“There were a couple of reasons for choosing Indiahikes. One was the fact that Indiahikes offered experiential learning hikes for families. This meant that we got time to meet other families with similar mindsets and the kids got to meet other kids of their age. We liked the concept of experiential learning, where kids learn something (and not everyone learns the same thing) through experiences. 

After this, the other reason was that we looked at reviews, both online and talking to other hikers who knew Indiahikes, and we only saw positive reviews. We also saw that Indiahikes had a good safety record. Since we were going with kids, safety was of paramount importance. A couple of situations occurred during the hike, but the trek leader was well equipped to handle it and handled it with composure. ”

“It feels safe and easy trekking with India hikes. You take good care of us.”

“We had done a trek at the Sahyadris earlier and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We were looking for an organization that we could trust and IH was one of the most recommended ones.”

If you’ve been on one of our family treks, what was your biggest takeaway? If you haven’t, what more would you like to know? Ask us… we are happy to help. 

Our exclusive family batches are unlike our regular treks. These are structured to reap life lessons from outdoors for children. Read about it here.

How An Indiahikes Family Trek Is Different From A Regular Trek

It is wonderful to get calls from parents wanting to know which trek to take their children on. Parents who are keen trekkers themselves know the value of the outdoors. Children learn life’s lessons quickest when they are on an adventure.

So when do you start kids on trekking? The answer is as young as possible. But not in the way most parents think.

First, you need to understand a few physiological truths. Children grow rapidly. Every day, their arms and limbs gain strength and grow new muscles. With them running around the whole day, their lungs are getting larger and processing more air. Children seem to possess an infinite bundle of energy. Yet, like a cheetah that springs after a gazelle, these energies are in bursts. Children cannot sustain the endless energy required on a trek. Which is why on a long trek, children tire easily.

When children are tired, they get bored and lose interest in the surroundings. They absorb less and soon, the purpose of taking them on a trek gets lost. Parents are often left with a crisis to handle.

Children seem to possess an infinite bundle of energy. Yet this energy comes out in bursts. They do get tired soon. It’s best to choose treks that are not too long, but with small distances covered everyday. Picture from Indiahikes archive

Like any other sport, children need to be gradually introduced to trekking. Here is how you go about it:

By the time children are three, it is time to expose them to the outdoors. 

Take them out of the city and on a nature walk. It doesn’t have to be in the hills. Even a nearby pond or lake will do. Give it a theme, like a flower walk. Get the child to show you flowers of 5 different colours. Keep the walk not more than an hour or so. Always set a theme for your walk. It could be a flower walk, a bug watching walk, a leaf collecting walk, stone gathering walk. Kids love the sense of collecting things. So allow them to bring back their collectibles.

Very soon, your children will start to badger you to take them out on theme walks!

When they are four or five years old, children get more adventurous. 

They want to explore more. It is time to take them on longer walks. Target a local hillock and see if you can challenge them to get to a point halfway without your help. It is ok if they lose sight of the target and get interested in something else along the way. Walk as long as they are happy and full of energy. Reward them with a sandwich or something to eat when they reach the target (yes, avoid chocolate rewards!). Show them how to get to the milestone by reaching smaller targets like a big bush on the left and then the brown boulder on the right. Life’s lessons are built in.

A visit to a nearby hill station at this age does a world of good to their memories.

Children love small rewards on a trek. It could be a sandwich, it could be a badge, it could be a certificate. Picture from Indiahikes archive

By the time children turn six or seven they are ready for day treks. 

Their understanding of the world has increased manifold. They love challenges. Enroll them on day hikes or take them on one. 

On the trek, see if you can get the child to cook a small meal. Make them self sufficient and set out tasks for them. For example, talking to a few locals and getting directions could be a task. Pouring over a map and locating spots on the way could be another. Cleaning litter from the trail could be another. 

Kids at this age love organizing things. Get them to organize the gears for the trek, or the food. With digital/mobile cameras you could get them to photograph the trek as they see it!

When children are eight or nine, they are strong enough for a four/five day Himalayan trek. 

They have been mentally prepared and look forward to the trek. They can easily manage without parents. They make ideal team members. The confidence gained from a Himalayan expedition sticks with them for long. It reflects in their studies and other activities.

Some of the treks that come to my mind are the Dayara Bugyal, Deoriatal Chandrashila, Ali-Bedni Bugyal, Kedarkantha, Brahmatal, Phulara Ridge and the Har-Ki-Dun treks. These can be done in May and June when children have holidays in school. 

A little later in the season (if some schools are closed in June), the Bhrigu Lake and Beas Kund in Himachal Pradesh are terrific. 

<table id="tablepress-11" class="tablepress tablepress-id-11"><tbody class="row-hover"><tr class="row-1 odd"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/dayara-bugyal-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dayara Bugyal</a></td></tr><tr class="row-2 even"><td class="column-1"><a href="http://indiahikes.com/deoriatal-chandrashila-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Deoriatal-Chandrashila</a></td></tr><tr class="row-3 odd"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/ali-bedni-bugyal-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ali Bedni Bugyal</a></td></tr><tr class="row-4 even"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/kedarkantha-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kedarkantha</a></td></tr><tr class="row-5 odd"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/brahmatal-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brahmatal</a></td></tr><tr class="row-6 even"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/phulara-ridge-trek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Phulara Ridge</a></td></tr><tr class="row-7 odd"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/har-ki-dun/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Har Ki Dun</a></td></tr><tr class="row-8 even"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/beas-kund" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Beas Kund</a></td></tr><tr class="row-9 odd"><td class="column-1"><a href="https://indiahikes.com/bhrigu-lake" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bhrigu Lake</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

A Himalayan trek does wonders for kids. They become great team players, get a big boost of confidence, and do better in their studies and other activities. Picture from Indiahikes archive

What happens if you have never done the preparation that I have laid out and yet want to start your child on trekking? 

You don’t have a moment to lose. Start them immediately, but choose what’s best for them. If they are 5-6 year old, don’t think of a Himalayan trek. Start with day treks with themes. If they are 8-10 year olds it is okay to start them on easier Himalayan treks, but accompany them. If they are into their teens get them to do Himalayan treks but without you.

Preparing your child in terms of fitness for a trek is also important, however old they are. A month and a half before the start of their trek, get them on a fitness schedule. Prepare their lungs and limbs for the trek. A cardio workout for half an hour, with some squats and push-ups, is enough. I strongly recommend running as a good preparation for the trek.

Get your children involved in organising the trek. Do not pamper them by organising everything for them. Get them to study the maps, the location and the geography of the area. Take them along to buy or rent gears for the trek. 

Have dinner table conversations with your children about the trek. Talk about how they can contribute to the trek as team members. 

These preparations help children prepare mentally for the trek. It keeps them excited and involved.

I have seen both parents and children change as a family unit on our treks. The lessons learnt on these treks are invaluable. 

This year Kaamya Karthikeyan was one of the 32 children in India to win the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar award. It is the highest civilian award given to children of our country. Kaamya was given the award for her extraordinary achievements in mountaineering and adventure sports.

Kaamya started her Himalayan journey with Indiahikes at the age of seven with the Chandrashila trek. She went on to do the Har-Ki-Dun, Kedarkantha and the Roopkund trek with Indiahikes.

kids on trekking? Read more on what happens when children and trek combine.

Family Treks

Treks by Categories

Treks by Season

Treks by Month

Treks by Duration

Treks by Difficulty

Treks by Region

Treks by Experience

Follow Us

Contact Us

Bengaluru Office

Dehradun Office