Author: Chandni

Chandratal Lake – the most awaited part of any trip to Spiti Valley.  How our group members always wait desperately to spend the last night of the Spiti Valley trip is unexplainable in words. In our latest Spiti Valley trip,  during that 100 km drive from Kaza to Chandratal, every single soul was so excited to finally witness the magnificent Chandra Taal. After a long journey on dusty roads, we arrived at our campsite.  The staff gave us a warm welcome along with some hot tea & pakodas in that cold weather.  Post that, we were shown our super comfy ... Read more

An old Tibetan saying translates to, “The highest art is the art of living an ordinary life in an extraordinary manner”. In our seemingly ordinary lives, it is up to us to make those extraordinary choices that breathe life into our existence. So, let’s make another one of these extraordinary choices and pack a bag to travel to the land of the high passes – Leh. Introduction to Leh Leh is the rustic land with the occasional hints of greenery and surrounded by the brown-grayish Ladakh range. The elegantly flowing Indus river makes Leh a perfect postcard destination. Tibetan Prayer ... Read more

One…Two…Three – take a deep breath. A vision of blue with streaks of mountain grays and browns, speckled with the whitest clouds and patches of green spread all over. That’s what you see when you reach Tso Moriri. The half-moon shore, with tiny pebbles and rocks covering the bed of the lake, just makes you want to jump into the pristine waters. The only thing stopping you is the cold air hitting your face. For a moment the beauty of the lake almost makes you forget how high up you are, but for that one moment, you truly feel like ... Read more

Khardung La, one of the mightiest passes in the world, stands tall like an uncrowned king in the rugged and rustic terrain of Ladakh. It sits as a big item in the checklist of every Ladakh traveler.  In fact, it is the second most visited place in Ladakh, after Leh city and its nearby attractions. The winding road from Leh to the top of the pass gives the much-needed adrenaline rush to the visitors followed by the majestic views of the mountains and the valley from the top. You definitely get that feeling of being on top of the world ... Read more

What is single use plastic? Single use plastic is meant for one-time use i.e. use and throw. For example, water bottles, straws, plastic cups,  milk packets, biscuit wrappers, and many other food wrappers, etc. Single use plastic bottle – how many of you still buy it? I have been thinking that people who carry their water bottles instead of buying single use plastic bottle are a minority, but I got surprised by the response when I polled the same in our community “Women Tours in India“. Almost 77% voted for “carry their own bottle” while the remaining 23% voted for ... Read more

Nubra Valley is the home to beautiful landscapes, postcard-villages, and a part of the ancient silk route. It sits on the bucket list of every traveler who has ever dreamed of visiting Ladakh. When you actually visit Nubra Valley, you realize that it’s a lot more than what you have heard about it. My memories from Nubra Valley The evening I spent at the sand dunes of Hunder village, with my group, is still one of the most memorable from my Ladakh trip. The greyish sand dunes nestled among the humongous mountains with brown hues, and the double-humped Bactrian camels ... Read more

Introduction to Turtuk Where is Turtuk? Turtuk is located in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh which is one of the most rustic & beautiful regions of our country. It’s a border village and quite close to the line of control between India and Pakistan. It has always kept me fascinated because of its culture, history, and geography. In September 2019, I also took my women-only Ladakh group to Turtuk. History of Turtuk Turtuk, as mentioned above, is a village divided by the borders. It’s located only at a distance of 10 km from the line of control between Indian and ... Read more

“Chota Ladakh,” said the caption of a Facebook post boasting some stunning photos. Believing it to be some spelling error, I ignored it and continued scrolling through my news feed. A few days later, I desperately wanted to get out of Bangalore for a day trip. Most of the places were either closed due to covid-19 or seemed far for a day trip. As luck would have it, another post, with another set of beautiful pictures with the same caption, captured my attention. I realized that there was actually a place near Bangalore named Chota Ladakh. It was just an ... Read more

“First view of World Famous Pangong Lake,” said a huge yellow milestone as I witnessed the first glimpse of pristine blue Pangong Tso from far. It looked like a dot in the rustic landscape. My heart was pounding as I was about to behold the beauty that I had known by “that lake in 3 idiots”. As the vehicle progressed, the lake began to unfold its scenery with every turn and twist of the road. The water was mysteriously blue, something I had never seen before. My fellow travelers had already started capturing the grandeur of Pangong Tso by sticking ... Read more

What is Responsible Traveling? As the name suggests, responsible traveling or responsible tourism means that the travelers and destination makers are responsible towards their way of traveling/operating so that only good can be left through tourism. In last few decades, tourism has overloaded the destinations with irresponsible practices resulting in spoiling the environment, culture, and local economies. Internet is full of cases where naturally and historically important places have changed drastically and almost damaged by visitors. The joy of canoe rides in Alleppey backwaters is reducing by the unwanted companionship of plastic bottles floating in the water. There are so ... Read more