Mystic Himalayan Trails

24/08/2025

The lovely Himalayan Goldfinch (Carduelis caniceps), also known as the Grey-Crowned Goldfinch sometimes, is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is distributed throughout the Central Asian highlands and most of the Western Himalaya.

Till recently, the Grey-Crowned Goldfinch was widely treated as a subspecies of the European Goldfinch, primarily because it hybridised with it in southwestern Siberia and northern Iran. However, in 2016, Bird-Life International restored its species status; And in 2024, the IOC World Bird List followed suit, accepting it as a separate species, endemic to the mountains of Central Asia & the Himalaya

In the Western Himalaya, it is an altitudinal migrant, breeding at 2,400–4,200 m altitude (rarely down to 1,500 m), and descending in winter to 1,900–2,400 m.

We often encounter this vibrant little bird on our summer treks, flitting around in small flocks, or foraging for seeds and little Arthropods. In this picture, the bird is feasting on the seed pods of the Prickly Himalayan Thistle (Cirsium falconeri)

Photo: Rahul Ogra

Location: Near Phuti Runi, at the base of the Chotta Shigri Glacier (Lahaul Valley)

12/08/2025

CURATED HIMALAYAN SAFARIS:

One of our core specializations as an outfit, is the expertise in curating peerless trps and experiences in the lesser known parts of the Himalaya.

Our valued clients know this and that's why they come back to us, again and again.

Simon & Mayin Chiang are a lovely couple, based in London, who joined us on one of our offbeat Kashmir trips, a couple of years back. Since then, they've not just become repeat clients, but also dear friends for our entire team.

These 👇 are some photos from an exclusive trip, curated for them this year... Through some less frequented parts of the Kullu & Lahaul valleys.

08/08/2025

Moments captured from a recent quick foray into the upper 'Lungnak' valley in Zangskar.

18/01/2025

The artistry of Old Man Winter.

Intricate ice formations, created by jets of water in the cold high alpines of Kashmir.

Photo credits:
(.himalayan.trails.manali

31/12/2024

Whatever is beautiful. Whatever is meaningful. Whatever brings you happiness.
May it be yours this holiday season and throughout the year.

Wishing you and your family a Happy, healthful, peaceful and prosperous New Year - 2025

19/12/2024

WINTER DRIVING 101

Following up on our first winter 2025 post a few days back, here's the second one. This one deals with an often-neglected facet of extreme mountain travel... Viz. proper Winter Driving.

If you're going to explore the Himalaya or Trans Himalaya during this unforgiving season, kindly keep the following essential tips in mind:

# Give yourself time. Start early for your destination. Factor in delays because of weather and road conditions

# Anticipate the surface you're driving on. Snow and ice will give you very little traction (unlike dry roads)

# Avoid using stock highway tyres as far as possible in these conditions. Ideally you should be using winter tyres or at the very least good AT's

# Be well prepared. make sure your engine oil, antifreeze coolant & battery levels are optimal. Get your brakes checked beforehand

# Keep essentials like snow chains, snow shovels, traction boards, salt, jumper cables, tow straps etc handy. Plus survival essentials like Food, blankets, water, communication and power backup, in case you get marooned.

# Start and Stop slowly. Your inputs should be measured, slow and deliberate. No sudden acceleration, de-acceleration or jerky steering movements. More often than not, this leads to a lack of control.

# Maintain a proactive distance from the vehicle ahead of you, if any. Give yourself adequate time and distance to slow down

# Use lower gears to maintain better speed & control and aid in 'Gear Braking' if needed.

# Slow down much before you approach a curve and then follow through on the line you plan to take. Don't brake or abruptly deaccelerate before turning

# Avoid slamming the brakes at all costs. This would cause your vehicle to careen and go into a skid that is often difficult to control. If you do need to stop, give yourself adequate time. Downshift your gear and gently de-accelerate.

# Last but not the least, if your car does go into a skid. Disengage from the brake pedal and steer slightly into the direction of the skid. Although this sounds counterintuitive, this will help you regain some amount of control.

(Vid. Credit Srinivasan Periathiruvadi)

12/12/2024

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" All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

― J.R.R. Tolkien
(The Fellowship of the Ring)

Our Mountains have just been anointed with the first snows of winter. It is time to shake off the stupor of autumn and summon the Winter Warrior within.

At .himalayan.trails.manali, this is our favourite time of the year. For this is when the mountains of the Himalaya & Trans Himalaya are at their purest. With their 'raw & untamed' splendour. Snow & Ice reclaim their kingdom, and deep Frost adorns the landscape with myriad beauties. The tourist stereotypes of summer disappear; As this rugged land only tolerates true explorers during its daunting winter.

This year too, I shall be leading select groups of Himalayan connoisseurs, on lovingly curated experiential trips to explore the winter backcountry of Ladakh, Changthang, Spiti & Kashmir.

Needless to say, a prerequisite for these explorations is, of course, going to be a certain strength of constitution and firmness of mind to handle the harsh conditions at this time of the year. But for the intrepid, this rugged land rewards them with it's magical embrace. Showing them hidden beauties that the tourists of summer can't even imagine. Leading often to deeply transformative experiences.

If you're intrested in knowing more about these trips, do give us a shout on: + 91 8219660954

Or drop us an email at [email protected]
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These photos are from the highlands of Rupshu (near Pongunagu), on a frigid January morning; With the wind chill hovering around - 33 degrees Celsius.

I was out searching for Tibetan Wolves (Canis lupus changco) and a group of wild Tibetan Argali sheep (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), which had been spotted a day earlier.

My face was numb & my breath froze around my beard & moustache on the 5 hour hike. My eye lashes were frosted over and even the warm water in my flask froze...with my spectacles getting a bulidup of frost crystals after every 15 minutes. But, for all that suffering, we were rewarded with a spectacular sighting of a lifetime

19/11/2024

Autumn Trekking:

Here are a few snapshots from our latest Himalayan Autumn trek.
This was with a group of wonderful folks, heading up to the base of Mt. Deo Tibba in the Manali region.




🍂🍃🍁

06/09/2023

The are a distinctive & lovely little group of birds that visit our Mountains briefly, during the Summer & Monsoon months. They feed extensively on flying & earthbound insects & worms. We often hear their beautiful song, in the foliage and trees around us. And if we are lucky, we sometimes even get to see them.

Image 1 - Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus)

Images 2 & 3 - Rufous-Gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata)

Images 4 & 5 - Ultramarine Flycatcher (Ficedula superciliaris)

Image 6 - Pied Flycatcher female (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Photos: Rahul Ogra

31/08/2023

ALPINISM, MOUNTAINEERING & MENTORSHIP

Todays post, is about bringing back focus on one of our core competencies as a respected Himalayan Outfit. Since our inception, nearly a decade and a half back, we’ve introduced scores of youngsters to the art of Alpinism & Mountain Climbing. Out of these, a majority have been school and college students from reputed institution, both in India & abroad.

The whole .himalayan.trails.manali team finds this especially rewarding; As training these youngsters in the intricacies of ‘Mountain Craft’ ensures that that our knowledge, gleaned from years of hard work and countless backbreaking climbing expeditions, does not perish. That it will be passed on to the next gen.

This is also our way of giving back. As it is our endeavour through these ‘Mountain Mentorship’ modules, to infect our trainees with the same love, sense of stewardship and intense desire to protect our Mountains and the Great Himalayan Outdoors, as we carry in our hearts and souls

These images are from a Mountaineering training module conducted for the IVY league - The Scindia School Gwalior. One of the leading boarding schools in India, some time back. This was followed by leading them to complete a successful summit on a difficult, nearly 6000 M high peak in the Kullu Himalaya.

26/08/2023

'I searched for God
and found only myself.
I searched for myself
and found only God'

- Rumi

Bodhisattvas, are not just celestial beings. Sometimes, you can encounter them in this realm too.

Sitting outside her Rebo* savoring the brief winter sun of the high Changthang - Evi* Phuntsok - a 93 year old 'Changpa' grandmother, chants the sutras contentedly over her yak bone rosary.

*Rebo - Is a thick Yak Wool tent used by the nomads of the high Rupshu - Changthang plateau as a dwelling during the harsh winter.

*Evi - Means grandmother, in the local dialect

18/08/2023