How it started

As a nature and wildlife enthusiast, I have always enjoyed serene places.Most people are aware about the youngest mountain range in the world - the himalayas. My first visit to the Himalayas was in 2008. It was a trekking trip to the Bhrigu Lake. That was my first formal introduction to the Himalayas and the trakking. At that time, trekking/camping was not as popular as it is today. There were a handful of operators conducting trekking tours and cell phones were rare those days so long treks were not for amateurs like me. People seriously interested in hiking/treks used to go to long treks.

I think I was 18 years old and that was the first time I was going for a long trek with my school friends. Our trek started from Manali and had a duration of about 10 days including travel time. Since I was home sick - maybe due to lack of travel experience, I was not able to enjoy that trip as much as I should have. But that gave me a decent idea about the Himalayan life. This trip was followed by another trip to Rishikesh in a few years which was more joyful as I love water sports and there was not much hiking involved.

These 2 trips and a lot of youtube/documentaries add up to my love for the himalayan mountain range. Especially after the tourism boost in Ladakh, I saw tons of videos on youtube while I was in the USA. So I decided to visit Ladakh whenever I get an opportunity.

Ladakh - 2018

Fast forwarding to 2018, I returned to India after spending 5 years in the United States and I just wanted to travel as much as I possibly can. After a couple of months, I got an opportunity to join wildark for a photography expedition to Ladakh. Without even a second thought, I decided to go on that trip which turned out to be one of the finest experiences of my life. Especially the group of 4, all wildlife enthusiasts were travelling so a lot and lots of learning throughout the trip along with wildlife photography.

After some acclimatization, we started to explore the area around leh and I just fell in love with the culture and the landscape around Leh. As we travelled to eastern part of Ladakh, I was able to explore a few remote places in that region. Experiencing the remote ladakh life and their culture was an amazing experience. Hospitality in these regions can not be matched. This 10 day trip made a very strong impression about mountain life and especially for a person like me who likes a bit of peace and nature, there can not be a better place than these mountains.

Like other trips, after 10 days I was feeling like staying for a longer period over there. But after returning back to office, I slowly got used to the routine but deep down I always wanted to experience the mountain life for a longer period of time.

Spiti - 2020

After visiting Ladakh in 2020, I had a strong desire to see a snow leopard in my life. Back in college days, while watching a documentary, this seemed far from reality. I could not have dreamt of watching a snow leopard so soon in my life as it was one of the major life goals. After planning, me and my friend Bhavya planned to do a trial trip to spiti valley for a snow leopard expedition. I was fortunate enough to get enough holidays from the office. It was also a much needed break from the hectic and stressful office days. So we were off to spiti valley in Mid 2020 - just before the pandemic.

Our journey started from Ambala and then we were off to spiti valley. In winter, the only accessible 3 days one way. So it took us 3 days to reach our destination - Kibber. Starting from Shimla, we were just soaking in the beauty of the himalayas. Traveling to the destination was also a fun part. Starting from the lower himalayan region covered with thick forest and then eventually ending up in the moon land of spiti. A dry barren snow covered mountains and the landscape was an experience in itself. It is close to impossible to describe that through a blog post.

I spent 5 days in Kibber and a day in Hikkim just to find and photograph a snow leopard. We were able to spot and photograph a snow leopard a couple of times. It was an amazing experience witnessing a snow leopard in the wild and photographing it in extreme winter conditions. Snow leopard was for sure a highlight of the trip but the cultural aspect of the trip should not be eliminated. Staying at the same place for 5 days gives you an ample opportunity to get to know local people, share their thoughts and understand their lifestyle.

People from Ladakh and Spiti are the most hard working people. Despite a lot of hardships, they are always happy and carry a bright smile. Their positive attitude towards life in such a difficult place is very inspiring and a great learning experience for me. Vipulbhai and Catherine invited us for dinner and it is always great catching up with them. I could clearly see the difference tourism has made on the life of people in Spiti. So in a way, if done in the right way, tourism can bring a lot of impact on the lives of people living in such a remote place.

After leaving Spiti, I decided to spend some more time in the mountains. I decided to just go there and have some alone time. I thought of going back to Kibber as it is one place which is very close to my heart but since the travel time is around 4ish days, I was a bit reluctant to do so and also looking for some other options.

Workation - 2021

After getting covid infection twice in both waves, I was a bit tired living the same life in my home office. One of my friends suggested that I try a workation which was booming due to the pandemic. I was a bit reluctant in the beginning as I am more used to going to remote places and workation happens mostly on a bit more established/commercial places. Till this point the whole point of my travelling was to visit a remote place to see some form of wildlife. I have always enjoyed quiet and serene places with the least number of tourists.

Without much expectations, I decided to just go with the flow and booked my one way ticket to Dharamkot. Since a friend of mine was already familiar with the hostel and the area, we decided to start the trip with that. Initial thought was to get a couple of weeks change and then return back to the city. After reaching Dharamkot, I started to adjust myself to the hostel life which was easier then I initially thought. Dharamkot’s vibe was so nice that I enjoyed my stay for the first 2 weeks.

After spending 2 weeks in Dharamkot, I went to Bir which is popular for paragliding. I spent 2 weeks at Bir as well. Since I assumed this was going to be a small trip, I had a follow up trip to Goa with my school friends. But my mind was a bit stuck in the mountains. But after that trip, rather than going back to the city, I ended up going back to the mountains again for the 2nd lag of the trip.

In the 2nd leg, I was able to spend some quality time in the mountains. I also had an amazing set of people around me which made this trip very very special. I never imagined this trip would change me in so many ways. The experience and the conversations that I had with different people were amazing and a great learning experience for me.

Conclusion

After spending a decent amount of time in the Himalayas, I still crave for those mountains. And moreover now, I miss meeting such amazing people. My trip to spiti and workation has changed so many things for me. I have always returned from such trips with a lot of strength and positivity. This experience is always going to be with me and I feel this is a great asset. Himalayas and people over there hold a very special place in my life and whenever possible I will keep planning my Himalaya trips.