New discussions · India

I did these two treks in Himachal Pradesh in September 2026. The Pin Parvati trek absolutely must be done before mid-September to have favorable weather conditions, while the Bara Banghal trek can be done until the end of September. In both cases, the weather window is limited because these treks are only feasible between the post-monsoon period (early September) and the more or less early arrival of the first snowfalls (mid-October or even earlier). I chose to do these two treks back-to-back with just a few days in between, taking a welcome break in the village of Kasol, which is really pleasant with its German bakeries on every corner, set in the stunning Parvati Valley—much better than the unremarkable village of Barsheni. From Kasol, there are plenty of bus connections to the Kullu Valley, but they’re long due to the narrow, winding, and sometimes badly damaged roads. From Kullu, Manali is very close and easy to reach.

Stay tuned for trip reports from a series of 5 treks between Zanskar and Ladakh from early August to early September 2026, always solo and fully self-sufficient with around 20 kg of gear. Make sure to bring good equipment for cold nights at high altitude, even in summer, a sturdy tent to handle thunderstorms and hail, and a solid pair of sandals for crossing the many glacial streams. If you don’t fly directly into Leh but, like me, come from Kargil, you won’t find gas canisters... In that case, I used a small alcohol stove with thinner bought locally since denatured alcohol is impossible to find in India. The thinner worked perfectly as fuel, even at high altitude—it’s sold for just 120 rupees per liter in paint shops.