Introduction
Doha College International Award has been taking students to the Indian Himalaya for several years. In order to maximise the opportunities of this amazing part of the world we make use of two organisations: The Indian Experience and Snow Leopard Adventure.
The Indian Experience is an organisation that caters to the requirement of the International traveller who wish to explore what the country has to offer. Its focus is the international client as opposed to domestic clientele and differentiates itself by catering to the needs and requirements of this specific market segment, foremost amongst which is safety. Deepak Kapur, a former parent of Doha College greatly assists in organising these trips and helping to act as a liason between all of the parties involved in planning a trip of this nature. His experience of Doha College enables him to help tailor a trip to our specific needs. Deepak accompanies on our trips
The Indian Experience has collaborated with Snow Leopard Adventure .This company specialises in adventure trips for schools. Over 12,000 students have benefited from their programmes. Snow Leopard Adventure operates several permanent camp on and around the banks of the Ganges. The Expedition Leaders from Snow Leopard Adventure are experienced in guiding groups in this and other Himalayan regions.
Trekking in the Himalaya
The Himalaya offers several scenic opportunities to launch expeditions. There are several options that suit all levels of proficiency for various times of the year. The Himalaya takes one away from the madding crowds to the white and silent core of Ladakh; Himachal; Garhwal and Kumaon; Bhutan; Sikkim and Darjeeling; and Nepal that form the five principal trekking regions. One can choose between jungle riddled, summit strewn, flower rich and colour mad passages of thrill and adventure.
For treks in the months of February / March we ordinarily limit ourselves to hiking in the lower Himalaya as the higher reaches are still snowed in. In any event hiking in the upper reaches requires more than a week to allow for transit and altitude conditioning
Example Expedition -------> The 2009 Doha College Expedition
Below details are given of the 2009 Doha College expedition. Each year the details of the expedition will vary however the aims remain the same. The trip for 2010 will be based closely around this expedition.
The
highlights of the 2008 Doha College Expedition were:
. Trekking to an altitude of 4000m through the snow line
. A trekking to a high altitude lake
. An opportunity to raft several sections of the Ganges.
. An opportunity to visit the pilgrim town of Rishikesh
Upon arrival in New Delhi we made our way North on buses towards Haridwar and Rishikesh. Along the route we stopped for lunch
Set in the foot-hills of the Himalaya 250 km north east of New Delhi and on the banks of the R. Ganges amidst a thick forest, Camp Panther is located 16 km from the temple town of Rishikesh near the historic confluence of Deoprayag in Uttaranchal Pradesh. Deoprayag is the confluence of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirithi rivers, the two main tributaries of the Ganges.
At the camp we enjoyed an evening meal and the last chance to get a good wash for some time.
The evening involved a briefing session by the camp manager, introductions to the expedition and the team.
After breakfast we made the transfer to Syalsour.
In the evening we pitched our tent in the grounds of a guest house.
By now the snow capped peaks were in view. We also had the opportunity to pass the through the town of Rudraprayag where Mr. Corbitt shot the famous man eating leopard that killed over 120 people in the 1920s.
About 6km from the camp site we disembarked from the buses to trek on a step ascent to the camp site which was located in a meadow with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains including the route to Tunagath temple.
The camp fire that evening was welcome since the temperature had dropped with the gain in altitude.
Once on the buses there is a transfer to the start of the walk to Deoriatal. This involves a very steep climb over some rocky ground.
We arrive in time to set up the tents before it gets dark. Today we prepare our own meals
The sight of our camp site is most welcome after our longest day so far.
Today is the big trekking day. The aim is to reach the temple at Tunagath from Chupta. For the brave there is the opportunity to try for the summit of Shila at 4000m.
The climb was step and demanding however all reached there goals and for many people it was the first time to see snow up close
The climb to the summit was very demanding with a step ascent through snow that when it broke through was waist deep. The views from the top were as rewarding as the achievement of reaching our goal.
It was great to see the whole group of 50 students and 5 staff make the summit
For many the highlight was the descent to the temple with many people sliding down through the snow.
The next day is a full drive back to Leopard camp
Early morning wake up call for breakfast. Post breakfast we went for an exciting session of rafting. On this stretch we rafted through some of the best rapids on the Ganges River - Return to Sender, Roller Coaster and Golf Course and conclude rafting at NIM beach.
From the rafting we make our way to Camp Panther to clean up and have a final meal before we start the transfer back to Doha
From here it was a transfer to Haridwar and our train to Delhi
If you have any further questions about this trip please contact me on dbriggs@dohacollege.com