When the Himalayas freeze — landscapes from another planet.
Ladakh
Chadar Trek — walk on the frozen Zanskar river. -25C for 9 days. The most extreme trek in India
Pangong freezes Dec-Feb. Walk on a frozen lake at 4350m. Blue ice, cracking sounds, total silence
Jammu & Kashmir
Alpather Lake freezes solid. India most accessible frozen lake — gondola ride up, snowshoe to it
Tso Moriri freezes completely in winter. Remote, empty, frozen blue at 4500m. Few humans witness this
Himachal Pradesh
Dhankar and Chandratal area — frozen streams, frozen waterfalls, villages buried in snow
Thajiwas Glacier — frozen waterfalls and ice walls accessible even in late spring
Frozen Indus at Stakna — the mighty Indus turns to ice in Jan-Feb. Monasteries over frozen rivers
Sissu waterfalls freeze into massive ice columns. Lahaul winter is locked in but stunning
Drass nearby — second coldest inhabited place on Earth. Everything freezes. Rivers, waterfalls, your breath
Nubra river partially freezes, sand dunes covered in frost. Cold desert that actually freezes
Uttarakhand
Frozen meadows at 2800m — ski slopes, frozen streams, Nanda Devi in winter white
Second coldest inhabited place — -40C recorded. Everything is ice. Waterfalls become ice sculptures