Day two is reserved for rest and acclimatization to the altitude, too. This is important to allow your body to adapt to its new environment and reduce chances of adverse health conditions. You can go around and explore the city market, delve into the colors and culture of this high-mountain city and visit some places nearby. A little movement around the city would be good for acclimatization. Also, use this time to go through your checklist and do some last-minute shopping for what you might be missing for the trek. Leh has the best market for trekking essentials. While the body acclimatizes, we take this time to get together with the group for a debriefing session where we get to know each other better and delve into the happenings of the next few days - schedule, what to expect, basic do's and don'ts in the mountains, how to maintain the sanctity of the environment and other such matters of importance.

Day 3 is also reserved to adapt to the cold winters of Leh. The only other thing on the agenda is a mandatory medical check-up at the Tourist Information Centre which is essential to obtain a NOC from ALTOA and a permit from the Wildlife Department to trek on Chadar.

The day starts with a scenic drive from Leh towards the Zanskar valley, following the Indus River and then turning into the narrow gorge road that leads to Tilado. As the landscape tightens into steep cliffs and frozen side-streams, you get your first feel of Ladakh’s winter wilderness before reaching the roadhead near Tilado at around 3,215 m. From here, you put on your trekking boots and step down onto the frozen Zanskar, beginning a gentle 3–4 km walk over the ice to reach Shingra Yokma, your first campsite on the river. The route introduces you to mixed ice conditions—glass-smooth patches, powdery sections and broken “chadar”—and your guides demonstrate safe ways to test the surface and navigate around fragile spots.

Leaving Shingra Yokma after a warm breakfast, you continue deeper into the Zanskar gorge towards Shingra Koma. The trail follows the meandering frozen river, flanked by towering rock walls that sometimes rise almost vertically from the ice, creating a spectacular corridor of stone and snow. Over 5–6 km, you refine your rhythm on the chadar—short steps, balanced posture, and careful footing—while observing constantly changing ice patterns, occasional open-water sections near bends, and the play of light on the canyon walls. Shingra Koma, around 3,200 m, serves as a beautiful riverbank campsite where you settle into expedition routines of pitching tents, warming up by the kitchen area, and preparing for another cold night under the stars.

Today’s walk from Shingra Koma to Tsomo Paldar is often remembered for its dramatic ice formations and quiet ambience in the gorge. The route stays on or near the frozen river bed, where layers of ice can appear like frozen ripples, crystal-clear glass sheets, or milky white plates stacked over each other. Over 5–6 km, you move at a steady pace, stopping regularly to navigate around broken sections, skirt narrow ledges, or briefly climb along the rocky banks when the chadar is thin. By the time you reach Tsomo Paldar at around 3,300 m, you have fully settled into the rhythm of winter trekking—layer management, staying hydrated in the cold, and quickly slipping into warm sleeping bags as temperatures drop sharply after sunset.

This is a long and rewarding day as you retrace your route from Tsomo Paldar back to Shingra Yokma, covering nearly double the distance of the previous days. Starting early, you follow the familiar bends of the river, but the chadar often looks different because temperature changes can alter ice thickness, color, and texture overnight. The 11–12 km walk typically takes 7–8 hours, giving you ample time to appreciate how confidence and efficiency on the ice have grown—your steps are more stable, breaks are better timed, and you read the surface more intuitively. By evening you reach Shingra Yokma, where the camp feels almost home-like after completing a major stretch of the frozen Zanskar.

The final walking section of the trek takes you from Shingra Yokma back towards Tilado over an easy 3–4 km on the chadar. This shorter day allows you to enjoy every last step on the frozen river, take photographs, and bid farewell to the gorge that has hosted you for the past few days. On reaching Tilado, you climb up from the river to meet the waiting vehicles and drive approximately 65–70 km back to Leh, once again tracing the route along the Indus and through rugged Ladakhi landscapes. By late afternoon or evening, you check back into your hotel in Leh, where hot showers, warm beds, and a celebration dinner mark the successful completion of the Chadar Trek.

The trek ends here. If you plan to stay for a few more days to explore the wonders of Ladakh, the article below might help start you off on what places to consider. Like we indicated before, the weather on high-altitude is unpredictable as are many other conditions. We would suggest you keep spare days between the end of the trek and your travel arrangements to head back home.