Family Adventure Day4 trek : Adieu until next time
Today I woke up with mixed feelings – “of elation” at having successfully completed the family adventure trekking with kids and “some anxiety” that the trip was coming to a close. Having thoroughly enjoyed the 4 days, time to head back to civilization was imminent.
A day before, the crew had already figured the start point for the way downhill. Today, we make our own path to the village of Ghiyagi.
After one last look at the campsite, where we spent 2 glorious days, we started towards the end of our family adventure trek. Today, we will descend almost 500 meters. It took us 3 hours to make this journey. Here is a photo blog of the downhill trek from Crystal Cave.
A temporary shelter we came across on the way down. These are typically used by shepherds who come down to these lower mountains during winter
Posing with the white wildflowers all over on the ground.
Selfie time in the woods as we take a break
Happy for the much needed respite after an hour of downhill trek
The much traveled bag
Posing on a fallen tree trunk. We saw many such logs on the way down
The awesome green colored rock sheets that we climbed over
Mountain goat we met and cuddled on the way down. Isn’t she cute ?
First view of civilization after 4 days of family adventure trekking with kids
Close up of Shoja village, the first settlement during our descent. We had to go further down to Ghiyagi as this village is not accessible by vehicles
One of the house in tiny village we crossed
A colorful house in the village. Check the lovely windows
Villagers we met on the way down, happy to pose for me
The excellent support crew making the family adventure trek successful
We did not leave anyone back ! Mission successful 🙂
After this it was an hour drive from Ghiyagi to Jibhi, which was where we were put up for the night.
On the way to Jibhi from Ghiyagi
Evergreen conifers enroute to Jibhi from Ghiyagi
A stream flowing along the road
One of the many beautiful Iris that we saw along the road. Not sure if they were grown or growing in the wild !
Our hotel by the river in Jibhi. Happy to be back for a nice hot shower – for sure 🙂
Things you may want to know before the travel (Travel tips)
- Walking downhill is quite tough on your knees and toes, so walk at your own pace
- Good hiking shoes is a must
- Keep your clothes layered and space in your backpack. As you climb down, you will start feeling warm. The extra layers can be put in your backpack
- Keep yourself hydrated and carry enough water for until you reach civilization
- At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I re-iterate : Apply sunscreen throughout
Link to other days of the family adventure trek
Day 1 – Jalori Pass to Serolsar Lake
Day 2 – Family adventure : Serolsar Lake to Shepherd’s hut
Day 3 – Family adventure : Exploring Crystal Cave and its surroundings
A daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, IT professional and now – a travel blogger. I just love traveling, exploring new places and this inspired me to share travel experiences and memories with others.
Perfect family pictures. We had a similar family trip two years back, along with our extended family. So I know exactly how much fun it is. But we went to really touristy places. I guess a retreat like this sounds just perfect for a family vacation.
Thanks Neha. It was uber fun 🙂
A 4-day trek, wow! I haven’t done anything like that in my life and to be honest, I’m not sure how am I going to fare when I do it. But you guys have done it so yay! And it looks like you had a lot of fun, including the kids. I mean why not, the place looks amazing!
Thanks Marge. It was uber fun 🙂
I always wanted to try trekking!! But I’m so badly prepared that I’m kind of afraid o trying, I always think that I would want to give up in the middle of the trip and not be able to lol But this is still on my Bucket List!
Isa , this was our first and I had asked for an easy trek. Believe me, once you are out there , you are so excited that you will just go ahead and complete it. Give it a try, you will come back wanting more !
Seems like a fun family trip!
Thanks so much for stopping by
This looks super incredible and amazing that you did it with your kids! But where in the world is this? I dont have the context.
:). It is very much in India, in the lovely state of Himachal Pradesh. These are the lower Himalayas and really beautiful
Lovely family adventure. Really commendable that the kids were able to do this without a hitch. A great experience and education for them too, to live in the midst of nature. It is definitely going to be etched in the kids memories for a long time.
Thanks Sandy N Vyjay. Yes, we really loved the trip and the kids still refer to their experiences from the trip
I always say to my friends- no holiday is complete unless accompanied by your family members. Travelling/ vacation/ trekking/holidaying etc can be meaningful only if we share our happy experiences with our family members, especially the kids. I am so happy seeing the smiling faces of your bachcha party.
The baccha party is always ready to travel and explore new places. They enjoy the trips and for that I am thankful. I love making memories with them and we relive it between trips 🙂
Traveling with family is so much fun! I guess one just needs a place to eat and sleep and here you have earned a local experience! Makes for a wonderful read! It also showcases the beautiful countryside of India.
India has some really beautiful and unspoilt places, if we look for them. Imagine being in the lush green meadows with not another soul in sight !
Kudos to you for managing a family trek with kids for 4 days. The kids look elated and I guess the trek was something they enjoyed immensely. Love all your photos.
Thanks Soumya. We had such a fantastic time as a family. Totally cut off from the world and in the lap of nature. Kids learned the value of working with meagre resources and the joys of not bathing 😉
What an amazing adventure. I’ve been following this journey from our past commex and this trek you had with your family is truly wonderful. Like what I said before, I’m glad you involved your kids in activities like this while they are young. Looking forward to your next adventures. 🙂
Thanks Blaine for following and for your kind words. Keep tuned for the next set of gorgeous places I visit 🙂
What a wonderful trek with family, I haven’t done this for a long time now.
The shepherd’s shelter looks cool. And yes downhill trek does harm the knees, better to be slow.
Thanks Indrani 🙂 . Totally agree. I kept telling the crew that if they rush me and I hurt myself, they would need to carry me too. That fixed everything 😉
Wow such an adventure!! Plus doing it with your family is an added bonus. Those photoa are stunning!
Thanks Kenneth. Glad you liked the photos
What a great family adventure and a great insight of the town of Ghiyagi. Loved the photos. Makes me want to trek there some day. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Tony for stopping by. Hope you do visit, some day soon
This looks like heaven. I so want to take my kids out one more time before school starts.
Thanks so much 🙂
Its a dream of mine to take my kid out hiking. while we have done the plains and beaches for a few hours, I have to plan a light hike somewhere south. Read this part, will go backward and and check the other 3 parts.
Absolutely Kartik. Thanks for checking the others out. If you find a good hike trail, let me know please
4 days ~ omg! xD i hope you had all the sleep you wanted! It’s always fun with family so congrats to you on that part! It’s not easy to take care of yourself when you also need to take care of the kids xD
Thanks Jerny. Yes, we all caught up on sleep and had fun throughout the day.
Great pictures and really cool article – sounds like you had a great adventure!
Thanks Gareth
Good thing you’re warning about downhill being hard on the knees, we always seem to forget that and then there are accidents. What a great adventure that you have with your family. It is so great to get kids outdoors and teach them so many things! This seems like a good experience for families!
Thanks Mimi. It was a lot of fun and we were super careful while going down.
I actually have followed and read this 4 days trekking adventure of yours together with your kids and i’m so happy that you finally have made it, I the breathtaking views that you have experienced from the day 1 up to day 4. You guys seemed to really happy and so fulfilled. I can’t wait to read another trekking adventure of yours with your kids soon. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Thanks Lai. Glad you enjoyed our trek. We had so much fun during it. Lot of learning as well 🙂 I have been following your treks too and you inspire me !
Looks amazing. Makes me miss camping and hiking.
Thanks Ryan. You should start again maybe ?
Looks like a great adventure if you ask me! I especially love that you found a goat to cuddle with. Pretty sweet. Looks like your kids had a great time too!
Thanks Kristi. It was a really memorable adventure. The goat (and a sheep during the trek) were added benefits along with the carpet of flowers in lush green meadows.
What an excellent experience you have created for your family. These are memories your children will have forever!
Thanks Pamela. It is indeed memories for keeps. Hoping to make more of these
Looks like you had a great family time. I fell in love with the photos the nature is fantastic over there!
Thanks Teona. It was a beautiful place.
Wow what an adventorous family! Congrats for finishing the trek and for surviving! Your kids seems to be enjoy it a lot and I am happy that you introduce them to the nature rather going to the mall! And yes, walking up is exhausting but walking down is worse because for some its very hard on the knees!
Oh yes. My knees were shaking by the end of it ! The kids are more resilient :). Trek was great, it was our first as a family and I look forward to many more ! Nature has its own charm which the city kids need to discover on holidays 🙂
A downhill trekking journey cave that looks like it dragged loads.of fun with it especially cuddling with a snow white mountain he-goat, hahaha!! The kids must have had a trilled time!
Yes they did and so did we :). Had the most awesome experience and memories made for a lifetime
Travel with family is always awesome! The fun and the adventure together made it more memorable!
Ture that Ann. It was a great trip
Sunscreen… The always forgotten sunscreen! What a valuable advice! 😛
Ha ha. Once bitten twice shy 😉
Wowww! Looks and sounds like it was quite an amazing adventure. So much fun! Bet the kids were tired hehehe.
It was a lot of fun. Kids were tired but interestingly, they had more energy than us adults 😉
I always love the idea of traveling or doing activities like hiking or a simple beach bumming with family. Your adventure trip looks full of fun! The kids did enjoy it. Of course, water and sunscreen are a must!
True Cathy. These are opportunities to spend undivided time with family. Totally love them 🙂
Such a happy family 🙂 Looks like you had good time there.
Thanks 🙂 . It was great fun !
What a beautiful family adventure. Sometimes its good to have bonding time with your family in nature.
True that !
That’s really awesome, and beautiful pictures you’ve got here. I wish to do this too one day, so thanks for the tips.
Thank you. Glad you liked it
It does look like you had such a great time out there. My daughter and I love camping and we definitely should be doing it more often. This reminds me of that for sure. I love being outdoors.
Thanks David. Glad it reminds you of camping fun and encourages you to do it more. I enjoyed my first family camping a lot, so definitely will plan more
I am sure you enjoyed your trip here. For people who are couch potatoes, traveling to such high altitude places might be a problem because of knee issues. Better to practice walking for moderate distances before undertaking these journies.
Yes, I had a great time. I think even the couch potatoes can try some treks. There are some moderate ones. In this leg, a trip to Serolsar and camping for the night should be quite doable.
Four days trek with family sounds fun. I love the pics, they are so lively. I have never been on treks but with family sounds perfect, will definitely plan one.
Thanks Shreya. Do plan one and let me know how it goes. I am sure you will have fun 🙂
Woah! I never been to tracking but I can totally feel that there was a lot of fun! That environment there is also serene
It is an amazing place to visit 🙂 and loads of fun. Try it !
A family trek looks fun. You have a lovely family. I like to bring also my future kids outdoors. Thanks for sharing you have an inspiring blog
Thank you for the lovely appreciation and the kind words. It was a great trek and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Blessed kids with adventurous parents…When and where will be your next hike? 🙂
Charming and friendly goat you met along the way… If I was there, I’ll bring it home…(kidding!)
ha ha. Loved the ‘kid’ding part. Next hike – could be Himachal again or maybe someplace in Thailand / Indonesia. It will be around summer, so I still have time to contemplate 🙂
I always love to go on adventure tours with my family. This looks like a perfect spot for a good and fun filled vacation with family 🙂
It was a great adventure we still look back to with affection. Many memories made ! Thanks for stopping by.