25 April - 4 May 2026
Challenge yourself and support patients and staff in Salisbury Hospital on our fundraising adventure
This is your chance to change your own life, and the lives of patients and the staff who care for them in our Hospital.
Our fundraising treks challenge you from sign-up to finish line, as you raise vital funds for our hospital charity, train and trek with new-found friends, and experience breathtaking scenery and fascinating culture.
For our sixth trek, we’ve chosen another challenging adventure. We set off in April 2026, to explore the beautiful landscapes that surround Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj in NorthWestern India. This is a tough trek, full of natural beauty and cultural discovery, and is guaranteed to be a trip of a lifetime.
The challenges for this trek include
- Trekking up to 9 hours a day at altitude (up to 3200m) on hilly and sometimes steep paths
- Camping with around 30 other people (in two-person tents)
- The distinctive sights, sounds, smells and chaos of India
- Raising £2,000 (or more) for the Stars Appeal, Salisbury Hospital’s charity.
The delights include
- Five days of exceptional trekking, through villages & farms, forests and even to a glacier! with magnificent views, picturesque campsites, and local wildlife
- Travel by overnight train at the start and end of our trip
- Explore cultural sights and local bazaars in Dharamsala and its neighbour McLeod Ganj, home to the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan Buddhists
- A tour of Old Delhi
- Making friends for life with your fellow trekkers.
In our five previous treks, trekkers have together raised more than £488,000. They’ve made a huge contribution to the £1million the Stars Appeal needs each year to help patients at Salisbury District Hospital and the NHS staff who care for them, by funding projects like these.
You can find out more about all the challenges of trekking, and the rewards, at our Information Evening on Wednesday 9 October 2024.
“Everyone was super friendly and supportive and the trek was one of my best experiences I have had“
– China Trekker for the Stars Appeal
“I definitely feel I earned every penny of my fundraising and I was so happy to do it.”
– Petra Trekker for the Stars Appeal
“The trek family is the best! The diversity of backgrounds, ages, abilities and reasons for trekking is what makes these challenges so amazing. People getting on, not getting on, getting stressed, tired and emotional, chatty, quiet, enthusiastic, broken but all facing in the same direction – what’s not to love!”
– Lost City Trekker for the Stars Appeal
Dalai Lama Mountain Trek, India
Saturday 25th April – Monday 4th May 2026
Our trek is a beautiful, sociable adventure with FOUR challenges …
- The challenge of TREKKING – walking at altitude (up to 3200m) for up to 9 hours a day, through pastures, paths and passes in the southernmost ridges of the Himalayas. You’ll need to be FIT and as FOOTSURE as a mountain goat to enjoy this trek.
- The challenge of BEING PART OF A GROUP – travelling, camping and sharing cold showers, squat loos and mealtimes with 30+ trekkers, and coping cheerfully with early starts, disrupted sleep, unfamiliar food, sore feet, and being far from home. Plus the inevitable tweaks to plans that arise from terrain, weather and illness. You’ll need RESILIENCE and ADAPTABILITY to be able to take it all in your stride.
- The CULTURAL challenge – India is famous for its welcoming people, delicious food and the sometimes overwhelming hustle and bustle of its cities. We jump right in with a tour of chaotic and colourful Delhi before we take the sleeper train to start our trek. This is definitely for you if you have CURIOSITY and a TASTE FOR ADVENTURE.
- And most of all the FUNDRAISING challenge. To take part in our Stars Appeal 2026 Trek, we ask you to raise at least £2,000 – we’d love you to raise more! So you’ll need to be CREATIVE, DETERMINED and COMMITTED to the Stars Appeal.
WHAT’S YOUR COMMITMENT?
- We ask every trekker to raise at least £2,000 for the Stars Appeal. We hope you’ll raise much more (our most successful trekkers have raised more than £10k)
- Costs for the trek are
£399 non-refundable registration fee, paid on sign up
£2100 trek costs payable by February 2026
£2499 total trek cost (This INCLUDES any flight supplements, which could otherwise cost around £250)
- You should also budget £300-400 to cover insurance, visas, crew tips (c£40), UK travel and trekking kit.
WHAT SUPPORT WILL YOU GET?
While you’re training and fundraising:
- Dedicated Stars Appeal volunteer
- T-shirt and fundraising materials
- Fundraising tips from experienced trekkers
- Training guide & trekking tips from Discover Adventure, our trek organisers
- Regular training walks organised by Stars Appeal trekkers
- Briefings, socials and trekkers Facebook and WhatsApp groups
On the trek:
- Professional leaders, expedition doctor, local guides and crew
- Your new trek family
You can find out more about the challenge, the commitment and the costs at our Information Evening on Wednesday 9 October 2024. Register your interest in Stars Appeal Trek ’26 here and we’ll send you more details.
Important Details
Dates: The trek departs from the UK on Saturday 25 April 2026 and returns Monday 4 May 2026.
Health: For your own safety, and the safety of fellow trekkers, Discover Adventure require you to complete a medical form at registration. See the form here. You must be at least 18 years old to join this trek.
Fundraising: You must pledge to raise at least £2,000 for the Stars Appeal and pay your own trek costs. There is no option to fundraise for your trek costs.
Trek costs:
£2499 payable to Discover Adventure, including £399 non-returnable registration fee payable at sign up. This includes airline supplements, which would otherwise cost around £250
£300-400 for insurance, visas, crew tips and trekking kit.