Peaks of Ladakh Trek

The tour starts at our hotel in Delhi. Passengers travelling on the group flights usually arrive into Delhi in the morning and will be transferred to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax and recover from the flight or for individual exploration of Delhi. Rooms in the hotel are usually available from noon. Those who have made their own flight arrangements will join us at the hotel during the day.

Comfortable Hotel - Hotel Jaypee Siddharth (or similar)

A very early start today for the flight to Leh. We often have to leave the hotel at around 2 am and drive to the airport for the very early morning but highly spectacular flight over the Himalaya to Leh. If the weather is good and the flight goes on time we should be in Leh early. The rest of the day is free to relax and acclimatise to the altitude (3,500m). In the morning we rest and catch up on some sleep and in the afternoon there will be a gentle orientation walk of Leh and its bazaars.

Standard Hotel

Today there is a sightseeing tour to two of the major gompas in the area. We first drive to Shey, a former Royal Palace of the Ladakh kings. Inside is a small temple containing a 350 year old copper and gold statue of the Buddha. From Shey we walk across the fields to Tikse (about 1.5hrs walking), where we visit the monastery - perched on top of a hill - its red and white buildings can be seen for miles. A recently built temple contains a magnificent image of the Future Buddha. We have lunch at Tikse and return to Leh. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore. There will be a full trek briefing and gear check today.

Standard Hotel

 Today we will have an acclimatisation walk round the Leh Valley. Set above Leh on the Namgyal Hill, are the ruins of the Old Royal Palace. From here a winding path takes us to Tsemo Monastery and from here we can see the whole of Leh and its surrounding villages.  We continue the walk via Sankar to the recently built Japanese Peace Pagoda. This huge stupa overlooks Leh and we can see the Stok range of mountains across the valley. Today there is an optional jeep safari to the Khardung Pass; at 5,602m, one of the highest motorable roads in the world. The journey to the top of the pass and back takes roughly 4/5 hours in total and can be booked and paid for locally. Your leader will have details. (If you do the jeep safari this will be in the morning and you can do a walk in the afternoon).

Standard Hotel

 This morning we leave Leh and drive to the start point of our trek. The road follows the Indus River for a short while through Choglamsar before crossing the river and then climbs on a side road to Stok. We start trekking at the end of Stok village on an easy trail that winds up a spectacular valley. We follow the Stok River most of the way (and may have to cross it once or twice), with multi-coloured rocks towering above us as we ascend. The walking is easy and not steep; it will take us 5-6 hours to reach our first camp at Mankarmo. Look out for herds of Blue sheep that graze on the hillsides around here.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 4,200m)

 We cross the first of our passes today. The trail takes us gradually to the top of the pass, the Matho La, at 4,960m. The ascent is long but not too steep and as we ascend the views become more and more spectacular with the magnificent rock formations of the Ladakh mountains surrounding us. The dramatic mountains in various shades of purples, greens and browns can be seen for miles in every direction. From the pass we descend easily to our campsite at Gangpoche, which is located by some shepherd huts, with views up to the Matho range of mountains.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 4,400m)

 Today we leave camp and have a long climb to our second pass, the Shang La, at 4,950m. The trail climbs out of camp to a low ridge and then contours round the and down into the next valley, from where we have a long but gentle climb to the pass. From the top we are greeted with more fantastic views of the Matho Range to the north. We then descend into the valley below and camp near some shepherd houses at Shang Phu.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 4,373m)

Another day, another pass! This morning we turn into a side valley to the right and climb through the barren landscape to the Gyuncho La (4,718m). Descending a short way, we cross a stream and then climb up again to a second col at 4,693m. We now descend on a rocky trail into a large barren valley that brings us down to Chokdo village, which is on the Markha Valley trek. We arrive in a spectacular gorge with wonderful purple-coloured rocks. Our camp tonight is close to the village. There should be time before we reach camp to visit a local house for a well-deserved cup of tea.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 4,150m)

 A tough day today as we cross our highest pass yet. The trail follows a small stream as we climb, following the river bed and sometimes climbing above it. The wonderful multi-coloured mountains surround us as we head to the pass. The final ascent zig zags steeply up a barren slope and we finally reach the string of prayer flags which mark the top of the Gongmaru La (5,236m). From the pass we are rewarded with views down to Nimaling and across to the Indian Himalaya and the Ladakh Range. The most prominent peak is Kang Yangtse, at 6,400m, the highest in the Ladakh Range and if it’s clear we can pick out Dzo Jongo across the valley. It’s an easy descent down to our camp at Nimaling (4,854m). During the summer months the shepherds bring their flocks of sheep, goats and dzos to graze on the high altitude pasture. The shepherds stay in stone shelters close to the grazing area for the whole summer and we can often buy yoghurt or local cheese from them. In the evenings the animals are brought down from the hills and it is quite usual to have a lot of them wandering through the campsite. Look after your edibles!

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 4,854m)

 Today we ascend our warm up peak. Vatseri Peak requires no technical skills and it’s an easily graded trail to the summit. The altitude makes it a tough walk but the views from the top make it all worthwhile. On a clear day we can see Dzo Jongo East and West across the valley and many other peaks. The trail is indistinct today and we descend on a rocky trail towards our base camp at 5,100m, home for the next three nights.  Please note Vatseri Peak is optional and we have several choices of hikes depending on weather and ability. Your Leader will assess the conditions and discuss with you the best options on the day. The trekking crew will walk directly to base camp from Nimaling, which is 3km and takes 2hrs.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 5,100m)

 After the exertions of yesterday we have a well-deserved day of acclimatisation at base camp.  In the morning we can have a short walk up the valley to see tomorrow’s trail and admire the scenery or we can walk to a glacial lake at the end of the valley. In the afternoon we will get the climbing gear out, check everything and prepare our rucksacks for tomorrow.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 5,100m)

Today is summit day and starts with a very early wake-up call (around 1am). After a quick breakfast we set off with our head torches. We walk a short way up the main valley before turning off into a steep gully to the right. We climb very steeply up the gully, passing a glacier on our right and emerge onto an easy angled snow slope, which leads us to a fine ridge that we follow to the top. Sometimes there is snow and depending on conditions we may or may not need to use our ice axe and crampons. We should not have to rope up, but we will carry a rope just in case. The summit ridge is long but technically easy. It is rocky and good balance and a head for heights is needed. There is no path and you need to have experience of scrambling on rough rocks. A small group of prayer flags mark the top with views of the Zanskar mountains and north to the Karakorum and the mountains in Tibet.  We then descend slowly back to base camp for a well-earned celebration.

The climb is entirely optional and for anyone not wanting to attempt it there is a great walk further up the valley to a small glacial lake.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 5,100m)

 We leave base camp this morning and head off towards the Manali to Leh highway through a remote valley, where we are unlikely to meet any other trekkers. The trail climbs away from the base camp to the Lalung La (5,320m), from where we get wonderful views looking back to Dzo Jongo and Kang Yangste peaks. From the top we descend steeply into a wonderful gorge with amazing rock formations. We will then have a steep climb to Chaksang La (5,200m) before contour round a few valleys and finally dropping down to our camp at Riyul Sumdo.

Full-service camping (sleeping altitude 4,500m)

 The last two hours of our trek take us further down this beautiful valley with a few river crossings, before we emerge at the green fields of Lato village and the main Manali to Leh road. We say goodbye to our pony men and camp crew before driving back to Leh. The drive follows the Kyamur River until it meets the Indus River at Upshi. We follow the main road back into Leh.and the comforts of a hot shower at our hotel. We should get to Leh for lunch and the rest of the day is free for last minute sightseeing or shopping in the bazaars.

Standard hotel

 We fly from Leh to Delhi and check into our hotel.  The rest of the day is free for individual sightseeing and your leader will be on hand to advise you on what to do.



Comfortable Hotel - Hotel Jaypee Siddharth (or similar)

 The tour ends after breakfast today.