Peaks of Ladakh Trek

Our adventure begins in Delhi, a colourful and chaotic city full of architectural masterpieces. Around 6pm, say namaste to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big welcome by arranging a group dinner at a nearby restaurant. Want more time in Delhi? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

We start very early for the flight to Leh. We often have to leave the hotel around 2am 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 (11,485ft/3,500m). In the morning, we rest and catch up on sleep; in the afternoon, we have a gentle orientation walk around Leh and its bazaars.

Today there is a sightseeing tour to two of the major gompas (Tibetan Buddhist temples) 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 Buddha statue made of copper and gold. From Shey, we walk across fields to Tikse (about 1hr 30min), where we visit a hilltop monastery whose 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 is a full trek briefing and gear check today.

Today we 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, where we can see the whole of Leh and the surrounding villages. We continue the walk via Sankar to the recently built Japanese Peace Pagoda. This huge stupa (Buddhist shrine) overlooks Leh and we can see the Stok mountain range across the valley. Today there is an optional jeep safari to the Khardung Pass; at 18,379ft (5,602m), one of the highest motorable roads in the world. The trip to the top and back takes roughly four to five hours 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.

We leave Leh this morning 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 climbing on a side road to Stok. We start trekking at the end of Stok village, taking 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 takes five to six hours to reach our first camp at Mankarmo. Look for herds of blue sheep that graze on the hillsides here.

We cross our first pass today. The trail takes us gradually to the top of the pass, the Matho La, at 16,275ft (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 mountains.

We leave camp and have a long climb to our second pass, the Shang La (16,240ft/4,950m). The trail climbs out of camp to a low ridge and then contours round 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 shepherd houses at Shang Phu.

Another day, another pass! This morning, we turn into a side valley to the right and climb through barren landscape to the Gyuncho La (15,479ft/4,718m). Descending a short way, we cross a stream and then climb up again to a second col at 15,397ft (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. From Chokdo we turn up the valley towards to Gongmaru La and camp at Chuslurmo at the entrance of the gorge.

We have a tough day as we cross our highest pass yet. The trail follows a small stream as we climb, tracking the riverbed and sometimes climbing above it. 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 that marks the top of the Gongmaru La (17,178ft/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 (20,997ft/6,400m), the highest in the Ladakh mountains, and we can pick out Dzo Jongo across the valley if it’s clear. It’s an easy descent to our camp at Nimaling. During summer, shepherds bring their 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 food!

Today we ascend our warm-up peak. Vatseri (18,503ft / 5,640m) 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 plus many other peaks. The trail is indistinct today and we descend on a rocky trail towards our base camp, 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 walk directly to base camp from Nimaling, which is 1.9mi (3km) and takes two hours.

After the exertions of yesterday, we have a 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 get the climbing gear out, check everything and prepare our backpacks for tomorrow.

Today is summit day and starts with a very early wake-up (around 12:30am). After a quick breakfast, we set off with our headtorches (head lamps). We walk a short way up the main valley before turning 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 slope, which leads us to a fine ridge that we follow to the top. Sometimes there is snow and, depending on conditions, we may need to use our ice axe and crampons. We should not have to rope up, but we carry a rope just in case. The summit ridge is long but technically easy. It is rocky; good balance and a head for heights are needed. There is no path and you need to have experience of scrambling on rough rocks. A small group of prayer flags marks the top with views of the Zanskar mountains and north to the Karakorum and the mountains in Tibet. We then descend slowly to base camp for a celebration. The climb is entirely optional. There is a great alternative walk further up the valley to a small glacial lake for anyone not wanting to attempt it.

We leave base camp this morning and head towards the Manali to Leh highway through a remote valley, where we are unlikely to meet other trekkers. The trail climbs away from the base camp to the Lalung La (17,455ft/5,320m), where we get wonderful views looking back to Dzo Jongo and Kang Yangste peaks. From the top we contour round the valley to the Chaksang La (17,060ft/ 5,200m). Descending from the pass the path contours gently round and down the valley before turning right into a side valley where we soon reach our camp at Riyal Sumdo.

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 ponymen 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.

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

The tour ends after breakfast today and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you’d like a little more adventure, consider joining our five-day Golden Triangle extension. Encompassing Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, the trip is a whirlwind of culture, taking in the Taj Mahal, Red Fort of Akbar and much more.