Adventure Ladakh: On Foot Over High Passes

Route: Delhi airport to hotel

Your driver meets you at arrivals and takes you to the hotel. Nothing is planned for the evening.

The flight to Leh leaves early tomorrow. Every flight to Leh leaves in the morning, because winds pick up later in the day at an airport about 3,250 m high. Tonight is for sleep.

Experience of the Day

–  Private airport pickup and transfer to the hotel.

–  A free evening to rest before tomorrow's early flight to Leh.

Food

Dinner at the hotel; nothing else is planned today.

Activities to Do

• None scheduled. An easy evening to recover from the international flight.

Route: Delhi – Leh (flight)

The flight crosses the Himalaya into the Indus valley. Your guide and driver meet you at Leh airport, and you go straight to the hotel.

Leh is at 3,500 m. The Ladakh tourism advisory asks new arrivals to rest on the first day and add no more than about 500 m of sleeping height a day after that. Today is for rest. Drink plenty of water and skip alcohol tonight.

Experience of the Day

–  The flight over the Himalaya to Leh.

–  Met at the airport by your guide and driver.

–  A first night at 3,500 m.

Food

Dinner at the hotel; keep it light and drink plenty of water.

Activities to Do

• None scheduled. Rest and acclimatisation.

Route: Leh hotel – main bazaar – Leh hotel

The morning is free. A slow walk to the main bazaar is fine, and any walking should stay easy. Your guide then holds the trek briefing at the hotel: the eight stages, the passes in order, the river crossings, what the horses carry and what you carry.

After the briefing the guide checks every guest's boots, poles, layers and day pack, and records a first pulse-oximeter reading for each guest. These readings are repeated each evening on the trail, and they give the guide a baseline for the whole walk.

Experience of the Day

–  A trek briefing covering all eight stages and the passes.

–  A gear check of boots, poles and layers.

–  A first oximeter reading for each guest.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

• A slow walk to the main bazaar and the gear check.

Shopping

Leh's main bazaar has trekking gear, warm layers, hats and sun protection if anything is missing.

Route: Leh – Thiksey (19 km) – Shey (15 km) – Hemis (45 km) – Leh

Thiksey monastery stands at about 3,600 m and has twelve storeys. It was founded in the mid-15th century by Palden Zangpo and belongs to the Gelug order. Its 15 m Maitreya statue, installed for the Dalai Lama's 1970 visit, is the largest in Ladakh. Morning prayers begin around 7 am, and you sit at the back and listen to the monks chant in unison.

Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh. The present palace and monastery were built in 1655 by Deldan Namgyal in memory of his father, Sengge Namgyal. Inside is a 12 m copper Buddha, gilded with about 5 kg of gold, made by a Nepalese sculptor with copper from the Lingshet mines in Zanskar.

Hemis was re-established in 1672 by King Sengge Namgyal and follows the Drukpa lineage. Its courtyard shows paintings of the Eighty-Four Mahasiddhas from the 17th century, made with ground mineral pigments.

Experience of the Day

–  Morning prayers at Thiksey monastery, around 7 am.

–  Shey Palace and its 12 m gilded copper Buddha.

–  Hemis monastery's courtyard and its 17th-century Mahasiddha paintings.

Food

An early breakfast before departure; lunch and dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

• Sitting in on the Thiksey prayer session; a walk through Hemis's painted courtyard.

Route: Leh – Nimmu – Lamayuru – Fotu La – Namika La – Mulbekh – Kargil

The Indus valley narrows west of Leh, and the road runs down through Nimmu, where the Zanskar river joins the Indus. Lamayuru sits at 3,510 m, about the height of Leh. It is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, and in nine days you will walk down into it from the Zanskar side. Today it is a short halt, to see the monastery and the pale, wind-cut ground called the Moonland.

The road then crosses Fotu La and Namika La. At Mulbekh, a Maitreya Buddha is carved into the rock beside the road. It stands about nine metres tall, and scholars usually date it to about the 8th century.

Kargil is a market town on the Suru River at about 2,700 m, and the night here is a step down in height before Zanskar. A Zanskar-registered vehicle and driver meet you at the hotel.

Experience of the Day

–  Lamayuru's Moonland and its monastery.

–  Fotu La and Namika La, both at about 4,100 m.

–  The rock-cut Maitreya at Mulbekh.

Food

Breakfast at the Leh hotel; lunch near Lamayuru; dinner at the Kargil hotel.

Activities to Do

• Short visits at Lamayuru and Mulbekh; a handover to your Zanskar vehicle in Kargil.

Route: Kargil – Sankoo (40 km) – Panikhar (24 km) – Parkachik (16 km) – Rangdum (46 km) – Pensi La – Padum

The Suru River valley is green where Ladakh is usually dry, fed by glacier melt from Nun and Kun, two peaks over 7,000 m that stand on the skyline from Panikhar onward. Nun, at 7,135 m, is the higher, and Kun, at 7,077 m, sits just north of it. The villages along this stretch, Sankoo, Panikhar and Parkachik, are Muslim, part of Kargil district's Dard and Balti population, a different community from Buddhist Leh and Zanskar.

Rangdum monastery stands on a steep hill at about 4,031 m, at the head of the Suru valley. It was built in the 18th century under King Tsewang Namgyal II and belongs to the Gelug order. A halt here for tea is the first sign that the people ahead follow Tibetan customs.

Pensi La, at about 4,400 m, is the pass between Suru and Zanskar, and the Drang-Drung Glacier lies close to the road on the far side, a long tongue of ice. The road follows the Stod River down into Zanskar. Padum, the valley's small capital, is at about 3,600 m, a little higher than Leh.

Experience of the Day

–  The Suru Valley, with Nun and Kun on the skyline.

–  Rangdum monastery on its hill.

–  Pensi La and the Drang-Drung Glacier, then arrival in Zanskar.

Food

Breakfast at the Kargil hotel; lunch at Rangdum or a roadside dhaba; dinner at the Padum hotel.

Activities to Do

• Tea and a short visit at Rangdum; photo stops at Pensi La and the glacier.

Route: Padum – Pishu (about 30 km by road) – Hanumil (14 km on foot)

After breakfast the vehicle drives down the valley to Pishu, at about 3,600 m, where the horses and crew are waiting. From here the road ends for the trek, and you walk.

The first day is short and flat. The trail follows the river through barley fields and low villages to Hanumil, with long views up the valley. The horses go ahead and the cook has tea ready by the time you arrive.

Tonight is the first night in a tent. The guide records the evening oximeter readings and explains tomorrow's pass.

Experience of the Day

–  The drive to Pishu, where the road ends for the trek.

–  A first walk along the Zanskar river.

–  A first night in camp, at about 3,700 m.

Food

Breakfast at the Padum hotel; trail lunch; dinner in the dining tent.

Activities to Do

• A short, flat walk of 4 to 5 hours with the horses carrying the loads.

Route: Hanumil – Parfi La (about 3,900 m) – Snertse

The trail climbs gently to Parfi La, at about 3,900 m, the first pass of the walk. It is a low crossing and a good test of pace for the harder ones to come. The descent drops to the Snertse valley, where the camp sits beside a stream.

From here the trail turns away from the Zanskar river and begins to climb in earnest. Tomorrow is the first long day.

Experience of the Day

–  Parfi La, the first pass, at about 3,900 m.

–  A camp beside a stream at Snertse.

–  Clear night skies at about 3,750 m.

Food

Breakfast and dinner in the dining tent; trail lunch.

Activities to Do

• A walk of 5 to 6 hours with a gentle pass crossing.

Route: Snertse – Hanuma La (about 4,700 m) – Lingshed

Hanuma La, at about 4,700 m, is the first high pass. The climb is long and steady, and the view from the top runs across the Zanskar range. The descent to Lingshed is steep in places and takes a while.

Lingshed monastery was founded in the 1440s by Changsems Sherab Zangpo, a student of Je Tsongkhapa, and belongs to the Gelug order. It has about 60 monks, and it also runs a school for the surrounding villages. It is set among fields on a hillside, and the village around it has only homestays for guests.

Experience of the Day

–  Hanuma La, at about 4,700 m.

–  The descent to Lingshed.

–  Lingshed monastery and a night in a village home.

Food

Breakfast in the dining tent; trail lunch; dinner in the village home.

Activities to Do

• A long pass crossing of 6 to 9 hours, then an evening visit to the monastery.

The Human Story: A School Above the Passes

Lingshed's monastery doubles as a community school, and its monks and teachers serve the villages of the Trans-Sengge-La region, which are cut off from the main roads for much of the year. Solar microgrids installed in 2016 bring electric light to the monastery. Tonight's family is part of that community, and the welcome here is simple: butter tea, fresh barley bread, a warm kitchen.

Route: Lingshed – Murgum La (about 4,100 m) – Kiupa La (about 3,850 m) – Singge La base

An early visit to the monastery, if the morning prayers are in session, comes first. Then the trail climbs and drops across two smaller passes, Murgum La at about 4,100 m and Kiupa La at about 3,850 m, before it turns up the valley to the foot of Singge La.

The camp sits in open ground below the pass. Tonight the group sleeps at the highest point of the walk, about 4,350 m at most, which is about 550 m above Lingshed. The guide records readings twice, at sunset and before bed.

Experience of the Day

–  Early prayers at Lingshed monastery, if in session.

–  Murgum La and Kiupa La.

–  The highest night of the walk, below Singge La.

Food

Breakfast in the village home; trail lunch; dinner in the dining tent.

Activities to Do

• A walk of about 6 hours over two small passes, with an early evening.

Route: Singge La base – Singge La (about 5,000 m) – Bumiktse La (about 4,200 m) – Photoksar

Singge La is the highest pass of the walk. Sources give its height anywhere from 4,950 to 5,230 m, and a figure of about 5,000 m is used here. The start is before sunrise, and the climb is steady on loose ground, with a final steeper section near the top. The top has long views over the Zanskar range, and the descent is on loose scree and then a rocky valley.

Beyond the pass, Bumiktse La, at about 4,200 m, is the second crossing of the day. Photoksar, at about 3,750 m, has stone houses clustered under a cliff. The road to this village crosses Sirsir La, and snow closes it in winter.

Experience of the Day

–  Singge La, at about 5,000 m, the highest pass.

–  Bumiktse La, at about 4,200 m.

–  Photoksar's stone houses under their cliff.

Food

An early breakfast before the pre-dawn start; trail lunch; dinner in the village home.

Activities to Do

• A pass crossing of about 7 hours with an assistant guide, oxygen and a set turn-back time.

Route: Photoksar – Sirsir La (about 4,800 m) – Hanupatta

Sirsir La, at about 4,800 m, is a shorter climb than Singge La but still a high one. The trail climbs out of Photoksar and crosses the pass, then drops through a valley to the village of Hanupatta, with a camp beside the stream.

Tonight the walk starts to feel complete. The highest crossings are behind you, and the route runs downhill to the Indus.

Experience of the Day

–  Sirsir La, at about 4,800 m.

–  Long views across the Zanskar range.

–  A night in camp at Hanupatta.

Food

Breakfast in the village home; trail lunch; dinner in the dining tent.

Activities to Do

• A walk of 5 to 7 hours with one pass crossing.

Route: Hanupatta – Franji La – Wanla

The trail follows the Wanla river down a narrow gorge, crossing the stream several times. The water is lowest in the morning and rises as the day warms, so the guide sets an early start and scouts each crossing. The path crosses a low rise, Franji La, at about 3,400 m, and drops to Wanla, at about 3,100 to 3,250 m.

Wanla's monastery sits inside an old castle built by the Ladakhi king Lhachen Ngaglug in the 12th century, with the temple added in the 14th. It belongs to the Drigung Kagyu order and is a sub-monastery of Lamayuru. Its three-storeyed Avalokiteshvara temple is one of the earliest Drigung Kagyu prayer chambers to survive in Ladakh.

Experience of the Day

–  The Wanla gorge and its stream crossings.

–  Wanla's old castle-monastery of the Drigung Kagyu order.

–  A night in a village home.

Food

Breakfast in the dining tent; trail lunch; dinner in the village home.

Activities to Do

• A walk of 4 to 5 hours with several stream crossings, then time to visit the fort-monastery.

Route: Wanla – Prinkiti La (about 3,750 m) – Lamayuru – Nurla

The last day is short. The trail climbs to Prinkiti La, at about 3,725 to 3,750 m, and looks down on Lamayuru and its monastery, with the pale, wind-cut ground of the Moonland around it. Lamayuru is one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, and its oldest surviving temple, Seng-ge-sgang, is credited to Rinchen Zangpo.

A Leh vehicle meets the group at Lamayuru, and the crew and horses part from you here. After a late lunch the road runs east to Nurla, near Alchi, where tonight is in a hotel with a hot shower.

Experience of the Day

–  Prinkiti La and the first view of Lamayuru.

–  Lamayuru's Moonland and monastery.

–  A hot shower and a hotel bed at Nurla.

Food

Breakfast in the village home; lunch in Lamayuru; dinner at the Nurla hotel.

Activities to Do

• A short walk of 3 to 4 hours, then a visit to the monastery before the drive.

Route: Nurla – Alchi – Likir (about 50 km by road) – Phobe La – Yangthang (about 10 km on foot)

Alchi Choskor stands at about 3,100 m on the south bank of the Indus, roughly 65 km west of Leh. It has six temples from the 11th to 13th centuries. Local tradition names the translator Rinchen Zangpo as its founder, and wall inscriptions point to a noble called Kaldan Sherab; scholars still debate which is right. In the Sumtsek stand three bodhisattvas, each about four metres tall.

Likir monastery sits on a hilltop about 52 km west of Leh. It was founded in 1065 at the order of King Lhachen Gyalpo, and belongs to the Gelug order today. A gilded Maitreya statue, 23 m tall, is visible from the roof.

From Likir the Sham valley walk begins. The path crosses Phobe La, at about 3,600 to 3,700 m, and Chagatse La, and drops to Yangthang, at about 3,700 m. The climbs are short, the trail is clear and the nights are in village homes.

Experience of the Day

–  Alchi Choskor's 11th-to-13th-century temples.

–  Likir monastery and its 23 m Maitreya.

–  A walk over Phobe La to Yangthang.

Food

Breakfast at the hotel; lunch at Alchi or Likir; dinner in the Yangthang home.

Activities to Do

• A guided visit to the Alchi temples after their midday break, then a 4-to-6-hour walk.

Route: Yangthang – Tsermangchan La (about 3,880 m) – Hemis Shukpachan – Leh

The last walking day crosses Tsermangchan La, at about 3,880 m, and drops into Hemis Shukpachan, at about 3,600 m. Shukpa is the Ladakhi word for juniper, and the groves around the village are held sacred; monks burn the wood as incense in prayers. The village has a large Buddha statue at its centre and red rock formations on the hill called Dakmar.

The walk ends with tea in a village home. Your vehicle then drives you back to Leh, by the Indus road, for a hot shower, a hotel dinner and a bed at 3,500 m.

Experience of the Day

–  Tsermangchan La, at about 3,880 m.

–  The sacred juniper grove at Hemis Shukpachan.

–  Tea in a village home, then the road to Leh.

Food

Breakfast in the Yangthang home; trail lunch; dinner at the Leh hotel.

Activities to Do

• A last walk of 4 to 6 hours, then the drive back to Leh.

Route: Leh

This day is held empty. If a pass was closed by weather, or a river crossing needed a day of waiting, the plan absorbs it here, usually by shortening the Sham valley walk. If nothing went wrong, it is a free day to rest, walk the bazaar and shop.

Leh's main bazaar sells pashmina, Ladakhi jewellery and prayer flags. The Old Town and Leh Palace can be visited on foot if you have the energy.

Experience of the Day

–  A spare day in Leh, used for weather if it is needed.

–  Time to rest after the trek.

Food

Breakfast and dinner at the hotel; lunch as you choose.

Activities to Do

None scheduled. Walking in Leh's bazaar or Old Town if you wish.

Shopping

• Leh's main bazaar, for pashmina, Ladakhi jewellery and prayer flags, is a short walk from the hotel.

Route: Leh hotel to airport, then flight to Delhi

Your driver and guide take you to the airport for the morning flight to Delhi. On arrival, a driver takes you to your onward flight or hotel.

Experience of the Day

–  Transfer to Leh airport.

–  Departure on your morning flight to Delhi.

Food

Breakfast at the hotel; other meals as you choose.

Activities to Do

• None scheduled. The day is kept free to flex around your flight time.