Ladakh holidays, trekking
| country: | India |
| location: | Indian Himalayas, Ladakh, Kashmir |
| trip type: | Strenous to very challenging, high altitude trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 5 Aug |
| price: | From £1619 (18 days) excluding flights, based on 2 people travelling together. A discount will be offered to groups of 4 or more. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Ladakh is one of the most isolated areas for trekking in India. Cut off by road for the winter months, it offers a welcome escape from the overwhelming monsoon climate of the Indian Plains in summer. Ladakh, meaning “The Land of High Passes” is an area of high altitude with breathtaking scenery. It is over one of these passes, the remote Parang La Pass (5600m), where we access Ladakh from the Spiti Valley.
On this trekking holiday one experiences an amazing diversity of landscape and culture. Starting from Delhi we drive north to the Himalayan foothills and into the Greater Himalayan Range, an area where Hinduism is the prominent religion. From there we go into Spiti, over the pass and on to Ladakh, an area enriched by Buddhism. This region is more like Tibet than India earning it the nickname “Little Tibet”.
During this trekking holiday we ascend through steep gorges and cross flower filled meadows, the breeding ground of the famous Spiti horses, where you may spot a snow leopard, blue sheep or Tibetan ass. We also visit monasteries, markets, remote villages and the spectacular Tso Moriri lake home to many migrant birds.
We offer holidays of varying levels of physical difficulty. We ask clients for information about their level of fitness at the time of enquiry and then recommend an adventure holiday to suit. Age is not something we generally take into account as often it does not give an accurate indication of fitness. We offer trekking holidays of varying lengths and difficulty and our rafting and wildlife holidays are not physically demanding.
On this trekking holiday one experiences an amazing diversity of landscape and culture. Starting from Delhi we drive north to the Himalayan foothills and into the Greater Himalayan Range, an area where Hinduism is the prominent religion. From there we go into Spiti, over the pass and on to Ladakh, an area enriched by Buddhism. This region is more like Tibet than India earning it the nickname “Little Tibet”.
During this trekking holiday we ascend through steep gorges and cross flower filled meadows, the breeding ground of the famous Spiti horses, where you may spot a snow leopard, blue sheep or Tibetan ass. We also visit monasteries, markets, remote villages and the spectacular Tso Moriri lake home to many migrant birds.
We offer holidays of varying levels of physical difficulty. We ask clients for information about their level of fitness at the time of enquiry and then recommend an adventure holiday to suit. Age is not something we generally take into account as often it does not give an accurate indication of fitness. We offer trekking holidays of varying lengths and difficulty and our rafting and wildlife holidays are not physically demanding.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Delhi - Overnight train to Kiratpur Sahib. Arrive in Delhi airport. Transfer from the airport to the hotel. Spend the afternoon and evening relaxing in your hotel room or taking in the sights of Delhi. Evening transfer to the train station for the overnight sleeper train to Kiratpur Sahib at 23.20. We travel by A/C sleeper train, the best and most comfortable way to travel overland in India. |
| Day 2: | Kiratpur Sahib to Manali (2050 m): 9 hrs. Arrive in Kiratpur Sahib at 05.54 and drive to Manali. We first drive through the Shivalik Mountain ranges and then through Middle Himalayan ranges as we approach Manali. Towards the latter half the drive takes one through the lush Kullu valley famous for apples, peaches and plums. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 3: | Manali to Chhatru (3558 m) 2/3 hrs. Today we continue to gain altitude, the first half of the day is an uphill drive to reach the Rohtang Pass (4000 m). After we cross the pass we descend to the Chandru River. We following the river for the rest of the day until we reach Chattru, a spectacular drive. In the evening we recommend that you go for a short walk along to help with altitude acclimatisation. Overnight camp. |
| Day 4: | Chhatru to Kibber (4120 m): 6/7 hrs. We start early and drive further north into the mountains gaining more height along the way. The drive is a bumpy but beautiful, with plenty of photo opportunities. We stop by the famous Kye Gompa enroute and get the opportunity to drink chai with the monks that live there. Overnight camp / guest house. |
| Day 5: | Kibber to Dumla (4500 m): 2/3 hrs. This is our first day trekking and our first experience of exercising at high altitude. We walk down to a small river and up through the steep gorge bed to reach our camp at the village of Dumla. It is a short day's trek, arriving in time for lunch. We use it to acclimatise to the high altitudes. Overnight camp. |
| Day 6: | Dumla to Thaltak (4900 m): 3/4 hrs. Another short days trek to acclimatise with around 400 m height gain. It is a steep ascent gaining altitude in a fairly short span of time. Camp at Thaltak meadow with great views of the surrounding mountains. We encourage another short hike in the afternoon to help acclimatisation. Overnight Camp. |
| Day 7: | Thaltak to Borochen (5020 m): 7 hrs. This is a long day's walk: 14 km in total. We gain about 400m in altitude and it allows us to further acclimatise. We reach Borochen by mid afternoon and relax for the evening enjoying the surrounding views and can see the beginning of the trail up to the pass. Overnight Camp. |
| Day 8: | Borochen to Parang La (5600 m) to Dak Karzong (4950 m): 5 hrs. We make an early start to reach the pass. The trail is demanding to start and the last 4 km to the pass are quite steep. Parang La is the pass along an old trade route joining Spiti and Ladakh. It offers great views of the Changthang valleys in Spiti and Parilungi, a distinctive peak ahead and also the first visible Ladakhi peak. After taking in all the views we descend to the source of the Pare Chu River, crossing the glacier on the Ladakhi side of the pass for about an hour. On crossing the pass we experience a change of landscape, from the steep gorges of Spiti to the broad plains of Ladakh. Overnight Camp. |
| Day 9: | Dak Karzong to Datang Yongma (4830 m): 3 hrs. Today our trek follows the course of the Pare Chu River as it winds through a wide valley, with high banks left by the river in flood. There is an abundance of flora on todays walk. We camp at Datang Yongma. |
| Day 10: | Datang Yongma to Racholamo (4600 m): 6/7 hrs. We continue along the riverside trail with similar surroundings as yesterday, reaching Racholamo in mid afternoon. We lose a small amount of height during the day. Overnight camp at Racholamo. |
| Day 11: | Racholamo to Norbu Sumdo to Chumik Shilde (4530 m): 5/6 hrs. We continue on to Chumik Shilde passing through Norbu Sumdo. We cross the Pare Chu River and head in the direction of Tso Moriri Lake. There is a good possibility of meeting yak trains transporting goods in the area. Arrive at our camping spot in the afternoon and enjoy a relaxed evening. Overnight camp. |
| Day 12: | Chumik Shilde to Kiangdom (4540 m): 4 hrs. Today we walk across the plains to the southern edge of the oval-shaped high-altitude Tso Moriri lake at Kiangdom, named after the kiangs (wild Tibetan asses) that roam freely here. The lake is a breeding ground for many rare migratory birds. It is a short day’s walk and gives a great opportunity to photograph what is one of the most beautiful places of the entire trip. Overnight camp at Kiangdom. |
| Day 13: | Kiangdom to Karzog (4570 m): 7 hrs. We start early and walk along the shores of the salt lake Tso Moriri. The view of the lake with Lungser Kangri (6666 m) in the background is spectacular. We try to arrive in Karzog as early as possible to avoid the strong winds that are common in the afternoon. On arrival to Karzog we can visit the ancient monasteries and relax after a hard trek! Overnight Camp. |
| Day 14: | In Karzog: Rest Day. We visit the Changpas, nomadic herdsmen of the area, with their valuable pashmina goats. These men still only use yak skin huts to take shelter from the harsh conditions. Walk around the town or visit Tso Moriri. Overnight Camp. |
| Day 15: | Drive Karzog to Mahe to Leh (3500 m): 8 hrs. We take the long picturesque drive to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, along the upper section of the Indus river, which India takes its name from. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 16: | In Leh: Sightseeing Day. Today is a leisurely day with opportunities to visit the Tibetan markets and shop for gifts and souvenirs. The surrounding Zanskar mountain range provides a wonderful backdrop to the markets and you may be tempted to return in the future to Climb Stok Kangri (6153 m). Overnight hotel. |
| Day 17: | Fly Leh to Delhi. The final day of our trip includes a one hour flight over the Greater Himalayan Range with fantastic views of K2, at 8611 metres, the second highest mountain on earth. Enjoy a full day in Delhi of shopping, sightseeing or relaxing. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 18: | Depart India . After breakfast transfer to the international airport in time for your flight home. Trip ends. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
 Ladakh is now the only true remaining Buddhist mountain culture in the world. Travelling in Ladakh and the Spiti region is an amazing experience as it is dotted with monasteries, usually towering impressively over the surrounding landscape. While in Leh, you have the opportunity to visit the Shey, Thikse and Hemis monasteries. At the monasteries, you can meet monks from the age of six to sixty and learn about their way of live and religion. It is the highest honour to be selected to become a monk and some boys leave their homes as young as four years old. We use locally run hotels in Manali and Leh. We have a number of family run hotels we use in these towns. We try to rotate our business equally among them all. These hotels are full of character and the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Staying is places like these ensures that money goes directly into the local economy. We have a strong environmental policy, carrying all non-biodegradable produce off this trip with us and disposing of it in a responsible manner. We bury all organic matter deep in the ground, and this breaks it down over a short period of time. We use eco-friendly toilets or pit toilets on this trip. This is essentially a pit dug in the ground where all waste is covered with a mixture of soil and lime, and no water is used. Furthermore, we source almost all of our drinking and cooking water from fresh water springs. If this is not possible, water from the river is filtered. We have teamed up with an environmental organisation, Climate Care, that funds sustainable energy and forest restoration projects in India and all over the world. Climate Care facilitates us to offset or neutralise the harmful CO2 emissions caused by your flight. We offset your emissions on your internal flight, and we encourage you to offset the emissions on your international flights to India. We sponsor Clean Himalaya, a recycling and waste management project, dedicated to maintaining the sanctity and beauty of the Ganges and Himalayas. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |