Ladakh trekking holiday, India
| country: | India |
| location: | Indian Himalayas, Ladakh |
| trip type: | Moderate trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 19 Aug |
| price: | From £1129 (11 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, meaning 'the land of high passes' is great location for trekking in the summer time. It avoids the intense heat and monsoon experienced at lower altitudes. Ladakh is like a miniature Tibet with its rich buddhist way of life coupled with amazing scenery, making it one of the best places for trekking in India.
View the Zanskar, Karakoram and Greater Himalayan mountain ranges on this beautiful adventure holiday in Ladakh. While trekking in Ladakh, you can immerse yourself in the Buddhist culture of the region while paying visits to scattered high altitude villages, gompas and nomadic settlements.
Starting in Leh, we pay a visit to Lamayuru Monastery, acclimatising all the while. While the valley is barren, we also pass meadows filled with wild flowers and local villages whose main agricultural crops are barley and potatoes. There are several high passes along the way and the trek finishes in Chilling, a village famous in the region for copper production. From there we drive back to Leh.
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.
View the Zanskar, Karakoram and Greater Himalayan mountain ranges on this beautiful adventure holiday in Ladakh. While trekking in Ladakh, you can immerse yourself in the Buddhist culture of the region while paying visits to scattered high altitude villages, gompas and nomadic settlements.
Starting in Leh, we pay a visit to Lamayuru Monastery, acclimatising all the while. While the valley is barren, we also pass meadows filled with wild flowers and local villages whose main agricultural crops are barley and potatoes. There are several high passes along the way and the trek finishes in Chilling, a village famous in the region for copper production. From there we drive back to Leh.
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: | Arrival in India. You will be meet at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Spend the afternoon and evening relaxing in your hotel room or taking in the sights of Delhi. Overnight Hotel. |
| Day 2: | Delhi to Leh (3505 m): 1 hr. Take the one hour flight to Leh, capital of Ladakh. This is an incredible flight over the greater Himalaya with spectacular views of K2 (8611 m) among others. Relax for the remainder of the day. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 3: | Acclimatise and sightseeing in Leh. Relax for the day in Leh. Visiting the monasteries at Shey, Thikse and Hemis can be arranged for those that wish to go. Alternatively, walk into Leh town and visit the Tibetan market and street restaurants. Great views of Stok Kangri (6153 m) and its surrounding peaks can be seen from Leh. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 4: | Leh to Lamayuru (3430 m) 3/4 hrs. After a hot breakfast, we take the drive to Lamayuru. Enroute we make frequent stops for chai and photos. We visit the Alchi and Lamayuru monasteries in the evening. Overnight camp. |
| Day 5: | Lamayuru to Hinju (3750 m) 6/7 hrs. We drive to the trailhead at Wanla, where we will begin our trek. At Wanla there stands an 11th century Gompa placed high upon a crag, creating a breathtaking backdrop. We start on a wide path up the valley to the village of Penji from where we leave the main trail and ascend the Ripchar Valley to the small hamlet of Hinju. Overnight camp. |
| Day 6: | Hinju to base of Konze La (4900 m) 4/5 hrs. The further we walk the better the views get in the Ripchar Valley. We pass dense willows groves and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding skyline of rock pillars. The trail follows a stream throughout today’s walk. We reach our campsite in the early afternoon and have a relaxed evening enjoying the views. Overnight camp. |
| Day 7: | Base of Konze La to Lanak (3900 m) 4/5 hrs. Today involves a short and steep hike from camp to the top of a pass, which provides rewarding views of the surrounding landscape. The initially steep descent to the Sumda valley becomes gentle towards Lanak. We camp beside the Sumda Chu River. |
| Day 8: | Lanak to Chilling (3250 m) over Dungduchun La (4700 m) 6/7 hrs. We take the trail that leads us through the isolated village of Sumda. Here in Sumda the villagers are largely self-sufficient. From the village we cross the Dungduchun La pass, which offers more great views. We descend to the other side of the pass and follow a stream all the way to Chilling, the end of the trek. Overnight camp. |
| Day 9: | Drive to Leh (3500 m) 2/3 hrs. Relax and take in the scenery on the drive back to Leh. Last minute souvenir shopping in the Tibetan market. Overnight Hotel. |
| Day 10: | 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 11: | 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
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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. |