Ladakh trekking holiday, India
| country: | India |
| location: | Indian Himalayas, Ladakh |
| trip type: | Moderate trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2008: 21 Aug |
| price: | From £735 (9 days) excluding flights, based on 2 people travelling together. A discount will be offered to groups of 4 or more. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Ladakh, ‘the land of high passes’, is surrounded by the two highest and biggest mountain ranges in the world, the Karakoram to the north and the Great Himalaya to the south. In the summer Ladakh is the place to be as it avoids the harsh heat and monsoon experienced in the lower Himalaya. Often referred to as ‘little Tibet’, Ladakh is characterised by Buddhist culture.
This trek gives a great insight into Ladakhi people, culture and religion as we visit some beautiful monasteries, untouched villages and nomadic settlements. The landscape is stunning, with a number of parallel mountain ranges including the Karakoram, Zanskar and Greater Himalayan ranges offer snow capped peaks.
We start with a day sight seeing in Leh followed by a visit to the famous Lamayuru monastery to maximise our acclimatisation. The Ripchar valley is mainly barren but we also pass some flower filled pastures and fascinating villages with irrigated fields of barley and potatoes. We ascend and descend over a number of high passes and finish in Chilling village (famous for copper production) before returning back to Leh and then to Delhi.
This trek gives a great insight into Ladakhi people, culture and religion as we visit some beautiful monasteries, untouched villages and nomadic settlements. The landscape is stunning, with a number of parallel mountain ranges including the Karakoram, Zanskar and Greater Himalayan ranges offer snow capped peaks.
We start with a day sight seeing in Leh followed by a visit to the famous Lamayuru monastery to maximise our acclimatisation. The Ripchar valley is mainly barren but we also pass some flower filled pastures and fascinating villages with irrigated fields of barley and potatoes. We ascend and descend over a number of high passes and finish in Chilling village (famous for copper production) before returning back to Leh and then to Delhi.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Delhi to Leh (3505 m): 1 hr. Fly for Delhi to Leh, capital of Ladakh. This is an amazing flight over the greater Himalaya with spectacular views of K2 and Everest. |
| Day 2: | Acclimatise and sightseeing in Leh. Spend the day taking it easy in Leh to acclimatise. For the more energetic, a visit to monasteries such as Shey, Thikse and Hemis is possible. Alternatively, choose to relax and walk into Leh town, and visit the Tibetan markets and outdoor restaurants. Enjoy the great views of Stok Kangri (6153 m) and the surrounding peaks of the Zanskar Range. Overnight hotel. |
| Day 3: | Leh to Lamayuru (3430 m) 3/4 hrs. After a hearty breakfast, we drive to Lamayuru. Along the way we make plenty of stops for tea and photos. We stop to visit the Alchi monastery and then the Lamayuru monastery upon arrival. Overnight camp. |
| Day 4: | Lamayuru to Hinju (3750 m) 6/7 hrs. We drive one hour to reach Wanla the starting point of the trek. Wanla has a beautiful 11th century monastery placed high above the town up on a crag, making an impressive backdrop. The trek begins on a nice wide path up the valley to the village of Penji from there we leave the main trail and go up the Ripchar Valley to the small village of Hinju. Overnight camp. |
| Day 5: | Hinju to base of Konze La (4900 m) 4/5 hrs. The Ripchar Valley gets more and more scenic the further we walk, with its thick growth of willow trees and dramatic views back to rock pinnacles on the skyline. The trail follows a stream all the way to our camping spot. Overnight camp |
| Day 6: | Base of Konze La to Lanak (3900 m) 4/5 hrs. It is a short but steep walk from the camp to the top of a pass. It is well worth it with great views of the surrounding area. We then descend steeply on a trail to the Sumda valley moving towards Lanak. We set up our campsite beside the Sumda Chu River. |
| Day 7: | Lanak to Chilling (3250 m) over Dungduchun La (4700 m) 6/7 hrs. The remote village of Sumda shows little sign of change and the villagers are largely self-sufficient. The trail leaves village and goes over the small Dungduchun La pass, offer more great views. We descend down from the pass following a stream all the way to Chilling. Overnight camp. |
| Day 8: | Drive to Leh (3500 m) 2/3 hrs. We take the beautiful drive back to Leh. Enjoy some last minute retail therapy in the Tibetan market. Overnight Hotel. |
| Day 9: | Leh to Delhi. Take the flight to Delhi back over the Great Himalayan Range. 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. |