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Trans Himalayan Tracks - Ladakh & Zanskar

"Something hidden. Go and find it.
Go and look behind the ranges
Something lost behind the ranges
Lost and waiting for you. Go."

- Rudyard Kipling

The 'Trans Himalaya' was the name coined by the mountain explorer, Sven Hedin, to describe the mass of mountain ranges behind the main Himalayan barrier and the high plateau of Tibet. A stunning region of high passes, deep gorges and impenetrable valley systems, the Trans Himalaya was the lure (and the end) of many 19th century explorers, traders and missionaries driven by demons various.

This trek, timed for the height of our 'Indian Summer', explores some of these remote and lovely valleys. Starting in Himachal Pradesh with a drive north over the Pir Panjal range, we take plenty of time to acclimatize and cross our first pass, the Shingo La, the 'gateway' to the ancient kingdoms of the Zanskar valley. After a few days in central Zanskar, we veer off the main trading trail to a remote route past the famous Phuktal Gompa, into valleys that are the haunt of Himalayan bears, blue sheep and ibex, into the fabled Kingdom of Zangla. Here, where time has stopped, we explore the fortresses and gompas before taking another wild route to the isolated village of Nyeraks, perched way above the Zanskar river, and finish, river levels permitting, by negotiating the wooded Shillakong gorge.  Our journey ends in the piece of old Tibet in India, Leh, where we have time to explore the classic Central Asian bazaars of this old stop on the lower Silk Route.

A classic journey back in time!

Preparation and trekking with us

There is lots of India trek and preparation information on the left sidebar, please read through the different sections, especially the gear section. You must have 'travel medical insurance', and we recommend basic travel insurance as well. Take a look at About us and at the photo galleries to see why we rave about Ladakh and Zanskar.

Fitness and trekking experience

We are asked many questions about fitness levels for the treks and our guidelines are basically that you should be healthy, active, adventurous and spend time in the outdoors. Past trekking experience isn't necessary, although it will help you understand what a 'trek' involves. The most important factor for enjoying the trek is a positive attitude, and perhaps a sense of humor.

Customizing your trek

Every year we have trekkers join us for different sections of our treks, especially those with less vacation time. We have the logistical skills and the jeep drivers to customize a trek for you, so get in touch!

Your guides and crew

Joel and Kim have been creating and leading their unique 'Kamzang' style treks together in India (and Nepal) since the turn of the century, and hope to be living the drokpa (nomadic) life in the Himalaya for many more years. Camping doesn't get much better than with Project Himalaya in India, aided by our all-star Tibetan team, Lobsang, Temba, Phuntsok and Sherap.

Arrival in India

Note that most flights into Delhi arrive late at night or very early in the morning. Plan your arrival time and date carefully, and do ask if you are not sure about meeting points. Please email us your flight arrival details as soon as possible, and have our contact details and the contact details of The Metropolis Hotel and Druk Expeditions recorded (see below).

Detailed itinerary

Note that the trekking itinerary and campsites may vary slightly depending on trail and weather conditions and the various trekkers' acclimatization rate.

Early Arrival

Many people arrive in Delhi a day earlier to explore the city or recover after a long flight. We can make hotel and airport pick-up arrangement for you IF we know your flight details, and you will only need to pay your extra night(s) at The Metropolis Hotel. If Joel and/or Kim are in Delhi, they will meet you at The Metropolis Hotel in Paharganj.

Day 1 - Arrive Delhi

Kim, Joel and/or a representative from Druk Expeditions or The Metropolis  Hotel will be at the airport to meet you and take you to The Metropolis Hotel in Paharganj, near Connaught Place, in central New Delhi.

If your flight is delayed, please phone the Metropolis Hotel. If you have to take a taxi to the hotel, we will reimburse you for the trip. Every taxi driver will know where Paharganj and the Metropolis Hotel are located, and the drive takes around 30-45 minutes, at least, from the airport.

Day 2 - Drive to Manali 2500m

A long days drive but we are old hands at it now, and we leave Delhi in the soupy predawn heat, snoozing the miles away in our comfortable jeeps. By mid day we are in the cooler air of the Siwalik range, and by 6 o'clock in the evening we are cruising towards the Pir Panjal that marks the end of the Kulu valley, and our wonderful hotel, the Mayflower, in pine woods at this Indian holiday town. Time for a shower, and a stroll to Il Forno, our favorite wood-fire pizza restaurant (with real Italian owners) and views down to the Kulu valley.

Day 3 - Manali

While our crew gets everything ready for our trip, you are free to wonder the narrow streets of the bazaars of Manali town, visit the Tibetan colony where our crew lives, or perhaps take a longer outing to the famous Roerich museum in wooded Nagar. In the evening we talk through details of the next day's journey; this is also your last chance to do email for over three weeks.

Day 4 - Drive to Keylong 3200m

We driver over the  3978m Rohtang La (pass) to Keylong, capital of Western Lahul, the first of the tiny Tibetan kingdoms we visit on this journey. John Keay called the crossing of the Rohtang one of the most abrupt changes on the face of the earth, from lush alpine valleys to what is, in all but name, Tibet. We arrive in Keylong in Time for a delicious Indian meal our hotel makes for us. Our night in Keylong at 3300m is part of our careful acclimatization program, to get us safely over our first pass, and the Himalayan barrier at the Shingo la. Over dinner (we usually order a wonderful spread of Indian food to share), Kim and Joel will discuss altitude issues and camp routines.

Day 5 - Drive to Chikul, trek to Palamo 3900m

A leisurely breakfast, followed by a drive to the roadside village of Darcha, the starting point for all Zanskar treks up to a few short years ago. We have tea here while our passport information is recorded, then drive on to the small villages of Rarik and Chikul; our horses will meet us in one of them, and we will walk over the new bridge crossing the Barai Nala, to the campsite at Palamo. Here we will introduce you to your tents, and our trademark Tibetan 'gur' (nomadic festival tent and our dining tent) set up in our special Central Asian style, home for the next few weeks. We will have lunch on arrival, and spend the afternoon settling into our tents. Or perhaps scrambling up onto the moraines around the campsite.

Day 6 - Trek to Zanskar Sumdo 4000m

An easy morning's walk, but our first at elevation. It is vital to take it slowly (made easy by the rocky terrain), drink lots of water and use sun block liberally; the air is thin here! We cross several side streams, which, depending on how wet the season has been, vary between a simple hop or two to a full on boots off and wade ... so pack your sandals. Seriously, taking it easy during the next few days is vital. Stop, admire the scenery. There is no prize for coming first! The campsite is located at the 'sumdo' (river junction) of the main valley with the valley leading to the Shingo La, and snow peaks peep tantalizingly over the hills.

Day 7 - Trek to Chumik Nakpo High Camp 4400m

Where we camp today depends on how well our group sleeps; but we aim for Chumik Nakpo, a high grazing area about 800m below the pass. The route crosses the river, and climbs steeply, and here the altitude will really take its toll. But we make an early start, and we have all day - a long summers' day - to reach our camp. The breathlessness and a slight headache are normal; the views as we climb of adjacent peaks, well worth it. An early night and a non-greasy dinner - Lobsang and Tenpa insist that fried food is bad at altitude, so Tibetan 'thukpa', or noodle soup, is probably on the menu.

Day 8 - Trek to Lakong (Enter Zanskar) 4500m

We move at 7 am, walking up the distinct trail that curves away over the horizon; the Shingo La is a classic Himalayan saddle, with several routes to the top, but in this season the trail will be clear and distinct, with little or no ice and snow. It seems to take forever to gain the first part, the streams and the old glacier face sweeping down from Shingo peak; then the second, the lakes, after an interminable climb on dusty trails; and finally the pass!

The views back of the Pir Panjal are stunning. And, we are standing on top of the Himalaya. Then a steep drop to lunch at the valley bottom, and a traversing trail down to Lakong ('gateway') into Zanskar, which translates as 'land of white copper.' As Tom said last year, surveying the campsite with its flowers and snowy peaks , 'It just don't get better.'

Day 9  - Trek to Kargyak 4200m

One of the loveliest days trekking in the Himalaya. We drop slowly along the Kargyak river, pass yak-dotted hillsides towards Kargyak, the village of the boy we sponsor, Singge. The mountains around predate the Himalaya and the colours, all pinks and greens, are surreal. The most famous of these, the Guberajon, a granite monolith, dominates the landscape for the entire day. As we get closer we see signs of this, the first village in Zanskar; doksas, the summer camps of the Kargyak people where they graze their yaks, and make butter and curd; and yellow, black and white 'chortens' (Tibetan memorials) come over the horizon, and finally, Kargyak, where we will have tea with local friends before moving onto camp by the river.

Day 10 - Trek to Purne 3950m

All that work you put in getting over the pass was well worth it to penetrate what was for years a hidden kingdom. Some of their children go to school in Manali, and they travel as far as Leh or Delhi, or to the Kala Chakra festival in Dharamsala to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama. But the pattern of life here follows the seasons. Harvest activities will probably be in full swing as we pass through,  and how they get through their harsh winter depends on a good harvest. Today's route takes us along the river past ancient mani walls and through the hamlets of Tangzen, Kuru, and Testa (home we are told of the descendant of the king of Zanskar). If the day is clear the sun bounces off the rocks and good sunglasses are a blessing, shade in the few willow groves, very welcome. Four hours will take us to our lunch spot in a threshing circle in Karu, and another three to the delightful grove of trees on the junction of the Tsarap and Kargyak rivers that marks Purne, also home of our old friend Dolma and her family, old friends who have welcomed our thirsty and dirty trekkers for cold beers and hot showers for years, and tomorrow is a rest day!

Day 11- Purne

A rest day to wash clothes, yourself, read, or take a day hike. There is a great prayer flag and chorten look-out above Purne, just a short hike up. Enjoy. Today the crew are busy splitting loads, as we are going light on the next section!

Days 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16 - exploratory route to Stongde 3495m

It's off-the-map today! Well, not quite. But we do have quite a few days in front of us, much of which is exploratory. First, after a two hour walk to the stunning Phuktal Gompa, our crew (and we probably will help out) has to unload the horse team, as the only trail actually goes through the ancient gompa corridors. We have time to visit the beautiful prayer rooms and take in the dizzy views from high in the monastery, built from a cave high in the cliff where spring still flows.  We have five full days, and one in reserve, to explore this little-trekked route through Shade and over the Stongde La. We have been itching to do it for years, and 2005 seemed right! For this section we are taking minimal supplies, and sending part of the horse team on the standard route. Be prepared to be flexible, and to get your feet wet!

Day 17 - Trek to Zangla 3370m

Emerging from the gorge behind Stongde, we enter the ancient kingdom of Zangla. Stongde, along with Rinam, Pishu, Pipiting, Pidmo, Tsazar, Karsha, and of course, the capital Zangla, existed for centuries as an independent kingdom, and as you walk the dusty trail to Zangla, it is easy to see why; bounded by the Himalaya on one side (that we crossed a week ago) and with the insanely jumbled peaks of the Zanskar range on the other (that we will cross and re-cross in the coming weeks) it was cut off from the outside world until the road came to Padum twenty five years ago; and even that is only negotiable for a few months a year. The Zanskar river off to your left was for centuries their winter highway, and until an all weather road arrives in 2010, they (and we) still use it to see the Kingdom of Zangla in winter. Passing through the old capital, we take time to climb to the hilltop palace where the Hungarian scholar, Alexander Csoma de Koros, spent the winter of 1830 making his study of the Tibetan language. We can view the old chambers, and the ancient, statue and stupa filled prayer room. These images, belonging to the royal family of Zanskar, are sometimes over 1000 years old. Then we slowly wander across a huge landscape to our home for two nights by the river.

Day 18 - Zangla

Phew, finally a rest day. Visit the village, cross the Zanskar to Pishu, or just wait for lunch. Your day is your own, with time simply to enjoy.

Day 19 -  Trek to Kharmafu 3640m

Its often hard to get the knees in gear after a rest day; and we have a real Himalayan trekking day in front of us, and we have to get moving early. It is impossible not to feel insignificant in this huge landscape. After three hours of walking, we bid farewell to this tiny kingdom as we slowly climb what seems like a never ending valley to the Namtse La at 4430m. Normally we collapse in the hot sun (which we are hopefully used to now) and lunch; from here we can see the 'Lion' of the Singge La we cross in a few days. After lunch we descend into a true lost world; hills have been sculpted into strange shapes by water, wind, and the passage of centuries. A  clear stream meanders through willows at the valley bottom we follow after the descent. There are bears in this valley, and we must stay together and make plenty of noise as we move through the brush. Finally, just when you feel your feet can take no more, we crest a ridge and there is our camp, on a plateau above the river. Tea, heavenly tea! And a night by the campfire our crew make, for keeping away the bears... really!

Day 20 - Trek to Bear Camp 3840m

We really found this valley hard to believe when we first explored it just two short years ago. Today is a short day, just four or five hours, plenty of time to observe the ibex and blue sheep we usually see. Again, we must stay together and be noisy; there are still signs of bears in the valley, paw prints and berry-filled scat. The trail and its contortions should really be enjoyed. There is a clear, cold stream by the camp; a washing day. And plenty of fire-wood to be gathered for another roaring fire. It is a beautiful sunset from this camp, so be sure to stick your head out of the dining tent and watch the craggy peaks light up.

Day 21 - Trek to Nyeraks 3640m

'Up' is just about all we can say. And up again, climbing to the 4800m Takti La several hours further on. The first 'pass' is in fact a relatively small one when we see what is in front of it. (Trekkers named it the 'Ohshit La' last year). Here, we'll collapse for a bit and watch the horses seemingly defy gravity as they go up the steep hillside to the larger pass. One of those devilish Welsh style climbs, with false summits galore, and all the winds of Asia seem to tear at you on top. Then a long descent to Nyeraks, and if we are blessed with good weather as we were in 2004, amazing sunset colours in the rocks above the Zanskar gorge as we arrive. And, as if it helps, you can see tomorrow's pass as you kick off those boots and sip your chai ....

Day 22 - Trek to Yulchung 4700m

We always put off the climb by lingering as we drop through the outskirts of Neraks, with its neat homesteads and mani walls. But it has to be done, and after crossing the Zanskar (and weep for future generations of trekkers, the road is coming ...) on a very shaky bridge, we climb switchbacks to the Chocho Khuri La, with its hilltop chorten at 3810m. Then a winding traverse around wind scoured hillsides until the final rise is topped, and there is Yulchung, a favourite village of ours. Salt tea with the locals, and a visit to the 500 year old gompa.

Day 23 - Trek to Singge Doksa 4560m

Not a long day, but we have, as ever, elevation to make, and we climb slowly away from a precipitous gorge, through the rock platforms of Singge La high camp, to the pass itself at 5000m. Behind us, the Himalayan barrier and Zanskar; we have been in Ladakh since we crossed the river yesterday. We drop steeply from the pass to a scenic camp near a Ladakhi tea stall, among yak pastures.

Day 24 - Trek to Photosakar 4130m

Back on the oldest trading route, the Zanskar traverse, we cross a valley studded with the black dots of the yaks of Photsakar, and after an easy days walk, we drop into probably one of the most beautiful valleys in the Himalaya, with the village seeming to cling to the hillside below as we descend. Trekkers spend a lot of time trying to capture this village on film ....

Day 25 - Trek Niyigutse La High Camp 4580m

Trekking in the Himalaya doesn't get much better than the next few days! After climbing the steep and switch-backing Sirsir La at 4805m out of Photosakar, we drop down to the river, wade (carefully) to the other side, and climb over a small ridge to our campsite in the opposite valley. The camp looks up to jagged spires, which glow in yellows and oranges at sunset, and is surrounded by snow peaks, gurgling rivers and grazing yaks. Almost heaven ...

Day 26 - Trek to Shillakong 4100m

Last year as we trekked down this glimmering valley, we thought there was perhaps no more lovely spot on earth. Going up it is a bit more difficult to appreciate, perhaps, and it is a steep climb beside a shallow stream, along loose shale, to the Niyigutse La, at 5050m. But the views; well worth every hard earned step! We will have some lunch at the top if it's not too windy, and then head back down the valley to our gorgeous camp at Shillakong, at the intersection of two large valleys and several smaller ones. We look out from camp at the Yokma La, leading towards Rangdum Gompa and the Suru valley. A trek for next year!

Day 27 - Trek to Wanla and Leh

Sandals on, for there are many stream (or river, depending on the season) crossings, and a good seven hour's walking to the road head at Wanla. A spectacular day of trekking, and very different from the high altitude terrain that we have passed through en route. Nothing like finishing off strong! 'Uncle' Wang Chuk and his jeep team await, and four hours later, Leh, the Tongspon Guest House, hot water and tandoori and cold beer at the Ibex Restaurant!

Day 28 - Leh

Time to enjoy this little bit of old Tibet. Kim and Joel are virtually honorary residents, and they will be your guide to shopping, gompas, and more. There is lots to explore in this wonderful Central Asian town; the fort and palace, colorful gompas, the mosque, a museum, back alleys with steaming Muslim bread and tiny antique shops tucked away, colorful fruit and vegetable bazaars, polo fields ...

Day 29 - Fly to Delhi

Ever reliable Jet Air will have you back in Delhi and the start of your reintroduction to the other world with the morning rush hour in India's capital. You have the rest of the day in Delhi to rest, pack, shop and sightsee, and the evening for a few chilled beers in the hotel's rooftop restaurant.

Monday 12 September - Day 30 - Depart

We take you to the airport for your flight home (the Metropolis staff will arrange a taxi to the airport). Farewell to India. For now ...

Cost

Please see Our treks.

The Cost Includes:

+ Hotels/Guest Houses: 2 nights in Delhi, 2 nights in Manali, 1 night in Keylong, 2 nights in Leh

+ Flights: Leh - Delhi

+ Jeep transport: Delhi - Manali, Manali - Keylong - Darcha, Wanla - Leh

+ Transfers: Delhi to/from airport

+ Trek: All meals and full service on trek

Not Included:

   + Meals: In Delhi, Manali, Keylong, Leh

   + Drinks, snacks

We provide everyone with single tents, usually the latest Marmot or North Face, but anyone wanting single rooms during the trip will need to pay a $75 single supplement charge. Otherwise, we will pair you with someone of the same sex in the hotels.

We advise everyone to budget $250 (or more) for crew tips, odds and ends on the trek (and don't underestimate the shopping opportunities en route) and meals and drinks for Delhi, Manali, Keylong and Leh.

Come have a riot with us - what now (Contacting us)?

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