Our representative will receive and assist you at Leh Airport and transfer you to the hotel. Rest for the day and acclimatize.
A small village not far from Leh that adorns a monastery and a palace. The name 'Shey' which means 'looking glass' has been bestowed due to the reflection of the Palace in the small lake situated below. Shey is known for having the first fort constructed by the first King of Ladakh. The fort ruins can be seen even today right above the present Shey Palace.
Founded by Paldan Sherab on a hill-top, situated north of Indus river, Thiksay monastery belongs to Gelugpa order. The monastery has a long assembly hall consisting of the image of Shakyamuni and the Maitreya (future) Buddha statues. It alsocomprises beautiful statutes of thousand armed Avalokiteshvara, Shakyamuni Buddha and Bodhisattvas. The Gonkhang has the statue of Vajra Bhairava, Mahakala, Dharmakaya, the goddess Paldan Lhamo and Chamsring.
Hemis is the largest monastery of Ladakh situated south of Leh. It belongs to the Drukpa order of Tibetan Buddism. The monastery was founded by the first incarnation of Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso in 1630, who was invited to Ladakh by King Singey Namgyal, who offered this Buddhist saint a large religions estate spread all over the Ladakh region. The monastery was named Changchub Samling and a monastic community was introduced.
We leave Leh to Chilling by car in the morning through the rugged barren fields of Taru. On the way we see the confluence of Zanskar and Indus River. We follow the left bank of Zanskar River through a gorge to Chilling. This village has gold smiths famous for local golden jewellery. The thrill and excitement starts after crossing Zanskar River. On the other side of the river, we will meet our trekking team. And we will start easy walking along small paths till Skyu. Overnight at Skyu.
The trail joins Markha River and we walk with the river for the next few days. Today the trek is easy but long, we will need to cross the river from left to right and back, this depends on the season and weather conditions. We will visit the Markha monastery.
The markha valley trail continues past old stone-mills, a ruined castle and the auspicious monastery of Techa, which is proudly perched upon a cliff that looms above Markha. The path then intersects the river several times before cutting through the last hamlets in the valley. After leaving the village of Umlung, we are rewarded by our first view of mighty Kang Yatse (6400m), this sight accompanies us till we cross Kongmaru La. Overnight at Hankar.
After a healthy breakfast we will follow a trail which leads us up to the beautiful plateau of Nimaling, where people of Markha valley bring their herds to graze during the summer months. At 4700m, Nimaling is the highest camp (4600m) on the trek, giving us spectacular views of the colossal peak of Kang Yatse to the right. Overnight at Nimaling.
Climb to the summer pastures of Nimaling, used by the shepherds of Hankar and Markha, and then follow the hedge to the top. The Kongmaru La pass commands a beautiful view of the Kang Yatze north face (6400m), the Ladakh range and the Indus valley. Overnight at Chogdo.
From now on, we will follow a new and rarely travelled route through the valleys to the east of our objective. Today, we turn towards the west into a tributary valley that leads after a long and gradual ascent to the Gyuncho La. We descent a few meters below to establish our campsite.
Today, we will cross a number of minor passes with occasional views northwards towards the Indus Valley and the peaks beyond. We climb up to the Shang La and then descend to the Tokpo River. We then trek downhill to a nice camping place. Overnight at Matho Phu.
Leaving the pass draped with colourful prayer flags sending prayers with the wind and the Zanskar range is in the background, we descend steadily along the Zingchen River. We are presenting again with mesmerizing views towards the Stok summit and the Stok Kangri (6121m). Overnight at Stok Kangri Base Camp.
Acclimatize for a day at the Base Camp.
Our route initially crosses steep boulder slopes, and then leads to easy angled snow slopes, which require ice axe and crampons. The route is not difficult but at this altitude, it will be strenuous. From the summit of Stok Kangri (6116m), we should see as far as the Karakoram, the Pamirs and Tibet. If it's warm enough we'll rest and recover some energy on top before descending back to base-camp.
Today the last day of our trek and we will descend through wild gorge scenery. We visit Stok Palace and Museum if time permits and then drive back to Leh. Overnight at Leh
