Trekking

Ladakh is a trekker’s paradise! There are uncountable varieties of routes leading to the most remote areas. Between 5 and 20 days everything is possible, however, a long trek is a mental and physical challenge. We recommend treks of max. 10 days walking with a buffer/rest day in between. You can spend such a buffer day at a specially nice and interesting place or you can make up with your schedule when you have “lost” a trekking day due to health or weather conditions. Most of the treks include passes of app. 5.000m, for this reason you have to sleep above 4.000m. Therefore it is strongly recommended to plan enough time for acclimatization.
Please refer to (www.high-altitude.medicine.com) for more information on trekking in high altitudes.

Dorje (dorjey@thagchokling.de) and Dawa will discuss the trekking options with you, please be honest with yourself when you estimate your fitness and plan alternatives during the trek to finish it earlier if needed. For some regions you will need an official permit at a nominal fee, which Dawa will arrange for you.
If you are fit and surefooted enough you can even climb technically “easy” 6.000m peaks, for these you also need a permit. Most of the peaks above 6.000m are qualified as “expedition peaks”, it’s a complicated and time-consuming process to get the expedition permit, however, don’t try to climb them without it.

During your trek you will be accompanied by an English speaking guide who knows the route. He will always stay close to you. In most treks a cook will come with you and you can inform Dawa beforehand what you would like to eat or which food you wish to avoid. You will be surprised about the great variety of tasteful dishes that can be prepared on a two-flame stove. Maybe after the trek you realize that in spite of the efforts you hardly lost any weight.
A pony-wallah (horse man) with his horses will ensure the transport of your luggage, tents, kitchen utensils and provisions.

You only have to carry your rucksack with your belongings, enough water for the day and the packed lunch. Same as for day-treks in the Alps or other mountains you should have a first-aid kit and a rescue-blanket. Sometimes you will have to cross rivers without bridges, for this purpose water-proof sandals are nice to have, so pack them into your rucksack.
You will need very good sun-protection (hat with neck-cover, very good sunglasses/glacier glasses and sun-cream) as well as a windproof jacket and walking sticks as well.

Along the most common routes (like in the Markha Valley) you will find tents where local women sell beer, coke, tea and instant soups to earn some cash. This might help you to reduce the weight of your rucksack.

Suggestions for trekking routes:
- Markha Valley: one of the best known and most beautiful treks, you follow the Markha Valley upwards, cross a high pass to return to the Indus valley near Hemis (8 days).
You can prolong this route and reach the Leh-Manali road or even continue on two different routes to Tso Morari.

- Another beautiful and less known trek leads from Phyang to the Nubra-Valley (6-7 days), in the valley you can spend a few days to visit the monasteries and return by bus or jeep to Leh via Khardung-la (the world’s highest motorable pass).

- Similar is the route from Sabu via Digar-la to Digar and Agham in the Shyok-valley (4 days), from there you reach the Nubra-Valley and continue as above or you continue to Durbuk (another 4-5 days) and visit the Pangong Lake before a jeep takes you back to Leh.

more treks:
Start at Rumtse on the Leh-Manali road and trek to Korzok/Tso Moriri (7 days) or from Pang on the Leh-Manali road via the south-end of Tso Moriri to Korzok (5-6 days)
From Lamayuru via Wanla to Chilling on the Zanskar river
From Shergol (Western Ladakh, near Kargil) to the Sapi-valley. Few tourists have been to this culturally very interesting valley, where Moslems and Buddhist live together in peace, next to the mosque you will see a chorten and prayer flags. For botanics the valley is paradise in summer, the Amchis (local healers) from Ladakh come here to collect their medicinal herbs. This trek can be continued either westwards to Zanskar or eastwards, to Bodhkarbu, Wanla, Alchi or Chilling, depending on your time and energy.

Maps can be found at Leh. So far the best maps (set of 3 for all Ladakh) are published by Editions Olizane/Geneva/Switzerland, where you can order them at a better rate than you find in Leh: www.olizane.ch
Trekking