Ladakh
Destination
Trekking, White Water Rafting
Adventure
This tour is for all those who want to experience Ladakh through its multiple offerings of sightseeing, trekking and rafting. You also have an option of mountain biking to discover this land of high passes, spectacular lakes and Buddhist monasteries.
Total Duration
10 Nights / 11 Days
Grade
Moderate
Maximum Altitude
4,850 m / 15,913 ft
Best Season
June to September
Accommodation
Hotel – 5; Organized Campsite – 5
Food
Leh – Bed and breakfast basis; On trek– All meals included
Travel
In non-AC Innova or similar

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS ADVENTURE TRIP

This tour is for all those who want to experience Ladakh through its multiple offerings of sightseeing, trekking and rafting. You also have an option of mountain biking to discover this land of high passes, spectacular lakes and Buddhist monasteries.
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DAY 1: NEW DELHI TO LEH (3,500 m / 11,484 ft)

Catch an early flight from New Delhi to Leh over the Great Himalayan Range with the stretch of the high altitude dessert below us. Pick up from the airport and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is spent in acclimatization walks in the markets of Leh. Overnight in the hotel.
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DAY 2: ACCLIMATIZATION DAY IN LEH

Today we visit Leh Palace, Hall of Fame and then head to Shanti Stupa which is a Buddhist white-domed stupa on a hilltop in Changspa. This helps us getting acclimatized to the high altitude. We return to the hotel for the night.
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DAY 3: FULL DAY SIGHTSEEING

This day is for taking in the sights of Leh and to use this as an opportunity to acclimatize further. We visit Hemis Monastery, Thiksey Monastery and Stok Palace. Hemis stands on the western bank of the Indus River. The monastery boasts of a very rich collection of ancient relics. The Hemis Monastery also serves as the venue for the annual Hemis Festival. Thiksey houses one of the largest Buddhist statues, the 15-meter tall Champa, the Buddha of Future. Thiksey is one of the most frequently visited and most photogenic monasteries in Ladakh. About a hundred monks live here.
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DAY 4: DRIVE LEH TO ZINCHEN (25 km). TREK STARTS TO RUMBAK (3,800 m/12,468 ft; 2- 3 hrs)

After breakfast we take a short drive to Zinchen, a small village near Leh. We further walk up to our campsite at Rumbak. Camp overnight.
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DAY 5: RUMBAK TO BASE OF GANDA LA (4,380 m / 14,371 ft; 4 hrs)

We then follow the main trail on the left of the Rumbak Nala leaving the Rumbak village behind us. We enter a valley leading to the south and proceed to the village of Yurutse. After and 3 hour walk we reach the first base camp of Ganda La. The climb is long and we seem to be doing a series of climbs ascending gradually. We ascend a hill to reach our campsite. Overnight in tents.
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DAY 6: BASE OF GANDA LA OVER GANDA LA (4,850 m / 15,913 ft) TO SHINGO (4,150 m / 13,616 ft; 4 hrs)

Our high point on the trek. From the base we have a gradual ascent before the steep climb to the top of Ganda La. From the pass we get a fabulous view of Mt. Stok Kangri and the Stok La range in the south east, while the Zanskar range is on the west. We descend steadily along the Skiu nalla to reach a small village called Shingo with a beautiful campsite. Camp overnight.
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DAY 7: SHINGO TO SKAYA (3,017 m / 9,900 ft; 4- 5 hrs)

We continue to descend the Skiu nallah. This walk is through a narrow gorge with willows and shrubs of wild roses. We walk all the way crisscrossing the nallah till we reach the Skiu village on the banks of the Markha River. We can choose to camp near Skiu Village.
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DAY 8: SKAYA TO CHILLING (3,250 m / 10,663 ft; 4- 5 hrs)

From here the walk is quite easy and it is a more relaxed day as we leave the high passes behind and walk along the river to reach Chilling which is the starting point of the rafting run. Camp overnight.
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DAY 9: RAFT FROM CHILLING TO NIMO (2- 2.5 hrs). DRIVE TO LEH VIA ALCHI (3,500 m/11,484 ft; 3 hrs)

After breakfast we do a rafting run down Zanskar River The exciting rapids make the rafting run interesting. Our run ends at Nimo and we break for lunch. Post lunch we visit Alchi Monastery which is a World Heritage Site also this is the only monastery on flat ground. From here we drive to Leh. Evening is free to rest. Overnight stay in a hotel.
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DAY 10: REST DAY IN LEH (3,500 m / 11,484 ft)

We prefer this one rest day at the end of the trek so that we can always make use of this extra day as a contingency day in case of any delays, due to flight cancellation or any delays on the trek due to bad weather. Alternatively one can make use of this extra day to visit Khardung La pass (5,602 m / 18,380 ft) the highest motor-able pass in the world. Another option is to try a bit of mountain biking. Overnight in a hotel.
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DAY 11: FINAL DEPARTURE

We drive to Leh airport and as we take off we look down on stark beauty of Ladakh, our minds filled with everlasting memories of our trek.
ladakh-3
Leh Royal Palace
Rumbal morning light
Visit Hemis gompa
shanti-stupa-leh