Exotic Bhutan Tours and Treks

Ladakh Trek Tour

Watchtower Trongsa Dzong

16 Days Indus to Rupshu Kharnak Trek via Kongmaru La

Arrive at Leh , 3506 m arrive Leh from Delhi. Reception at the airport and transfer to Hotel Dragon. Remaining day short walks for acclimatization. Visit Sankar Gompa and Leh bazar .Overnight at hotel Leh, 3500 m a sightseeing tour by jeep to Shey and Thikse Gompas and Stok Palace.

Leh - Shang Sumdo, 3880 m.
Drive through the lovely Indus Valley to visit Hemis Monastery. Continue to the hamlet of Shang Sumdo, where our crew will set up camp amongst an idyllic grove of willows at the Sumdo (river junction). Take short walks and enjoy the cool breeze from the glaciers, and sleep to the sound of the gurgling stream. Dream about the challenges, and the excitement that lies ahead

Shang Sumdo, 3880m - Chikirmo 4070m. 03-04 Hrs. Our first days trek is an easy one, as we climb slowly to 4000m along the river valley. Today you will feel the elevation, and the summer heat, so it is important to walk slowly, wear a hat and use lots of sun block. Chikirmo is the start of the area in which blue sheep, a protected species, now roam freely. There is also a naturally carbonated spring at the campsite. Overnight in camp.

Chikirmo - high camp, 4400m 03-04 hrs today we will take an extra day, for trekking only a few hours to climb slowly and stay at the base camp below the pass. If the weather has been fine there are delightful rock pools to bathe in here, and the valley is a striking pink and green hued gorge. If the weather has been bad the pools turn into torrents, and care is needed to thread a way across streams. We are likely to see blue sheep, and sometimes if we are lucky, ibex.

High camp, 4400 - Komgmaru La, 5500 m- Nimaling, 4720 m. 04 Hrs we start early for the steep 02 hour climb to the pass at 5200m, where we put up our prayer flags and have a panoramic snack, taking in the amazing views of Kang Yaze, the 6400m peak that dominates the high altitude plains of Nimaling - this wide valley is one of the most beautiful high altitude plains in the Himalaya. Easy descent to our spectacularly set camp. This will be the base for our first rest day, time to get curd from the nomads, take a day hike, dangle our feet in the streams, or simply rest in the sun. The sunsets, looking across to the gorges of the Markha valley, are stunning.

Nimaling 4720m we have a rest day here to let our bodies further acclimatize. So today we can simply sit around and drink tea or explore the marmot-infested Nimaling plain and visit the yak and goat herders.

Nimaling, 4720 m - konka ngonpo pass, 5090 -tikyu pastures, 4800m. 06 Hrs

We trek away from the main Markha valley trekking route. The trail takes us over a spur of the Kang Yaze to begin the climb to the 5090m high konka ngonpo pass, followed by a steep drop to some high grazing areas where we stop for lunch. This is followed by a gentler descent to the valley of the langthang chu and the shepherd camp of tikyu.

Tikyu, 4800m - Zalung Karpo la, 5200 m - Sora ( Tsolra),4200 m. 06 Hrs a gentle climb as we zigzag up the trails, to the top of the Zalung Karpo la pass, 5200 m. Stunning views of the gorges and crags of Zanskar. Now there is a steep drop as the trail plunges into the valley below. Tonight we camp at one of many pleasant campsites in the Tsokra gorge with views of an ancient Dzong (castle) on the hillside that once guarded the gorge against invaders.

Sora, 4200 m - Datt, 4270 m. 06 Hrs we quit camp early to avoid the heat and descend through the valley of the Kharnak Chu. There is an old fort on the peak overlooking the valley-and a lot of the peaks in the area are believed by the locals to have gods residing on them, thus the altars with flags and blue sheep horns on many of the summits. We walk through a picture post card valley - wooded, with clear streams, and sheer cliffs all around. Latter the valley opens up, and we walk through wide meadows and past mani walls and chortens to the nomad settlement of dat. It is a major herding village and is normally deserted at this time as the inhabitants are at summer pastures with their herds. If you have the energy the local gompa is worth a visit, seemingly deserted, in fact it is an active place of worship.

Dat - Yar La (4950 m) - Lungmo Che (4010 m) in 6 hrs.
Again an early start to cross the desert stretch approaching the yar la; it is a fairly easy climb to the 4950m pass but the desert stretch, with ever expanding views back of the rock spires in the valley, can get really hot when the sun gets up. Plenty of water to drink and sun block will be the order of the day. Once on the pass (with some of the most intricately carved mani stones on the trek,), we will be looking on to the Rupshu. Enjoy the spectacular vistas. Sometimes some “Khyangs” - wild donkeys, are seen. It is an easy drop to the pleasant meadow outside the summer village of Lungmoche, where we camp. Flat, wide, and high... Lungmoche may seem like a long deserted ghost town, but the inhabitants have simply upped for the summer, leaving the stone rings they pitch their tents around to the marmots, and if we are lucky we will spot a herd of kyang, wild asses.


Lungmo Che, 4010 - Sangtha (4200 m) in 3 h . Drive to Tso Morari , 4553 m. 5 Hrs
The last gentle climb brings us to Sangtha, 4200 m to meet our jeeps. Sangtha marks the end of Ladakhi herding areas and the start of Tibetan. With its cold clear river it is also a great bathing spot. Drive 150 kms via Debring and Tso Kar lake to Tso Morari lake, 4553 m. The landscape completely changes into a vast arid plain. Tibetan nomads mainly populate the area. This journey is rewarded by magnificent landscapes. We will first travel along the 4700 m high more plateau, encircled by rolling hills. The serene Tibetan landscape is the domain of nomadic herdsmen who migrate here from the Rupshu. Thereafter, traveling past the Tso Kar lake, 4268 m, we will cross over the polo Kongka La, 4115 m to camp on the shores of Tso Morari.

Tso Morari lake explore the Rupshu, visit “Changpa” camps, and watch the water birds. Overnights in camp

Drive Tso Morari to Jispa , 3142 m. 08 Hrs a full days drive to Jispa (275 kms) in the keylong valley, to enjoy the spectacular landscape. Drive back 90 kms to the more plains. Traverse through the pang gorges, cross the lachalang-la pass, 5065 m, with its incredible spine-tingling 2i hairpin bends in 20 kms, and finally we cross the 4892 m high baralacha-la.To enter the keylong valley. Overnight at ibex-jispa hotel, 3142 m.

Jispa - Manali 138 kms, 2050 m drive out of the Keylong valley over the 3980 m high rohtang pass to Manali in the Kulu valley. Overnight at hotel.

Manali - Delhi,
Drive to Bhuntar airport ( Kulu), 34 kms, for departure flight to Delhi. Tour ends

Tashi Delek!
~top