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Season : |
The best time for a trek in Ladakh is July to September.
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Getting there :
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By Air: Leh is connected by air from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and
Srinagar.
By Road: Leh can be reached by road from Manali by covering a
distance of 471 kms over some of the highest passes in the world.
Alternatively Srinagar is connected to Leh by Zojila Pass.
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Trekking Routes :
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High grade trek routes (3/4c) converging on Leh via Padam in Zanskar.
Also start from Kishtwar over the Sersank and Pota La and from Zanskar
crossing the Charcharal. Perhaps the most popular pass of all is the
Shingola which still serves as an arterial route (19 days/3C) from Lahaul to
Zanskar.
7/8 trek days from moderately high passes (3C) end with visits to the Markha
valley, Stok Village and the celebrated Hemis Monastery. The season is also
marked by higher water volume in the Indus enabling rafting excrusions from
Leh down to Nimo near its junction with Zanskar River. Acclimatisation is
essential. Day visits from from Leh can be taken to the Buddhist Monastries
dotting the Indus Valley. Leh bazzar it-self harks back to the oldest trade
routes to Tibet.
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Inner Line Permit :
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Inner line permit is required for trekking in certain areas of Ladakh which
may be obtained from J & K Tourism office in Delhi or the district
magistrate office in Leh or from the Indian Missions abroad.
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Spectacular Zanskar :
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 The Zanskar sub-division of Kargil district is centered around its main
settlement at Padam (3505m). Four main routes pass up to 5000 m converge
here from Lahaul in the Chenab valley, Kishtwar, Suru Valley and Leh. Truly
one of the most desolate places in the Himalayas, Zanskar is known for its
spectacular scale, hardy mountain folk and extreme winter when the Zanskar
river freezes to form the "Chandar" over which mail runners operate.
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Motorable Passes :
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On the North and Eastern exits of the Indus valley in Ladakh are two of the world's highest motorable passes: Khardungla at 18,3000 ft for the Nubra valley and Taglangala at 17,500 ft on the Manali road. The former is Karakoram gate-way to the vast confluence of the Shok and Nubra rivers, Saser Kargil peak and its associated lofty ranges. Eastward in the same district, over the Changala at 17,000ft, the road winds its way to the barkish Pangyong-tso and Tso Moriri lakes at 14000 ft on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, where the traveler may sight the nomadic herdsmen of the Changthang, the black-necked crane or the elusive snow leapord.
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Sights & Sound :
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 Down the Indus from Leh, the route branches off for the a Hanu region
inhabited by the Dardsreputedly descendants from the armies of Alexander The
Great.
Kargil (2705m) is now a district head-quarter and is 234 kms West of Leh. It
held its own importance on the earlier commercial map. A further 60 kms west
of Kargil is Drass (3230m), reportedly one of the coldest places in winter.
But it is Kargil's Suru Valley on the edge of the Great Himalayan range that
leads in to the region of Pannikhar, Saukhoo, the Ringdum Monastery. A
number of 2/3 treks in the area provide close ups around the Nun & Kun
peaks. |
