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| The
ancient Buddhist kingdom of Zanskar
is hidden deep in the western reaches
of the great Himalayas. For most of
the year, the high passes are inaccessible
because of snow, making the frozen Zanskar
River the only way of transport by walking.
Villages nestled high on cliffs, the
greenest of fields where peas and buckwheat
are grown, and ancient monasteries are
just some of the attractions on this
spectacular trek. |
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Best Time to visit |
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July to October |
| Duration
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18 Days / 17 Nights |
| Destinations
Covered |
: |
Delhi - Leh – Lamayuru
- Wanla – Hanupatta - Sir
Sir La – Photoskar - Singge
La - Lingshed - Snertse –
Hanumil -Pishu - Karsha - Padum
– Kargil - Leh - Delhi |
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| Day
01: Arrive Delhi - You arrive
in Delhi by International flight. After
a traditional 'Swagat' (Welcome) our
representative would assist you at the
airport and to our hotel for check-in.
After some rest, breakfast at coffee
shop in the Hotel. After breakfast we
will go on a guided tour of Delhi at
1100 hrs., beginning with a morning
sightseeing trip to Old Delhi and followed
by visits to the 1648 Red Fort, India's
largest mosque - Jama Masjid and Gandhi
Memorial at Raj Ghat. Afternoon tour
includes visits to India Gate &
President's House. Later on time we
drive back to hotel for overnight stay. |
| Day
02: Delhi - Leh ( BY 9W-609) Dep: 0645hrs
/ Arr: 0800hrs -Early morning
transfer to Domestic Airport to connect
the flight for Leh. Upon arrival at
Leh Airport our representative would
assist you at the Airport and transfer
to Hotel. Check in to the hotel. Post
breakfast rest of the day for rest for
acclimatization. Later in the afternoon
a walk around Leh town (3500m) includes
a visit to Leh Market, Leh Palace, Shanti
Stupa & Leh Gompa - This walk shall
help us in a getting acclimatized at
this height. Overnight stay at the hotel. |
| Day
03: Leh -Lamayuru (3 ½ hrs drive)
- We leave Leh in the morning
for Lamayuru. Along the way, we come
across some of the oldest and most famous
monasteries in Ladakh, founded around
11th century by Lotsawa Rinchen Sangpo
Lamayuru, Likir and Alchi offer truly
memorable visits on account of their
age and history. After reaching Lamayuru
(3420m) we will spend the day exploring
the ancient monastery and to prepare
for the next day. |
| Day
04: Lamayuru - Wanla (3-4 hrs) - We
pack our small backpacks, watch the
horses get ready, and set off for this
first day of our adventure. A gentle
trail leads up to the small pass of
Prinkti La (3750m) before heading down
to the village of Shilla and the last
3 km to Wanla (3250m).Here we set up
camp for the night and spend the afternoon
relaxing in the sun or exploring the
gompa in Wanla, before we gather around
for a good dinner. |
| Day
05: Wanla -Hanupatta (6 hrs)- An
easy walk towards Phansila (3410m) will
lead us to a beautiful valley. From
here we descend to a pass beyond which
the valley starts to narrow, with mountain
towering above our heads and the Zanskar
River making its way deep down in the
gorge. In this barren, harsh landscape,
beautiful rosebushes give your senses
an unforgettable experience. We camp
close to the river, just after the village
of Hanupatta (3760m), where we have
a great view down the valley. |
| Day
06: Hanupatta - Sir Sir La 4850m -Photoskar
(6 -7 hrs) - We follow the
river and the wide valley up for some
time before we cross the river and start
the long and gradual ascent to Sir Sir
La (4850m). From the top of the pass
we can get panoramic view of the main
Zanskar range as well as our next pass,
the Singge La (5090m). It is another
2 – 2 ½ hr of walk down
to the village of Photoskar (4200m),
situated in the cliff of mountains virtually
piercing the sky and surrounded by green
fields. The trail towards Sumdo disappears
in the deep gorge down to the right
of the village. We spend the night close
to the village and enjoy a well-deserved
rest. |
Day 07: Photoskar - Singge La
5090m - Foot of Singge La (7-8 hours)
-After crossing the small pass
of Bumiktse La (4200) this morning,
we enter the broad and lush Photang
valley. A gentle trail leads us through
this beautiful landscape, where villager
graze their yak/dzo and horses. One
of the most fascinating things about
the Zanskar trek is the ever-changing
landscape. Every time you turn a corner,
or cross a pass, a new world appears
in front of you. Passing through the
deepest of gorges and meandering through
the greenest of fields, the majestic
Zanskar River assume a fascinating form
and life of its own. With color and
shadows changing with the sun, one never
gets bored!
Slowly we ascent towards Sengge La,
or the “Lion Pass ”. The
last few meters are steep, but will
give u an incredibly rewarding view
on the top. From the pass it is an easy
walk down to our camp site. |
| Day
08: Foot of Singge La -Lingshed (5 hours)
-We follow the trail high above
the Zanskar River; the mountains take
a greener and gentler formation, before
we descend from Kiupa La (4400 m) down
the steep zigzag trail to the village
of Gongma (3840m)and Skiumpata. From
here we climb up a gentle trail to the
Margum La (4400m), from where we can
see Lingshed an hour or so away. The
campsite in Lingshed is just by the
monastery belonging to the Gelugpa order
and housing around 60 monk .The village
itself is spread out over a big area,
enclosed in green fields of barley. |
Day
09: Lingshed - Snertse via Hanuma La
4950 m (8 hours) -A long day,
we walk through the green fields of
Lingshed early in the morning. It takes
some ups and downs before we reach the
base of the Hanuma La, from where we
start climbing the many steep zigzag
that lead to the top of the pass. The
walk down is gentle before we enter
a rocky, spectacular gorge and soon
the valley flattens out, the trail following
a lush riverbed with rosebushes. Just
above the campsite of Snertse, there
is a herder ’camp, and sometime
fresh cheese, milk and curd is available
here.
Down in the riverbed it is possible
to go hunting for fossils. The locals
sometimes show nice collections of their
findings. When the Indian plate slammed
into the stationary mass of Asia some
50 millions year ago, the Great Himalayas
were formed from the base material of
the Indian plate. The Zanskar range
consists of layer of sediments from
the ocean floor and the Ladakh range
is granite born out of the immense heat
generated by the friction between the
two plates. |
| Day
10: Snertse - Hanumil via Purfi La 3950
m (5 hours) -Today we head
for another pass: Parfi La .A short
walk after Snertse, there is a wonderful
lookout from where we can see the pass
and down the valley, the Oma Chu River
.We follow the trail 500m down the valley,
cross the bridge and tart on the juniper
covered zigzag trail up to Parfi La.
Red alert! If fortune strikes, we may
come across a rare species of the Himalayan
region: the majestic brown bear. We
may also see herds of attractive Himalayan
blue sheep. Here we walk down to the
bank of the Zanskar River and follow
it all the way to the village of Hanumil
(3380 m), where we will camp for the
night. |
| Day
11: Hanumil -Pishu (4-5 hours) -We
will start with an easy walk on plain
and barren land along the Zanskar River
and follow it all the way to Pishu (3470
m),passing Pidmo (3420m), an exotic
landlocked hamlet of 8-9 families leading
a simple traditional life. Pishu is
located on the west side of the Zanskar
River and opposite of Zangla (formerly
a tiny kingdom).Here we will come across
a 55m hanging bridge, the longest on
Zanskar River. Our day will end at a
lush green camp site with a spring situated
nearby where we can quench our thirst. |
Day
12: Pishu - Karsha (4-5 hours) -After
a hearty breakfast we will begin our
day with another effortless stride towards
our next destination. From Pishu the
trail ascends gradually to Rinam (3550
m.) along the bank of the Great Zanskar
River. We will have a view of the stunning
monastery of Tongde. Once reaching Karsha
(3600 m), we can reinvigorate ourselves
at the bank of Zanskar River.
Karsha monastery: Karsha monastery is
one of largest monasteries of Gelukpa
sect, located on a hillside with an
imposing view of the entire valley.
Believed to have been founded around
10th century A.D, a visit to the monastery
to get its blessing is recommended. |
| Day
13 : Karsha - Padum 3531m (2hrs) -Our
trail begins with the crossing of the
bridge, where we inhale fresh air to
gear up for a trip to the capital of
the Zanskar valley .We will follow the
route to Pipiting village on the unmetalled,
dusty road from Karsha. Padum is the
major hub of activities of the entire
valley, whose population gathers here
on every auspicious occasion. It is
a high time to have a good rest on this
short day before we begin a drive back
to Leh. |
| Day
14 : Padum - Kargil (234 kms) -We
drive towards Kargil, passing Sani monastery
(6 km ) after turning west and cross
the Doda River at Dhungri .We will be
driving along the right bank of the
River. Further on, we will cross a beautiful
valley covered with comprehensive green
patches. Between Padum and Aksho, we
will come across a few small villages
: Dhungri, Phay and Hamuling. As we
pass, we will be slowly leaving Zanskar
valley and Drang Drung Glacier beside
the Penzila. In the middle of the next
valley next we can see Rangdum monastery
situated on a rock hill. After that
we will pas through the village of Shakar,
Parkachik and Panikhar. At Thangbu village
,about 12 km before reaching the Panikhar,
we can have an incredible photographic
view of Nun (7135 m)and Kun (7080) mountains
before reaching Kargil. |
| Day
15 : Kargil - Leh Via Sham valley (230
kms) -Today will be our last
travelling day before coming back to
Leh, and we will pass some of the most
beautiful monasteries and villages of
Sham. |
| Day
16: In Leh -Today we proceed
for Indus Valley monastery tour. We
start with a visit to Shey - The ancient
capital of Ladakh. The monastery here
has a huge gold-gilded statue of Buddha
Sakyamuni with a large silver lamp burning
in front of the statue. Then we visit
Thiksey Gompa, an impressive complex
rising tier upon tier on a hill above
the village. The monastery has a beautiful
30 m high gold-plated statue of Maitreya
Buddha, the Buddha of the future. Drive
further to visit Stok Palace, the Royal
residence of the King of Stok &
the Museum that has a rich collection
of Ancient Ladakhi artifacts including
old Thangkas, precious stones, arms
and armory, the Queen's necklace and
the crown of the King of Ladakh among
others. Overnight stay at the hotel
in Leh. |
| Day
17: Leh - Delhi (By 9W610) Dep: 0840hrs
/ Arr: 0955hrs -- Transfer
to the Airport to catch the flight for
Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi we assist
you to check in at our Hotel. Later
in the afternoon we depart for Delhi
sightseeing that includes Humayun's
Tomb, Lotus Temple and Qutub Minar.
Later we drive back to hotel for overnight
stay. |
| Day
18: Departure Delhi -Day is
free for your personal activities. After
lunch, just transfer to Airport / Railway
station for Flight/Train onward journey. |
| So,
what are you waiting for...!!
Get going for the most adventurous vacation
of your lifetime in Lamayuru Zanskar
with us. |
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