(Undertaken
only in months from Dec to March)
Detailed itinerary
Day 01: Delhi-Leh
(3500m) Arrive Leh. Arrive
at Leh after one of the most scenic flights in the world, as you traverse the
Himalayas to land in the high altitude desert of Ladakh. Met and
transfer to Hotel.
Leh
is the Headquarter of Leh District and the largest Town in Ladakh region. It is
located to the north of Indus River at an altitude of 11,500 ft.
It
is essential to spend the day acclimatizing to the high altitude on the first
day. Overnight Hotel
Day 02: Around Leh (1
hour drive) To
help you get your bearings, a few small visits are planned. Visit the Shanti
Stupa, perched on a hilltop overlooking Leh, from where you get a birds eye
view of the entire town. Also visit the ruins of the old Leh Palace, currently
under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India. Overnight Hotel
Day 03: Around Leh
(3-4 hours drive) Visit
the Indus valley basin today. Start with the Shey Palace and monastery complex,
located 15 km from Leh. The main image in the monastery is the three storey
statue of Buddha Shakyamuni- a one of a kind statue in the region. The Thiksey monastery, another 2 km south of
Shey, is reminiscent of the Potala, and is one of the most beautiful
monasteries of the region. End your day by visiting the Hemis monastery, 45 km
south of Leh. This is one of the richest and most famous monasteries of Ladakh,
and houses an interesting museum as well. Return back to Leh. Overnight Hotel
Day 04: Leh- Chiling-
Tilat Do (3200m) (3 Hour drive): Tilat Do- Shingra (3350m) (5-6 hours trek)
Post
breakfast, drive to the starting point of your trek, crossing the confluence of
the Indus and Zanskar rivers on the way. The journey covers a number of hair
pin curves as the road descends into the valley. Visit Chilling village and
further drivet to reach Tilat-Do.
The
walk from Tilat Do to Shingra is of about 12 kms. It can take some time getting
used to walking on the ice, especially since a lot depends on the weather- from
hard and slippery, to a thin sheet with water flowing below it. At places, it
might be necessary to wade through ankle deep water, or climb ledges along the
side of the river. Once you reach the camp, warm up with some hot food while
the camp is being set up. Camp Overnight
Day 05: Shingra-Tibb
Cave (3400m) (5-6 hours trek) A
similar routine to the earlier day, we start walking after some hot breakfast!
It will be a longer walk today than earlier, with an estimated walk time of
around 14 kms. A stunning walk, we take you through the deep ravines of the
Zanskar river. At places, the placement of the ravine walls keep sunlight away
from the Chadar for most of the day. A lot of small caves, and frozen
waterfalls can be seen in this stretch. Reach the cave at Tibb, which is used
mainly by the locals, and camp
overnight.
Day 06: Tibb Cave-
Nyerak (3680m) (6-7 hours trek) A
spectacular day of walking, you cross a large frozen multihued waterfall, as
well as deep gorges. Camp below the Nyerak village, which you can visit to see
a Zanskari village. Camp overnight.
Day 07 : Trek to Lingshed Village (3800m) 4-5 hrs
Departing from the Chadar route today we enter into the Lingshed Nallah. The
trek to Lingshed takes us through the passes of the Netuke La and Khyupa La
and, as we traverse the undulating landscape, we are afforded some spectacular
views of the valley below. O/N camp
Day 08 : Lingshed Village
Today has been left free to relax from yesterday's trek and explore some more
of these most scenic of surroundings. In the distance you may catch a glimpse
of Morgon La (4100m) and the massive ice wall of Hanuma La, part of Zanskar's
summer trekking route. Lingshed is somewhat unique,not only for its splendid
isolation, but also for its remarkable 'Solar School', where the local children
are afforded the luxury of year round education by the merits of their solar
powered classroom. A stroll through the village will also reveal the villagers
green houses, what appear to be abandoned homes, that are actually covered in
plastic sheeting in the summer and used to grow vegetables. Lingshed will prove
to be a most enlightening and spectacular setting in which to recharge our
batteries for the journey back. O/N camp
Days 09 to 12 : Trek back to Chilling; drive to Leh
The next 4 days will see us retracing our steps as we journey back towards
Chilling. Averaging 5-6 hours walking a day we enjoy the spectacular scenery,
frozen waterfalls and isolated wilderness of this awe inspiring landscape.
Superlatives seem to pale into insignificance before the natural wonders we
encounter. But all good things must come to an end and eventually the river
brings us full circle back to Chilling. From here we return to Leh by vehicle. O/N hotel.
Day 13 :
Transfer to airport. Fly Leh/Delhi.
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