Zanskar Valley

Zanskar Valley

Overview

North of the Great Himalayan Range, admist a tangled knot of rugged mountains, lies the fascinating land of Zanskar.Sandwiched between the Indus Valley and the and the main crest of the Indian himalayas, this isolated land preserves an age old aura around it. It looks like Zanskar is frozen in time as it still retains the archaic form of Tibetian Buddhism. The influence of Buddhism on this land can be felt in the presence of stoic Monastries which occupy spectacular and fortified locations on the high rocky ridges or vast valleys of Zanskar. This land is known for it's open meadows, arid desserts, high ridges and snow capped mountains. The experience of trekking in zanskar is like no other you have known. The Journey starts from Manali. From Manali drive down to Darcha. From here travel to zanskar sumdo via Palemo. Sumdo means the confluence of two rivers and is a truely spectacular place. The next stop will be at Chumi napo. The trail starts to ascend steeply as it takes you towards the shingo la pass leaving the valley behind. Next, trek to Shingo la pass. It is a magnificient locale and the walk over the glacier to reach lakham is truely an experience in itself. The trail next takes you towards kurgiak. It follows the meandering course of the Kurgiak river traversing many meadows which are mostly grazing grounds for yaks. From Kargiak starts the gradual descent till you reach kargil via Tetha, Purni, mune and most importantly Padum. Kargil is not as desolate as the previous locales on this trail. It is a busy and populated place . from kargil, travel to Leh, and henceforth to Manali, thus concluding the journey.

Itinerary

  1. Arrive in delhi
  2. Delhi to Manali(by bus)
  3. Manali to Darcha(by bus)
  4. Darcha to Palemo(5 hrs trek)
  5. Palemo to Zanskar sumdo(5 hrs trek)
  6. Zanskar sumdo to Chumi napo( 6hrs trek)
  7. Chumi napo to Shingo la pass to Lakham
  8. Lakham to Kurgiak(6 hrs trek)
  9. Kurgiak to tetha(5 hrs trek0
  10. Tetha to purni
  11. Purni to Ichar
  12. Ichar to Mune
  13. Mune to padum
  14. Padum to Kargil
  15. Kargil to Leh
  16. Leh to Manali
  17. Manali to delhi