Updated: 10 Feb 2012
Our proposed itinerary is given below. The trek will be the Marka trek below but it may be done differently, with different stops or in different direction.
Day 00 Arrival in Delhi.
Get some rest and meet up with the rest of the group
___________________________
Day 01 Fly to Leh and settle in (The tour starts and ends with the flight to/from Leh, all expences in Delhi are not part of the tour)
Day 02-05 Acclimatise to the altitude and do site seeing
For the first couple of days we take it easy to give the body time to acclimatise to the high altitude. No collective programmes apart from meditation and meals. Those who are fit could explore the city, the high Indus valley monasteries and other interesting things. Shey houses the old summer palace of the kings of Ladakh. Its Gompa shelters an amazing Buddha, 12m high. The picturesque Thikse monastery is perched on top of the hill overhanging the Indus. The Hemis Gompa is one of the largest in Ladakh.
Day 06 Leh Start the trek: Marteslang by car/bus Chokdo (4050m) in
5 hrs. (trek).
We leave the Indus valley and head south. We walk
along the river, whose banks are punctuated with ochre
rocks.
Day 07 Chokdo Latza Kongmaru (4800m) in 5 hrs.
After crossing narrow gorges, we start our
ascent
towards the Kongmaru La.
Day 08 Latza Kongmaru - Kongmaru La (5030m) Nimaling
(4650m) in 5 hrs.
From the pass there are great views north towards
eastern Korakoram and China, whilst the southern view
is dominated by the shapely Kang Yatze (6400m) and the
Ladakhi range. We follow a ridge trail and descend
zigzagging across scree. After some time, the path broadens
out into the Nimaling summer pastures, used by Hankar and
Markha shepherds.
Day 09 Nimaling Hankar (4000m) in 5 hrs.
We steadily descend through meadows to Thachutse and
cross the Nimaling river. The trail follows the Markha
river now, and will do so for the next few days.
Day 10 Hankar Markha (3850m) in 4 hrs.
Several monasteries and ruins are scattered along the
trail to Markha. After Umlung the valley narrows and
becomes a gorge just before Markha. This large village
has a fort and a monastery perched on its northern
hill. The gompa is reputed to be one of the oldest in
Ladakh.
Day 11 Markha Chalok (3450m) in 4 hrs.
The trail passes through quite lush riverside
vegetation. En route, we come across more derelict
monasteries, some well maintained chortens and at
least one good example of a wolf trap. Wolves become a
nuisance during the winter as hunger forces them into
the villages.
Day 12 Chalok Shingo (4150m) in 6 hrs.
We criss-cross the Markha river. Bridges are set at
many of the most difficult crossing places. From a
tiny group of stupas, we leave the valley and continue
upwards along the side of a river bounded by willows and
wild rosebushes.
Day 13 (some adjustments, an extra day to bring down the hours of day 11, 13 & 14)
Day 14 Shingo Ganda La (4920m) Rumbak (3750m) in 7
hrs .
At the pass, colourful prayer flags flap in the wind with the
Zanskari mountain range in the background. After crossing the
pass, we descend steadily along the Jingchan river. We get
great views of Stok and the Stok Kangri mountain. (6121m)
Day 15 Rumbak Namlung La (4570m) - Stok (3700m) in 6
hrs - Leh (by Bus/Car).
Descending from the pass, we enjoy excellent views of
the Indus valley. Eventually, we reach Stok, which is
famous for its palace and museum.
Day 16 -17 Back in Leh to rest, look around or explore. No collective program apart from sadhana and meals
Day 18 Fly back to Delhi. (The tour starts and ends with the flight to/from Leh, all expences in Delhi are not part of the tour)
Day 19 Delhi
Day 20 Departure. It is better to keep at least one extra day in Delhi before your international flight. Sometimes the flights from Leh get cancelled due to bad weather as happened in 2009!