T R E K K I N G  R O U T E S

[ Padum-Lamayuru | Lamayuru-Leh | Padum-Hemis | Hemis-Zangla-Padum ]
[ Sankoo-Drass | NunKun | Padum-Phugtal ]

Padum- Lamayuru Trek

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Padum - Hemis Trek

 

Day 1	(3 hours to Stongday) Padum (3600 M) is on the bank of River Zanskar. You need to cross the river using the rope bridge. After a 3 hour walk along the river you will reach Stongday.
Day 2	(5 hours to Zangla) Continue along the Zanskar river, still on mostly flat land, till you reach Zangla.
Day 3	(6 hours to the base of the Sher Sher La (3940M). The trek to the Zangla Gonpa is steep uphill. After that you will enter the gorge of a knee deep river. You will cross the river at least 15 or 20 times on the same day, while travelling through the gorge. You will come to place where two rivers meet. Take the left valley at this point. Walk till you reach the base of the Sher Sher La Pass(also Char Char La - 5170m). You will find a green camping ground with water.
Day 4	(6.30 hours to Chup Cha - 4700M). There will first be a very steep climb up to the Sher Sher La Pass, on an uncomfortable, stony path, past boulders. After you cross the pass, you will go down to the green Chup Cha (or Chhup Chhak) Plateau where two streams meet. The camping ground is quite good.
Day 5	(5 hours to Shang Kongma 3970m) Today it will mainly be descent to yet another meeting of two rivers. You will go down into a gorge and cress- cross the river more than 10 times.
Day 6	3.30 hours to a nameless, meadow, 3800m) Go down the valley, cress cross the waist-deep river several more times. Please be careful and use a rope anchor. Don't even try to cross the river in the afternoon, it's just not possible. Once again you will find a meadow where two rivers meet, it's a good camping site. The water gets muddy.
Day 8	(6 hours Nari Narsa 4270m) Your trek today will begin with the little valley on the left. There will be a very steep climb up a path of stones and boulders, (can I still dessuade you from this trek? And today isn't even the toughest day). If you don't unload the ponies they might slip. Once again you will have to cross the water several time mercifully, though, the river is shallow today. Nari Narsa is a high altitude valley, it has many camping sites, water and bushes are plentiful.
Day 9	(6 hours to Lang Tang 4800m) First climb through the valley to the Rubrung(or Rebrang) Plateau. Take the valley on the right. There is a narrow gap in the range through which you will be cross it. This passage will take to the Zalung Karpo La(5160m). Go up the ridge(5200m). After that it's all the way down to the Lang Tang valley. There is a decent camp site to be found.
Day 10	(5 hours to Hankar, 4200m) Go down the valley till you reach river Markha. Hankar village is nearby. There is a camp site here. Hankar also has the ruins of a Fort. (Depart/branching off) From here you can trek to the Markha valley, from there you can follow river Markha down stream and cross into the Indus Valley at Spituk.
Day 11	(5 hours to Nimaling, 4900m) Go up the Markha Valley. The path is good almost right up to the Numa Ling Plateau. You will find nomads in small huts. You will not be welcome in case you want to stay in  their huts, so just camp in the open. Water is available but wood is not.
Day 12	(6 hours to Shakdo, 4100m) Climb upto the Kangmaru La(5030-5300m) is surprisingly easy, given the formidable height of the pass. Go down the gorge on the other side to get to Shakdo.
Day 13	(5 hours to Hemis, 3760m)Now it will be downhill till Martseling. After that it is a pleasant walk up to Hemis, which is on a motorable road.

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Hemis - Zangla - Padum  Trek

Day 1	4 to 5 hrs from Hemis to Martseling & Chhogdo(or Shakdo)	Here is a slight variant of the above trek and in the reverse order.
Day 2	2 to 4 hrs to the base of the Kangmaru La(Kong Maru La) which is at 4710m
Day 3	3 hrs to the Kangmaru La Pass and Nima Ling
Day 4	4 hrs to Umlung (3900m) and Rebrang
Day 7	4 hrs to Kurma Sumdo (3900m)
Day 8	5 hrs to Tilat Sundo and Tomto (4250m)
Day 9	4 hrs to Chhup Chhak (4700m)
Day 10	7 hrs to Char Char La (5170m) and the base of the Char Char La
Day 11	3 hrs to Zangla
Day 12	35 Kms to Padum (do this stretch in one or two days)

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Sankoo - Drass Trek

 

Day 1	3 hrs from Sankoo to Umba. The trek is bad. you have to faced a stream midway	It;s a 2 Days but a difficult trek, especially when the snow either falls or melts or become slippery). There are buses from Kargil(and Padam) to Sankoo.
Day 2	10 hrs / 30 Km to Drass. The first stretch involves a tough climb from around all the way upto the Umba La Pass(14800). The 3-5 Km, downhill trek on the other side is relatively comfortable, though, you will come to a greenish valley. This stretch is quite easy. So is the gentle, 2 hrs descent to the Drass Valley. The village serves as a base camp for trek in all direction: within the Suru Valley to inner Ladakh and to Kashmir

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Nun-Kun Trek

 

Day 1	The shortest satisfying trek, up the hill opposite tourist bungalow, takes less than 5 hrs return. We now are even closer to the twin Nun-Kun Peaks	Nun-Kun The Nun is 7,135 meters high and the Kun is at 7,035 meters. They are around 21 Kms east of the Bhot Kol pass and are 1,000/3,000 meters higher than the other mountains around them. July and August are the best moths to attempt these twin peaks. April can be very dangerous because a number of services would be open. October is tricky, too, because of the likelihood of snowfall. The base from which the ascent begins is called 'Gualmo Throngos'. It is between the stones that mark 112 Kms from Kargil. Don't always count on finding the stones. They are buried under several feets of snow for almost half the year.
Day 2	The Nun view saddle (3810m) is a short trek from Panikhar. So, if you aren't up to going to the peaks themselves, trek to the 'saddle' from which you can get a fine view of the majestic peaks and the glacial valley around.
Day 3	Or you climb the sentik ridge above Tangole valley and go the glacial plateau from the ridge
Day 4 & 5	You can trek from here to Pahalgam in 5 days and Kishtwar in 6 days.

Padum - Phuktal Trek

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Source: Tourism Department, Kargil