Trans Himalaya Trek
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at the group hotel in Delhi. Transfers are provided. KE Land Only package services begin with lunch at the hotel. The afternoon is free for sightseeing or relaxing.
Day 2: Transfer to the domestic airport. We take the 1-hour flight northwards across the Himalaya to Leh, where we transfer to the group hotel. Afternoon at leisure.
Day 3: A full day's sightseeing tour on foot, with the chance to visit Sankar Gompa, the Shanti Stupa, the old Royal Palace and Tsemo Gompa. Overnight in Leh.
Day 4: We further our acclimatisation with a jeep drive up to the Khardung La (5380m) one of the world's highest road passes. Great views of the eastern Karakoram. Return to the hotel in Leh.
Day 5: We pay a visit to the monasteries at Shey, Thikse and Hemis before continuing our journey to Rumtse, where we set up camp across the river beyond the village.
Day 6: The first day's hike takes us beside the Kyamar stream to a confluence of three valleys at the foot of the Kyamar La. We take lunch en route or depending on our progress, we may wait till we reach camp. This afternoon is free for relaxing or we can opt to go for a short acclimatisation walk.
Day 7: A tougher day, as we cross the first 2 passes of the trek. From the first of these, the Kyamar La, there are great views back to Kang Yatze and Stok Kangri. We camp on the grazing area of Tisaling beyond the Mandalchan La (4805m).
Day 8: Staying at high level, we cross the Shingbuk La on an ancient trading route and look out for kiang's the wild asses that inhabit this remote region. We descend slightly to camp at Pongunagu, close to the salty lake of Tso Kar.
Day 9: We trek around the lake and make a gradual ascent into a valley, leading to the summer settlement of Nurunchen. After wading the stream, we now climb again to cross the Horlam Kongka La and descend to our camp at Rachung Karu. 7 - 8 hours,
Day 10: More steady climbing, to cross the Kyamayuri La (5125m). We pass several camps of the nomadic Changpa people and set up camp at Gyamabara.
Day 11: Today, we first cross the Koste La / Gyama La and then cross the Yalung Nyau La (5440m), the highest pass on our approach to the lake of Tso Morari. There are great views across the Chang Tang plains from the summit. From this last pass we descend to the village of Karzok (4595m).
Day 12: We can enjoy a well earned rest day today. This is a good time to catch up on diaries and laundry, as well as the opportunity to explore the village of Karzok.
Day 13: We have a pleasant and quite long hike alongside Tso Morari, passing more nomad camps, to our camping place at Kyangdom.
Day 14: From this southern end of the lake, we follow the course of the Parang Chu (river) towards the crest of the main Himalayan range. We set up camp beside the river on a grassy grazing area known as Norbu Sumdo.
Day 15: Another day of walking beside the Parang Chu, crossing it on several occasions and passing nomad camps. We camp beside the river at a widening of the valley.
Day 16: Gaining height only gradually, we approach the base of the Parang La and our camp at Karsha Gompa.
Day 17: Today, we make the tough trek to the top of the Parang La (5450m), crossing a remnant glacier on the way. Great views from the pass, back towards Ladakh and onwards into Spiti. After a steep descent, we reach our camp at Thaltak.
Day 18: We continue our descent into the gorge of the Parilungbi River, before making a final climb up to the ridge where we reach the village of Kibber and our waiting transport. We say goodbye to our horsemen here and drive out to our final night's camp at Rangrik, visiting the Kyi monastery en-route.
Day 19: We have a scenic drive, across the Kunzum La (where we leave Spiti and enter Lahoul). We encounter a much greener environment, as we descend from the Rohtang Pass and make our way to Manali. Overnight in a hotel.
Day 20: A free day in Manali (also acts as a contingency day). We will have a morning visit to the ancient wooden Hadimba Temple, Manali's foremost place of pilgrimage. Afternoon at leisure.
Day 21: Descending the Kulu Valley, we follow the Beas River and pass through the town of Mandi. We continue the drive to Chandigarh, reaching there in time for the evening express train to Delhi. Arriving in Delhi a little before 10.pm, we transfer to the group hotel..
Day 22: KE Land Only package services end after breakfast at the hotel. Transfers to the airport are provided.
Altitude
This holiday involves going to very high altitude. During the course of your trip you will be spending at least one night above 4000 metres and/or trekking to 5000 metres or above. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude.
