Trekking in Ladakh - The trekking in Ladakh has a wide range of option from short, day-long walks up and down mountain slopes to visit monuments or monastic settlements (or across a ridge to enjoy the sheer beauty of the lunar landscape), or long, trans-mountain treks in Ladakh involving weeks of walking and camping in the wilderness. For example, the trek from Lamayuru in the Indus Valley to Darcha in Lahoul, across Zanskar Valley, takes nearly three weeks and crosses 2 major mountain ranges. Most of the established routes traverse the Zanskar range, which separates the Indus Valley from Zanskar.

Trekkers crossing a foot bridge on Padum-Manali route

The 10-day Markha Valley trek, the 11-day Lamayuru- Padum traverse and the 4/5-day Stok-Khangri round trek are the more popular ones for Trekking in Ladakh. In recent years, parts of the Ladakh range, which lie between the Indus and Shayok valleys, have also become available for trekking in Ladakh.

The season for Trekking in Ladakh normally extends from early June to mid-October. But short, localised treks within the central Indus valley can be undertaken even in May. On the other hand, some routes are suitable only for the late autumn as during the summer the tracks are submerged due to excessive flow of water, as is in the case of the Hemis-Markha-Padum trek. The winter access to Zanskar is actually along the frozen surface of the Zanskar River called Chaddar route. This Trekking route in Ladakh , though difficult and highly demanding in terms of arrangements, is perhaps one of the most exciting and memorable foot journeys in the world.