Day 1: Fly into Leh, the capital of Ladakh
Soar over the Greater Himalaya before landing at one of the world’s highest airports. At 10,991 ft. (3,350 m), you will likely feel the altitude already. We transfer to the Kang Lha Chen Hotel and can spend the day at leisure, acclimatizing.
Day 2: Exploring the city of Leh (11,480 ft)
To let your body acclimatize further before the trek we exploring Leh today. You may visit the 11th century monastery at Alchi and the famous Khardung La pass (one of the highest motorable roads in the world). Overnight hotel.
Day 3: Trek through Sumdo to Shang Phu (14,250 ft)
In the morning we visit Thiksey Monastery, then continue to Shang. There’s spectacular bird life on today’s three hour trek, including Lammergeyer, Peregrine Falcon, Choughs, Indian Griffon Vulture and the White-winged Redstart. After several river crossings we reach the gorge at Sumdo. Fom there, we travel up the valley to Shang Phu and one of the most beautiful camp sites on the trek. Keep an eye out for wolves, which are quite common in this remote place. Overnight camp.
Day 4: Cross the Shang La (16,750 ft) to Gangpoche (14,550 ft)
We rise early for a tough day of climbing on the Shang La, traversing a rarely-visited area and crossing many spurs and minor passes. We descend to the Tokpo River for lunch and continue climbing over a 4,550m pass to Gangpoche (14,550 ft) where we camp.
Day 5: Trek to Mankarmo (14,370 ft)
Today we enjoy a steady and rewarding climb through the Matho La pass (16,290 ft), viewing Stok Kangri, Kashmir, and the 8,000m Gasherbrum peaks in Pakistan. After a short walk along the ridge we descend to a steep and wild valley, where locals spend the summers in picturesque stone huts tending sheep and goats. We set up camp here after 5-6 hours walking.
Day 6: Trek to Stok Kangri base camp (16,340 ft)
In a two hour trek we reach Yarlas, the base camp for Stok Kangri. We set up camp near a meltwater stream and can take the rest of the afternoon to relax. You can climb above camp for views of the Rimo peaks, where meltwater is released from the Gulap Glacier's terminal moraine at 16,930 ft.
Day 7: Acclimatization hike to 17,70 ft
Today we take an acclimatization hike and check out the route. We climb the moraine above camp to the glacier beyond, where we put on crampons here and navigate the few very small crevasses. The slope steepens as we approach the south face, where there used to be a higher base camp site but it is now banned. We return to camp for the night.
Day 8: Summit day
We rise well before dawn and travel to the decommissioned base camp, then continue scrambling up to the south ridge. While this steep path is exposed and requires scrambling, a rope isn’t usually needed (although we have some on-hand). The Stok Kangri summit is truly rewarding, offering magnificent views in all directions. When ready, we make our descent to base camp.
Day 9: Trek to Stok village from base camp
After breakfast we travel down the valley to Stok village, passing through a dramatic canyon with perplexing red sandstone formations. They are evidence of the once-calm land that is undergoing intense tectonic forces from the collision of the Indian and Asian plates. Even on these fortress-like formations, blue sheep gracefully scale the jagged faces to safety. We also pass several homesteads and ruins of old fortresses, so save space on your camera. From Stok we are driven back to Kang Lha Chen Hotel in Leh.
Day 10: Fly home from Leh
Rise, shine, and say your goodbyes. We will transfer you to the airport for your departure