Travel style · Ladakh
Treks and walks in Ladakh
From an afternoon ridge walk to two weeks on foot
Day walks between villages, teahouse treks in Nepal, camping treks to high lakes and passes. We grade every walk by hours, height gain and the highest point, and pair you with licensed local guides and porters where the rules or the terrain call for them.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsTrekking in the Himalaya is mostly walking on old paths between villages, which means you can choose your comfort: teahouses in Nepal, homestays in Ladakh and Sikkim, tents where nobody lives.
Ladakh is a high-altitude desert on the Indus, reached by air to Leh (3,500 m) or by road over Zoji La or the Manali highway. Go June to September for open passes. Rest 48 hours in Leh before you climb higher. A saver trip runs ₹2,000–3,500 a day.
Trips
Treks and walks trips in Ladakh
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Leh to Zanskar and out to Srinagar by car
Private SUV with driver; local car in Padum where required
3 places
Where to go
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hemis
Ladakh's great Drukpa monastery and the snow leopard national park
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Lamayuru
Ladakh's old gompa above the eroded moonland
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Zanskar (Padum)
Ladakh's remotest valley, reached over Pensi La
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hemis Monastery courtyard and museum
Ladakh's richest monastery, hidden in a gorge above the Indus. See the courtyard where the festival is danced, the pain…
Photo: Sundeep bhardwaj · CC BY 3.0 · Commons
Snow leopard tracking in Hemis National Park
In late winter, snow leopards follow their prey lower into the valleys of Hemis National Park. Guided trips with local …
Photo: Stanzin1945 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Rumbak village walk and homestay night
A short trek into Hemis National Park from the Zingchen road head to Rumbak village, with a night in a family homestay.…
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Morning prayers at Lamayuru Monastery
Sleep in the village and walk up before the day-trip cars arrive, to sit at the back of the assembly hall while the mon…
Photo: Fulvio Spada from Torino, Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons
Sunset walk along Lamayuru's moonland
An easy evening walk from the village along the lanes and the old highway, looking over the eroded lake sediments that …
Photo: Deepank Ranka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Wanla village and its hilltop temple
A short drive south of Lamayuru, Wanla is a farming village with an old Avalokiteshvara temple and ruined fort on a rid…
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Karsha Monastery and the Padum plain
Cross the Stod river from Padum to Karsha, the largest monastery in Zanskar, whose white buildings climb a steep cliff.…
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Walk to Phugtal, the cave monastery
Drive from Padum up the Lungnak valley to the road end, then walk along the gorge to Phugtal, a monastery built around …