Ladakh · 7 Days
Ladakh — Changthang: Tso Moriri & Tso Kar
A quieter Ladakh route through the Changthang — Tso Moriri, the Tso Kar salt lake, the Changpa nomads and their pashmina goats, returning over one of the world's highest passes.
Day by Day
7 Days, In Full
A route into the emptiest part of Ladakh, the Changthang plateau, without the crowds of Pangong. Three nights in Leh first. Then the long drive south past the Chumathang hot springs to Tso Moriri, a protected lake at 4,500 metres. Two nights there: birdwatching on the marshy shore, the high monastery at Korzok, an afternoon with the Changpa nomads. The return loops west past Tso Kar, the white salt lake, and over the Tanglang La, at 5,300 metres one of the highest passes anywhere. Seven days, all plateau, all quiet.
Leh
Arrive in Leh — Rest and Acclimatise
You fly into Leh in the early morning, over the main Himalayan range. The airport sits at 3,500 metres, so the first day is a rest day, and this is not optional. Your guide checks you in and asks you to do very little. Drink water, eat lightly, sleep if you can. A short, slow walk to Leh market in the afternoon is as much as you should do. Giving the body a full day here now prevents altitude sickness later.
Leh
Leh — Old Town, Palace and Shanti Stupa
A gentle first full day, still close to the hotel. The morning is Leh's old town: the bazaar, the mosque, and the nine-storey palace above it. The climb through the palace floors is slow but short. In the afternoon, drive up to Shanti Stupa for the view over the valley. Sankar Monastery, a working gompa a short way from the centre, fills any spare time. An early night before tomorrow's monastery run.
Leh
The Indus Valley Monasteries — Thiksey and Hemis
A full day among the great monasteries south-east of Leh. Start early at Thiksey, a twelve-storey monastery on a hill, for the dawn prayers if you are up to it. Then Hemis, the largest and richest in Ladakh, hidden in a side gorge. Shey, the old royal palace with its giant seated Buddha, and Stok are on the way back. It is a lot of driving, but the roads are good and the valley is beautiful. Back in Leh by evening.
Leh → Tso Moriri
Leh to Tso Moriri — Down the Indus, past the Hot Springs
A long, remote drive south-east into the Changthang plateau, about two hundred and twenty kilometres and seven hours. The road follows the Indus upstream through Upshi and Chumathang, where hot springs steam by the river. Past Mahe the land opens into wide, empty, high pasture, and the first kiang, the wild ass of the plateau, appear. The last stretch runs beside a smaller lake, Kyagar Tso, before Tso Moriri itself comes into view. You reach the camp at Korzok in the late afternoon.
Tso Moriri
A Day at Tso Moriri — Korzok, the Shore & the Nomads
A slow day by the lake, which is why the drive was worth it. The morning can be an early birdwatching walk along the marshy north shore, where bar-headed geese and the black-necked crane nest in summer. Korzok village has a small monastery, one of the highest in the world, worth half an hour. In the afternoon, a visit to a Changpa nomad camp among the pashmina goats and black tents. The altitude here is 4,500 metres, so the pace stays gentle. A second night on the shore.
Tso Moriri → Leh
Tso Moriri to Leh — Tso Kar & the Tanglang La
The drive back to Leh by the western road, over the Rupshu plateau. First stop is Tso Kar, the white salt lake, where kiang graze the shore and the old salt-scraping village of Thukje sits below a small monastery. The road then joins the Leh-Manali highway and climbs the Tanglang La, one of the highest passes in the world at about 5,300 metres. From the top it is a long descent down the Indus valley, past Upshi, into Leh. The full day is seven to eight hours with stops.
Leh
Depart Leh
Leh's flights leave early, so this is usually a dawn transfer to the airport. The take-off, back over the Himalayan range, is as good as the flight in. If your flight is later, there is time for a last walk in the market or a visit to the Hall of Fame museum near the airport. Your guide sees you off. Most onward flights connect through Delhi.
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