8 Popular Peaks:
Kun ( 7077m ), Nun ( 7135m ), Saser Kangri I ( 7672m ), Saser Kangri II ( 7513m ), Saser Kangri III ( 7495m ), Kang Yatse 1 ( 6400m ), Kang Yatse 2 ( 6200m ), Stok Kangri ( 6153m )
1 High Passes:
Kongmaru La - 5130m ( 5130m )
3 Tranquil Rivers:
Markha River, Zanskar, Indus
1 Beautiful Remote Villages:
Leh
1 National Parks Or Forest Reserve:
Hemis National Park
- Day 1
- D1Delhi
- Day 2
- D2Leh
- Day 2
- Chemo Monastery
- Day 2
- Shanti Stupa
- Day 3
- D3Leh
- Day 3
- Chilling
- Day 4
- D4Skiu
- Day 5
- D5Markha
- Day 5
- Hankar
- Day 6
- D6Thochungtse
- Day 7
- D7Kang Yatse 2 BC
- Day 8
- D8Kang Yatse BC
- Day 9
- D9Kang Yatse 2 ABC
- Day 9
- Kang Yatse 2 Summit
- Day 10
- D10Kang Yatse 2 BC
- Day 11
- D11Kang Yatse 1 BC
- Day 12
- D12Kang Yatse 1 Summit Camp
- Day 13
- D13Kang Yastse 1 BC
- Day 14
- D14Kang Yatse 1 Summit Camp
- Day 14
- Kongmaru La
- Day 14
- Chuskirmo
- Day 15
- D15Leh
- Day 16
- New Delhi
Day 1Arrival In Leh
Overnight In: Leh (3500m )
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: None
Cost Of Transport Included: No
Activity: Fly, Rest, Acclimatize Day
Today, we fly from Delhi to reach Leh by afternoon, and checkin to our hotel. All of a sudden when you take in the cool dry air of Ladakh, your body won't not conform to the new changed environment, that too in only couple of hours !!
Staying hydrated is the key to a successful trek in Ladakh. Drink enough water from the previous night itself, and not after landing on Ladakh. Likewise, have a Vaseline convenient to apply to your nostrils to keep it moist, else you will feel the air is excessively dry and cold making it difficult to inhale comfortably.
We rest for the rest of the day and meet in the evening for a light Snacks and a formal Team Introduction where we share few important information on the trek preparation and planning.
Time for Dinner to catch some more sleep.
Day 2Acclimatization Day
Walk To Chemo Monastery and Shanti Stupa. Return To Leh
- Day 2
- 3500 - Leh
- Day 2
- 3600 - Chemo Monastery
- Day 2
- 3600 - Shanti Stupa
- Day 2
- 3500 - Leh
4 - 5hrs.Activity: Rest, City Surfing, Acclimatize Day
Overnight In: Leh (3500m )
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today we spend our day visiting places around Leh and acclimatizing further. Leh is at very high altitude and this day is very important for us. We visit places like Leh Palace, Chemo Monastery, Shanti Stupa, etc.
Each of these places can be hiked to and its the best for us to do, if we are not feeling exhausted. If we do, we need to take some light walks in the town itself for some window shopping. Leh has some good shops selling trekking gears. So you can do some last moment purchases.
Evening we will visit the monastery of Shanti Stupa to seek some peaceful aura around it.
Tomorrow we start the trek. Hence we recheck that we are all set for it. Do the last moment purchases, repack our bag according to the trek requirement, have dinner and sleep early.
Day 3From Leh To Skiu, Via - Chilling
- Day 3
- 3500 - Leh
- Day 3
- 3200 - Chilling
- Day 3
- 3400 - Skiu
5 - 6hrs.Activity: Drive, Trek Day
Overnight In: Skiu (3400m )
Accommodation: Homestay / Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
Today we start early morning to drive till Chilling. The bridge to cross the river is broken by the recent flood and hence you get to cross the river in an interesting rope trolley. I bet if if have not done it before, adventure begins right away!
All your trek stuffs and equipment are transferred in the similar fashion. Once you cross the river, the horses are loaded and then we are set to start our trek to Markha Valley. Today, we camp at Skiu – A 3 hour easy trek on mostly flat trail with occasional short ascends and descend.
The trek route is very interesting and the landscape is very fascinating and unique. Sudden appearance of few green patches on the otherwise barren, creamy mountain adds a unique contrast to the scenery. Sightings of few wild animals and locals enhances the day. Our campsite is defined and we after some 3- 4 hours, we reach our campsite.
Day 4From Skiu To Markha
- Day 4
- 3400 - Skiu
- Day 4
- 3700 - Markha
5 - 6hrs.Activity: Trek Day
Overnight In: Markha (3700m )
Accommodation: Homestay / Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
Waking up to a wonderful morning in Skiu, today we trek to the village of Markha. An easy trek with almost a flat walks on most part of the trail, with occasional short ascents and descends like yesterday's.
The views throughout are breathtaking. Watch out for the different and unique rockscapes and structures of the mountains formed by wind and water erosion. With our previous experiences, we tried to tickle our imagination with the illusions created by these unique structures and strongly supported our conclusions of what they looked like - ‘trunks of elephant’, ‘doorway to a very old tomb’, 'dinosaurs', etc. Its an interesting game to play which keeps us engaged with the mountains continuously and it goes unrealized when we reach our campsite.
Markha is a very beautiful campsite. The campsite is designated on a flat meadow with the a stream flowing by. Do take time out in the evening to visit an old monastery nearby.
Day 5From Markha To Thochungtse, Via - Hankar
- Day 5
- 3700 - Markha
- Day 5
- 3980 - Hankar
- Day 5
- 4200 - Thochungtse
5 - 6hrs.Activity: Trek Day
Overnight In: Thochungtse (4200m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
The trek to Thochungtse goes via Hankar from Markha. It a beautiful trek and takes about 4 - 5 hours. The route to Hankar is mostly flat with occasional ups and downs. Soon, we get a glimpse of Kang Yatse which fills us with excitement. After about 3 hours of trek we reach the beautiful village of Hankar with few houses, lots of greens and the massif of Kang Yatse looks over it. Its a perfect picturesque setting. Its a good idea to spend some time here and have our lunch here.
After leaving Hankar behind, the terrain changes immediately with no mentionable greens to be seen further. The route is jaw-dropping with unique structures of the mountains and the rocks. Here its very easy to spot blue sheep and ibex, snow leopards too !!
A walk of some 2 - 3 hours brings us to a small grassy plains which is the designated campsite of Thochungtse.
In the evening, we will climb the nearby mountain for acclimatization. While it is a acclimatization walk, but climbing up the mountain greets us to a stupendous views of our pea in focus - Kang Yatse, and also other nearby peaks and the platue of Nimaling
Day 6From Thochungtse To Kang Yatse 2 BC ( 8 Kms,3 - 4 hours )
- Day 6
- 4200 - Thochungtse
- Day 6
- 5050 - Kang Yatse 2 BC
8Km, 3 - 4hrs.Activity: Trek Day
Overnight In: Kang Yatse 2 BC (5050m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
Starting the trek from Thochungtse, we climb a mountain hump straight ahead of us. At that altitude, it does take some time, but once done, enjoy up-close views of Kang Yatse. A huge massif, overwhelming us with its presence. Also, the very thought that we will be approaching the base of it further adds to our spirit.
After an hour from Thochungtse, we reach a small lake where we rest and watch the reflection of Kang Yatse on the water surface. From here Base Camp is about 2 hours on an easy walk.
Day 7Rest / Acclimatization Day
- Day 7
- 5050 - Kang Yatse BC
- Day 7
- 5050 - Kang Yatse BC
3 - 4hrs.Activity: Rest, Acclimatize Day
Overnight In: Kang Yatse BC (5050m )
Accommodation: Tents In Kang Yatse BC
Meals Included: All Meals
Rest and acclimatization day. We will walk towards the ridge on Kang Yatse for acclimatization and also get acquainted with the route for the next day. Technical orientation and training required for the snow trek will be given on this day. We will teach Self-arrest, Group Arrest, Glissading, 3-point climbing and toe climbing and heel descending on snow. All of these techniques will come vey vey handy during the summit day.
Day 8From Kang Yatse 2 BC To Kang Yatse 2 ABC ( 3 Kms,3 hours )
- Day 8
- 5000 - Kang Yatse 2 BC
- Day 8
- 5350 - Kang Yatse 2 ABC
3Km, 3hrs.Activity: Trek Day
Overnight In: Kang Yatse 2 ABC (5350m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals ( Limited Kitchen )
After resting the entire day, we move our camp to an intermediate camp in between the summit and Base Camp, near the snow point. We start late around 2 PM depending upon the weather. This makes our climb a little easier. However, we do not shift the Base Camp to answer emergency backups if required. It takes a gradual climb from the Base Camp, firstly walking through the meadow and then scree patch to get on the ridge, near the snow or crampon point. It's an intermediate camp with limited resources and Kitchen. We may not be able to set up intermediate camps owing to weather and snow conditions sometimes. In that situation, we will attempt the peak from Base Camp itself.
Day 9Summit Day
Summit Kang Yatse 2 . Return To Kang Yatse 2 BC
- Day 9
- 5350 - Kang Yatse 2 ABC
- Day 9
- 6225 - Kang Yatse 2 Summit
- Day 9
- 5000 - Kang Yatse 2 BC
6 - 7hrs.Activity: Trek Day
Overnight In: Kang Yatse 2 BC (5000m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
Today is the day for us as we attempt it just past midnight and aim to reach the top at dawn. All these days we had been walking slowly, when we could have walked faster, just for this day. Overall, it’s a challenging day right from the beginning and we try to beat it. To be able to be on top is a feeling inexpressible through words.
Day 10From Kang Yatse 2 BC To Kang Yatse 1 BC ( 3 Kms,1 hours )
- Day 10
- 5000 - Kang Yatse 2 BC
- Day 10
- 5000 - Kang Yatse 1 BC
3Km, 1hrs.Activity: Trek, Move Base Camp. Day
Overnight In: Kang Yatse 1 BC (5000m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
We shift our base camp and trek to beneath Kang Yatse 1. It takes about 1 hour and we leave only in the evening after completely resting our body. No quantifiable altitude difference will be there today. Just moving the base to make our next day easier. It can be considered as a rest day only.
Day 11From Kang Yatse 1 BC To Kang Yatse 1 Summit Camp ( 4 Kms,4 hours )
- Day 11
- 5000 - Kang Yatse 1 BC
- Day 11
- 5500 - Kang Yatse 1 Summit Camp
4Km, 4hrs.Activity: Trek Day
Overnight In: Kang Yatse 1 Summit Camp (5500m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals ( Limited Kitchen )
The trek from base camp to Camp 1 is a steep trek over loose rocks. The trek follows the rivulet for some 30 minutes before taking the steep route towards the right. Here the camping space is very limited to about 3 tents at max. It will be a very limited kitchen tonight on butane stoves.
Day 12Summit Day
Summit Kang Yatse 1 . Return To Kang Yastse 1 BC ( 15 Kms,10 hours )
- Day 12
- 5500 - Kang Yatse 1 Summit Camp
- Day 12
- 5000 - Kang Yastse 1 BC
15Km, 10hrs.Activity: Climb Day
Overnight In: Kang Yastse 1 BC (5000m )
Accommodation: Tents
Meals Included: All Meals
The climb to the summit involves negotiating a broken ridge with good exposure and drop on both the sides after which it's a steep climb on hard ice/ snow cover the last 500 meters to the summit of the dome. Hard ice make it easy rather than soft snow. We return to base camp on event of successful summit. If not, we wait in the high camp for second attempt the next day.
Day 13Reserved Day For Contingency
This is a planned reserved day to keep window for bad weather and other contiongencies. If unutilized, we can spend this day in any other campsite of our liking. The cost of this day is included in the trek package. If you decide to finish your trek instead of utilizing this resereved day, no money will be refunded and the local resources will be paid in full.
Day 14Pass Crossing Day
Cross Kongmaru La And Reach Leh via Chuskirmo ( 15 Kms,8 hours )
- Day 14
- 5000 - Kang Yatse BC
- Day 14
- 5130 - Kongmaru La
- Day 14
- 4140 - Chuskirmo
- Day 14
- 3500 - Leh
15Km, 8hrs.Activity: Trek, Drive Day
Overnight In: Leh (3500m )
Accommodation: Hotel In Leh
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
It will be a very long walk today as we reach Leh from Kang Yatse Base Camp. We descend down rapidly to Nimaling in about 1.5 hours from the Base Camp. From Nimaling, we start climbing the switchbacks to the top of Kongmaru La (Gongmaru La) – 5130m, a high pass with wonderful views all around. Climbing through multiple switchbacks takes us to the summit of Kongmaru La in an hour or a little more, marked with lots of prayer flags furling with the wind. Spend some good time here to relish the views all around. After crossing the pass, it’s a steep descend down the beautiful Markha gorge. The views and the trail pass down following the narrow Markha gorge and is unbelievable unless you trek it. A sharp descend from the pass top gets us to Lartsa. From there, a trek of some 3 - 4 hours will bring you to the campsite of Chuskirmo. From Chuskirmo, we trek for another 2.5 - 3 hours to Shang Sumdo, where our cab waits to take us to Leh.
Note: If the reserved day is unused, we will trek down to Chuskirmo to make the return to Leh a bit relaxing and comfortable.
Day 15Departure From Leh
Activity: Fly Out Day
Accommodation: None
Meals Included: Breakfast
Cost Of Transport Included: NO
Itinerary and our service ends. You will be dropped to the airport as per plan.
Kang Yatse Summit
The peak of Kang Yatse is one of the best looking mountains I have ever seen. It dominates the Markha Valley and is a big mountain massif of 4 peaks. While the First peak of Kang Yatse - Kang Yatse (KY1) 6400 Meters is a technical peak, its second peak, i.e. Kang Yatse 2 (KY2) 6200 Meters is a trekking peak, although not easy as many commercial operators would describe in order to get more clients.
The peak of Kang Yatse 2 has straightforward access to its summit and requires negotiating loose moraines and rocky zones (scree). Its a very steep climb to its summit and snow on top of the loose rocks and pebbles make it very risky and difficult which only experience and very fit climbers can negotiate easily. It requires good management of calm and composure to successfully climb its summit. Though technical climbing skills are not required to climb Kang Yatse 2, having it definitely helps boost your confidence. Out Leaders provide technical orientation classes in the base camps which include self-arrest, group arrest, climbing on rope, using ice axe, 3 point climbing, etc. It helps a non-technical climber gain knowledge and use the techniques when required.
On the other hand, Kang Yatse 1 is a technical peak with a corniced summit dome. It requires knowledge of using technical mountaineering equipment and experience of trekking in high altitude zones and rough terrains. The effort required to reach the summit of Kang Yatse 1 requires us to negotiate a high risk, steep scree zone and then negotiating crevasse and a broken ridge over soft snowy terrain. It definitely tests your nerve if you aren't experienced and are seeing these landscapes and elements of the Himalayas for the first time.
Approach Route Of Kang Yatse 1
There are 3 different approaches to the summit of Kang Yatse 1. While the most climbed is via the South-East ridge, the other 2 are difficult routes.
1. From Kang Yatse 2 Summit to Kang Yatse 1 Summit, via the Knife Edge Ridge: It's one of the most difficult routes to reach the summit of KY1 and requires immense technical climbing skills. Recently, a team from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute successfully traversed from KY2 to KY1 and made history.
2. From Kang Yatse Glacier: This was the old climbing route and is seldom used these days as it requires long rope and the uncertainty of the glacier makes planning difficult.
3: From South-East Ridge: This route is very steep and requires negotiating a steep section of the scree zone and a small section of broken ridge. This allows to camp overnight on a small ledge on the summit ridge and makes it a little easier. We use this route to climb on our planned expedition to KY1
Key To Success On Kang Yaste 1: Acclimatization, Fitness Training and A Calm Mind
In such a high altitude climbing peak, there is no alternative to acclimatization, and when we talk of acclimatization, we mean natural acclimatization and not medicated acclimatization which many commercial trek organisers preach.
- A slow-paced itinerary balancing daily walks and rest days is a very essential factor.
- Good meals focussed on complete nutrition, hydration, better blood circulation and warmth helps keep you strong and fit.
- Comfortable cosy sleep is necessary as that's when our body recovers.
- High-Quality Equipment and gear to protect from extreme weather of Ladakh is equally important
- Knowledgable and Experienced Trek Leaders who can guide you to success has its own importance
- Prevention is better than cure as we know. We need to imply all prevention SOW into work to help keep us fit throughout the trek.
- Local knowledge and emergency handling capabilities, medical safety kits, oxygen cylinders, etc have no alternative.
- Acclimatization walks on each days, Keeping hydrated throughout the trek and most importantly staying joyful and relaxed works extremely well to acclimatize better.
Your capability to acclimatize well directly affects your climbing success on the summit of Kang Yatse Peaks. Acclimatization being the most important of them, you can't ignore a fit strong body and high mental endurance which help you stay calm and see bad things off with immense patience and perseverance. Possessing good listening capability and following all the instructions of your expedition leader is very important. All this factor help you climb successfully.
WHY SHOULD YOU CLIMB WITH US ?
Unlike the mass-trekking and hand-held trekking groups in our country, we, on all of our treks, inspire and motivate to boost more of the Intrinsic and Inheritent Adventure Sense of a human being when it comes to our work ethics. We human beings are born to Survive. It's just about letting yourself free to get back your intrinsic senses to adapt, survive and then excel.
Having said that, we take safety as the first matter of concern on any of our treks, and hence provide the Guides and Leaders who are tremendously experienced, knowledgeable, responsible and capable of handling such treks. We keep our group size limited to 12 people on a challenging trek like this as smaller groups have more summit success rate since the team is more focused on their objectives, share common physical abilities, are safer and friendlier. Most importantly, our filtration and selective process ensure that the team, unlike that of the mass-trekking groups, is not limited by the weaknesses of the unfiltered, incompetent and unmanageable flock joining the team. A smaller group also helps to create an ambient Himalayan experience of Solitude, giving priority to Safety, Easy Management, Maximum Attention, Utmost care, Friendly attitude, and a Learning experience to make you a better and a humble trekker.
Our forced efforts to keep the group size small has given us a very nice success rate on the summits of these trekking peaks in the Himalayas. Our itinerary and meal plan are very well planned and with further orientation and planning, we move closer to the summit with each of these carefully decided actions.
The equipment that we provide on the treks are some of the best in the industry. Few of those are designed and custom-made just to suit our purpose of a safe and comfortable trek experience. We provide you with all the gears required to be better equipped for the trek. The quality of local resources, cooks and porters are not neglected and we make sure that we hire responsible local resources for your group accompanied by one of our leaders who further ensures that the quality of services are delivered as promised and forms a liaison between the group and the local hires. Right from the food that we serve on the trek to the toilet tents and camping toilet seat that we provide, dining tents to separate camping stools, pre-trek orientation to proper coordination, SOS arrangements, etc - Everything is taken care of with utmost professionalism and expertise of the field.
We have until now worked across the Himalayas of India, Nepal and Bhutan with tremendous client satisfaction and reviews. From beginner’s trek to that of highly challenging treks and expeditions, we have handled it all very efficiently with an excellent success rate. We have always kept and delivered our promise of keeping the team small, like-minded, tidy by proper selection and filtration through discussion and with utmost safety and no incidences of mishaps so far due to our proper planning by experts of the field. We are a transparent and flexible organization and have kept our reviews online. You may read our reviews on our Google Business Page: https://goo.gl/ezyw13
