Trek Ladakh takes in segments of the Karakoram mountain range which extends southeastward for 230 miles (370 km) from the mouth of the Shyok river in the Ladakh region to the Tibetan border. With a crest line of about 20,000 feet (6,100 m), the range parallels the northeast bank of the Indus river. Tibet’s Chang Tang plain, the most remote section of Himalayas, is extreme high country. Here, the valleys are at about 14,000 feet. The area includes Lake Morari (a verdant oasis), Stok Kangri (highest of Ladakh’s peaks), and India’s cold desert, named the Leh. Culturally and geographically close to Tibet, Ladakh has few resources and an extreme climate.

Despite the limitations, the Buddhist Ladakhis, with their traditions and intimate knowledge of local environment, have not only survived but prospered. The nomadic Changpa rely mostly on sheep and yak herding for subsistence as they roam the Ladakh range. The area has borne the brunt of centuries of invasions by the Mongols (from central Asia), the Baltis (from the west), the Dogras (from south) and even Tibetans (from the east), and the faces reflect these mixed ethnic origins.

The main town of Ladakh, Leh, was for centuries a trade centre for fine pashmina wool (once worth its weight in gold). Yak and pony caravans brought in pashmina from Tibet; turquoise, coral and silver from Yarkand and Kashgar; spices, fabrics from India, and silk from Kashmir. There are many Buddhist monasteries in and around the city. Two English explorers, William Moorcroft and John Trebeck, visiting Leh in 1836, were stunned to see a town of such wealth located in midst of obviously arid desert land.

The Trek Ladakh  options range from short, day-long walks up and down mountain slopes to visit monuments and monastic settlements or to enjoy the sheer beauty of the lunar landscape, to long, cross-mountain treks involving weeks of walking and camping in the wilderness. For example, the trek from Lamayuru in the IndusValley to Darcha in Lahoul, across Zanskar Valley, takes nearly three weeks and crosses two major mountain ranges. Most of the established routes traverse the Zanskar range, which separates the Indus Valley from Zanskar. The ten day Markha Valley trek, the eleven day Lamayuru-Padum traverse and the four to five day Stok-Khangri round trek are the most popular. In recent years, parts of the Ladakh range which lie between the Indus and Shayok valleys have also become available for trekking.

The Trek Ladakh  season normally extends from early June to mid-October, but short, localised treks within the central Indus Valley can be undertaken even in May. Other routes, on the hand, such as the Hemis-Markha-Padum trek are suitable only for the late autumn, as during the summer the tracks are submerged in the flow of melt-water. Winter access to Zanskar is gained by trekking along the frozen surface of the Zanskar River. Called the Chaddar Route, this difficult and highly demanding trek is one of the most exciting and memorable journeys in the Trek Ladakh catalogue.