Darcha To Padum, Zanskar Valley Trek Tour

Day wise Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrival New Delhi International Airport.

  You will be met from your flight to Delhi International Airport by Summit Safari’s representative, and he will accompany you to your hotel in Delhi. Rest of the day is free at leisure to relax after the flight.

• Day 2 : Delhi – Dharamshala , Mcleodganj – 2,050 metres / 6,831 feet ( By train & drive).

  Early in the morning, you will be assisted to board the super fast air conditioned Shatabdi Express train from New Delhi (07:40 A.M.) to Chandigarh (11: 10 A.M.). Breakfast will be served to you on this first class train. You will be meeting upon arrival by your guide and we will drive you to Dharamshala / Mcleodganj (6 hrs).We will arrive Dharamshala by evening and check into hotel at Mcleodganj for overnight stay. Mcleodganj is famous as the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of the Tibetan Buddhists which has turned it into the Buddhist centre of the world.

• Day 3 : Local sightseeing around Mcleodganj ( drive and walk).

  After the breakfast at your hotel, we will leave for a sightseeing tour including, the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist monastery, St.John church , situated in the wilderness- where Lord Elgin is buried ( 1863), the Norbulingka Institute at a place known as Sidhbari, an institute working for the preservation of traditional Tibetan arts and crafts. At present, it houses over 300 teachers, students and workers. The arts and crafts include Thanka painting, tailoring, metal sculpture and wood crafts. There is a Losel doll museum a monastery and a popular restaurant inside the Norbulingka institute where you can have your lunch. After lunch return back to Mcleodganj and rest of the day free at leisure or today we have a flexibility to offer you a hike to the nearby mountains and villages ( 3 hrs), and could be done as per your interest . These walks present a very panoramic view of the Dhauladhar Himalayan Ranges and the villages around the valley. Second night at the same hotel in Mcleodganj.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys

• Day 4 : Mcleodganj to Kullu. 1,220 metres / 4,000 feet (200kms, drive 7 hrs ).

  After the breakfast we will drive you to Kullu. Enroute we will visit the tea gardens and tea processing factory and Palampur, the famous Lord Shiva Hindu Temple at Baijnath, Pandoh Dam near Mandi. We will stop for various photo stops and lunch break on the way and will reach Kullu by evening and check in to hotel in Kullu.

• Day 5 : Kullu to Bijali Mahadev- Hike 2,460 metres / 8,071 feet and further drive to Manali.

  After the breakfast we will drive you to Chansari Village from where we will hike upto Bijali Mahadev temple ( 3-4 hrs). The hike will help you to acclimatise properly before making your journey / trek to Zanskar valley over the high mountain passes. It is a three kilometers trek from the village Chansari. The ancient and strange temple is set up in a beautiful meadow on the top of the hill with an ancient Lord Shiva Temple, famous for its Shiva –Lingam, where lighting strikes every year resulting Shiva -Lingam shatters into two pieces. Later on accordingly to the traditions it is repaired with butter by the villagers. This temple provides panoramic and commanding views of the Central Himalayas with the Kullu and Parbati valleys. Reach Manali by evening and check in at your hotel. Later on in the evening visit Old Manali village where you can have dinner in a local restaurant.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys

• Day 6 : Manali to Jispa 3,200 metres / 10,500 feet (138 kms, drive 6 hrs).

  Today the after breakfast we will make a early start and on the way cross the Rohtang pass (3,980 meters/ 13,000 feet) meaning “The Pass Of Corpses”. We entered into the Lahaul valley as soon as we cross the Rohtang pass. Lunch will be in a local eating place at Khoksar and further we continue our drive to Jispa through Tandi and Keylong. We will arrive Jispa by late afternoon, which itself is a very tiny the night at the tiny settlement with a couple of local houses, hotels and camps. Jispa sits at the foot of the mighty 16,000-feet Baralacha Pass at an altitude of some 10,500 feet – again providing valuable acclimatisation time before heading really high on the Darcha Padum Trek.

  • Hotspots : Rohtang Pass
  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys

• Day 7 : Jispa to Palamo 3,580 metres / 11,745 feet ( Drive and trek 2-4 hrs).

  In the Morning after the breakfast we will drive you to Palamo campsite through Darcha, Chikk and Rarik village. We will make short hikes between Darcha to Chikk village, which helps us to acclimatise properly. Earlier Darcha was the starting point of this trek but now there is a newly built rough road from Darcha to Palamo village. We will arrive Palamo in the late afternoon where we will leave the jeep / car and will meet the rest of the trekking staff including helper, pony man, cook etc. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner & overnight in the camp.

  • Themes : Trekking

• Day 8 : Palamo (Chalang Topko) to Zanskar Sumdo 3,750 metres / 12,303 feet ( Trek 4 -5 hrs).

  Shortly after the breakfast, we start trekking to Zanskar Sumdo. The trail gradually ascends till reaching the awesomely beautiful Zanskar Sumdo campsite, which is the meeting point of two water sources. The river here was once dangerous to cross but is now made safe by a modern suspension bridge. This bridge is situated on the boundaries of Zanskar and Lahaul valleys and from here we entire the Zanskar valley. A road work is going on in this part of the valley to join Zanskar valley to Lahaul Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys, Trekking

• Day 9 : Zanskar Sumdo to Chumikanakpo 4,060 metres / 13, 320 feet ( Trek 5-6 hrs).

  After the breakfast we will be trekking away from the campsite towards the stream flowing from Shingo La Pass. We will cross the river through a suspension bridge and will start climbing towards Zanskar valley. The initial stretch towards Shingo La Pass has to be trekked very slowly, as the trail is steep and high altitude. A number of water streams have to be crossed on the trail, which are extremely cold and have to be crossed very cautiously and slowly. Enroute we will stop for various photo stops including the lunch break and we will arrive the campsite pasture called Chumikanakpo by late afternoon. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys, Trekking

• Day 10 : Chumikanakpo – Lakhong (4,470metres / 14, 665 feet ) over Shingo La (5 ,090metres / 16700 feet) Tr

  Today early morning after the breakfast we will start climbing toward Shingo la Pass 5,090 metres. The trail steeply ascends along a stream and then after further ascending across a snow-filled path, reaches Shingo La Pass. From the top of the Pass, there are spectacular views of the peaks of Zanskar Himalayas and Ladakh. The climb to the pass is not difficult but descending down to other side into the Zanskar valley is quite steep through the Glacier and boulders. Today we Cross several water streams, and by evening we will make to a small plateau of Lakhong which is a campsite in the meadows at the foot of Shingo la Pass, with a temporary tea shop, by the side of a river. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in camp .

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys

• Day 11 : Lakhong to Kargiak 4,060 metres / 13,320 feet (Trek 5- 6 hrs).

  After breakfast we start following the trail which descends along the wide Kargiak River, which is sometimes difficult to cross if there has been a lot of snow melting during the day, increasing the depth of the water. After crossing the river, we will continue down the valley past the beautiful sheer-sided mountain called Mt. Gumburanjon (5,900 metres). Today there are chances to meet the nomadic people who come to the high mountains grazing their Yak’s and Churus (mix breed between a Cow and a Yak) in the summers. We will meet the nomadic people and further continue our trek down in the valley to Kargiak villages which is the first village from this side and highest village in this part of Zanskar valley. The camp site is at the end of the village near the river side. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys

• Day 12 : Kargiak to Purne 3,745 metres / 12, 287 feet ( Trek 6 hrs).

  After the breakfast we will walk to kee village which is in front of campsite. We will meet the local people and will see their house, later we will continue our trekking through the little villages of Kuru and Teta which have just a couple of houses. The trail gradually descends and runs along little settlements. We follow the Kargiak River down the valley till Purne village and a couple of times we will have to cross the water streams and river through temporary bridges on them. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys, Trekking

• Day 13 : Purne to Pugtal Monastery 3,850 metres / 12,631 fett and back to Purne (Trek 4-5 hrs).

  After the breakfast we will be trekking to the most famous & dramatic monastery of Pugtal which in one the most impressive monasteries (Gompas) in the remote parts of Zanskar and Ladakh Valley. This spectacular Gelukpa monastery is situated around a sacred spring that originates from a deep cave. It is a fantastic sight with the monastery buildings and the houses of the monks built on the face of a rock (cliff), while the temple is situated in the cave. After visiting the famous Pugtal monastery we will trek back to Purne by the same way . Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

  • Themes : Hill Stations & Valleys, Trekking

• Day 14 : Purne to Ichar 3,650 metres / 11,975 feet (Trek 5-6 hrs).

  The trek gradually descends through the Zanskar region and we will come across a couple of Chortens on the way. We will be passing by the small villages including Char, Harsami and Surle. The trail is still not good with several up and downs with a small difficult stretches. We will arrive at the campsite of Ichar which is just a couple of minutes before the village. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

• Day 15 : Ichar to Mune 3,750 metres / 12,303 feet (Trek 5 hrs).

  After the breakfast we start with a gradual climb before coming to a tributary (bridge). Ichar is joined by a newly built road to Padum, but we recommend you to trek as there are no taxi available at this point. Gradual descent down towards Reru village and then we walk through quite a beautiful plain area covered with flowers ( in July) as far as Mune. We will follow the road from Ichar to Mune and will arrive the small campsite near the Mune Monastery by late afternoon. Evening tea and snacks will be prepared freshly and served to you in the camp, rest of the time free to explore the area.. In the evening we will visit the Mune monastery where the friendly monks will show us around the monastery. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

• Day 16 : Mune to Padum 3,560 metres / 11,680 feet (Trek 4-5 hrs).

  The trek runs along the river until reaching the Bardan monastery, which is one of the oldest monasteries of the region. The friendly monks will show us around the monasteries, which also houses a gigantic prayer wheel, which stands over three meters high. After visiting the monastery, trek down till Padum, which is only a little away. From Bardan, a dusty road suitable for motor traffic leads to Padum without difficulty. We can see several quite beautiful villages on the opposite bank of the river. Possibilities for fresh supplies at Padum, the capital of Zanskar. Overnight stay in a guest house / hotel in Padum.

• Day 17 : Padum to Kargil 2,700 metres / 8,858 feet ( 240 kms, drive 12 hrs).

  Today early morning 04:00 A.M we will be driving you to Kargil (240 kms) over Pensila Pass (4,205 metres / 13,795 feet). Enroute we will stop for breakfast / lunch break . On the way we will visit Rangdum monastery and there are several place where we would be able to see the Marmots. The beauty of this region is further enhanced by the sheer contrast provided by the towering peaks of Kun (7,035 metres) and Nun (7,135 metres) which loom over the skyline in their crystalline majesty. We will stop for a photo stop at pensile Pass and drive further to Kargil, where we will arrive by late evening. It is the longest day of journey. Dinner & overnight at the hotel in Kargil.

• Day 18 : Kargil to Leh through Lamayuru Monastery 3,500 metres / 11,483 feet (234 kms drive, 8 hrs).

  After breakfast we will drive you to Leh town (234 kms.). En route we will visit the famous Lamayuru monastery and after lunch we will drive you to if time permits we will drive you to Leh. We will be reaching Leh by late afternoon. Overnight stay in a hotel in Leh.

• Day 19 : : Leh- Day at Leisure.

  Today you have a free day to relax your own. In the afternoon if interested you can take a walking tour of Leh town and could visit Leh Fort, Shanti Stupa and the local market of Leh. Second night in the same hotel in Leh.

• Day 20 : Fly from Leh To New Delhi and further fly back to your country.

  After breakfast, in the early morning we will assist you to Leh airport to board the flight back to New Delhi. After your arrival at New Delhi airport you will be met & assisted by Summit Safari’s representative, and he will accompany you to your hotel. Check in at your hotel and have time to fresh up yourself, later on you may wish to go for a sightseeing tour of Delhi to view some of the famous sights of the town with a guide. We will take a walking tour of the Old Delhi covering the Chandani Chowk, historic Red Fort, and the busy market. If interested we will arrange for a bicycle rickshaw ride in old Delhi or a Tuk- Tuk ( Three wheeler ) ride in New Delhi for you. We will also visit Gandhi Smriti, also known as the Birla house where –Mahatma Gandhi had lived the last 144 days of his life from 09 September 1947 to 30 January 1948 when he was assassinated in 78th year of life at Birla House Prayer Grounds by Nathuram Godse . Thus, the house treasures many memories of his life. Return back to your hotel in the evening. Overnight stay and dinner in the hotel in Delhi. Tonight or next early morning you will be assisted and will be transfer to the international airport at New Delhi to board your return flight.
  
  This is where the tour ends. However, if you wish to stay longer in Delhi we can make arrangements for you to be transferred to the airport at a later time.
  
  End of the services and the tour…!

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Inclusions

• Hotel
• Sightseeing

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Package Start From

• Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

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Terms & Conditions

Payment Terms & Methods :
* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount
* Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.

Cancellation & Refund Policy :
* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount.
* Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date.

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• Shop No.10, Ram Saran Dass Building, Sanjauli, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India - 171006
• 08069247162 (Ext : 843)
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