ZANSKAR!
Sounds magical, doesn't it?
And, why not? When the gods were creating
the world they bestowed a landscape so unique to the region that magical is
the only adjective that qualifies it.
Hemmed in from three sides
by The Great Himalayan Range, The Pir Panjal Range and The Zanskar Range,
its scraggy mountains, snow laden peaks, barren valleys with the cerulean
sky tells you the tale of the hardiness and spirit of the people of the
land.
And that's not all; the area has an extraordinary
hydroscopic system with the Zanskar River forming the only outlet by
scything through the Zanskar range to form those towering canyons and deep
gorges that are a trademark of this river. The trip takes you down the
extremely uninhabited, inaccessible and 150 km of the vintage Zanskar gorge
with walls rising thousands of feet above the fast moving waters to finish
on the powerful River Indus.
The river also forms a unique mode of
travel, a waterway by summer and frozen road by winter. But hold on to your
horses! And wait till you get there……
ZANSKAR! The river of
dreams awaits you.
What to Expect
A part from the
unexpected, the very best of Ladakh & Zanskar.
The myriad
colours on the mountains that keep changing with the angle of the sun,
ancient villages with their mud houses, the Karsha monastery perched on a
600 ft vertical mountain face, superb camaraderie and of course….Scintillating
White water.
The rafting starts at Remala on the river Doda with
some Grade II rapids and then we join the River Tsarapchu to form the
Zanskar at by the time we culminate the trip at Alchi one would have gone
through some some grade III & IV rapids as well.
Detailed ItineraryThe
objective of the fist three Day is to acclimatize with the thin air
conditions of this region so that the body is comfortable at this altitude.
Day
1 Arrival in Leh by Flight. Check into Hotel Lharimo and relax
Day 2 Visit Khardung la, the highest motor able pass
(5602 mts) in the world. The pass is almost permanently covered in fog and
snow. Here you have world's 'highest temple' and an army checkpost, which
also serves hot tea. En route there are many vantage view points of this
superb landscape. Over night at Hotel.
Day 3 Site
seeing around Leh. Visit Shey, Thiksey, Hemis Over night at Hotel.
Day 4 : Leh - Mulbekh Drive through Kargil to the through some
amazing mountainscape. The drive takes us over the Fotu la that is the pass
between the Indus and the Suru Valley's. En route visit the Lamayuru
Monstery of the "red sect", one of the oldest in the valley.
Overnight camp at Mulbekh.
Day 5: Mulbekh - Rangdom
ToDay we drive from Rangdom to Remala, the driveis through Panikar and
Prakachik with up close and personal views of the magnificent twin peaks of
Nun & Kun. Camp overnight at Rangdom.
Day 6: Rangdom -
Remala A 6 hrs drive brings us to Remala, the starting point of
this grand journey, en route one crosses the Peni la (14500 ft) and gets
stunning views of the Zanskar range.
Day 7: Remala - Zangla
The trip starts on the river Doda with Grade II rapids. The total
rafting distance toDay will be 30 km and will take about 5 hrs. The lone
standing Karsha Gonpa as it looks down the Gorge will be crossed toDay.
Those interested could trek up to its distant heights in the evening to
attend the incantation service.
Day 8: Zangla - Hanumil
The Tsarapchu joins the Doda at Zangla to form the Zanskar. The stretch
toDay is about 25 km and takes one through grade II & III rapids. Set up
camp late in the after noon to explore the quaint village of Hanumil which
seems untouched by the passage of time.
Day 10: Neraks - Lamaguru ToDay's 35 km stretch takes one
through the heart of the Zanskar Gorge with some kick ass grade IV rapids
through continuous stretches of Grade III rapids. One of the highlights of
the Day is the pit stop for lunch at a huge waterfall at the confluence of
the Zanskar and the Markha rivers. The sights and sounds of toDay's run on
the river remains one of the highlights of this trip.
Day 11:
Lamaguru/ Rest / Markha Valley Trek The Markha Valley Trek is
certainly one of the most varied and beautiful treks in the world. It
ventures high into the Himalayas crossing two passes over 15,000 ft (4575 m)
as it circles from the edges of the Indus Valley, down into parts of
Zanskar, and passes through terrain that changes from incredibly narrow
valleys to wide-open vast expanses. Just relax and explore the resplendent
Markha valley toDay with Day hike to the villages of Kaya & Skiu.
Day 12: Lamaguru - Nimu
It's the big one toDay with the Chilling
rapid 40 km of river running that culminates just short of the Confluence of
Indus and Zanskar at nimu.
Day 13: Nimu - Alchi - Leh
Nimu to Alchi on the Indus with some classic grade III & IV rapids to
end the trip on the river. Head back to Leh
Day 14: Fly
Out
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