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Ladakh 2024:
practical hints

On this page we give practical information about our trekkign trip in Ladakh 2024. You can find general topics which haven't changed since then in our info pages about Ladakh 2014, 2015 oder 2018.

Unions Territory Ladakh

Since 2019 Ladakh was part of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which had some considerable degree of independence compared to other stetas. This state was divided into two Union Territories, UT Jammu and Kashmir und UT Ladakh. Before, Ladakh had about half of the area, but only about 2% of inhabitants. The new UT Ladakh is ruled directly by the central governement in Delhi. Ladakh has two adminstrative districts: the mostly muslemic Kargil (LA01) and the buddhistically dominated Leh (LA02, before JK10). The effects of these administrative changes will to travel conditions will probably bee seen only at some longer timescale. On one hand, the division from the unquiet JK could be advantegous for the international touristic reputation, on the other hand the direct access of the central government might have an effect to the cultural individuality of the region. For the Tibetan culture which since 1959 could only here more or less be conserved, the latter issue is very important.

Spelling (another supplement)

Also in the regions visited in 2024, we found somewhat differuing spellings for the names of localities:

  • Serjing is menioned as Cheshing or Serzing
  • Bodhkarbu = Budhkarbu
  • Yogmal = Yugmal = Yuqmal (or Gogmal?)
  • Shilakong = Shillakong = Shillagong
  • Shinguche La = Sniutse La = Nigutse La
  • Sirsir La = Shirshir La

Acclimatization hikes, trekking routes and mountains, in chronological order

Access and acclimatization hikes

Srinagar

Hausboot auf dem Nageen Lake
House boat on Nageen Lake

Srinagar (1700 m, ca. 1.2 Millionen inhabitants) is the summer capital of the Union Territory Jammu-Kashmir.
The population is alomost completely muslim. There are several mosques that are interesting for a visit; another good topic are the gardens (Mughal gardens) around the city. The hill Hari Parbat is a good point to get an overview of the city. A small roads leads to the saddle below the fort, and from there a foot track leads to the fort, which might enjoy some renovation works. At the lower end of the road, you must buy an entrance ticket (Rs. 100); at the beginning of the footpath there is a military post where an ID document has to be shown.
For tourists, the usual accomodation are house boats which can be found at Dal Lake or the smaller Nageen Lake. Many house boats are accessible from the shore, but the "usual" access is that guests are transported over water by a Shikara. The house boats are climatized and are quite luxuriously equipped with several bedrooms (individual bathrooms with shower), dining room, and lounge.

Srinagar-Leh Highway (NH1)

NH1 am Zoji La
NH1 at Zoji La

Our travel to Ladakh was a bit unusual: Most tourists fly directly to Leh. The road NH1 from Srinagar to Leh is rated as dangerous on one hand due to the accident risk, on the other hand because there are frequently riots in Jammu-Kashmir (see externer Linktravel hints of Auswärtiges Amt (Germany)). Therefore, we met other foreign tourists not before the buddhist regions of Ladakh which begin around Mulbekh.
Taken as a whole, the approach over several days with increasing altitudes of the overnight stays and half-day hikes were a very good acclimatization program. Flying directly to Leh, this must be achieved otherwise.

Urgyen Dzong

Urgyen Dzong
Urgyen Dzong

The rock monastery Urgyen Dzong is situated above the hamlet of Serjing which belongs to the village of Shergol (Shorgole). According to the legend, Padmasambhava is said to have meditated here in the 8th century, banishing bad spirits from the region. (Later he went on to Tibet.)
From Serjing (3250 m), a very good pilgrim path leads through a narrow gorge to a small plateau at 3700 m. On a rocky slope to the north is the hermitage monastery, and on the plateau stands a newer, smaller monastery. The path is passable by car up to 3400 m, but at the beginning, there is usually a locked gate. The guide will likely know where to find the keyholder and how much it costs to unlock it. Both the rock monastery and the small monastery on the mountain ridge are only accessible when a monk comes up to open them.
There is a large monastery festival every year in August, for which many pilgrims apparently are expected.

Sapi Lake

Sapi Lake
Sapi Lake

The (upper) Sapi Lake, located above the village of Sapi, is a high-altitude glacial lake beneath the Chhobark. The contrast with the green meadows below is remarkable. From our homestay at just below 4000 m, we traveled more or less off-trail through easy terrain for three hours to reach the moraine above the lake (4678 m). To the north of the lake lies a small ridge (4785 m), which can be visited with little additional effort. It offers a beautiful panoramic view, and from here, you can also see the "lower" Sapi Lake in the larger valley that flows northeast from the Chhobark.

Yogmal (Bodhkarbu)

Wanderung Richtung Barqphoche
Wanderung Richtung Barqphoche

The agency had various hiking suggestions that were located between the valleys of Yogmal (Yuqmal) and Lungba (Byakpan Lungpa). However, we spontaneously decided to head towards the peaks in the north of Yogmal (Gogmai). The subsidiary peak of Barqphoche (4049 m) was still accessible with moderate hiking difficulty; however, the main peaks, Barqphoche (4060 m) and Singekhabar Dans (4150 m), seemed too complicated for an acclimatization hike from there, and likely would have required some climbing.

Trekking trip via Shinguche La (Nigutse La / Sniutse La)

In contrast to the popular trekking routes we had followed on previous trips to Ladakh, the two-day trek from Kanji to Hanupatta can hardly be found in any trekking guide. If at all, the route is typically used at the beginning of a longer trek that continues on to Zanskar. According to Norbu, only one group per week travels this route during the season. As a result, we didn't encounter any other tourists there, and there is no infrastructure like the tea tents found on the Markha trek.

Day 1: Yogma La (4730 m), 1000 HM / 14 km / 6 hours
The tour begins in Kanji (3840 m). You cross the river on a new steel bridge (built in 2022) and follow a small dirt road southeast through the Dumbur Lungpa valley. The road soon ends, and you cross the Chomo Nadi River at a suitable point (no bridges) before reaching the Dumbur pasture. The valley then narrows, and the path climbs a small ridge on the right side, following a rocky northern slope to the Yogma La pass (4730 m). On the other side, the descent is minimal, and the path continues along a steadily sloping hillside. It turns southward, mostly descending gently, into the valley floor, which was not visible from the pass. You cross the Shillakong Tokpo river, which flows from Chomotang and can present challenges late in the day or in rainy conditions. On the other side, there is a 100-meter ascent to reach the Shillakong pasture (4500 m).

Day 2: Shinguche La (5146 m), 800 HM / 10 km / 6 hours
The next day, the path follows a wide grassy terrace toward a prominent transverse rocky ridge. Behind this ridge, an impressive spire comes into view. The ridge is bypassed by descending 100 meters to the left. Afterward, the path heads directly toward the pass in the valley, initially with a moderate incline, then ascending a steep scree slope with a few switchbacks up to Shinguche La (5146 m). On the other side, the route continues along the valley floor, flanked by towering rock formations. The landscape soon becomes somewhat gentler, and at 4710 m, we set up camp at the confluence of the Spangthang Thokpo and Lungpa Nakpo rivers. If you only want to cross the two passes, you can continue along the valley and camp further down or even hike all the way to the road.

Tag 3: to Spang Nala (4850 m), 400 HM / 7 km / 3 hours
The third day brings us closer to our mountain destination: just beyond the campsite, we cross the Lungpa Nakpo without difficulty, then head southward through high plateaus and small hollows framed by occasional rock pinnacles, which we keep on our left. We then cross into the Spang Nala valley, changing direction to the southwest. At around 4850 m, we cross a narrow, deeply incised valley before making our way toward an isolated rocky knoll in the valley floor. In this area, we cross the river, which is the most challenging crossing so far (fast, cold water, about hip-deep). Shortly after, we set up camp at 4840 m.
From this campsite, "our" mountain (see below, Hemar Ri) is easily accessible. On the final day, you hike for an hour from the camp to the road at Sirsir La.

Shinguche Kangri (Nigutse South)

Shinguche Kangri (Nigutse South)
Shinguche Kangri (Nigutse South)

Directly south of the pass Shinguche La, a prominent glacier mountain is rising. In the AAJ report externer LinkAAJ 2016: Chomotang NW Face, and Nigutse South it is named as Nigutse South (5678 m). On the official Survey of India map, the glacier between mountain ans pass is given as "Shinguche Kangri Glacier", .which led us to conclude that the official name for the mountain is Shinguche Kangri.
In our planning, we had identified it as a possible summit goal. However, in August 2024, the area had significantly less snow than on the June photos in the report mentioned. The ridge from Shinguche La to the summit appears rather long and rocky at the top, so it's not just a simple excursion from the pass. From the lower campsite, it would be possible to ascend the valley that offers an approach from the south, but there are no suitable campsites there, and 1000 meters of ascent at this altitude would have been challenging for our acclimatization. Shortly before our departure, our agency informed us that, upon scouting, they found unfavorable conditions and therefore suggested an alternative goal (which was then Hemar Ri). As a result, we limited our focus on Shinguche Kangri to a brief exploration of the possible approach and didn't pursue it further.

Chomotang

Chomotang I
Chomotang I

Chomotang (Chomothang, Tsomothang) is the highest summit above the valley of Spang Tokpo. On the Olizane map "Centre", three summits are mentioned: Chomotang I (5865 m), Chomotang II (5890 m), Chomotang III (5740 m), and directly west of these are the two Thorchuk summits I (5840 m) and II (5590 m). On the Opentopomap, Chomotang II is given as slightly above 6000 m angegeben; the AAJ report externer LinkAAJ 2016: Chomotang NW Face, and Nigutse South states 6065 m. The Chomotang summits are rather challenging ice climbs which would have also disrupted our schedule; therefore, we didn't focus on it.

Hemar Ri (Nina's Peak) (5699 m)

Hemar Ri
Hemar Ri

To the south of our camp at Spang Nala (4850 m), we saw a relatively easy mountain. Its northern slope contains remnants of glaciers, which are labeled as the "Hemar Glacier" on the official Indian map. The glaciation is so minimal that the summit can be reached without snow via the northwestern ridge. From the junction with the northeast ridge, the route follows a ridge made of somewhat larger blocks, occasionally requiring a small handhold, but never real climbing.
Surprisingly, we found no signs of previous visits on the summit: no cairn, no prayer flags, and no containers left for notes. Therefore, we assume that we were indeed the first visitors to this mountain. Our working name, "Nina's Peak," will for sure not stand, as the mountain should logically be called Hemar Ri due to the nearby Hemar Glacier.
At the summit, we measured 5699 to 5700 m (GPS eTrex 30). We built a cairn and left our address on a note in a plastic bag at the base of the cairn.
The ascent took us 4 hours for 850 meters of elevation gain; difficulty T3/T4 (Swiss hiking grades).
The area south of Hemar Ri, at the head of the Spang Nala valley, was visited by an expedition in 2019 (externer LinkAAJ 2020: Spang Nala Kangri, Spang Nala Dome u.a.); the therein mentioned Amloca Kangri probably is the southern neighbour of Hemar Ri.

Pologongka Group

This mountain group is located in eastern Ladakh, approximately 170 km southeast of Leh. It is part of the Zanskar Range. In contrast to the Mentok/Gyama range or the Spangnak Ri further south, the Pologongka area is very rarely visited. There is no established trekking route through this mountain group, and most of the peaks are rather monotonous gravel slopes, distinguished only by their high altitudes of over 6000 meters. In preparation for our expedition, we found hardly any information about these mountains, especially no photographs. The Pologongka La Pass connects the salt lake Tsokar with the upper Indus Valley and Lake Tsomoriri. This road was paved this year (2024); until then, it was just a gravel track. The route appears to be quite popular among motorcyclists, but various YouTube videos do not provide any useful images of the mountains north of the pass. The only source that gives an impression of the Pologongka area is a YouTube video externer LinkChomo Chonkar Lake (5650 m) - one of the highest alpine lakes in Ladakh. The high valley described there is the shortest access route to several peaks east of the Pologongka.

Chomo Chonkar Ri (6200 m)

Chomo Chonkar Ri I
Chomo Chonkar Ri I

Chomo Chonkar Lake is surrounded by five peaks, which are listed on externer LinkPeakbagger.com as Chomo Chonkar Ri I to IV and Chomo Chonkar Kangri (though with somewhat unrealistic prominence figures). Peaks IV, III, II, and I are arranged counterclockwise from east to northwest around the lake, with only Chomo Chonkar Ri I having a prominence of over 200 meters. According to the American Alpine Journal, ascents of Chomo Chonkar Ri IV and I were recorded in 2023: externer LinkAAJ 2024: Pologongka Range, Peaks 6050 m and 6205 m.
All of these peaks are relatively easy hikes. We reached Chomo Chonkar Ri I via two routes: one from the Chomo Chonkar La pass (located west of the lake, at 5,815 meters) over simple block terrain, and another via the northern ridge and a small glacier above the frozen lake. On the second route, there are a few small crevasses, which can be easily avoided. Difficulty level is T3, with a duration of about 3-4 hours from the camp at 5,650 meters.

Chomo Chonkar Kangri (ca. 6220 m)

Chomo Chonkar Kangri
Chomo Chonkar Kangri

In contrast to the four Chomo Chonkar Ri peaks, Chomo Chonkar Kangri, located west of the lake, is significantly more independent and somewhat more challenging to reach. We attempted the ascent from the north, but soon encountered very steep and loose scree terrain. The snowfields turned out to be just a thin layer of snow on bare ice, which, at a 45° incline, did not inspire us to continue. As a result, we were unable to determine whether this mountain has been climbed before.

Pologongka (6385 m)

Pologongka
Pologongka

The flat summit of Pologongka is located at the northern end of a nearly 1 km long, almost horizontal ridge that runs in a south-north direction. The mountain is glaciated to the north and east, with the northern and eastern ridges likely providing the easiest access routes. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was in 1997 (externer LinkAAJ 1999: Ladakh, Pologongka, first ascent), presumably via the northern flank.
We ascended northwards from our camp at 5,650 meters to the pass at the frozen lake, which separates Chomo Chonkar Ri from Pologongka. After traversing the crevasse-free glacier basin, we reached the eastern ridge at 6,140 meters and followed it without difficulty to the summit. There were some visible crevasses along the ridge during our climb, but we did not use the rope we had brought.
It may also be possible to ascend directly to the left without crossing the glacier basin. This route would lead to the southern ridge approximately 500 meters southeast of the summit; however, while this ridge is mostly snow-free (loose scree), it appears to become steeper higher up and may have some problematic crevasses. For this reason, we opted for the slightly longer ascent via the northern ridge.
Difficulty: L, snow up to 35°. The climb took us 5 hours from our camp at 5,650 meters.
Equipment: Crampons and an ice axe are always advisable; depending on snow conditions, a rope might be necessary due to crevasses if there is significantly more or less snow.

Guide Ri (6364 m)

Guide Ri vom Pologongka aus
Guide Ri vom Pologongka aus

The second highest peak in the group was first climbed in 2018 by the Ladakh Mountain Guides Association and was named Guide Ri: externer LinkAAJ 2021: Guide Ri, Notheast Face. It is located about 3 km northwest of Pologongka and is separated from it by a pass at 6,080 meters. The easiest access to Guide Ri is likely from the north, starting in the Indus Valley. From Pologongka La, one would need to ascend the valley to the west of "our" valley and then switch to the northern side.

Thugje (6148 m)

Thugje directly above the village Thugje in the wast of the group was already climbed in 1999, see externer LinkAAJ 1999: Ladakh-Ruphsu, Thugje, first ascent.

Wetter

The weather in August 2024 was similar to 2018: most days had at least one rain shower or thunderstorm, though this year there were no completely rainy days. The stable summer weather often reported in this region seemed entirely absent this year.

During our acclimatization hikes (which started relatively late in the day), temperatures ranged from 15 to 20°C (at altitudes of 3500 to 4700 meters). During the first trek, mornings were usually around 8°C (on summit day, it was 4°C since it was still dark), and daytime temperatures ranged from 20 to 25°C.
In the Pologongka region, early morning temperatures initially were around 4°C, with light frost at higher elevations overnight. Daytime temperatures varied between 10 to 20°C depending on cloud cover. Conditions were often quite pleasant in the sun, but with cloud cover and especially wind, it quickly became uncomfortable.

Height data

For all locations visited, I used my GPS data (Garmin etrex 30). The position accuracy usually was about 3 meters; I believe that the altitude accuracy should be beter than 10 meters.

Agentur in Ladakh

We organized this trip - as our previous Ladakh trips in 2014, 2015 und 2018 - at Gesar Travel as an individual package for the three of us, from Srinagar airport until departure at Leh airport. The support team worked with great dedication throughout our trip. Our guide, Norbu, was incredibly flexible and responsive to our wishes; even last-minute changes to sightseeing plans or hikes were no issue. Overall, we were extremely satisfied and wholeheartedly recommend Gesar without any reservations.

Literature / Maps

  • For the Pologongka group: "Editions Olizane Ladakh & Zanskar 1:150 000 Sud", ISBN 978-2-88086-414-9 (with 100 m contours)
  • For Kanji / Shinguche La / Spang Nala: "Editions Olizane Ladakh & Zanskar 1:150 000 Centre", ISBN 978-2-88086-413-2 (with 100 m contours)
  • For the approach regions: "Editions Olizane Ladakh & Zanskar 1:300 000", ISBN 978-2-88086-388-3 (only a very coarse map without contours)
  • Currently the best map quality probably is given by a smartphone with map app (e.g. Locus Map) and corresponding maps, e.g. Openandromap India.
  • There is a free 1:50 000 map by Survey of India which is very rudimentary (no contours, roads updated by year 2011) but represents an interesting further source regarding the place names. It can be downloaded in single sheets as PDF. A registration with an Indian mobile phone number is necessary for creating an account. This is also possible with a Ladakhi prepaid phone card, but after about 2 weeks one gets a new one time pwassword via SMS. If the SIM card is no more usable because one has already left India, it won't work any more.
    The download limit is 7 or 8 maps per day.

Other

SIM card in Ladakh

Foreign SIM cards / contracts are unusable in Ladakh. Even a prepaid SIM card from any other Indian state will not work. You need to buy a prepaid card in Ladakh; is costs about 500-700 Rs and is valid until the expiration date of the visa (at least for our 4 week tourist e-visa). There is an Airtel store in Leh at the market (pedestrian zone near the mosque) where foreigners can get such a card. You need your passport (in original) and the ETA (printout of the electronic visa confirmation). The employees have to enter a lot of information into an app (specified by the government) and take a photo of the customer. The app then matches the photo with the passport photo (which succeeds in 50% of the cases; otherwise, all data must be re-entered), and the card can be issued. It then still needs to be activated, which is done on the spot.
The employees were very friendly and patient and cannot be blamed for the unstable app. If it takes longer, these would be the wrong people to blame. I was there for over 3 hours until the customers before me were processed, and my own card was activated on the third attempt. Internet works immediately, but calling and SMS only after a 24-hour waiting period. The card doesn't work anywhere outside of Ladakh.

Visa

Meanwhile the visa is only available in electronic form ("e-Visa"). The application form has essentially remained the same and must be filled out online. Once the form is complete (including passport photos in the unusual 1:1 format), you press 'Submit' and receive an acknowledgment - but this is not yet a visa. Only an email with the subject 'Status regarding e-VISA application no.' and containing 'Granted' in the text confirms the issuance.
Before this approval, for example, we adults were asked to provide the address, email, and phone number of our respective employers, which we dutifully submitted. (For an employer with 8,000 employees, this is of course just the general phone number and the info@.... email address.) Whatever they want to do with that...
Then, under the provided application number, you must download the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) and carry it with you. You need to show it upon entry as proof, preferably as a printout. (For a prepaid phone card, you need the printout anyway.)
We had applied for a visa for a maximum of four weeks, which at $10 is significantly cheaper than the visas on previous visits.
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