Ladakh offers great opportunities for undertaking adventure activities amidst landscapes of breathtaking, rugged beauty. The most popular and best established among these are trekking, mountaineering and river rafting.

TREKKING

Trekking possibilities include short, day long walks up anddown mountain slopes to visit isolated villages or monastic settlements, or across a ridge to enjoy the sheer beauty of the lunar mountainscape. Or long, trans mountain treks involving weeks of walking and camping in the wilderness.

For example, the trek from Lamayuru in the Indus Valley to Darcha in Lahoul across Zanskar takes nearly three weeks.

Most of the established routes traverse the Zanskar range which separates the Indus Valley from Zanskar. The 10-day Markha Valley trek, the 11-day Lamayuru-Padum traverse and the Stok-Khangri round trek are the more popular ones among the numerous options available in this convoluted mountain mass. In recent years, parts of the Ladakh range between the Indus and Shayok valleys have also become available for trekking. The traditional trekking season extends from early June to mid-October. But localized treks within the Indus Valley can be undertaken even in May. On the other hand, some routes are suitable only for late autumn as during the summer, the bed of narrow valleys through which the tracks lie become turbulent streams, as in the case of the 13-day Hemis-Markha-Padum trek. The winter access to the Zanskar Valley is actually along the frozen surface of the Zanskar river. This route, known as Chaddar, calls for elaborate arrangements, but it is perhaps the most exciting trek in the world.

RIVER RAFTING

A range of rafting options is available on the Indus and its major tributaries. The best stretch for professionally guided runs in white water is on the Indus between Spituk and Saspol. Beyond Saspol, the river becomes difficult and running it requires technically skilled participants and careful organisation. Upward of Spituk, the Indus has the easiest stretch up to Karu, ideal for basic training and for day-return "scenic floating" for amateurs.

In recent years, running the Indus has become an attractive alternative to trekking and features on the itinerary of most visitors. The most difficult but exciting option for river running is on the Zanskar along its spectacular course through the gorge in the Zanskar mountains, between Padum and Nimo. This is suitable only for well organized white-water expeditions, prepared for several days of river running and camping in absolute wilderness. Participants are required to be trained rafters. Adequate arrangements for rescue coverage is an essential pre- requisite for embarking upon a white-water expedition on a river like the Zanskar.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

The area most frequented by foreign climbers is the Nun-Kun Massif in the Great Himalayan Range. Its easy accessibility from the Kargil-Padum road and the shortest possible approach march to the base camps makes this massif the most attractive climbing destination in the Great Himalaya, necessitating advance booking years' ahead.

Among its six known peaks accessible from the Suru Valley, Nun (7,135 m) and Kun (7,077 m) are the highest summits. The area nearest to Leh is the Stok-khangri Massif in the Zanskar mountains, south of Leh. The base camp for the various peaks of this massif is about two days' trek from the village of Stok. Among its known peaks, Stokkhangri (6,150 m) is the highest; it offers a spectacular perspective to the central expanse of the Indus Valley which it dominates. Other peaks in the area include Gulap Khangri (5,900 m), Matho West (5,950 m) and Kantaka (5,275 m). The much higher Konglacha Peak (6,700 m) lies south-west of Leh and is reached via Rumbak on the first leg of the Markha Valley trek from Stok.

Many un-named peaks in the altitude range of 5,500 metres and 6,400 metres are also available for climbing in the same region. This entire area falls well outside the Inner Line, or restricted area. North of Leh, across the Ladakh Range and the Nubra Valley, lies the Karakoram range. It soars to a number of known peaks which are, however, within the restricted area and so not freely accessible to foreign climbers except with special permission from the Government of India. The most prominent summits in this range which are accessible from various parts of the Nubra Valley include, Saser-I (7,415 m), Saser-II (7,513m) and Saser-III(7,495 m).

The climbing season extends from mid-May to mid-October, the ideal period being from June to September because during this time only Ladakh remains unaffected by the monsoon which holds sway over most of the Himalaya. Foreign climbing expeditions are required to obtain permission from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for climbing all listed peaks.