Expedition to Mt Stok Kangri |
Difficulty level: While it can be done by anyone, we recommend a high level of fitness. The trek is steep and you are in very high altitude. Training prior to the trek is also recommended along with willingness to exert yourself. It requires use of mountaineering equipment including Snow Boots, ropes etc, our team will give you the necessary training during the expedition for this
Suitable for children? No, we do not recommend this for small children as it is steep with significant height gain No of Days: We recommend 7 days ex Leh. Is it a good option for first time trekkers and families?: You need to be quite fit to do this. There are other treks that we recommend that will more enjoyable for families looking at a relaxing trek Cover photo: The multitude of colors and landscapes on offer in Ladakh. Copyright: My Himalayan Adventure
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Ladakh is a true representation of India. They say you can’t go 100 meters in India without a change in its cultural landscape...
In Ladakh you can’t go 100 meters without a change in its natural landscape and the expedition to Mt Stok Kangri is probably the best that Ladakh can offer!
The numerous hues of colors on display in Ladakh and on this climb
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Mt Stok Kangri
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Region: Ladakh
Maximum height during the trek: 6,140 mt or about 20,200 ft Distance you need to travel by road in hilly areas: About 20 km if you take a flight to Leh, if you plan to drive all the way then you are looking at around 1200 km, atleast 3-4 day drive ex Delhi. Price range for a fixed departure/custom group with 4+ people: Around 32,00-3,500 per person per day with premium facilities recommended by us-typically more enjoyable. Expeditions turn out more expensive than treks because we have to take porters instead of ponies, technical equipment etc which increases the cost, Ladakh is more expensive than other regions because of it's remoteness. Do get in touch with us to discuss what is more suitable and enjoyable for you. This price will come down if there are more than 10 people in a group Not much else needs to be said about Ladakh. A landscape vastly different from anything imaginable. Though so much has been talked and written about it that most people have an idea of the place, yet nothing can prepare you for what to expect the moment the door of the aircraft opens and this land opens its arms to you. Its awe inspiring no matter how much you’ve heard or read about it. Vegetation has suddenly given way to a dry arid landscape from which tall snowcapped mountains tower so suddenly almost like a bully reminding of his dominating presence. This Land of passes is live entertainment from the time you step out of the aircraft to the time you get back into it! Our expedition to Mt Stok Kangri is the best of Ladakh. A challenging climb in the heart of the valley that goes to a height of over 20,000 ft.. Classified as extreme altitude, testing your endurance limits and giving you boasting rights for the rest of your life to reach a place very very few will ever go. This is a proper mountaineering expedition. Use of snow boots and technical equipment while negotiating permanent snow and effective acclamatization. While a skilled mountaineer can summit Stok Kangri in 2-3 days from Leh, we give ourselves 7 days to summit and come back to Leh since the inexperienced should tread carefully in extreme altitude and follow the mountaineering and acclimatization guidelines to completely enjoy this experience. The base for this climb is Stok village- about 15 km drive from Leh. We trek to the left of the stream via Mankarmo, en route encounter routes going towards the Markha Valley and Stok la. From Mankarmo we move to the base camp, then to the Advance base camp with acclamatization days in between and finally two days for the summit attempt. Give yourself 7 days for this climb and an extra 1-2 days in Leh prior to the departure. All in all 9-10 days from Delhi/ Mumbai or another city for this experience. When combined with your weekend holidays you need 7-8 working days off. |
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Trekking ahead from Harkidoon towards Jumdar glacier
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Sounds like a great trek, but what are the things I should consider before going for this trek?
1) Are you comfortable with road travel in the mountains?
Mountain roads are normally quite windy and twisty, occasionally bumpy and for those who are not used to mountains roads, drives may be uncomfortable. Keep this in mind while choosing your trek and while planning your itinerary. If you are uncomfortable with long drives and think you may get motion sickness, then you could plan a trek with a short travel time in the mountains, or you could look at splitting your travel time into extra days, if not then there are certain suggestions such as taking a car with a low body-roll, homemade remedies that have worked for us such as keeping a candy in your mouth etc.
Good thing about the expedition to Mt Stok Kangri is that most people fly into Leh and therefore you only need to travel about 20 km in mountain roads to get to the base. So you should not face too many issues.
2) Are you looking at something leisurely or something challenging?
Leisurely treks have well marked trails, have between 2-4 hours of trekking a day and can be managed without much difficulty. These are better for beginners or those who come with the intention of enjoying themselves more than exerting. Challenging treks can have difficult terrain, 6-7 hours of walking a day, go to high altitude an therefore have to plan their itinerary very well so that their body is well acclamatized. They not only require a high fitness level but high mental endurance.
On less challenging treks we are also able to offer better facilities because carrying things up is easier and less expensive. Facilities get more basic as the trek challenge levels go up because carrying additions gets harder.
Typically, if you want your first taste of the mountains and Himalayan wilderness, then we recommend a more leisurely trek and you will enjoy that trek much more. Too much challenge first time may put you or your family off. Take is slow is what we suggest. Start with a leisurely trek where you aren't that exposed to the extremes, can spend more time at camp with your loved ones, enjoy the great food, the scenery, walk around, click photographs, play some games etc so that you soak in the experience. On challenging treks you are likely to be too tired to do most of this stuff.
The expedition to Mt Stok Kangri is definitely challenging. You will be trekking for long hours, you will get tired, there will be effects of high altitude that make it harder to walk, you could also feel the effects of altitude.
Are you coming with a family/young kids who you want to initiate to the Himalayas?
On similar lines with our previous point. If you are coming with family/trying to initiate your children to the Himalayas, the first experience should not be to difficult that puts them off. Keep the first experience light which gives them limited exposure where they are spending more time enjoying their surroundings.
Given the level of challenge you will face during the expedition to Mt Stok Kangri, we will not recommend this to families/young kids as their first experience to the Himalayas for the reasons mentioned above
What sort of terrain do you like? Glaciers/meadows/forests/villages?
This is a personal choice without any right or wrong answers. Some may prefer glaciers and base of mountains with permanent snow, others may want meadows and forests, others will want to spend time in local villages.
Ladakh is a completely different terrain from anywhere else in the Himalayas. You will be in glaciers and permanent snow during this expedition.
How many days do you have?
While there are companies that are doing this in 3-4 days, we do not recommend this as you will be gaining altitude way faster than your body can take. This not only affects your chances of summitting but also can be dangerous for your health. We recommend doing this in atleast 6 days and spend atleast 1 to 2 extra days in Leh before you begin the expedition to Stok Kangri. So you will require about 7-8 days for this at the minimum. Combined with your weekend holidays, you require 5-6 days off.
Time of the year?
The best time to do Stok Kangri between July and September. It can be done in June and October as well but we don’t recommend it then as there will be too much snow or very cold.
Budget?
Trekking can be expensive. You are paying for your flights, booking a taxi to get to the trek base and then the trek. Because everything needs to carried up, because we have highly trained staff and include all facilities to make your experience enjoyable, there is a decent cost to trekking.
While there are companies that are doing treks at low costs, there are certain compromises to quality that we do not make to our facilities, to the number of people we take in our fixed departures to ensure a personalized experience.
We have mentioned the price brackets for the Stok Kangri expedition in the previous page, while we can do it at budget facilities, more premium facilities at a slightly higher cost are what we recommend because we have tailor made them to maximize enjoyment in the mountains.
1) Are you comfortable with road travel in the mountains?
Mountain roads are normally quite windy and twisty, occasionally bumpy and for those who are not used to mountains roads, drives may be uncomfortable. Keep this in mind while choosing your trek and while planning your itinerary. If you are uncomfortable with long drives and think you may get motion sickness, then you could plan a trek with a short travel time in the mountains, or you could look at splitting your travel time into extra days, if not then there are certain suggestions such as taking a car with a low body-roll, homemade remedies that have worked for us such as keeping a candy in your mouth etc.
Good thing about the expedition to Mt Stok Kangri is that most people fly into Leh and therefore you only need to travel about 20 km in mountain roads to get to the base. So you should not face too many issues.
2) Are you looking at something leisurely or something challenging?
Leisurely treks have well marked trails, have between 2-4 hours of trekking a day and can be managed without much difficulty. These are better for beginners or those who come with the intention of enjoying themselves more than exerting. Challenging treks can have difficult terrain, 6-7 hours of walking a day, go to high altitude an therefore have to plan their itinerary very well so that their body is well acclamatized. They not only require a high fitness level but high mental endurance.
On less challenging treks we are also able to offer better facilities because carrying things up is easier and less expensive. Facilities get more basic as the trek challenge levels go up because carrying additions gets harder.
Typically, if you want your first taste of the mountains and Himalayan wilderness, then we recommend a more leisurely trek and you will enjoy that trek much more. Too much challenge first time may put you or your family off. Take is slow is what we suggest. Start with a leisurely trek where you aren't that exposed to the extremes, can spend more time at camp with your loved ones, enjoy the great food, the scenery, walk around, click photographs, play some games etc so that you soak in the experience. On challenging treks you are likely to be too tired to do most of this stuff.
The expedition to Mt Stok Kangri is definitely challenging. You will be trekking for long hours, you will get tired, there will be effects of high altitude that make it harder to walk, you could also feel the effects of altitude.
Are you coming with a family/young kids who you want to initiate to the Himalayas?
On similar lines with our previous point. If you are coming with family/trying to initiate your children to the Himalayas, the first experience should not be to difficult that puts them off. Keep the first experience light which gives them limited exposure where they are spending more time enjoying their surroundings.
Given the level of challenge you will face during the expedition to Mt Stok Kangri, we will not recommend this to families/young kids as their first experience to the Himalayas for the reasons mentioned above
What sort of terrain do you like? Glaciers/meadows/forests/villages?
This is a personal choice without any right or wrong answers. Some may prefer glaciers and base of mountains with permanent snow, others may want meadows and forests, others will want to spend time in local villages.
Ladakh is a completely different terrain from anywhere else in the Himalayas. You will be in glaciers and permanent snow during this expedition.
How many days do you have?
While there are companies that are doing this in 3-4 days, we do not recommend this as you will be gaining altitude way faster than your body can take. This not only affects your chances of summitting but also can be dangerous for your health. We recommend doing this in atleast 6 days and spend atleast 1 to 2 extra days in Leh before you begin the expedition to Stok Kangri. So you will require about 7-8 days for this at the minimum. Combined with your weekend holidays, you require 5-6 days off.
Time of the year?
The best time to do Stok Kangri between July and September. It can be done in June and October as well but we don’t recommend it then as there will be too much snow or very cold.
Budget?
Trekking can be expensive. You are paying for your flights, booking a taxi to get to the trek base and then the trek. Because everything needs to carried up, because we have highly trained staff and include all facilities to make your experience enjoyable, there is a decent cost to trekking.
While there are companies that are doing treks at low costs, there are certain compromises to quality that we do not make to our facilities, to the number of people we take in our fixed departures to ensure a personalized experience.
We have mentioned the price brackets for the Stok Kangri expedition in the previous page, while we can do it at budget facilities, more premium facilities at a slightly higher cost are what we recommend because we have tailor made them to maximize enjoyment in the mountains.
Interested? Do get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you
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Trekking with
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