46 Download detailed itineraries from www.himalayankingdoms.com e: info@himalayankingdoms.com The Markha Valley Trek After a sensational flight across the Greater Himalaya, we spend two days acclimatising and sightseeing in the Indus valley. Both departures attend a Buddhist festival. The trek then climbs up through gorges and remote Ladakhi villages of the northern Zanskar mountains. Having crossed the Ganda La, 4,700m/15,400ft, we then enter the Markha valley. Wading the river several times we walk up the valley past extraordinary rock strata and numerous ruined fortresses dating back to the 6th century B.C. or earlier. Leaving the valley we gradually climb to the high-altitude yak pastures of Nimaling, a couple of hours walk from the base camp of Kang Yatse, 6,400m/21,000ft, the highest peak of the Zanskar range. Crossing the highest pass on trek, the Kongmaru La, 5,400m/17,700ft, gives superb views north into Tibet, the Karakoram mountains, and a sea of peaks in Kishtwar to the south. After the trek, jeeps will take us back to Leh via Hemmis, the home of Ladakh’s largest and most famous monastery. Hilltop fortress, Markha Valley Photo: Clive Hughes £1,825 £1,345 Dates: Sat 19 Jul – Wed 06 Aug, Sat 09 Aug – Wed 27 Aug land only Grade: Vigorous/Strenuous On Trek: 10 days In-Country Leader Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 8 Camping: 9 Optional: Single Room £250 Single Tent £50 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 19 days 1–3 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to Leh 4–5 Acclimatisation, sightseeing, attend Dakthok Festival (August departure) 6–15 Trek through the Markha Valley –16 At leisure, Leh, attend Phyang Tsedup Festival (July departure) 17–19 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Nubra Valley – the Moorcroft Route Nubra lies north of Leh, capital of Ladakh, and leads to the peaks of the eastern Karakoram. An ‘Inner Line’ area until very recently, it has been the wishful goal of many a trekker. We can testify to its reputation as the most beautiful region in Ladakh, since we have now taken many treks there. The operator that we use, Mr Wangchuk Kalon, comes from one of the oldest families in Ladakh whose ancestors used to be ministers to the Ladakhi kings, and who still own land in Nubra. Camel caravans historically used to trade between Yarkand and Leh and would have passed this way. Many famous explorers also passed through including the Bullock- Workmans, Francis Younghusband, and Dr Tom Longstaff. Our trek begins by flying over the top of the Greater Himalaya, then after some time in the Indus valley, we follow the route that William Moorcroft used in the early 1820s to descend into Nubra, finally exiting over the Lasermo La. £1,895 £1,465 Dates: Sat 21 Jun – Sat 12 Jul land only Grade: Vigorous/Strenuous On Trek: 11 days In-Country Leader Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 8 Camping: 12 Optional: Single Room £250 Single Tent £50 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 22 days 1–3 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to Leh 4–5 At leisure, Sightseeing Indus Valley 6–11 On trek into the Nubra Valley 12–13 Explore Nubra by Jeep 14–18 Trek out of Nubra, drive to Leh –19 At leisure 20–22 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of2clients Quest to Ladakh From the verdant valleys in Northern India we drive on the Manali–Leh highway across the Himalaya on what is proclaimed to be the second highest motorable road in the world. We camp en route, driving through grand, dramatic scenery. Arriving in Leh, capital of Ladakh, we spend some time sightseeing in the Indus Valley before trekking for four days through a string of villages in the hills west of Leh. The trek will cross passes up to 3,658m/12,000ft high, but will be taken at a leisurely pace to allow plenty of time to interact with local people, take photographs and experience village life in the Himalaya. We also spend a day attending a Buddhist festival. The final highlight is the flight back to Delhi right over the top of the Himalaya. On a clear day we can pick out K2, the world’s second highest mountain, and the vast sea of peaks stretching in every direction give some idea of the scale of the greatest mountain range on earth. £2,150 £1,680 Dates: Sat 28 Jun – Tue 15 Jul land only Grade: Gentle On Trek: 4 days European Leader: Ann Sainsbury Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 10 Camping: 6 Optional: Single Room £295 Single Tent £40 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 18 days 1–3 Fly to Delhi, rest, train to Chandigarh 4–8 Drive to Leh via Manali 9–14 On trek –15 Attend Hemmis Festival 16–18 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Featured on Irish TV Both departures attend festivals 4 2

47 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Fearsome mural, Likir Photo: Steve Berry Spiti Exploration Travellers to Ladakh have long been aware of existence of places like Spiti and Nubra. In fact the very first known photographs of the Himalaya were taken Spiti by Philip Egerton in 1862. Until recently, these places have lain beyond India’s ‘inner line’ – a sensitive border area. Only a handful of Europeans have ever been to Spiti. was first ‘discovered’ by an Indian Pundit, one of that brave band of cartographers in disguise who counted their steps use of prayer beads and recorded their findings on notes hidden in their prayer wheels. When Ladakh was at the height of its power, Spiti was outlying province and there has always been a tradition marriage between the Ladakhi royal family and the rulers Spiti. Indeed, Spiti is very similar to Ladakh: arid Himalayan mountain deserts and gorges, scattered with villages that seem as oases, and dominated by monasteries and snowcapped mountains. This trek crosses from the lush Kulu Valley in Himachal Pradesh over the Pin Parvati pass 5,100m/ 16,700ft, and then drops down to Spiti. Fantastic Himalayan scenery, but off the beaten track! £2,495 £2,025 Dates: Fri 19 Sep – Sun 12 Oct land only Grade: Vigorous/Strenuous On Trek: 13 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 7 Camping: 16 Optional: Single Room £180 Single Tent £50 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 24 days 1–2 Fly to Delhi, rest 3–4 Train to Chandigarh, drive to Kulu 5–18 Drive to roadhead, trek to Spiti 19–21 Visit Key monastery, drive to Manali 22–24 Fly to Delhi, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of5clients The Kingdom of Zanskar Trek From the pine forests and Hindu temples of Manali on the Indian side of the mountain barrier, we move to the barren land of Buddhist Zanskar by way of the Phirtse La Pass, 5,090m/16,700ft. The route winds towards the snow-covered, prayer-flagged pass and for days we are surrounded by nothing but snow and ice peaks. The arid valley of Zanskar is cut off from the outside world for all but the summer months. It is scattered with mysterious high-altitude villages with ghost traps and chortens. Zanskar women wear the wealth of the family on their heads as they work in the barley-fields, their head-dresses covered in turquoise, jade, and silver charm boxes. We visit the lonely monastery of Phuktal, which clings to a cliff face, a place for meditation for many centuries and imbued with the essence of mysticism. In Padum, the tiny capital of Zanskar, we expect to meet Punchok Dawa, one of the two kings of Zanskar. We then head towards Leh, the seat of power of the old Ladakhi kings. This finally brings us to the huge monastery at Lamayuru, where jeeps will be waiting to drive us to the capital, Leh. £2,450 £1,980 Dates: Sun 13 Jul – Tue 12 Aug land only Grade: Strenuous On Trek: 22 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 7 Camping: 23 Optional: Single Room £250 Single Tent £70 Insurance: £106 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 31 days 1–4 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to Kulu, drive to Manali, rest 5–12 Drive to roadhead, trek to Purne, via Phirtse La 13–16 Visit Phuktal gompa, trek to Padum 17–28 Trek to Lamayuru, drive to Leh 29–31 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to London Land of the Lamas – The Phuktal Gorges Trek, Zanskar There exists a set of gorges that lead into the Kingdom of Zanskar that have, in places, such narrow paths that horses cannot be used for load carrying. We will use porters instead. The scenery is utterly dramatic – box canyons, tilted gigantic rock walls, forgotten villages and traditional suspension bridges of woven twigs. From the Manali-Leh highway these gorges lead to the quintessential cliff monastery of Phuktal. Beyond here we regain the main trail leading to Padum and Zangla. Now for some real fun! A rafting expedition lasting three days following the Zanskar River seventy miles through continuous gorges until it meets the Indus. This is not a trek for the faint hearted! You need a head for heights and sure-footed feet for this totally unique trip! £2,795 £2,225 Dates: Sat 30 Aug – Sun 21 Sep land only Grade: Strenuous (Exp Gr) On Trek: 11 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 7 Camping: 14 Optional: Single Room £195 Single Tent £50 Insurance: £149 (Insurance Plus) Maximum group size: 8 persons Days Itinerary Duration: 23 days 1–3 Fly to Delhi, at leisure, fly to Kulu 4–7 Rest day, drive to roadhead including acclimatisation, begin trek 8–15 Trek the Phuktal gorges to Padum 16–17 Drive to Zangla, rest 18–20 Raft the Zanskar gorges, drive to Leh 21–23 At leisure, fly to Delhi and London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of5clients Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Improved itinerary 4