THE ZANSKAR RIVER EXPEDITION

A self contained multi-day river adventure down the spectacular and scenic Zanskar river gorge. The trip takes you down theextremely desolate, remote and sheer Zanskar gorge with walls rising a few thousand feet out of the river bed, culminating on themighty Indus river. This, combined with hikes and visits to various Gompas in the Ladakh and Zanskar region makes this a fascinating trip to the last truly lost horizon of our shrinking planet Zanskar, the "land of white copper". This run through Grade
III/IV rapids enhance the experience of journeying down this gorge.

Day 01 Delhi / Leh Fly from Delhi to Leh. Leh, the capital of Ladakh is situated at a height of 3505 meters and is towards the eastern parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The region is watered by the Zanskar River, which flows into the Indus River just below. Assistance on arrival and transfer to your hotel for overnight stay.

Day 02 Leh Get Acclimatized and enjoy a sightseeing tour of Leh.
Overnight in Leh.

Day 03 Leh / Kargil Drive from Leh to Kargil (180kms) and check-in at a hotel. Kargil is nestled in the Himalaya, giving it a cool, temperate climate. Summers are cool with frigid nights, while winters are long and cold with temperatures, often dropping to -40 °C (-40 °F). The Zanskar plateau is even colder, thus making it a near-uninhabitable place for humans to stay, except for the hardy Khampas. The entire Kargil district is spread over 14,086 km².Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 04 Kargil / Rangdum Drive from Kargil to Rangdum (12,000ft) and check-in at a camp. The farthest and the most isolated part of the Suru Valley, Rangdum is an elliptical expanded plateau surrounded by colourful hills on the one side and glacier encrusted rocky mountains on the other. Situated 130 kms South- east of Kargil, it falls midway between Kargil and Padum. Due to its remoteness from inhabited parts either of Suru or Zanskar, the areas wild beauty is almost haunting, while its isolation is near perfect even as the unpaved Zanskar road traverses its length. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 05 Rangdum / Padum Drive from Rangdum to Padum (8hrs) and check-in at a camp. Once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Zanskar, Padum(3505 m) is the present day administrative headquarters of the region. With a population of nearly 1500, Padum can be described as the most populous settlement of Zanskar, otherwise a very scarcely inhabited valley. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 06 Padum After a leisurely breakfast visit Karsha Gompa.
Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 07 Padum / Zangla Raft from Padum to Zangla (5hrs;30km; Class II) and check-in at a camp. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 08 Zangla / Nyevak Raft from Zangla to Nyevak (6hrs;40km;ClassIII) and check-in at a camp. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 09 Nyerak / Markha Raft from Nyerak to Markha (5.5hrs;35km)and check-in at a camp. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 10 Markha After a refreshing breakfast at the camp, set out for a hiking tour to Kaya and Skiu. Return to camp for overnight stay.

Day 11 Markha / Nimu After an early leisurely breakfast at the camp raft from Markha to Nimu (3hrs;25kms)and check-in at a camp. Overnight stay at the camp.

Day 12 Nimu / Leh Raft from Nimu to Saspul (3hrs;20kms). Visit Alchi Gompa and drive to Leh. Overnight stay at Leh hotel.

Day 13 Leh Reserved day for flight availability.

Day 14 Leh / Delhi Transfer to airport to board flight to Delhi.Assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 15 Delhi / Depart Assistance and transfer to airport for your onward flight back home.

Note: This trip can be combined with a Zanskar or around Leh