DARCHA - PADUM TREK

Season: June to September
Duration: 05 days drive / 10 day trek
Grade: Moderate to Strenious

This is one of the best adventure treks in the Himalayas. You drive up the Kulu valley to Manali, surrounded by pine forests, terraced fields and orchards of apple and orange trees. After a rest in Manali you drive over the famous Rohtang Pass and descend into the Lahaul valley, which is surrounded by snow capped mountains. At Chika you meet your trek staff and horses, and set off on foot into the Himalaya. The terrain immediately becomes dramatic and arid as you enter a land of Tibetan Buddhism. The white chortens and prayer flags form part of this striking landscape with its ancient monasteries and friendly local people in their colourful traditional dress.

Day 01: ARRIVE NEW DELHI
Arrive in the early morning and after clearing customs you will be met by our representative who will be holding a placard and transferred by taxi to your hotel. In the afternoon there is a guided tour of Delhi. Delhi basically is 7 cities all merged into one and laced together by the new city of the British Raj, designed by Lutyens & Baker. It was one of the boldest expressions anywhere in the world of British Imperial ambitions and has endless sightseeing possibilities. In the afternoon we will tour Old Delhi, visiting the Raj Ghat memorial at the site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated, the Red Fort, once the most lavish fort and palace of the Mughal Empire and the Qutab Minar, or tower of victory rising five storeys and impressively ornate.

RED FORT: This imposing monument to the rule of Shah Jahan was begun in 1639 and completed in 1648, taking its name from the red sandstone used in its construction. It is said to have cost 10 million rupees to build, much of it spent on the opulent marble royal palaces within. Here the Emperor exercised his divine authority in the Halls of Public and Private Audience - seated in the latter on the fabulous gold-canopied Peacock Throne that was inlaid with a vast number of sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds.

DAY 02: TRAVEL BY TRAIN TO CHANDIGARH, AFTERNOON AT LEISURE, THEN BEGIN DRIVE TO MANALI
You make an early morning transfer to the station for the morning Shatabdi Express, air conditioned train to Chandigarh. (Timings are usually 07.40 depart, arrive at 11.00 am.) The city, purpose-built in the 1950s as the new capital of the Punjab after Lahore was handed over to Pakistan, was largely designed by Le Corbusier. The result is not yet the forward-looking statement of faith in a modern Indian society it was designed to be, although for visitors it is a fascinating view of 1950's utopian town planning.

Later you begin the drive to Manali, stopping after about an hour at Nalagarh, the gateway to Himachal Pradesh, where you will stay tonight. This fort on a hillock was built in 1421 during the reign of Raja Bikram Chand, and stands amid acres of greenery with a panoramic view of the Shivalik Hills. It is now a hotel with air-conditioned rooms, and facilities include a swimming pool, golf course and health club. Overnight at the Nalagarh Fort Resort.

DAY 03: CONTINUE DRIVE TO MANALI. (6,430ft/1,960m)
The remaining 250km road journey should take about 7 hrs. The road crosses the northern plains - dead flat, highly cultivated and bustling with life - before reaching the foothills that begin abruptly at Kalka. From then on the road winds upwards through to Manali. Overnight hotel.

THE KULU VALLEY: The Kulu valley is one of the most enchanting parts of Himachal Pradesh. Through the Valley runs the Beas River, bordered by paddy fields in the monsoon and wheat fields in the winter. Conifers and rhododendrons grow on the upper slopes which are covered by snow in winter. To the northwest of the valley is the white mass of the Solang Valley and to the north is the Rohtang Pass (4,075 meters (13,370 feet), the gateway to the Great Himalayas. The road to Lahaul and Leh in Ladakh crosses the Rohtang Pass.

DAY 04 : DAY AT LEISURE IN MANALI
A free day in Manali; it is a great place to relax after a trek with good souvenir shopping, a Tibetan monastery and lots of good restaurants. You could also make the hour long drive by taxi to the village of Naggar, once the capital of the Kulu district. Naggar is noted for its old fort with spectacular views over the valley below, the Roerich art gallery and several interesting Hindu temples. Overnight hotel.

DAY 05: DRIVE TO CHIKA. Manali - Chika (3375 mts) - 165 Kms
Today we drive northwards over the spectacular Rohtang Pass(13,370 ft.) and into the Buddhist land of Lahoul. Beyond the reaches of the monsoon, it is an area more akin to the high altitude desert of Tibet than the alpine scenery we have left behind. Following the Chandra river towards Keylong, the capital of Lahoul, This journey is on rough roads, but the spectacular scenery fully makes up for any discomfort. Stop for lunch in Keylong. Beyond Keylong we drive to Chika (approximately 2.5h hours drive time) Camp in Chika and meet the rest of the camp crew. Overnight camp.

DAY 06: TREK TO ZANKAR SAMDO (3860m) Approximately 5 hours Walk
We follow the river bank and cross over a suspension bridge before reaching our campsite.

DAY 07: TREK TO CHUMINAKPO (4380m) Approximately 6 hours walk
There is a gradual ascent along the Shingo Chu river before we climb up towards the high peaks of the Zanskar range of Mountains and camp at the base of the Shingo La pass.

DAY 08: TREK TO LAKHANG VIA THE SHINGO LA PASS (Shingola 5050m) (Lakhong 4400m) Approximately 7 hours journey
This is a demanding days walk upto the Shingo La pass, gateway to the Zanskar valley. After crossing this pass we decend down into Zanskar and camp in Lakhong by the banks of a river.

DAY 09: TREK TO KARGYAK (4150m) Approximately 6 hour walk
Early this morning you will cross over the Shingo river and walk along grassy meadows. Camp in Kargyak.

DAY 10: TREK TO TESTA (4203m) Approximately 5 hour walk
We follow an easy trail along the valley floor, past the village of Kuru to our campsite near the village of Testa.

DAY 11: TREK TO PURNE (3660m) Approximately 4 hours walk
You finally meet the main Zanskar valley and pass through the villages of Tabla and Testa before a steep descent takes us to a further bridge that you cross to your campsite at Purne. There are a couple of shops in Purne selling soft drinks, chocolate and a few other items.

DAY 12: TREK TO PHUKTAL (4132m) Approximately 4.5 hours walk
You walk up a very deep and impressive gorge with a fast flowing river to this remarkable and remote monastery. The 500 hundred year old Gompa is builit literally on the side of a cliff. Here you can visit the inner temples and see a stone tablet left by the Hungarian, Alexander Csoma de Koros, one of the first explorers in Tibet, 1826-27.

Day 13: TREK TO MUNE (3893m) Approximately 7 hours walk
A long day as we walk along the Zanskar valley along the banks of the Lungnat River. We reach camp in the late afternoon. Our campsite will be close to the village monastery.

DAY 14: REST DAY. AT LEISURE
Overnight camp

DAY 15: TREK TO PADUM (3637m) Approximately 6 hours walk
From Mune the trail leads us past another impressive monastery, the Barden Gompa, which is perched upon a tall rock with fine views of Padum, our final trek destination. Arrive Padum in the late afternoon. Overnight camp.

DAY 16: DRIVE BY JEEP TO KARGIL (2800m)
A days drive by jeep to Kargil. En-route stop for Lunch. The road, which opened in 1980, goes through the fertile Suru Valley and continues over the Pensi La pass (4200m) before decending down to Kargil. Overnight the Hotel Siachin.

DAY 17: DRIVE TO LEH (3520m)
We continue our drive to Leh via the Fatu La pass (4000m) and en-route we will visit the Lamayuru Gompa. Perched upon a drained lake on an eroded crag and overlooked by massive mountains, makes this a special place. The Lamayuru Gompa is the oldest known Gompa (monastery) in Ladakh and dates back to the 10th century. There are renowned collections of carpets, thangkas (Buddhist murials) and Frescoes. Arrive Leh in the early evening and stay at the Padma Hotel and Guest House.

DAY 18: AT LEISURE IN LEH
Time to relax or explore the main bazaar, where there are many shops and good restaurants.

LEH: The capital of Ladakh, has long been a remote and fascinating outpost. Its situation in the upper Indus Valley made it an important crossroads for pilgrims and traders. Pilgrims continued from here along the Indus Valley to Mt Kailash and Tibet, while traders would set off with their caravans over the Karakoram pass to the markets of Yarkland, Kashgir and central Asia.

DAY 19: FLY TO DELHI
Transfer to the Domestic airport to board the 10:30am Alliance Air Flight to Delhi. Arrive Delhi at 11:45hrs. This spectacular flight over some of the highest mountains in the world is one of the highlights of this trek. On your arrival in Delhi you will be met by our agents and transferred by txi to the 4 star Park Hotel. Rest of day at leisure. Late evening transfer by taxi to the airport to board your return flight home.

DAY 20: FLY BACK HOME