Soul of Ladakh
A gentle walk up the Sang (Shang) valley, a green side valley off the Indus near Hemis. Starting from Martselang, the trail follows the stream through barley fields and poplar groves to the village of Shang, its old gompa perched high above braided irrigation channels, and on to the new Shang monastery and Shang Sumdo. Do it as a day walk, or stay the night with a local family.
7 km2–3 hrs
Drive about 1 hr from Leh to Martselang on the Indus. Walk up the valley to Shang Sumdo at the confluence of two streams, then on to Shang village and its old gompa. Lunch in the poplar grove by the new monastery. Return to Leh, or stay overnight in a village homestay.
Spend the morning with your host family in the fields and kitchen, then walk back down to Martselang and drive to Leh.
More soul of ladakh
EasyAn 8-day journey through the living heart of Ladakhi Buddhism. Visit the great monasteries of the Sham valley (Lamayuru, Alchi and Likir) and the Indus valley (Shey, Thiksey and Hemis), sit with a Ladakhi oracle, then cross the Khardung La to the gompas of Nubra before ending at the high lakes of Pangong and Tso Moriri. The pace is slow, with time to join morning prayers and simply be still.
EasyA day in Stok, the village of Ladakh's royal family, just 15 km from Leh across the Indus. Explore Stok palace, built in 1820 by King Tsepal Namgyal and still home to the royal family, with a museum of royal costumes, jewellery, coins and thangkas. Visit Stok monastery, then wander through the barley fields and lanes of the village below Stok Kangri.
ModerateA full-day walk between two of the Sham region's most isolated villages. Tar can only be reached on foot, through a dramatic river gorge from Nurla on the Leh–Kargil highway. From Tar a steep zigzag trail climbs to the Hipti La (4,200m), with wide views over the Sham mountains and the Indus, before dropping to the small farming village of Hipti. Keep an eye out for blue sheep on the slopes.
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