The Sham Valley Trek is probably the one most ideal for beginners and families in Ladakh. Even so, it is still one of the most enjoyable as one comes across villages, and views on the way that give insights into Ladakhi village life. One will notice how a stream of glacial water has led to an oasis of life amidst barren wilderness, not to mention the smiles on the faces of people living there.
Board the early morning flight from Delhi to Leh. It takes a little more than an hour to get to Leh, the capital of Ladakh. On a clear day the flight offers excellent views of the mighty Himalayas. Arrive at the hotel for welcome drinks followed by breakfast. Spend the rest of the day at leisure & acclimatise.
A day for acclimatization. Optional visit to the Leh palace and the Shey, Thikse and Hemis gompas. Last minute shopping in the Leh market.
It’s about 1.5 hrs drive to Likir from where we start the walk which goes parallel to a motorable road that ascends to Phobe La (3580m). From the pass we leave the road to take a descending track leading to a gorge which finally takes us back on the road. At this point one can view Sumdo village with its few houses. We leave the road again to climb up to Chagatse La (3630m) after crossing the stream on a wooden bridge. One starts seeing the Yangthang village where we camp for the night.
t’s a relatively short walk to HemisShukpachen village. We cross Tsermangchan La (3720m) to get to the village, which has its own beauty with a rich cultural background, myths and mysteries. There is a bunch of juniper trees on one side, which is not disturbed by the villagers for a superstitious belief they attach with it. There are a couple of guest houses and homestays in the village.
Today, we cross a pass called Meptak La (3980m) after which we reach the Ang village. We board the waiting vehicles to be driven to Leh. We visit Alchi monastery on our way back to Leh.
Early morning transfer to Airport for Leh – Delhi flight. Trip Ends!
A bunch of us friends recently got in touch with Aquaterra Adventures to set up a whitewater rafting trip on the Tons River in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. The Aquaterra team were excellent in every way: they were superbly efficient, highly reassuringly safe and extremely warm, friendly and hospitable.
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There isn’t a more classy example of a team that is so well organised, courteous, warm and welcoming! The arrangements right from the camping sights, food, refreshments and stay were so extremely comfortable, of-course the food and the variety offered just beat everything else.
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Camp Bagi (near Mori, Uttarakhand) is a beautifully located and professionally maintained wilderness camping site. Operated by Aquaterra, the gold standard in adventure tours in India, it offered us a highly memorable rafting, hiking and camping experience over the 4 days that we stayed there (May 28-31, 2019)
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Great job by the team, especially Rana. We went with 2 kids aged 2.5 yrs and 6.5 yrs and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My elder one loved the trek and the rafting experience was great too! Definitely recommend it for others.
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