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Contents
1. Introduction to the Zanskar Trek
I booked a 48 day trip with Project Himalaya that went from Leh to Spiti and onto Delhi via Shimla. 36 days of the 48 day trip involved trekking through Zanska from Kanji village in Ladakh to Spiti. The itinerary for my Zanskar trek can be seen on the Project Himalaya website.
I had never been to Ladakh before and decided to do the easy 3 day Sham Valley trek and the 4 day Markha Valley trek by myself before doing the Zanskar trek.
I don't normally like trekking in a group but Project Himalaya's treks are different:
The itineraries are adventurous and Jamie McGuinness (the leader) likes to get off the beaten track. He certainly does this in Ladakh and Zanskar!
The group sizes are smaller and on the Zanskar trek there were only 5 trekkers plus Jamie and his partner. There were only 5 local staff on the trip as horses were used to carry all the loads.
The trekkers don't walk closely together in a line as happens with most other group treks. There weren't any guides at the front and rear of the group and sometimes we were so spread out that there was no one else in sight.
Pitching and taking down tents were the trekkers' responsibility. As a result we could find our own spot to pitch our tents and our tents weren't crammed next to each other.
We were very fortunate that the river levels in Zanskar were low in 2024. We still had to wade through a lot of them. Often the river beds were uneven and the rocks were slippery. In high water the crossings would have been a challenge. I found it a hassle changing from boots to water shoes and then back again for each river crossing
Everything went well on the Zanskar trek until we left the village of Kargyak on the 26th day of the trek. Three of us became sick from drinking contaminated water and one trekker had to turn back the next morning. The water had been filtered but I hadn't realised that filtering doesn't remove viruses. If I had realised this I would have used my Steripen to sterilise the water.
I managed to treat the diarrhoea with Azithromycin but couldn't stop the vomiting and nausea. I trekked for a further 3 days until we reached the village of Sarchu. I then returned to Leh with one of the other sick trekkers and a trekker who was doing the shorter version of the Zanskar trek that finished in Sarchu.
As a result I missed out on the final 8 days of the Zanskar trek, the 4 day jeep ride from Spiti to Shimla and the train from Shimla to Delhi. It was a real shame but until I got sick the Zanskar trek had been fantastic. I still have stomach pains 6 weeks after becoming sick and I am having blood and stool samples analysed to try and determine the problem. It could be amoebic dysentery.
2. Map of the Zanskar Trek
The most detailed maps for the Zanskar trek are published by Olizane and their maps for Ladakh & Zanskar Centre and Ladakh & Zanskar South covered my trek. The Olizane maps are expensive and can be purchaed online and in Leh. Cheaper and less detailed maps for the Zanskar trek can be purchased in Leh and on Amazon.
The map below shows the first section my Zanskar trek and is an extract from the Olizane Ladakh & Zanskar Centre map.
21 August 2024 - Drive from Leh to Lamayuru (3550m)
We set off at 09.30 from Leh in 2 vehicles to drive to the starting point of our Zanskar trek. On the way we stopped at Alchi to visit the oldest monastery in Ladakh. It dates back to the 12th century and has 3 very beautiful and unspoiled temples. Unfortunately photography is forbidden inside the temples.
The temples are very small but fortunately we visited just before they closed for the morning and we were the only ones visiting. It wouldn't have been a good experience with too many people.
We had lunch at the popular and highly rated Alchi Kitchen. After a very good meal of vegetable momos we drove on to Lamayuru and checked into a reasonable hotel. We all had rooms with attached bathrooms which is much better than I expected. I think the hotel was the Moonland. There is now a newer and better hotel called the Grand Moonland but it was full.
There is a spectacular monastery at Lamayuru and we spent a couple of hours visiting it. We were again very fortunate that there were no other visitors. Unfortunately photography isn't allowed in most of the temples.
22 August 2024 - Drive from Lamayuru to Kanji (3850m)
In the morning we did a 3 hour hike from our hotel in Lamayuru and this entailed hiking over a 3,700 metre pass.
We returned to Lamayuru for a basic lunch and then drove to a campsite in the village of Kanji for the start of the Zanskar trek. On the way to Kanji we stopped at numerous viewpoints and walked through a dramatic gorge just before Kanji.
The campsite was in a very scenic position. Kanji is an interesting village with some old Tibetan houses, a Gompa and excellent views of the surrounding valley and mountains. There is at least 1 homestay there.
23 August 2024 -Trek to Kanji River Junction (4200m)
We started the Zanskar trek today. It was an easy walk from the village of Kanji (3,700 metres) to our next campsite at 4,200 metres. It took 6 hours but we had numerous stops for photography and we also had lunch on the way. We had to cross the river about 7 times but fortunately the river level was low. We couldn't hike any further due to the risk of altitude sickness.
24 August 2024 - Trek to Kanji La Base Camp (4345 metres)
It was another easy 3 hour walk today due to not being able to ascend too high because of the risk of altitude sickness. We had to cross the river several times but didn't have to change into water footwear as we could jump over.
Two trekkers had become sick on the day we left Leh and were coughing and spluttering. I am germ phobic and tried to keep my distance as I didn't want to catch their bug at the start of the Zanskar trek. One of them struggled on today's easy hike and hopefully he will be able to complete tomorrow's hike as it is one of the toughest sections of the Zanskar trek.
25 August 2024 - Trek over the Kanji La (5,250m)
The start of the 900 metre ascent up the Kanji La was meant to be from near our campsite but the trail couldn't be located. We could have walked 5 minutes back to the camp to check the route with the horseman. Instead it was decided that we should scramble 230 metres up a steep scree gully!
When we got to the top we could see the trail in the distance and had to traverse across a steep scree slope to reach it. It was a hard slog to the top of the pass and we stopped for lunch just before the top.
There was an Italian group at the top who had come from the opposite direction. They were doing a much shorter 8 day Zanskar trek and were finishing at Kanji village.
It was then an 850 metre descent to our campsite. One person took the wrong route near the end and Jamie had to go back to find him.
Three of us arrived at the campsite at 17.00 and we were tired and dehydrated after a 9 hour hike. One of the trekkers who was sick took 11 hours! After putting up our tents it was time for dinner and then bed! This turned out to be the toughest section of the Zanskar trek.
26 August 2024 - Trek over the Pudzong La (5020m)
We had to cross over the 5,020 metre high Pudzong La today which involved ascending 620 metres and then descending 720 metres. We had to wade through the river a few times on the way up the Pudzong La.
It was a 7 hour hike and fortunately it was easier than yesterday. We arrived at our campsite at 15.00 which gave us time to relax.
27 August 2024 - Trek to Dibling (3850m)
It was a short 2 hour hike to the village of Dibling. There were 2 river crossings but they have now built bridges across the river.
We camped in the centre of the village which is unspoiled as the road from Lingshed doesn't reach Dibling yet. The villagers were very friendly and the village is very photogenic.
It was interesting staying in Dibling and watching daily life. They were cutting hay and transporting it on their backs from the fields to the top of their houses for winter. In the evening hundreds of goats came back to the village for the night.
The only disadvantage of staying in the village was the dogs barking at night. Jamie got out of his tent at 02.30 and shooed away one dog by throwing stones at it.
28 August 2024 - Trek to Lingshed Sumdo
We left Dibling at 08.00 and followed a path above the river. There was one hairy section where a slip would have resulted in a serious fall. After a while we reached an area where a road to Dibling is being constructed. It will probably take 3 years to complete as the terrain is so difficult. So many roads are being constructed in Zanskar.
We were told that it would take 1 hour to walk to our campsite after lunch. Unfortunately the first campsite wasn't suitable. It ended up taking just over 2 hours to ascend 700 metres to a very rocky area where the horsemen had decided to camp for the night. The two sick trekkers took 4 hours.
Most of us now have colds or coughs. I started a slight cold yesterday. On previous treks I often had trouble sleeping above 4,000 metres but so far on the Zanskar trek I haven't had a problem.
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