THE ZANSKAR RIVER EXPEDITION

Dates: Aug 7-20, Aug 21 – Sep 03, 2004

Our "special" yearly feature which runs a spectacular two weeks covering most of western Ladakh, monasteries, palaces, villages, hikes and travel down three rivers. The trip begins with a flight over the Himalayas into the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We spend a few days in Leh town acclimatizing at 11,000 feet above sea level and visiting the ancient monasteries, palaces and villages around Leh. We drive west of Leh past the town of Kargil and travel south into the valley of Zanskar, one of the coldest inhabited places on earth. Staring the trip on the Doda river, we begin our self contained multi-day river adventure down the spectacular and scenic Zanskar river gorge. The trip takes you down the extremely desolate, remote and sheer Zanskar gorge with walls rising a few thousand feet out of the river bed, culminating on the mighty Indus river, (which incidentally lends India its name) at the historic monastic conclave at Alchi.
Undoubtedly a classic, this journey to the last truly lost horizon of our shrinking planet - Zanskar, the "land of white copper is a trip of a lifetime.

Itinerary

Day 0: Arrive in Delhi Ex International Flight - exact costs and details for this day can only be worked out once your international flight details are decided.

Day 1: Fly Delhi - Leh. Transfer to hotel. Rest and acclimatise. Overnight Leh.

Day 2: Leh. Acclimatise and sightseeing. Light activity and short walks till Leh palace and the town's exciting market and outdoor restaurants. For the more energetic a visit to a few monasteries such as Shey, Thikse and Hemis will be arranged. Visit the Womens Alliance or the Ecological centre at 4:30 pm to watch a film on Ladakh. Overnight Leh.

Day 3: Drive Leh - Kargil. We drive from Leh to Mulbek - Kargil, through a spectacular moonscape. We drive over the Fotu La (14,000 ft), a high mountain pass and exit the Indus valley. Enroute, we visit the Lamayuru monastery, known to be one of the oldest monasteries amongst the 'Red Hat' sect. Overnight Kargil hotel.

Day 4: Drive Kargil - Rangdum (12,000ft). A spectacular drive past Panikar and Parkachik, with magnificent views of the Nun and Kun massifs (7000 metres), hanging glaciers and large meadows. We drive till Rangdum Gompa (12,000 ft). Camp overnight.

Day 5: Drive Rangdum - Remala (6 hrs). We drive to Remala, which is the starting point for the rafting trip on the Doda river, a tributary of the Zanskar river. We drive over the Pensi La (14,500 ft), which enables grand views of the Zanskar peaks at the bottom of which is the Drung Durung glacier that feeds the Zanskar river, 40 km below, into which we flow trip the next day. Overnight tented camp.

Day 6: Rafting expedition begins at Remala. Raft till Karsha Gompa, near Padum. We raft 30 km in 5 hrs which includes a break for lunch and hot beverages. We are surrounded by 6000 metre high peaks. River section today includes a Class II section, a good introduction for f irst timers as well as to the river in general. After settling into camp by afternoon, we take a hike to Karsha Gompa for the evening incantation.

Day 7: After a late morning start, we raft from Karsha up to Pidmu. This stretch is approximately 30 km with Class II and III rapids. After settling into the camp by mid afternoon, we visit the nearby villages of Pidmu and Hanomil.

Day 8: After packing camp, we raft 20 km to Nyerak, a Class III section. The gorge narrows in on the river - this indeed is a Grand Canyon in its own right. We stop for the day to pitch camp in a gorge below Nyerak village.

Day 9: Todays 35 km rafting section takes us from Nyerak to Lamaguru, through the core of the Zanskar A classic white water day with continuous Class III rapids, and a few Class IV rapid where the river squeezes between a gap of about 18ft. We stop for lunch near a huge waterfall at the confluence of Markha river with Zanskar. Rock formations, spires and an amazing palette of colours add to the trip today. Camp at Lamaguru.

Day 10: Day hike to Kaya and Skiu. Return to camp by late afternoon. (4-5hrs). Camp at Lamaguru.

Day 11: We raft 40 kms of Class III/IV white water from Lamaguru to Nimu today. We make camp short of Nimu, the confluence of the Zanskar with the Indus river.

Day 12: Raft approximately 25 km from Nimu to finish the trip at Alchi through Class III / IV rapids. After ending the trip at Alchi, we walk up to the centuries old monastery to view the beautiful frescoes and woodcarvings. Drive back 60 km to Leh and check into hotel.

Day 13: Leh. Reserved day for shopping, sightseeing etc.

Day 14: Transfer to Leh airport. Fly Leh - Delhi.

Cost: US$ 1530 + hotel stay in Delhi - based on how many days and class of Hotel you would like to use.

Cost Includes: All hotels and meals except in Delhi according to above plan, flight to Leh and back if applicable, tented and rest house/hotel accommodation on twin share and all meals while on the trip; professional guide fee and camp staff, all transfers by jeep / coach, guide, wetsuits, all sightseeing.

Cost excludes: Delhi hotels and airport transfers (we will book these for your based on your international flight and plans at cost), expenses of a personal nature such as alcohol etc.; insurance; any hike in air fare/fuel cost/taxi rates; any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather, landslides, flight cancellations, road conditions and any other circumstances beyond our control.