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This is the 9th time that Almas has led the Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in northern India. For this year, we made some improvements to the itinerary compared to previous years. The reason for these changes was to avoid walking on roads for as much as possible and to avoid the narrow river gorge section with over 120 river crossings. The gorge was also tough for the ponies and the group and the narrow trail was risky in places.
Almas describes his experience leading this trek as follows “I am really happy with the new Ladakh Sky trail itinerary. It’s a great traverse of Ladakh and Zanskar with some stunning scenery as well as culture, we also visit one of the remotest villages in Zanskar - Shade along with beautiful old monasteries of Wanla, Phugtar, Stongde, Alchi, and the nunnery at Zangla. We finished the trek by crossing the Phirtsi La pass (5,500m) when all were well acclimatised. The drives to and from the trek are also very beautiful. Looking forward to leading the Ladakh Sky Trail again next year!”
Almas goes on to describe the weather and conditions “The temperatures at the beginning of the trip were high. Leh had a very hot summer this year where temperatures were up to 30 Celsius in the hottest part of the day. The trek was cooler than Leh up to about 27 Celsius and it cooled down a lot towards the end of the trip. The coldest night temperatures were experienced at campsites between Zangla Sumdo and Shade camp and the camps after the Phirtsi La pass. The temperatures dropped to just below zero degrees for a couple of nights and we got some frost. Overall not a very cold trip this year. It was very helpful to be able to get the weather forecasts from you.”
The group really enjoyed our updated itinerary and we have received a number of AITO Traveller Reviews from the group. If you are considering this trek for 2025 then it is always worth reading the feedback from our previous trekkers. For your information, I have copied two of the reviews below:
"All that I had hoped for, and more. Had an absolutely fantastic time in Ladakh. It feels like I have just returned from a different planet: amazing mountain landscapes, plants, wildlife & culture. Almas was a superb guide; being both Indian & Australian he well understood the needs & desires of both our local team and clients. The local guides, cooks & horsemen were brilliant: physically tough, resilient, hard-working, and good-natured - we were extremely well looked after and the food was fantastic. It all makes me wonder why I have waited so long to undertake my first Himalayan trek. Because it was my first trek, I had oodles of basic questions to ask prior to leaving home, all of which both Roland and Almas answered both promptly and very informatively. I 100% recommend The Mountain Company." by Matt on 12/09/2024
"Trekking in the remote mountains of Ladakh on The Ladakh Sky Trail GHT on 8 August I arrived in Leh, the capital of Ladakh in the extreme NW of India, (often referred to as Little Tibet). This was the start of a 24-day visit to this little-visited area for a remote 17-day trek in rocky but stunningly beautiful mountain scenery intercepted by deep green river gorges. We camped in some amazing locations accessible only to trekkers where we were looked after so well by our guides and crew. This was my fourth high-altitude trek with the Mountain Company. I recommend them 100 percent to anyone wanting to trek in the Himalayas. As a specialist company they have detailed knowledge of the different treks available and their MD, Roland Hunter, is readily available with advice (generally based on personal experience). Once booked the pre-trip information is detailed and the care on the trek itself is so well planned that one travels with complete confidence." by RS on 12/09/2024
We have made one change to our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT itinerary for 2025. We have added an extra day to the trek so on Day 6 we now stop short of crossing Tarti La (4,900m) and instead cross over the next day. This will shorten the first day of the trek and helps with acclimatisation to the high altitude. Apart from this, we will follow the same trekking trail as 2024.
From a sustainable tourism point of view, as usual, Almas did a great job making sure we left the campsites clean and tidy. Almas describes: “The staff brought back about 18Kgs of rubbish back to Leh and took very good care in leaving campsites and trail clean. Almost all campsites on this trek were very clean with a good source of water.”
Thanks very much to Almas and the Ladakhi trek crew for doing a great job.
Almas will be back in Ladakh again next summer leading our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in August 2025. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining him.
Trek on!
Roland Hunter
The Mountain Company