A remote and challenging trek through the Indian Himalaya across the Changtang Plateau
Only recently opened due to the proximity of the Tibetan border, the remote and seldom visited Changtang Plateau is a land of wilderness and magnificence, characterised by high, arid plains, snow capped peaks and azure blue lakes.
Truly remote, the area is only inhabited for a few months every summer by the hardy Tibetan Changpa nomads and their herds of yaks and pashmina goats. The region is also home to rare wild animals such as wolf and kiang (wild ass).
After acclimatising and sightseeing in Leh we set off on our trek passing many nomad encampments and crossing wild, mountain passes to Tso Moriri Lake.
The scenery becomes wild and dramatic with snow capped peaks surrounding us as we cross the Parang La from Ladakh into the rarely visited region of Spiti.
This is a great trek in a very special part of the world!
Adventure Pioneers - This trip gets our vote!
Each year we run a competition that challenges you to design a trip for our Adventure Pioneers range. Out of the entries received we choose the most inspiring, sustainable and appealing to launch as an Exodus trip. They are pioneering. They are different. They are the very best of Exodus Travels. This trip breaks the mould and extends the boundaries of adventure travel.
What makes this trip responsible?
We ask that you use environmentally sound practices whilst in Ladakh such as not buying mineral water. You will be provided with boiled drinking water on and we recommend you bring purification tablets/liquid to treat any non-boiled water. Burnable rubbish will be burnt on trek and we ask each trekker to keep a rubbish bag for non-burnable rubbish that is taken back to Delhi or UK. Please note that many Indians are still traditional in the way they dress. Out of respect for the country we ask you to dress conservatively – no sleeveless tops. Although shorts are acceptable on trek only they should be very modest and reach the knees and for women a skirt or trousers are preferable. Monasteries are places of worship so please be respectful when taking photographs.
Ladakh project
Exodus started supporting this area in the Markha Valley in 2007, after the heavy rains in 2006 caused flooding throughout Ladakh, which destroyed many houses and caused loss of life and livelihood to many families. We rebuilt two houses and provided wire for the school in Hankar so they could build themselves a flood barrier. When Ladakh was hit by worse flash floods and mudslides in 2010, we set up a flood relief appeal to help support these communities.
Since 2011 we have been working with the Youth Association for Conservation and Development in the Hemis High Altitude National Park (YAFCAD) and a Niyamdru Dro, a French NGO, to provide the people of the Markha Valley with safe drinking water which they can sell to foreign trekkers instead of mineral water. We aim to sponsor as many water filters as possible and ask those villages without to boil water rather than selling bottled mineral water. The plan is eventually to ban the sale of plastic mineral water bottles along the popular Markha Valley trekking route.
Please see our project page for more information.
Countries visited: India
4 - 5
14 - 17
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Exodus images from GRAND TRAVERSE OF THE INDIAN HIMALAYA
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Grand Traverse of the Indian Himalaya
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