Fourth Section; Padum to Lamayuru - start at Zanskar Valley end at Leh Valley
Trek gradient; Difficult
Terrain; Pass crossing, a few, highest at 5230 metres Singi La
In Padum the internet is a big bummer and somehow Amit managed to delete the map.me app. The only tool we had to show us the way. We tried to download it at the internet cafe but after 2 days and Rs. 600 down the internet drain, we were unable to do it. That is how much 2 of us spend on internet at home for 3 months. We tried to look for some paper maps but Padum is not a place to find detailed maps. Well without options we decide to go blind and rely on the information we can gather on the way from locals or maybe fellow trekkers.
We happened to be in Padum, couple of days before elections and it is serious here. We were told to leave before the elections start as it would mean curfew for atleast couple of days. No vehicle movements would be allowed. Padum is a very dull town. The setting is pretty amazing though but by evening there are just hoards of men on the street. Groups of men on the road chatting, groups of men in the restaurant, groups of men in the vehicles. No women or kids on the street. Not the place you want to spend extra days.
I had to make a visit to the local hospital as blisters were taking over my feet. The compounder at the hospital almost performed the surgery on one and now it turned into a wound. I had to explain to him to just remove the water from the rest and let them be.
Padum rest gave us a boost of energy. We had been dreading this section for sometime. One time we were thinking if we should do this section at all. Locals that we spoke to on the way made it sound like we would turn into skeletons and won't have anything to eat and blah blah blah.....Generally we feel people exaggerate local information cos this makes it larger than life....or maybe some time pass for village folks to tell you some folklore that would make interesting conversation piece.
So, the route is challenging but not life defining. There are number of passes to cross about 8-10. I keep forgetting the names, should have noted them down. Some passes are real small that you do not even realise you have crossed one. The valleys are tight so in order to move from one valley to another you need to cross 2 passes. One to enter another to cross over. This is mostly how it runs.
Learning from our experience of walking into Padum, we decide to take a transport out of Padum. There is road construction happening all round Padum and dust and heavy vehicle movement makes it unpleasant to walk. It is better to take the transport till Zangla and start the walk from here.
Rather than creating any problem, elections turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were able to hitch a ride in one of the election buses till Zangla. The bus was full of election officers and police personnel on election duties and were travelling from Kargil to conduct elections. They came prepared with live chicken, food, fruits, snacks and lots of stories about the government. It turned out to be a fun ride.
There are foreigners on this route too, no Indians except for the boy that we met at Phutkal monastery. He was couple of days ahead of us. People were amazed to see us. As per them Indians are doing 'Chadar Trek' as it does not require any climbing. Not nice to hear but it is true. The time to visit this place is now as road construction is in full swing and in few more years would be complete.
Some are self supported, some in groups and some are luxury trekking. So you end up crossing couple of trekkers on the way everyday. Mostly people are friendly and happy to help but once in while you meet somebody who you cannot forget. We happen to meet a family from Belgium. A couple with their daughter, along with a caravan of 8-9 mules flanked by 3 staff members, they were on a luxury trek. We happened to speak to their guide for some directions and he happen to offer us some food which was left over. This spiked the lady real bad and she threatened the staff so bad that they started to avoid us. It just so happened that we were on the same route and same days that we were camping at the same places everyday. This made matters worse for the staff as they were told not to speak to us. Once the staff even tried to move us from the camping area but we were not having it from a snobbish Belgien woman. We felt bad for the staff though as they would not have been given the tips they sure deserved for all the hard work.
The itinerary we followed;
Day 1 Padum to Zangla to Hanumil
Day 2 Hanumil to Snertse
Day 3 Snertse to Lingshet
Day 4 Lingshet to Base of Singa La
Day 5 Base of Singa La to Photksar to Leh (yes did not expect to reach Leh but it just so happened)
Route details;
From Zangla to Hanumil the walk is pretty straight forward. Not much climb. Hanumil is small Village of 2 - 3 houses. From Hanumil to Snertse is mostly climbing. First to Purfi La and after the downhill there is another climb to Snertse. The climb to Snertse gets little difficult as sun is beating down hard in the afternoon. Reaching Snertse marks our entry into Leh Valley.
Right out of Snertse is a small steep climb along the stream which later opens up into a valley and than the walk is gradual climb to Hanuma La. The downhill from Hanuma La is long. From here climb starts again towards Lingshet. After the second pass it is downhill or gradual terrain to Lingshet.
Out of Lingshet, climb over the pass and gradual descent into the next valley. Climb up again and you hit the road which takes you to Base of Singala. From here till the end there is road connectivity.
From the base, climb is about couple of hours. There are trails in the beginning which help you cut through the road, after few bends the trail is missing so walking on the road is the only option. The road is gradual so easier to walk on.
We had made few friends on our way to Base of Singala, few geologists from Germany. They had a vehicle to come and pick them up from Base of Singala. They were kind enough to pick us up on the way to Photoksar. Amazingly we reached Leh by the evening.
After Snertse the next shop is at the bottom of Hunamala. The guy running the shop is fair with his pricing and is happy to help if required. He also has a place to sleep.
Photoksar onwards you will find guesthouses or restaurants.
Transport (if required);
Terrain; Pass crossing, a few, highest at 5230 metres Singi La
In Padum the internet is a big bummer and somehow Amit managed to delete the map.me app. The only tool we had to show us the way. We tried to download it at the internet cafe but after 2 days and Rs. 600 down the internet drain, we were unable to do it. That is how much 2 of us spend on internet at home for 3 months. We tried to look for some paper maps but Padum is not a place to find detailed maps. Well without options we decide to go blind and rely on the information we can gather on the way from locals or maybe fellow trekkers.
We happened to be in Padum, couple of days before elections and it is serious here. We were told to leave before the elections start as it would mean curfew for atleast couple of days. No vehicle movements would be allowed. Padum is a very dull town. The setting is pretty amazing though but by evening there are just hoards of men on the street. Groups of men on the road chatting, groups of men in the restaurant, groups of men in the vehicles. No women or kids on the street. Not the place you want to spend extra days.
 |
| Bridge less crossed. |
I had to make a visit to the local hospital as blisters were taking over my feet. The compounder at the hospital almost performed the surgery on one and now it turned into a wound. I had to explain to him to just remove the water from the rest and let them be.
Padum rest gave us a boost of energy. We had been dreading this section for sometime. One time we were thinking if we should do this section at all. Locals that we spoke to on the way made it sound like we would turn into skeletons and won't have anything to eat and blah blah blah.....Generally we feel people exaggerate local information cos this makes it larger than life....or maybe some time pass for village folks to tell you some folklore that would make interesting conversation piece.
So, the route is challenging but not life defining. There are number of passes to cross about 8-10. I keep forgetting the names, should have noted them down. Some passes are real small that you do not even realise you have crossed one. The valleys are tight so in order to move from one valley to another you need to cross 2 passes. One to enter another to cross over. This is mostly how it runs.
 |
| Just another stunning place to walk through |
Learning from our experience of walking into Padum, we decide to take a transport out of Padum. There is road construction happening all round Padum and dust and heavy vehicle movement makes it unpleasant to walk. It is better to take the transport till Zangla and start the walk from here.
Rather than creating any problem, elections turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were able to hitch a ride in one of the election buses till Zangla. The bus was full of election officers and police personnel on election duties and were travelling from Kargil to conduct elections. They came prepared with live chicken, food, fruits, snacks and lots of stories about the government. It turned out to be a fun ride.
There are foreigners on this route too, no Indians except for the boy that we met at Phutkal monastery. He was couple of days ahead of us. People were amazed to see us. As per them Indians are doing 'Chadar Trek' as it does not require any climbing. Not nice to hear but it is true. The time to visit this place is now as road construction is in full swing and in few more years would be complete.
Some are self supported, some in groups and some are luxury trekking. So you end up crossing couple of trekkers on the way everyday. Mostly people are friendly and happy to help but once in while you meet somebody who you cannot forget. We happen to meet a family from Belgium. A couple with their daughter, along with a caravan of 8-9 mules flanked by 3 staff members, they were on a luxury trek. We happened to speak to their guide for some directions and he happen to offer us some food which was left over. This spiked the lady real bad and she threatened the staff so bad that they started to avoid us. It just so happened that we were on the same route and same days that we were camping at the same places everyday. This made matters worse for the staff as they were told not to speak to us. Once the staff even tried to move us from the camping area but we were not having it from a snobbish Belgien woman. We felt bad for the staff though as they would not have been given the tips they sure deserved for all the hard work.
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| Views from Hanumil. |
The itinerary we followed;
Day 1 Padum to Zangla to Hanumil
Day 2 Hanumil to Snertse
Day 3 Snertse to Lingshet
Day 4 Lingshet to Base of Singa La
Day 5 Base of Singa La to Photksar to Leh (yes did not expect to reach Leh but it just so happened)
Route details;
From Zangla to Hanumil the walk is pretty straight forward. Not much climb. Hanumil is small Village of 2 - 3 houses. From Hanumil to Snertse is mostly climbing. First to Purfi La and after the downhill there is another climb to Snertse. The climb to Snertse gets little difficult as sun is beating down hard in the afternoon. Reaching Snertse marks our entry into Leh Valley.
Right out of Snertse is a small steep climb along the stream which later opens up into a valley and than the walk is gradual climb to Hanuma La. The downhill from Hanuma La is long. From here climb starts again towards Lingshet. After the second pass it is downhill or gradual terrain to Lingshet.
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| Few of the gradual walking trails. |
Out of Lingshet, climb over the pass and gradual descent into the next valley. Climb up again and you hit the road which takes you to Base of Singala. From here till the end there is road connectivity.
From the base, climb is about couple of hours. There are trails in the beginning which help you cut through the road, after few bends the trail is missing so walking on the road is the only option. The road is gradual so easier to walk on.
From the pass we got the first views of Photoksar. Follow the road down or maybe take the trail where you see one. The walk to Photoksar is pretty straight forward. Once down it is possible to take the trail till the village. Photoksar onwards the road has taken over the trails and the places like Wanla or Fonzila are now thriving with guesthouses. We decide to call an end to our trip as the walk on the road and places ahead were not appealing.
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| Herd of Blue Sheep - we looking at each other. |
We had made few friends on our way to Base of Singala, few geologists from Germany. They had a vehicle to come and pick them up from Base of Singala. They were kind enough to pick us up on the way to Photoksar. Amazingly we reached Leh by the evening.
On the way to Leh, we passed the villages of Fonzila, Hanupatta and Wanla, the villages are now turning into small towns with construction of guesthouses and restaurants. We were happy to be in the car zooming through to Leh.
Food and stay availability;
The stay and food options are almost similar to Darcha to Padum section. Villages have guesthouses and food is also served. The prices are inflated and bargaining is important.
Snertse is not a village. There is just one seasonal run shop here. The guy running the place is from Lingshet. Sometimes the shop is shut as he would visit his family. It is better to check on it. Generally the village before or a trekker can give the information. Bargaining here is little more difficult, as it is made very clear that it is price or you can leave. The price is Rs 1000 per person for food. Dinner, Breakfast and tea in the evening.
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| Footprint is all we got of the elusive one. |
After Snertse the next shop is at the bottom of Hunamala. The guy running the shop is fair with his pricing and is happy to help if required. He also has a place to sleep.
Note: Shops generally double up as places to sleep.
Lingshet has guesthouses and monastery. Looking at the prices we decide to head to the monastery for stay and food. But fortunately met with a local man working in his field and he offered us some relishing ladakhi food. We decide to stay with him and we could not have asked for any better. Dinner was yummy 'Thukpa', very different from what we have ever eaten before. If u want to look for him you can find his house at the extreme end on the right side of the trail before the trail goes down towards the stream. He was a lovely host and very reasonable man.
Base of Singala has no shops or village. For food we packed our dinner and breakfast at the village before. Though later we discovered a make shift small tent shop before the base. It is again better to check beforehand as it is not 100% reliable.
Note: Pricing in these villages is over the roof compared to the service or food being offered. Though we understand that things are not readily available and villages are not connected by road so it will be priced higher. We have trekked the rest of Himachal and trekking routes are not connected by road here as well. People running shops on Himachal trekking routes do not ask for unfair prices. A simple rice meal can cost you anywhere between Rs 80 to Rs 100. Shelling out double of that for Ladakh should be ok. But asking for thousand rupees for one person for 2meals is arm twisting. The reason for this could be the foreign trekkers who do not mind paying this price due to currency conversion.
I strongly suggest carrying your food. It is a better option as the dependency reduces.
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| Lingshet in all its glory. |
Photoksar onwards you will find guesthouses or restaurants.
For camping all the places have enough spots to pitch your tent. For pitching the tent price is about Rs150 - Rs200 per tent.
Transport (if required);
Transport is not fixed, government is not running any buses to any of villages. It is strange as generally government buses do run in different states to remote villages. Kashmir government sure is ignoring the Ladakh region. Padum is the district capital and does not even connect well to Srinagar or Leh.
From Padum to Zangla, there would be private vehicles plying and would charge Rs200 person. Always check the prices beforehand. The vehicles line up opposite the bakery. The vehicles are SUVs, idea is to spot one and talk to the driver. From Zangla to Pisho Jeep road is there but you generally get the vehicle to Zangla. If you want to go ahead than shell out another Rs 700 for private drop.
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| While coming down from Haumala. |
Ahead of Pisho till Base of Singala, no road connectivity. Few kilometres before the base the road connects but transport is not guaranteed as it depends if someone is delivering goods or not. From Photoksar onwards transport availability is little better. Also getting a ride in trekking companies vehicles is a possibility. Remember nothing is free here, if hitching a ride you are expected to pay. Though our geologists friends agreed to take us with them, the driver had other plans and we had to negotiate the price with him. We had to pay Rs 1500 for a taxi already paid for or he was not ready to take us.
Highlights;
Highlights;
This route is full of wildlife. We spotted a herd of Blue sheep or Bharal as locally known, Ibex, Himalayan Marmot and has a feeling we came very close to spotting the snow leopard....
Walking through a shaded spot ahead of Snertse next to a small stream, we noticed the pug marks all around the place. There were fresh water marks out of the stream. We tried to look for more clues but unfortunately couldn't spot the elusive cat.
This brings an end to our trekking adventure. First time trekkers and this is what we end up planning. It was worth every step. What do we want to do different next time? First we plan on carrying food and stove so we can be little more free about selecting the camping spots. There are beautiful places to camp all over the place. It would be economical specially for a place like Ladakh where prices are crazy.
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| Another trekking group joining in. |
This brings an end to our trekking adventure. First time trekkers and this is what we end up planning. It was worth every step. What do we want to do different next time? First we plan on carrying food and stove so we can be little more free about selecting the camping spots. There are beautiful places to camp all over the place. It would be economical specially for a place like Ladakh where prices are crazy.
I hope the information given can help people make their plans. If there is something missing or you wish to ask any questions please feel free to write.
I would also like to mention here that we follow a strict leave no trace policy. Ok just the footprints 🙂. These places are spectacularly beautiful and we would love people to enjoy the pristine landscapes but a responsible trekker is what these places need.
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| The guy who owns the shop below Hanumla. Very honest. |
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