Ladakh Jeep Safari Treks

For those who prefer not to hike long distances or are on a tight schedule, we can arrange a variety of Jeep treks to the remote areas of Ladakh. These are very similar to our walking treks, where the crew sets up the tents and cooks the food, while you explore the area around the camps or take short hikes. We stop frequently en route to observe points of interest and to stretch our legs.

A popular one is a three-day trip to the Rupshu Plains of southeastern Ladakh. After acclimatizing in Leh for several days, we drive up the Indus River Valley to the village of Mahe, where we cross the bridge. The road narrows and gets rougher as we pass by nomads with their herds of yaks and goats on our climb to the first pass, Namshang La, at 15,740 ft. We descend to a small, picturesque, brackish lake surrounded by the Rupshu Plains and snow-capped peaks. If time permits, we can visit one of the nomad camps. We motor on to Tsomoriri, a spectacular, large, blue-green lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks. We camp for the night near the village of Korzok at 14,790 ft.

After a visit to the 15th century Korzok Gompa, we retrace our route back to the pass and drop down to a Tibetan Refugee Village, where we visit the school. On our way to the village of Puga, we pass by shooting fountains caused by natural releases of butane gas. We might also visit another nomad camp en route to our next destination. We ascend another pass, Polo Kongka La, at 16,240 ft before descending down to Tsokar, a smaller, but equally scenic blue-green lake. We camp for the night in a large meadow just past the lake at 14,600 ft.

After breakfast, we drive west until we intersect the Leh to Manali Road, and then take it up to the Taklang La pass at 17,582 ft. On our descent towards Leh we pass through several scenic villages, including Rumptse, Lato and Miro before crossing the Indus river at Upshi.

While on this excursion it is likely that you will see a variety of wildlife such as kyang, marmots, wolves, bar headed geese, cranes and lammergiers. Snow leopards also live in this area but are rarely seen.