Ladakh Range Sports & Outdoors

There is a great possibility of doing relatively simple climbs, scrambles and fantastic traverses in the Zanskar and Ladakh mountain ranges. You can be self-supplied and just take off, but there are rules and regulations preventing you from climbing above a certain altitude, obilgations with liason officers etc that come in the way. However, check the rules in force and find out what's feasible withing the limits of the regulations. Zanskar Range ridge traverses can be absolutuely fantastic.

Equipment: Ice gear, snow clothing.
Crampons, ice ax, rope absolutely necessary.
Bivouac gear, tent, cooking equipment.

Leh's polo ground is said to be the highest in the world. Well, maybe. I still do not hold this sport in very high regard, but that's another matter.
If you are intersted or simply have time to kill, watch a match at Leh's polo ground below the Leh Palace cliff. Sitting in the sun, having a drink of some sort, and watching the spectators can be fun, even if you don't fancy the game.

We hiked to Mangyu to see a famous and ancient monastery, but the hike was so breathtaking that by the time we got there we had lost all interest in it. From the moment we walked over the Tibetan bridge and started going uphill, we were surrounded by perfect beauty: narrow canyons and towering mountains, pristine streams and then colourful wheat and lavender-like fields. Occasionally we would meet friendly villagers, all wearing their traditional costumes... A "julley" would start a conversation, which was conducted in Ladakhi from one side, and Italian from the other. These conversations often went on for several minutes, with no party really understanding the others... but the smiles... the smiles... they made up for all the missing words

Equipment: Plenty of water, some food and hiking boots, especially if you decide to take the very steep shortcut to reach the village (it's a scramble, you're on your hands and knees, and if you fall, there's a lovely abyss waiting for you). It takes 2 to 3 hours to reach the village

It's a short hike, and mostly shaded - and it goes from Uletopko campground to Rizong gompa. It takes about an hour and a half to go up, and one hour on your way back. The first part of the hike is along the paved road, then half way to the monastery, on your left, you see a canyon with really speep walls - that's the route you should follow: it's breathtaking

Equipment: nothing special as the trail is well kept - comfortable walking shoes are enough. bring plenty of water as there's nowhere to buy some along the route

Rafting the Indus River is a fun way to get wet. Expect to pay about 800 rupees for a trip that includes transportation to and from the river, a most-of-the-day-trip, and lunch on the beach at the end of the trip before the return. Most trips go from Phey (near Leh) to Nimu, but others go on a wilder section of river further down. And, there is a remote trip lasting about 3 days going through the Zanskar gorge.

One word of caution: The rafting companies don't know how to steer a boat. You end up going through most rapids sideways. They only back or forward the raft to avoid hitting rocks on the banks. I had a group of students with me and tried giving them directions to help steer the boat, but the guide just got mad.

Equipment: Everything is provided.

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White water rafting on the river Indus is an amazing experience! The river enters Ladakh in India from the Chinese side and eventually flows through to Pakistan.
The steep gorges and stark terrain makes for an awesome sight!
There are various tour operators around in Leh that offer packages for rafting trips... the bit of the river we covered lasted a little under 4 hours, and was not all that rough... some rapids were grade 3, others easier.
The package normally includes hotel pick-up and drop, and a nice meal by the river at the end.

Equipment: all equipment is provided