The area traversed by the
Manali leh road, and containing the drainage basins of Tso-moriri
and other lakes is known as Rupshu. Here, the Zanskar range is
transformed into bare rolling many-hued hills divided by open
high altitude valley. It is a landscape unlike any other in Ladakh
-or elsewhere in India.
The Tour Starts from Leh, which has connecting flights from Delhi.
After over a day of acclimatization in Leh, we can visit the local
attractions and the magnificent monasteries.
From Leh, we drive about 70kms on the Leh - Manali road to Rumtse,
the starting point of our trek. Rupshu Valley lies sandwiched
between Ladakh in the north, Tibet in the east and Zanskar in
the west. It is a part of the Changthang plateau and is characterized
by high arid plains, remote villages, snow-capped peaks and beautiful
high altitude azure-blue lakes, the largest being Tso Moriri at
4,500 m.
Truly remote, this area is accessible only for a few months every
summer and is inhabited by Changpas - nomadic yak and pashmina
goat herders of Tibetan origin, who wander this area crossing
over high altitude mountain passes. Our trek takes us across these
passes to their summer settlements to witness a unique human culture,
far away from the reaches of the modern world. The scenery is
wild and vast with snow capped peaks lining the far horizon and
the area is also home to some rare wildlife like Kyang, Blue sheep,
Ibex and the famous Himalayan snow leopard.
The final leg of our trek leads us over a high mountain pass to
the shores of beautiful Tso Moriri Lake. Surrounded by over 6,000m
high snowcapped peaks, this lake is alive with an abundance of
very rare migratory birds. The trek ends at the enchanting Tso
Moriri and from here we transfer to Leh .
