12D/11N

Duration

Difficult

Grade

8.5/10

Physicality

85 Km

Trail Length

6250 m/20500 ft

Highest Point

Kang Yatse 2 peak with Markha valley trek

Kang Yatse twin peak (I & II) is the most prominent mountain massif amid the incredibly beautiful Markha valley in Ladakh. The westerly and lower of the two, i.e. Kang Yatse II peak at ~ 6250 m/20500 ft has a comparatively easier (Alpine PD – Peu Difficile) summit than the higher. It is a possible summit to high altitude hikers and trekkers due to no technical climbing skill requirements. Also there is a beautiful trek to the base camp while getting yourself acclimatised. Indeed, this is a double bill for you who are fairly experienced high altitude trekker with excellent physical fitness. Here you will get both, exploring one of the prettiest valleys in Ladakh and a summit in excess to 20000 ft/6000 m. You will experience why this is one of the most picturesque summit journey to a mountain peak, leaving aside the technicality.

kang-yatse-mountain-peaks — Kan Yatse I (left) and Kang Yatse II (right)

Itinerary for Kang Yatse II Peak with Markha valley trek:

Day 1: Arrival at Leh ( 11,500 ft) – you can take a direct flight or access by bus / other vehicles from Manali or Srinagar. Lodge/hotel accommodation in Leh.
Day 2: Rest and active acclimatisation in Leh. Lodge/hotel
Day 3: Drive to Chilling (10,500 ft) – 60 km – 2 hours ; and trek to Skiu ( 11,150 ft) – 7 km, 3 hours.
Day 4: Trek to Markha (12,139 ft); 20 km, 8 hours.
Day 5: trek to Hangkar (13,124 ft); 10 km, 7 hours
Day 6: Trek to Nimaling (15,419 ft); 14 km, 8 hours.
Day 7: Trek to Kang Yatse Base Camp (16,732 ft); 5 km, 3 hours.
Day 8: Rest and acclimatisation at Base Camp.
Day 9: Base camp to Summit (20,500 ft) to back to Base Camp.
Day 10: Trek to Chokdo (12,100 ft ) via Nimaling, Kongmaru La (17,060 ft); 17 km, 9 hours and Drive to Leh – 60 km , 2 hours. Lodge/hotel accommodation in Leh.
Day 11: Mandatory reserve day (cost not included).
Day 12: Departure from Leh/additional tours etc.

Note:

You need to reach Leh on Day 1 latest by noon. Arrange your return tickets from from Leh on Day 13 morning or later.
The cost of mandatory buffer/reserve day (Day 12) is NOT included in TREK FEE. If we use this during trekking, you need to pay additional ₹ 5000 to ₹ 10000 per person (depending upon the team size) . This will be collected in Leh after the trek.

Our expedition starts from Leh, which is ~ 11,500 ft/ 3500 m above m.s.l. Whether you reach Leh by flight/bus or by car, it’s very important that you to spend at least two nights there to acclimatise a bit before the actual journey. Feel free roam around. Leh is quite popular for its cultural treasures, monasteries, palaces and temples.

a-view-of-leh-city — Birds eye view of Leh from Shantistupa

Trail to base camp – Markha valley trek:

Starting from Leh we move towards the confluence of Zanskar and Indus River crossing Spituk monastery and Magnetic hill (it’s just an optical illusion). Then you make a turn and leave the Indus behind and follow the Zanskar river till Chilling. Chilling is a rather popular destination of Ladakh. It’s the Base camp for Chadar trek in winter and river rafting in summer.

confleunce-of-indus-and-zanskar-river — Confluence of Indus (left) and Zanskar river

The trail goes through Hemis National Park which is famous for it’s wildlife, Snow Leopards being the main attraction. You have to be very lucky though to spot one of these shy magnificent beasts. Arghali (Great Tibetan Sheep), Bharal ( Blue Sheep), Mountain Weasel, Shapu (Ladakh Urial) etc are abundant and can be spotted throughout the route.

blue-sheeps-in-hemis-national-park — Blue sheep

When you enter Markha valley you will be welcomed by 3-4 villages and their rejuvenating hot tea. The first such village, Harding comes immediately after 2 hours of hiking. Keep walking ahead for another 2-3 hours, till you reach Chalak village. It is placed beautifully amongst the barley fields with mountains in the background and the day ends at beautiful Markha village. After Markha the next village is Umlung and the Kang Yatse peak comes to visibility, motivating you henceforth.

Then we proceed to Hangkar and you can notice the Tacha monastery, skilfully placed on such a height. The trails enter into a huge plain before Nimaling where sheep, mountain goats, sometimes rabbits are found grazing. Only some shepherds hut will be visible and a temporary camp site has been established where trekker can stay. From Nimaling one route goes right towards Kangyatse base camp and the left one goes towards Kongmaru La. To reach base camp you witness the most beautiful part of the trek though it will take few hours to reach there and the mighty Kang Yatse massif will cover the horizon.

kang-yatse-basecamp — Kang yatse I & II towering over the base camp

Kang Yatse II Summit:

After a day of active acclimatisation and training you push for the summit. To reach the summit you need to climb nearly 4000 ft from base camp (16,732 ft). You start very early in the morning if not before dawn breaks. The initial climb is through loose scree and moraine zone. It starts with loose moraine and scree. It’s tricky to negotiate this zone. Loose rocks make it difficult to grip. You need to be very careful. It takes around 2-3 hrs to touch the snowline from the base camp.

Negotiating the snowfield is another challenge. Your climbing guide will brief and train you the previous day. You’ll learn different techniques. Guide will teach you how to put on your crampons, how to rope up and walk, ascend & descend. You’ll also learn how to arrest yourself in case you slip & fall. Basically you will have hands on what you may expect during summit push. Depending on the time of the year and snow deposition, you may need to rope up. Follow your climbing guide’s instruction. On higher elevation the route has crevasses and most of the time it’s snow covered. You need to be extra careful while negotiating those. Another 2-3 hours of climb will reach you the summit.

kang-yatse-peak-climbing — Negotiating a large snowfields (left) and scree & moraine zones (right); PC – Prajakta Sawant

Try to reach the summit before noon. After you make it to the top be ready to be mesmerised by the breathtaking beauty of Markha valley and Zanskar range, Karakoram peaks and mountains surrounding Kang Yatse. You might also notice the K2 peak (second highest peak in the world) and may also spot the distant Tibet Mountains, depending on the clarity of skies. After witnessing the stunning 360’ beauty, we trace our steps back to the base camp. A careful descend is of utmost importance. Most of the accidents in the mountains happen while descending. Another 3-4 hours of descending will reach you the basecamp.

at-kang-yatse-2-summit — At summit ~ 6250 m/20500 ft (PC – Prajakta Sawant)

Next day we get to Nimaling and take the left route to cross the 17000 ft high pass Kongmaru La. The prayer flags and the beautiful array of peaks welcome you at the top. Kang yatse and it’s adjacent peak Dzo Jongo remains behind. This the last time you’ll see the giants in this expedition. The steep descent put you to Shang river gorge and you negotiate all the turn and cliff to reach your destination Chokdo. You drive to Leh from here.

Kang Yatse 2 expedition – Prerequisites:

A trekker should have completed at least 3 high altitude treks going above ~ 4500 m/15000 ft or a basic mountaineering course/equivalent.
At least one Difficult trek reaching beyond 5000 m/16500 ft e.g. Pin Parvati Pass, Ronti Saddle, Parang La etc.
A trekker must be in excellent physical condition along with NO prior acclimatisation issues on high altitude.

Distance & Altitude profile:

Below is a pictorial presentation of the trek and summit with distance and corresponding altitude gain.

kang-yatse-2-summit-altitude-and-distance-graph — Kang Yatse 2 summit: Distance and altitude

Best time to go for Kang Yatse summit:

July to September is suitable for Kang Yatse II expedition. Early July expedition will attract more snow (varies year over year) and later September will become colder.

Download the list of things to carry in Kang Yatse trek or check here

Why treks with HT?

Expertise:	10 years on ground experience
Support staff:	Experienced and technical support plus office staff
Group size:	Small groups up to 10
Insurance:	Travel and Medical insurance policy (covers illness, AMS, evacuation, accidents)
Easy Bookings:	25% Booking Deposit

Duration: Leh to Leh 12 days including 1 buffer day.

Prerequisite: Prior multiple high altitude trekking experiences along with good physical fitness and no reported acclimatisation issues.

Grade: Difficult, often referred “Trekking Expedition”. Non technical.

Physicality: 8.5/10

Trail Length: 85 Km

Highest Point: Kang Yatse 2 peak ~ 6250 m/20500 ft

Seasons: July to September

Further Option:

Access: Expedition starting point (trek base) is Leh.

Rail station: Jammu (Station Code: JAT) or Chandigarh (CDG)

Airport: Leh (Airport Code: IXL)

Map:

Upcoming scheduled dates for Yunam expedition:

You can check the scheduled Fixed Departure dates in the calendar available inside Booking Form or inside REGISTER NOW form. Tour starting Dates are highlighted as per our itinerary (Day 1 of 12 days itinerary).
At present BOOK NOW functionality is disabled. You can get all the information in your email by submitting the REGISTER NOW form.
If you are a group of people and available dates are not matching then you may select Custom date mode (by clicking the Select your custom date) and fill in the displayed form.
You can also check all the available dates at a glance in our TREK CALENDAR.
Trekkers need to reach Vashisht, Manali on Day 1 (by noon). Return to Manali on Day 9 evening (around 8/9 pm). Arrange your tickets for inward journey and return accordingly.

REPORTING LOCATION	Leh
REPORTING TIME	By noon (Day 1)
RETURN LOCATION	Leh
RETURN TIME	Approximately 7:00 PM (Day 11)

How to reach Leh:

Nearest Airport: Leh (IXL)

Nearest Rail station: Chandigarh (if you reach via Manali) or Jammu (in case you travel via Srinagar)

You need to reach the trek and expedition base Leh on your own.

By Flight :-

Daily flights are available to Leh from new Delhi. However Leh is a popular tourist destination and the window of accessibility to this place is rather short (2-3 months of summer) and overlaps with our expedition window. Hence it’s better to book the tickets beforehand.

By Road :-

There are two roads which connects Leh with mainland India. One from Manali and another from Srinagar. First one is approx 472 km and follows Leh Manali highway. You cross Rohtang Pass and continue till Gramphu where the road diverges. One goes right towards Lahoul, Spiti. The left one will reach you Leh via Keylong, Jispa, Baralacha la. Regular buses are available but let me warn you, the journey takes over two days and quite hectic to say the least. It’s better to take a SUV.

The later one connecting Leh and Srinagar is approx 450 km and no less hectic than the previous one. Enroute you’ll cross famous destinations like Sonamarg, Dras, Kargil, Khalsi etc.

TREK FEE: ₹ 65,000 (Leh to Leh) + 5% GST

The above cost is for a group of 6 persons. The cost will be ₹ 99,000 + 5% GST per person for a private tour of 2 persons.

Inclusions:

3 night’s lodge accommodation in Leh (Day 1,2,10) on twin sharing basis. Meals are NOT included.

All car transfer from Leh to Leh as mentioned in the itinerary. This will be on sharing basis with other team members. Depending upon number of members, we will arrange a Tata Sumo or Tempo Traveller.

All meals during the trek (starting from Day 3 breakfast and ending with Day 11 lunch). Regular Indian style nutritious vegetarian food including eggs during the trek, breakfast packed/hot lunch (depending upon the time you reach a campsite), snacks, dinner along with coffee/tea/soup.

Stay in homestay and tents on sharing basis.

Excellent Expedition guide, who will be a local to this particular area and has profound knowledge of the trekking trails and peaks around. We will provide one guide for every 5 trekkers. At least one guide will be mountaineering course(s) certified.

Specialised Cook, Support staff, High Altitude Porters (HAP) for carrying the central logistics of the trek.

Camping equipment like Sleeping bag, Carry mattress. (Bring your own sleeping if you have a high altitude specific personal Sleeping Bag. This is always better for hygienic reasons.).

Any technical equipment like static/dynamic rope, carabiners, sling, ice axe, gaiters, micro spikes/crampon etc.

Kitchen tent and toilet tent as required during the trek.

All permit fee, camping charges, forest levy required for the trek.

Basic Medical & First Aid kit.

Travel and Medical insurance policy (covering illness, AMS, evacuation, accidents etc) covering high altitude trekking and mountaineering up to 6500 m. (For Indian nationals it is included in the TREK FEE, up to 60 years of age). It covers your itinerary, Leh to Leh.

Exclusions:

Meals in Leh.

Note that offloading of rucksack is NOT permitted in this expedition. You need to carry your own backpack along with all your personal belongings, sleeping bag and carry mattress (provided by HT or your personal one). This is mandatory for a difficult trek and is aiming to the safety of the trekkers.

Cost of buffer/reserve day, i.e. Day 12. If we use this during trekking, you need to pay additional ₹ 5000 for that day. This will be collected in Manali after the trek.

Any tip/gratuity to the HT supports staff.

Anything which is NOT mentioned in the “Inclusions” or personal in nature.

Booking:

We assume that you have read and understood our “Terms & Conditions” (https://dev.himalayatrekker.com/terms-and-conditions) before Booking a trek/tour.
To reserve your place in a scheduled Fixed Departure trek or a Customised/Private trek pay 25% of the TREK/TOUR FEE as the initial “Booking Deposit”. You can pay by Net banking/Draft/Cheque/Credit/Debit/AMEX cards. This will ensure your participation in the desired trek and we will reserve your place in the scheduled date. You need to pay the remaining amount at least 15 days before Trek Starting Date.
If you book a Trek/Tour before 14 days or less from Trek/Tour Starting Date, you need to pay the full TREK/TOUR FEE.

Cancellations:

“Booking Amount” i.e.25% of the TREK/TOUR FEE is Non-Refundable at any stage.
If in case you are not able to make it due to unavoidable reason(s), we provide you avery flexible choice of Shifting to another trek within next one year. One year is counted from the starting date of the trek/tour you booked initially with us.
In case you postpone your trip you need to informminimum of 15 days before the trek/tour starting date. (Though we suggest to inform us earlier if known)
In case you postpone a trek/tour before 15 days of the scheduled Trek/Tour Starting date or prior, you may shift to another group of the same trek/tour scheduled in the same season or within next one year. You may shift to another suitable route also. For changing any, you need our approval first. Your request must be in written communication through your registered email with us.
If you cancel/postpone a trek/tour from 14 days to 8 days before tour starting date, your Booking Amount is Non-Refundable. We will not take any request of shifting dates. We will charge 50% of the amount as Cancellation Charges and process refund of remaining 50%. You may also shift to another group within next year but 25% Booking Amount will be deemed as Cancellation Charge and the rest amount will be transferred to the shifted group.
If you cancel a trek/tour 7 days (i.e. a week) before Trek/Tour Starting Date or later, there will be NO REFUND.
In case of any unforeseen incident including but not limited to natural calamities like flood, earthquake, landslide, forest fire or any political unrest, if we are compelled to cancel the trek/trip, you will be entitled to redeem the full amount for the same/similar kind of trek/trip within next one year.