on>
TREKKING IN LADAKH
by Radek Kucharski
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
About the Author
Radek Kucharski was born in Poland. After graduating in Geography from the University of Warsaw he worked for a small GIS (geographic information system) company for over ten years, during which time he embarked on several months-long trekking trips in Nepal, Iran, Pakistan and India, getting to know the landscapes, the people, their cultures – and himself. After his first visit in 2004, Ladakh instantly became his favourite destination, and he promised himself he would return with the aim of collecting information for a guidebook. A few years later he began this work.
Since that first visit to Ladakh he has also changed profession and has now been working as a tourist guide for a couple of years. Radek lives in Warsaw and guides groups to India, Nepal and Scandinavia for one of Poland’s leading adventure travel agencies. Check out Radek’s website at www.radekkucharski.com.
© Radek Kucharski
Second edition 2015
ISBN: 978 1 85284 830 9
First edition 2012
ISBN: 978 1 85284 675 6
Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All photographs are by the author with the exception of the author photograph on page 2, which is by Magdalena Zaborowska.
Relief data courtesy of NASA, USGS, JPL, Caltech and CIAT.
Dedication
To the people of Ladakh who face the hardships of life in a harsh environment with joy, and who willingly share their high spirits and rich culture with guests from the wider world; and to those trekkers who wish to enrich themselves through travel.
Updates to this Guide
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/830/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Warning
Mountain walking can be a dangerous activity carrying a risk of personal injury or death. It should be undertaken only by those with a full understanding of the risks and with the training and/or experience to evaluate them. While every care and effort has been taken in the preparation of this guide, the user should be aware that conditions can be highly variable and can change quickly, materially affecting the seriousness of a mountain walk.
Therefore, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law, neither Cicerone nor the author accept liability for damage of any nature (including damage to property, personal injury or death) arising directly or indirectly from the information in this book.
Readers are warned that there is no organised mountain rescue service in Ladakh, such as exists in some other mountain regions. Furthermore, there is no mobile phone coverage in most of the places along trekking routes. In case of emergency self-help may be the only option. Any helicopter rescue would be expensive and payment guarantee required, so be insured.
Acknowledgements
My parents and my girlfriend waited patiently for news during the long weeks I was away in the mountains, and also supported me while I was writing this guidebook. My high school friend, Marcin, was my companion for some time on each of my trips to India. My friends Edyta and Bartek were always ready to give advice and discuss my ideas about the book, and helped me with the maps. The Tatra Mountains guide, Justyna, was the first person to use this book in Ladakh, and gave me some useful suggestions and corrections.
I am grateful to Siân Pritchard-Jones and Bob Gibbons, who helped to polish up some of my Polish/English grammar. They have also provided much of the information about the historical, cultural and religious features of Ladakh, which fascinate all visitors to the region. Their contributions appear in parts of the main introduction and in the glossary and are abbreviated details from their book Ladakh: Land of Magical Monasteries. They have also shared some of their experience of trekking over the Kanji La in the early season and some of their vast knowledge on the effects of high altitude on trekkers’ health. Great thanks also go to Sue Viccars for editing this book. She worked patiently to discuss issues with me and resolve any doubt over my meaning, and also suggested some important additions.
Last but not least, I am very grateful to Jonathan Williams of Cicerone Press who decided to publish the book in spite of my imperfect English, which needed additional editing. His understanding and appreciation of the book is a great honour to me. In addition I would like to thank Lois Sparling, Clare Crooke and Neil Simpson at Cicerone Press, who have guided me through the preparation stages.
Front cover: Pidmo village in the Zanskar Valley
CONTENTS
Overview map of the trekking routes