Kang La & Miyar Glacier Traverse Trek

The Kang La and Miyar Glacier trek is a 14-day private crossing from Zanskar to Lahaul over Kang La (5,415 m), coming down the long Miyar Glacier valley. It runs from Leh airport to Bhuntar airport, with our team and vehicles all the way.

You rest in Leh on day one, then drive via Alchi to Lamayuru and on over the Sirsir La and Singe La roads into Zanskar. Stongdey is home for three nights, with Sani, Dzongkhul, Karsha and Phuktal monasteries to visit while you sleep at about 3,500 m.

The trek starts at Bardan. A camp at Temasa Tokpo (4,300 m) and a night at Kang La Base Camp (4,750 m) lead to the pass day: 8 to 10 hours over Kang La and down to a glacier camp at 4,800 m. After that the country opens out. Three camps follow the Miyar valley down, at Kesar Yon Chhap, Zardung and Tharang. The last walk reaches the homestay at Udaipur (2,650 m), and a drive takes you to Manali and Bhuntar.

Expect a real change of scene. Zanskar is cold desert and monastery villages. Miyar is glacier, moraine, riverbeds and wide valley floors under granite walls. Camps are remote, with little habitation through the core of the trek, and the pass day is long.

Your group is private, usually 2 to 10 people. Where snow or ice calls for it, we provide microspikes or crampons, gaiters and walking ice axes, so you do not need to bring them. If the day is not right for the pass, we turn back. The Stongde to Phuktal trek is a shorter Zanskar option.

• Duration: 14 days, 13 nights
• Highest point: Kang La, 5,415 m
• Grade: Strenuous, for fit trekkers
• Season: June to October

Five nights between 3,500 m and 3,530 m come before the first camp, so the climb to Kang La is built up in steps.

• Zanskar to Lahaul on foot: You cross Kang La (5,415 m) and leave the dry uplands of Zanskar for the glacier valley of Miyar in Lahaul. The change of landscape from one side to the other is the point of the trek.
• The pass day: Kang La is a standalone day, from Kang La Base Camp (4,750 m) to the Miyar Glacier camp (4,800 m), 8 to 10 hours and about 18 km.
• Monasteries before the mountains: Alchi, Lamayuru, Sani, Dzongkhul, Karsha, Stongdey, Phuktal and Bardan are all on the route, so the cultural side is part of the trek and not an add-on.
• Phuktal Monastery: A full day goes to Phuktal, built into a cliff in the Lungnak valley. We start early so the visit is not rushed.
• Singe La by road: The drive into Zanskar crosses the Sirsir La (4,700 m) and the Singe La (5,050 m), with Zangla on the way.
• Acclimatisation built in: A rest day in Leh, then five nights between 3,500 m and 3,530 m, then camps at 4,300 m, 4,750 m and 4,800 m.
• Down the Miyar Glacier valley: Four walking days with camps at Kesar Yon Chhap (4,000 m), Zardung (3,880 m) and Tharang (3,700 m), then Khanjar and a homestay at Udaipur (2,650 m).
• Remote camps, private group: Camping through the core of the trek, with your own group and a local team. Glacier, moraine and river crossings make up much of the terrain.
• Airport to airport: We meet you at Leh airport and drop you at Bhuntar airport, with hotels in Leh and Manali and homestays on the road days.

Kang La is the one pass on this trek, and it gets a day to itself. You leave Kang La Base Camp (4,750 m) and finish at the Miyar Glacier camp (4,800 m). The day is about 18 km and takes 8 to 10 hours. The pass itself is at 5,415 m, so you climb roughly 650 m and then come down a similar height on the far side.

How the days before it are set up

The approach is two short days. The first goes from Bardan to Temasa Tokpo (4,300 m) in 4 to 5 hours over about 8 km, and the second from Temasa Tokpo to Kang La Base Camp in 5 hours over another 8 km. We keep the first walking day easy on purpose. The second day is for walking slowly, drinking before you are thirsty, and getting your pass gear sorted before dark.

On the day

The start is very early. You walk in a tight line, with the guide setting the spacing, and keep gloves and a shell jacket where you can reach them without taking your pack off. Cold and thin air are the real work on this day, so the pace stays steady and we stop to eat and drink.

Snow cover depends on the month. Early in the season the approach can hold snow, and in autumn it is mostly open moraine. Either way it is a pass crossing and not a climb. We do a short practice on the way if there is snow, and provide microspikes or crampons, gaiters and walking ice axes when conditions call for them. You do not need to bring them.

The glacier on the far side

The Miyar Glacier camp at 4,800 m is a bit higher than the base camp you left in the morning, so you end the day high but with the climb behind you. From here the trek only goes down: the next day drops to Kesar Yon Chhap (4,000 m) in 6 to 8 hours over 17 km.

If the weather or the group says the pass is not right on the day, we say so and we do not push. The Miyar side is long and we would rather you walk it well than cross at any cost.

Planning a Kang La trek? Tell us your dates, your fitness and your pace, and we will shape the days around you.

Most pass treks start walking on day one. This one spends days 2 to 5 on the road and in Zanskar's monasteries, and the trek begins on day 6. The days are chosen so that you see the region before you cross out of it, and also so that you sleep near 3,500 m while you do.

Alchi and Lamayuru (day 2)

The road from Leh to Lamayuru is about 122 km and 8 hours, with a stop at Alchi (3,100 m), an early Buddhist site known for its old wall paintings. You sleep in a homestay at Lamayuru (3,500 m). Keep the day unhurried and carry water and sun protection.

Zangla and the way in (day 3)

Day 3 is a long drive of about 230 km and 10 hours, via the Sirsir La (4,700 m) and the Singe La (5,050 m), to Stongdey (3,530 m). Zangla (3,370 m) is the stop on the way. Roads can be dusty, so keep a shell layer and snacks in your day bag.

Sani, Dzongkhul, Karsha and Stongdey (day 4)

On day 4 you visit Sani Monastery (3,660 m) and Dzongkhul Monastery (3,850 m), then Karsha, the largest monastery in Zanskar, and the monastery at Stongdey (3,700 m). Opening times vary, so we plan around them and move quietly inside.

Phuktal (day 5)

Phuktal Monastery (3,850 m) is built into a cliff cave in the Lungnak valley. The day takes 9 to 10 hours with driving, and about 12 km on foot. Start early, take only a light daypack, and sort your trek bags that night, because the trek starts the next morning.

Bardan (day 6)

The first morning of the trek passes Bardan Monastery (3,900 m) before the climb to Temasa Tokpo at 4,300 m.

If you want a Zanskar trek built around Phuktal itself, our Stongde to Phuktal trek walks there.

Kang La is 5,415 m, and you reach it from Leh at 3,500 m. The plan for the 14 days is to keep your sleeping altitude close to Leh for as long as we can, and then climb in steps.

The sleeping altitudes

• Days 1 to 5: Leh (3,500 m), Lamayuru (3,500 m), then three nights at Stongdey (3,530 m).
• Day 6: Temasa Tokpo (4,300 m).
• Day 7: Kang La Base Camp (4,750 m).
• Day 8: Miyar Glacier camp (4,800 m), after the pass.
• Day 9 onwards: down to 4,000 m, 3,880 m, 3,700 m and 2,650 m.

You can see that the biggest step is the first camp, from 3,530 m to 4,300 m. That is why day 6 is a short walk of 4 to 5 hours and the advice is not to rush the climb. Day 7 adds 450 m in 5 hours, and the pass follows the next day.

What the first days are for

Day 1 is a rest day in Leh after you land: hydrate through the day, and keep the evening quiet and light. The road and monastery days after that are not hard walking, but they are at 3,500 m and above, and they give your body a few nights at height before the trek proper starts. We do not make a medical promise out of it. It is simply the way we have set the days out.

On the trail

Drink before you feel thirsty, walk slowly, and tell your guide how you feel. We would rather lose an hour than push someone higher on a bad day, and turning back is a normal decision on a route like this.

Who it suits

The trek is strenuous. Days run 5 to 8 hours on most days and up to 10 on the pass, with temperatures from about -5 to 20 degrees Celsius. It suits fit walkers who have done a high trek before and like long remote days. The group is private, usually 2 to 10 people.

If you are not sure the pace is right for you, send us your dates, your experience and your fitness. We can suggest a shorter Ladakh route, such as the Markha Valley trek, or shape the days of this one.

Once over Kang La, the trek turns into a four-day walk down the Miyar valley into Lahaul. It is a very different world from Zanskar. Instead of arid uplands you walk beside a glacier, across moraine, along riverbeds, and past wide valley floors with granite walls on either side.

Day 9: Miyar Glacier camp to Kesar Yon Chhap

The first day is long, 6 to 8 hours and about 17 km, and it drops from 4,800 m to 4,000 m. The terrain is glacier edge, moraine and scree. Your knees will feel the descent, so use poles carefully, and drink well when you get to camp.

Day 10: Kesar Yon Chhap to Zardung

The walk is 5 hours and 10 km to Zardung (3,880 m). The pace is relaxed and the sun can feel strong. There are wet sections, so look after your feet.

Day 11: Zardung to Tharang

Another 5 hours and 11 km, to Tharang (3,700 m). Refill your bottles where the flow is clean, and keep your camp clothes dry.

Day 12: Tharang to Udaipur

The last walk is 3 hours and 7 km, via Khanjar (3,600 m), then a short drive to Udaipur at 2,650 m, where you sleep in a homestay. After a week or more of camps, a fresh set of clothes and a roof feel good. The exit day can feel long, so take the evening easy.

Out to Manali

Day 13 is the drive from Udaipur to Manali (2,050 m), about 135 km and 6 hours, with a hotel at the end. Road delays are possible, so keep essentials in your day bag.

The terrain on the Miyar side includes river crossings and loose gravel as well as moraine. If you want to see another remote Zanskar crossing in our range, look at the Kanji to Padum grand traverse.

This trek crosses a good part of northern India, and the road days are part of its shape. It helps to know them before you book flights.

Arrival at Leh

We meet you at Leh airport on day 1 and take you to your hotel, about 1 hour and 8 km. The first day is a rest day: hydrate steadily and keep the evening quiet.

The long drives

• Day 2: Leh to Lamayuru via Alchi, about 122 km and 8 hours.
• Day 3: Lamayuru to Stongdey via the Sirsir La and the Singe La, about 230 km and 10 hours.
• Day 13: Udaipur to Manali, about 135 km and 6 hours.
• Day 14: Manali to Bhuntar airport, about 52 km and 3 hours.

These are long days, and the roads can be dusty. Keep water, sun protection, snacks and a shell layer in your day bag, and keep essentials with you on the Manali day, because delays are possible.

Leaving from Bhuntar

The trek ends at Bhuntar airport in the Kullu valley, about 52 km from Manali. Alliance Air is the only airline there, flights are few, and the runway sits in a narrow valley where bad weather can ground flights. Chandigarh, about 280 km from Manali, has many more flights and is the usual fallback. Our advice is to book a flight out of Bhuntar that leaves with room to spare, and to keep a spare day before any international connection.

Start early on day 14, keep your documents handy, and pack sharp metal items in your check-in baggage.

Why Leh is the start

Leh is at 3,500 m and gives you a place to settle in before the road days and the high camps. Tell us your dates and flight plans, and we will help you fit them to the 14 days.