Kang Yatse 2 and Dzo Jongo West Twin Summit Expedition

The Kang Yatse 2 and Dzo Jongo West twin summit expedition runs 15 days from Leh airport and back. It puts two 6,000 m summits into one private climb in Hemis National Park, above the Markha Valley.

You rest two nights in Leh first, with a Chamkang Ri hike (4,150 m) on day 2. Then comes the Markha Valley: a drive to Sara, river crossings through wind-eroded rock, Markha village, the green fields of Hankar, and the long climb to the Nimaling pasture at 4,800 m, with Kang Yatse 2 standing over camp. Kongmaru La (5,130 m) is a climb-high day on the way in.

At Kang Yatse base camp (5,000 m) there is a technical training day, then the summit push on Kang Yatse 2 (6,223 m), and a reserve day. We cross to Dzo Jongo West base camp (5,200 m), sleep at a summit camp (5,650 m) and climb the semi-technical Dzo Jongo West (6,280 m), with a second reserve day after it.

We leave over Kongmaru La, walk down the gorge to Chokdoh and drive to a hotel in Leh. The last morning is the drop at the airport.

• Duration: 13 days, 12 nights, plus two flexible reserve days (15 days in all)
• Starts and ends: Leh airport
• Highest point: Dzo Jongo West, 6,280 m
• Grade: Challenging+
• Season: June to October

Two nights in Leh, a climb-high day at Kongmaru La and a reserve day for each summit are built into the plan.

• Two 6,000 m summits in one climb: Kang Yatse 2 (6,223 m) first, then Dzo Jongo West (6,280 m), with a reserve day after each.
• A semi-technical second peak: Dzo Jongo West asks for steeper snow, crampons and fixed-rope sections, a step up from Kang Yatse 2.
• A dedicated training day: at Kang Yatse base camp we practise self-arrest, roped movement and snow descents before the summit night.
• The Markha Valley approach: Skiu, Sara, Markha and Hankar, with repeated river crossings and green fields against barren walls.
• Nimaling at 4,800 m: a high summer pasture, with camp directly below Kang Yatse 2.
• Kongmaru La (5,130 m): a climb-high day on the way in, and the pass you cross on the way out.
• Kang Yatse view point (4,350 m): a first long look at Kang Yatse on the way up from Hankar.
• Summit camp on Dzo Jongo West: a night at 5,650 m, so the summit day starts close to the peak.
• Hemis National Park: a quiet, private route through snow leopard habitat.
• Leh to Leh, taken care of: pickup and drop at the airport, and a hotel night after the descent.

Kang Yatse 2 is a long snow climb. Dzo Jongo West (6,280 m) is the peak that asks more of you, and it is why this expedition is more than two summits back to back.

What changes on Dzo Jongo West

The route is steeper and more technical than Kang Yatse 2. You use crampons, and move on fixed rope on the steeper sections. It is a semi-technical climb, so the skills you learned at Kang Yatse base camp are used again, not just rehearsed.

How the second climb is set up

After the Kang Yatse 2 summit and a reserve day, you walk to Dzo Jongo West base camp (5,200 m), a short move of about 2 to 3 hours. The next day you climb to a summit camp at 5,650 m. The summit day starts between midnight and 2 am, whichever your lead guide judges best from the snow and weather, and finishes back at base camp. The day is long, about 9 hours and 16 km round trip.

Camping at 5,650 m means the summit day is shorter than it would be from base camp, and the team has already slept high before the push.

Why Kang Yatse 2 first

The order is deliberate. Kang Yatse 2 gives you the altitude, the snow practice and the rhythm of a summit night. You arrive at Dzo Jongo West already acclimatised to 6,000 m and used to your gear.

Who it suits

This is a trip for climbers who are comfortable on snow and in crampons, and who want a harder second day than a single trekking peak. If you want one summit and a gentler profile, look at our Kang Yatse 2 expedition. If Dzo Jongo West alone is what you are after, see the Dzo Jongo West climb.

Tell us your experience on snow and ice, and we will say honestly whether this is the right next peak for you.

Day 7 of this expedition has no summit on it. It is a training day at Kang Yatse base camp (5,000 m), and it is what makes the summit night on day 8 safer and calmer.

What you practise

• Self-arrest and group arrest: stopping a slide on snow, alone and as a rope team.
• Efficient movement: three-point climbing, toe climbing and heel descending on a snow slope.
• Controlled descent: including glissading.

The session climbs to a high training camp at about 5,400 m, about 3 to 4 hours and 7 km, and returns to sleep at base camp. It doubles as a climb-high, sleep-low acclimatisation day.

The day before and after

Day 6 is short: Nimaling to base camp is only 2 to 3 hours and about 3 km, so you arrive early, rest and hear the plan. After the training day you eat, drink and sleep early.

Summit day, Kang Yatse 2 (6,223 m)

The start is just after midnight, set by the lead guide from the snow and weather. The climb and return take roughly 8 to 10 hours over about 8 km, ending back at base camp. Keep water, a hot drink and spare gloves in your daypack. If the day is not right, we turn back, and the next day is a reserve day at base camp.

Why the reserve day sits here

Day 9 is a flexible reserved day. If the weather or the snow delays the push, it is used for that. If it is not needed, you rest before moving on to Dzo Jongo West.

For this base camp with one summit only, see our Kang Yatse 2 expedition. For both Kang Yatse peaks, there is the Kang Yatse 1 and 2 climbing expedition.

This itinerary gains height in small steps. The logic is simple, and it is the one our Ladakh climbs follow.

Two nights in Leh first

Leh sits at about 3,500 m. The Ladakh administration asks every visitor to rest at least 48 hours in and around Leh before going higher, especially after flying in. We build that in: arrival and rest on day 1, a hike to Chamkang Ri (4,150 m) on day 2, and the Markha Valley only on day 3. You return to sleep in Leh after the hike, which is the climb-high, sleep-low idea in its simplest form.

Rising slowly up the valley

The sleeping altitudes then go: Markha 3,700 m, Upper Hankar 4,120 m, Nimaling 4,800 m, Kang Yatse base camp 5,000 m. The first night on trail is only 200 m above Leh. The jump to Nimaling is the biggest of the trek, about 680 m, so we take it with a full day of walking, a steady pace and plenty of water.

Climb high, sleep low

Three days do this on purpose:

• Day 4: the Kang Yatse view point (4,350 m).
• Day 5: Kongmaru La (5,130 m), before you sleep at 4,800 m.
• Day 7: the high training camp (5,400 m), before you sleep at 5,000 m.

Then two summits and two reserve days

After Kang Yatse 2 you sleep at 5,000 m, then 5,200 m and 5,650 m before Dzo Jongo West. A reserve day follows each summit, so weather or a slower body does not turn the schedule into a rush.

What you can do

Arrive fit and walk regularly. Drink well from the first day in Leh, and tell your guide early if you feel off. Speaking up costs nothing. Turning back or waiting a day is part of the plan, not a failure of it.

The grade is Challenging+: walking days of 5 to 8 hours, sleeping altitudes above 5,000 m on several nights, and moraine, scree and snow underfoot.

Most climbers on this expedition see Kang Yatse 2 as the goal. The route that takes you there, up the Markha Valley, is worth knowing too, and it is a trek in its own right (see our Markha Valley trek).

Leh to Markha

On day 3 we drive from Leh to the trailhead near Sara, past Skiu, and begin walking up the valley. The walk is about 12 km, 5 to 7 hours, and ends at Markha (3,700 m), a village and the heart of the valley. You cross the Markha River as you go, so keep dry socks within reach. The valley is high desert, with wind-cut rock and green fields beside the water.

Hankar and Thachungtse

Day 4 takes you from Markha to Upper Hankar (4,120 m) through Hankar (3,980 m), the last village, about 15 km and 5 to 7 hours. The valley narrows, the river crossings come one after another, and the Kang Yatse view point (4,350 m) gives you the first proper look at the peak you came for. The route passes Thachungtse, a remote campsite known as snow leopard habitat. The trail is inside Hemis National Park, and a small, quiet private group moves through it without noise.

Nimaling

On day 5 the trail climbs from Upper Hankar to Nimaling (4,800 m), about 16 km and 5 to 7 hours. Nimaling is a broad summer pasture. Camp sits directly beneath Kang Yatse 2. Kongmaru La (5,130 m), the pass you will later use to leave, is the climb-high excursion for the day.

Coming out

After Dzo Jongo West you cross Kongmaru La (5,130 m) and descend through the gorge toward Chokdoh (3,900 m), where our vehicle waits. It is a long day, 7 to 9 hours and about 18 km, ending in a Leh hotel.

Season

The valley and the peaks are in season from June to October. Earlier, snow cover is deeper on the passes; later, the ground is more open.

This is a private expedition: just your group, usually 2 to 10 climbers, with a local team that knows the Markha Valley and the base camps. Here is how it is built and who it suits.

The shape of the 15 days

Two days in Leh to acclimatise, four days up the Markha Valley to Nimaling and Kang Yatse base camp, a training day, Kang Yatse 2, a reserve day, a move to Dzo Jongo West, a summit camp night, Dzo Jongo West, a second reserve day, and the walk out over Kongmaru La to Leh, with the departure the following day. The trek is 13 days and 12 nights, plus two flexible reserve days.

Why two reserve days

Each summit gets its own. If the weather turns or the snow is wrong, we wait. If we do not need them, you rest. A twin summit without that margin turns into a gamble, and we would rather not run it that way.

What the team does

The lead guide sets the summit start from the snow and weather, checks your boots and climbing hardware on day 1, and runs the training day. Our approach is to turn back when it is right. Our summit success on peaks above 6,000 m is over 85%, and our record of zero fatalities and zero injuries since inception is kept by discipline, not luck.

Who it suits

The grade is Challenging+, and it suits experienced trekkers and climbers who are comfortable on snow and moraine and can walk 5 to 8 hours, and longer on summit days. If you are newer to snow, our Kang Yatse 2 expedition is a good first step. If you want both Kang Yatse peaks, look at Kang Yatse 1 and 2.

Next step

Tell us your dates, your experience on snow and ice, and your pace, and we will shape the days with you. The season runs from June to October.