Stongde to Phuktal Monastery Trek

The Stongde to Phuktal trek is a 14-day private trek in Zanskar, run from Leh airport and back. You cross Stongde La at 5,150 m, the high point, then follow quiet side valleys past Shade and Yata to Phuktal, a monastery built into a cliff.

You land in Leh (3,500 m) and stay two nights, with an acclimatisation walk on day 2. Day 3 is the long drive to Padum (3,669 m), and day 4 visits Sani, Dzongkhul and Karsha monasteries. On day 5 you drive via Zangla to Stongdey and sleep in a homestay under its gompa.

Walking starts on day 6 with the pass: about 7.5 hours up and over Stongde La to camp at Salangtak (4,275 m). Then come Mola Sumdo and Jingchikmo (day 7), Shade (day 8) and Yata (day 9), with stream crossings along the way. Day 10 is for Phuktal itself. On day 11 you walk out to Purne and drive to Padum. Days 12 and 13 are the road back to Leh by Rangdum, Kargil, Lamayuru, Alchi and Basgo, and day 14 is the flight.

The ground is dry and open: arid mountains, riverbeds, scree and loose gravel, with meadow stretches between. Walking days run from 4 to 7.5 hours, and the pass day is the long one. Temperatures run from -5 to 20 degrees Celsius.

• Duration: 14 days, 13 nights
• Highest point: Stongde La, 5,150 m
• Start and end: Leh airport and back
• Grade: Moderate
• Season: June to mid-October

Two nights in Leh and three nights at about 3,600 m come before the pass on purpose, so you meet Stongde La already adapted.

• Stongde La, 5,150 m: the high point and the first walking day, from Stongdey up and over to a camp at Salangtak (4,275 m).
• Quiet side valleys: from Salangtak you follow Mola Sumdo, Jingchikmo, Shade and Yata, a route far from the main Zanskar road.
• Shade village: a camp or homestay night at 4,212 m, on a short, easy day of about 4 hours.
• A day at Phuktal: you camp at Phuktal (3,850 m) on day 10 and arrive early, so the visit is slow and quiet.
• Stream crossings: day 7 has the most, so we start early and carry river shoes and poles.
• Monasteries around Padum: Sani, Dzongkhul (3,850 m) and Karsha on day 4, and Stongdey Gompa and the ruins of Zangla Palace on day 5.
• Two nights in Leh first: an acclimatisation walk to 3,650 m before the drive to Padum.
• The road home: Rangdum, Kargil, Lamayuru, then Alchi and Basgo on the way into Leh.
• Private and unhurried: your own group with our team, on a route with few other trekkers.

Stongde La, at 5,150 m, is the high point of the Stongde to Phuktal trek, and it comes on the first walking day. That is the thing to plan around.

What the day is

Day 6 runs from Stongdey (3,600 m) to Salangtak (4,275 m) over the pass. It is about 16 km and 7.5 hours, so it is the longest walking day of the trek. You climb about 1,550 m from the village to the top and then come down to a camp that is 675 m above where you started. The sleeping height is modest. The pass is the part that asks for effort.

How we handle it

We start early, because the climb is long and steady, and the wind rises as the day goes on. We keep a slow pace on the way up, with regular stops for water and food, and we keep layers handy at the top: the wind chill on a 5,000 m ridge is real even in July. Your leader watches how each person is climbing and sets the rhythm for the group, not the schedule.

It is a walking pass. If there is snow on the upper slopes, which is more likely early in the season, we carry microspikes and use them when conditions call for it. Later in the season the ground is open and the skies tend to be clearer. Both work.

Why it comes first

The pass is not the end of a long build-up on the trail. It opens the walk, so the build-up is in the days before it. You spend two nights in Leh (3,500 m), with a walk to 3,650 m on day 2. Then you spend two nights at Padum (3,669 m), with the Dzongkhul visit at 3,850 m on day 4, and a night at Stongdey (3,600 m). By day 6 you have spent five days between 3,500 and 3,850 m. That is the plan, and it is the reason we do not shorten the days before the trek.

After the pass

Day 7 is shorter, about 5.5 hours and 11 km, to Jingchikmo (4,094 m), so you have an easier day after the big one. The stream crossings begin there, so keep a pair of dry socks apart for camp.

If you have walked at altitude before, you will know how you handle 5,000 m. If you have not, tell us and we will talk it through before you book.

After Stongde La, the trek becomes a walk down a quiet valley system towards Phuktal. The days are shorter, and the character of the walking changes from climbing to following water.

Day 7: Salangtak to Jingchikmo

You pass Mola Sumdo (4,050 m) and camp at Jingchikmo (4,094 m). It is about 5.5 hours and 11 km. This is the day of stream crossings: the water is lowest in the morning, so we start early. Wear river shoes for the crossings, use trekking poles, and keep dry socks for camp.

Day 8: Jingchikmo to Shade

A short, easy day of about 4 hours and 9 km, rising gently to Shade (4,212 m). There are usually fewer crossings. Shade is a village, and the night is in camp or a homestay. After a long pass day and a crossing day, this is the time to rest, wash and eat well.

Day 9: Shade to Yata

About 14 km, 5 to 7 hours, down to Yata (3,980 m). The timing depends on how wet the ground is. Protect your feet in the wet sections, and take the day at an even pace.

Day 10: Yata to Phuktal

A shorter day, about 4.5 hours and 11 km, to Phuktal (3,850 m). You camp at the monastery, and the afternoon and the next morning are for the visit.

Day 11: Phuktal to Padum

You walk out to Purne (3,900 m) and drive to Padum, six hours in all. The exit can feel dusty and long, and the evening in Padum is for hot food and rest.

What the ground is like

The terrain here includes river crossings, riverbed walking, scree and loose gravel, with some meadow trail and arid mountainside. The route is remote, and evacuation may not be possible from every camp, so a good part of the safety is the plan itself: a local team, unhurried days, and the freedom to hold a day when the water or the weather asks for it.

If the walking, rather than the pass, is what draws you, this is the part of the trek to look at. Send us your dates and experience and we will tell you what the streams are usually like in that month.

Phuktal is the reason for the route. The monastery is built into the side of a cliff, and from a distance it looks like a honeycomb set into the rock. It is said to have grown around a cave where sages meditated.

Arriving on foot

You reach Phuktal on day 10, after Yata, on a walk of about 4.5 hours and 11 km. Purne, the usual road-head for the walk to Phuktal, is about 53 km up the Darcha road from Padum. On this trek you arrive from the other side, after a pass and five days of walking, so the place feels earned. We camp at Phuktal (3,850 m), and the day is kept for the monastery, which means you do not rush it.

The visit

Arrive early for an unhurried visit and keep a warm layer handy. Move quietly in the sacred spaces: this is a living monastery, and we visit as guests. Day 10 has no other walking, and you do not leave until the next morning.

Why the route ends here

The Stongde to Phuktal trek is a different way to meet the monastery from a road trip. You cross a 5,150 m pass, follow side valleys past Shade and Yata, and arrive with the whole route behind you. The walk is the context for the monastery, and the quiet of the approach is part of why it is worth doing.

Beyond Phuktal

On day 11 you walk out to Purne and drive to Padum. If you would like to walk much further in this region, the longer traverse is Kanji to Padum Grand Traverse, which also takes in Phuktal.

Zanskar is reached by road, and the road decides a good deal of the planning. Here is how the 14 days handle it.

Getting to Padum

You fly into Leh, where we pick you up at the airport. Leh's flights run only in the morning, and Leh is at about 3,500 m, so you do not drive on to Padum on the day you land. We stay two nights in Leh first. Day 3 is a long drive to Padum (3,669 m), about 10 hours. Padum is Zanskar's main town and is also linked by road to Kargil and Manali. You then have a sightseeing day at Padum and a night at Stongdey before the trek begins on day 6.

The way back

Day 11 ends in Padum. Day 12 is a long drive of about 11 hours by Rangdum and Kargil to Lamayuru (3,510 m), where you sleep in a homestay. The road runs up the Suru valley and over Pensi La, then down the main Leh-Kargil highway. Day 13 follows it to Leh in about 7 hours, with stops at Alchi and Basgo, and a visit to Lamayuru Monastery. Day 14 is the flight.

Season

The season runs from June to mid-October. Pensi La is usually snowbound from about November to late May or mid-June, which is part of why the trek is a summer and early autumn trek. Early in the season there can be snow on Stongde La, and the streams carry more snowmelt. Later the ground is open, the weather is stable and the skies are clearer. Both work. Rain can bring landslides, and snowmelt swells the streams across the roads as the day warms, so we start early and keep the road days relaxed.

Permits and paperwork

No inner line permit is needed for Padum. Carry photo ID, and foreign nationals carry their passport. We arrange any permits the route needs.

Planning your flights

Leh flights can be delayed by weather, and the road home can be slow after rain or snow. We suggest leaving at least a day between day 14 and any onward flight from Delhi. Medical facilities in Padum are limited, and that is one more reason the acclimatisation is built into the first days, not left for the trail.

The Stongde to Phuktal trek is graded moderate, and it is a good fit for a fit walker who wants a long, quiet Zanskar route without technical climbing.

The pace

Days run from about 4 to 7.5 hours. The long ones are the pass day (day 6, 7.5 hours, 16 km) and day 9 (5 to 7 hours, 14 km). Day 8 and day 10 are shorter, so the second half has room to breathe. Sleeping heights stay between 3,600 m and 4,275 m, well below the pass, but the route does ask for steady fitness, and some days have steep ascents and descents.

How the acclimatisation is built

Two nights in Leh with a short walk, then Padum and Stongdey at about 3,600 m, then the pass. The days around Padum are not filler. They are the reason you arrive at Stongde La able to enjoy it. Your leader checks in with everyone each morning and evening, and we adjust the day rather than push through.

Your group

Your group is private, usually 2 to 10 people. It is just you, your friends or family, and our team. We set the pace for you.

Preparing

• Train for time on your feet: long walks with a daypack, on consecutive days, with some steep climbing and descending, plus regular cardio work.
• Practise wet feet: the stream crossings are easier in river shoes and with poles.
• Pack for wind and cold: a windproof layer, gloves and a hat for the pass.

If you want something different

If you want a pass-and-glacier route from the same village, Kangla and Miyar Glacier also starts from Stongdey and leads out towards Manali. If you want the classic Ladakh valley walk, look at Markha Valley. If Stongde to Phuktal sounds right, send us your dates, your experience at altitude and how you like to walk, and we will shape the days with you.