Climate Action Expedition 2024

Today begins with a visit to the Leh City and a learning experience on the background of the ancient heritage. We will take a tour of the Leh Fort and the Old City, followed by a visit to the Leh market to purchase any gear or special needs if any. Leh has a rich history of trade during silk route times and is located on the bank of Indus river where Indus valley civilization thrived. We will also visit the Shanti Stupa from where you can get a panoramic view of the City of Leh.

Today is the day when we will leave Leh and only to return after 10 days of having experienced Himalayan Wilderness, culture and trekked across the hidden valleys of Ladakh – The Zanskar. The journey will takes us through the remote Trans SinggeLa Valley and will a drive for about 9 hours from Leh to reach Padum through a newly cut road. As we pass through the beautiful villages of Photoksar and Lingshed, we will witness some amazing landscapes and will cross the Zanskar river before entering the valley of Padum. Tonight we will rest in  the  Hotel Potala of Padum.

After surviving a 10-hour journey from Leh, today we will take it easy and start late from Padum as our campsite at Phugtal Monastery which is 3 hours car ride away from Padum and then a 2 hours trek to the monastery from the village Cha. We will do a bit of shopping at Padum and buy any essentials for the trek to Shade. We will leave for Cha and drive along the Tsarap Chu river that comes from the Phugtal Valley. From Cha our team will trek to Phutgal Monastery where we will camp for the night. 

Today will be on one of the longest day of trekking. We will start early and will start a steep ascent through the Phugtal monastery and then trek next to the Tsarap Chu river for another 5 hours before entering the valley on the left. It will take another 2.5 hrs to arrive at Thaktak campsite. Thaktak is a lovely campsite with a few trees. Overnight campsite at Takthak along the river bed and good night rest after a long trek from Phugtal.

Today again you will walk along the valley and see different landscapes. Another four-hour day with a river crossing, you will turn left to enter the beautiful shade village greeted with artificial gate made up of rocks. After 15 minutes’ walk, you will arrive at Shade village. Shade village was Solar electrified by GHE in 2017.  We will be welcomed by the villagers with traditional barley beer. Shade is a very isolated village in Ladakh. During this season villagers are busy in harvesting, collecting their potatoes, collecting the grass for animals. Overnight camp at Shade village

Today is the Expedition Impact Day and the team will install the Solar water heaters in the village, which is currently the most pressing need of the villagers of Shade as boiling the water in winters is very tough affair and uses a lot of firewood. The temperature during winters falls well below zero degree Celsius in this region, so the requirement of hot water is natural and pertaining. Apart from the environment, this step of Solar Water heater installation will provide benefits to the community on a long term. 

Today will be a long trek day today and we will start our trek early from village Shade and will be trekking for 7-8 hours to reach the village of Yougar. Entire trek route is alongside the river Tsarap chu that finally merges into Zanskar. The famous Phugtal monastery is located on the opposite the village Yougar and can be reached by crossing the bridge across the Tsarap Chu River. We will stay overnight in the local homestays in the village of Yougar

Today, we visit a 2500-year-old Buddhist monastery known for its architecture and heritage. The structure is built around a cave which is believed to be associated with many scholars of the ancient times. Both the monastery & village Yougar were electrified by GHE in 2016 & 2018 respectively. After visiting the monastery, we will trek for 2.5 hours to Cha village where our vehicles will be waiting for us. We will then drive to the town of Padum, where we will be staying for the night.  The trekking part of the expedition is over & now we will be driving back the next 2 days to Leh.

It is time to head back to Leh after having travelled nine days in the Himalayan wilderness. The journey is going to be long and along the way we will cross Penzi La and the famous Drang Dung Glacier, the biggest glacier of the Zanskar. The glacier is known for its peculiar river shape and the effect of climate change is quite visible as it has receded considerably over the years. Our destination for the night will be the village of Rangdum, which will be the last village in the Zanskar before we head into Kargil region. Overnight at Rangdum Swiss Tents at 14000 ft

Next morning, we begin our journey from Rangdum to Lamayuru and soon we will enter the Sankhoo valley and cross multiple villages along the way in our vehicles. The journey will take us through the town of Kargil, infamously known for the Kargil war that took place between India and Pakistan in 1999. On the way to Lamayuru, we will pass through the 8th century Buddha statue at Mulbek and finally after 5 hours we will reach Lamayuru known for its Moonland feature. We will be driving on the National Highway One. Overnight at Hotel Moonland

Today the team will undertake the last leg of travel from Lamayuru to Leh by road, a journey of 250 kms. In the morning, the team will attend a morning prayer at the Lamayuru Gonpa and post breakfast the Moonland Hotel , we head for the 4 hours journey to Leh. On the way to Leh, we will pass through Alchi village where the team will stop for the amazing Local Ladakhi Lunch at the award-winning restaurant  - The Alchi Kitchen. Finally, overnight in the Hotel in Leh after 12 days and time for a well-deserved shower

Today will be a leisure and reflection day for the team to visit the Leh market and pick up souvenirs, including Pashmina, Apricot based food products and other local handicrafts. In the evening, we will have a debrief on how the Expedition experience was for everyone and what can be the next steps for development of the communities that has been impacted by our expedition members. After dinner at a roof top restaurant, we will head to the hotel for our final expedition night

“The mighty mountains beckoned, and we answered the call. “

It’s time to say our farewell all around and make our way back to the airport with the GHE Team Leaders who will assure your safe departure. It's been an adventurous and impactful Climate Action Expedition 2024.