KangLa & PoatLa Traverse
Trip Details
Trip Type: Trekking Holiday India
Region: Lahaul, Kishtwar and Zanskar
Grade: Challenging
Duration: 15 days
Max Altitude: 5500m
Batch Dates: 19 Sept - 03 Oct, 2021
KangLa & PoatLa Traverse Overview
The KangLa and PoatLa are both some of the remotest and highest passes in the Himalayas. The Kangla pass (5500m) connects the Miyar valley to the Zanskar valley and PoatLa connect the Zanskar to Kishtwar.
The trek begins in the Miyar Valley, one of the most scenic valleys of Lahaul with its fertile valley base, towering rock walls, the meandering Miyar Nalla cutting through it all and is home to a stunning wildflower cover in the summer. The road head for this trek is the village of Shukto. Over the next 9 days you will trek through some of the most pristine landscapes to eventually cross the pass and come out in the Zanskar valley. It is a long and challenging trek involving a complex glacier crossing. The first leg of the trek ends here and trekkers can choose to exit at Burdun and take a vehicle to Padum and onward to Kargil.
Those choosing to trek the complete route are rewarded with a traverse few have been on. One is rewarded by the expansive views of the rocky Kishtwar range as we cross the PoatLa (5490m) and descend into the Darlang Valley. We cross through the Sapphire and Emerald mines of King Zorawar Singh and eventually end the trek in the town of Gulabgarh on the border of Himachal and J&K. The two passes undertaken together offer an unparalleled exploration of Kishtwar and Zanskar along with two majestic 5500m passes. The passes can also be run as separate trips on request.
Dates and Cost
Fixed Departure in 2021.
We have departures all through September for this trek
Trip cost: From INR 250,000 Including taxes
Feel free to write to us with any questions you might have or use the book now button.
KangLa & PoatLa Traverse Detailed Itinerary
Day 01: The participants arrive in Manali.
Day 02: Manali - Udaipur by road
Duration: 10 hours
Drive to Udaipur.
Day 03: Udaipur - Urgos(3250m) by road
Duration: 2 hours
Urgos is a charming village in the heartland of Lahaul and is quite prosperous. The easy trail passes through the beautiful Lahaul countryside. We stay here to help in acclimatisation.
Day 04: Urgos - Tharang (3700m)
Duration: 5 hours
The trail to Tharang is quite easy by Himalayan standards and is dotted with flowers early in the season.
Day 05: Tharang - Gumbah Nala (3900m)
Duration: 6 hours
Trek through lush green meadows to the next camp at Gumbah Nala. These upper reaches of the Miyar Nala are renown for the many flowers that dot the meadows in spring.
Day 06: Gumbah Nala - Base Camp of Miyar Glacier (4200m)
Duration: 6 hours
It's an easy trek through lush meadows and pretty scenery to the Base Camp from where the trail becomes harder.
Day 07: Base Camp of Miyar Glacier - Base Camp of Kang La (4600m)
Duration: 8 hours
Trek up the Miyar Glacier to the base of Kang La. The glacier is crevassed in places but there is no danger to wary and well-equipped trekking parties.
Day 08: Base Camp of Kang La - Kang La (5450m) - Camp after the Pass
Duration: 8 hours
The trail to the pass is challenging and precautions need to be taken to ensure the safety of the team. Set camp at the first good camping site after the descend from the top of the pass.
Day 09: Camp after the Pass - Burdun
Duration: 5 hours
Trek into the Heart of Zanskar and camp close to the ancient and well-preserved Burdun Gompa. The road reaches near the Burdun campsite. Trekkers wishing to trek part of the trip can choose to exit here.
Day 10: Burdun - Poat La Base
Duration: 8 hours
We start the second leg of our journey and make our way up the valley to the base of the Poat La base.
Day 11: Poat La Pass - Poat La (5490m) - Darlang (4800m)
Duration: 8 hours
Another long day today, we make our way over the glacier and climb a steep ascent to reach Poat La. The pass provides panoramic views of the peaks of the Kishtwar and the Zanskar. Make our way down to the campsite at Darlang.
Day 12: Darlang - Chomochoir (4100m)
Duration: 7 hours
Make our way downhill from Darlang to Chomochoir.
Day 13: Chomochoir - Machail Nalla (2700m)
Duration: 8 hours
We lose quite a bit of altitude today to camp at Machail.
Day 14: Machail Nalla - Gulabgarh (2000m)
Duration: 8 hours
Our last day of hiking to reach the town of Gulabgarh. Overnight in a hotel.
Day 15: Gulabgarh - Manali
Duration: 15 hours
Long drive back to Manali. Trip ends!
- Camping Tents, Kitchen tents, Sleeping bags (Holofill) and Carry mats.
- Nutritious, high calorie vegetarian food will be served for the whole trek.
- Guide, cook and camp helpers.
- Porters/ Horses to carry loads on the whole route.
- Participants are not expected to carry any loads other than a small daypack with camera, some trail layers and some trail food.
- Two people will be accommodated in one tent.
- Transport Manali hotel to Road Head and back to Manali
- Hotel accommodations in Manali for 1 day before the trek and in Udaipur and Gulabgarh after the trek.
- All expenses of personal nature like drinks, tips, telephone calls, mineral water etc.
- Sleeping Bags. (We recommend to get bags which are comfort rated to - 5 to - 8 deg C)
- Accommodation and food in Manali.
- Medical and evacuation expenses, we strongly recommend purchasing a suitable insurance cover.
Pack:
- Backpack 40 - 50 Lts with rain cover.This you will need in case you choose to offload your larger pack onto a horse/porter
- Day Pack 15 - 20 lts - You will use this to carry your camera, water bottle, Trail layers, trail food etc.
Footwear:
-Trekking Shoes: Please do not wear sports shoes as on most treks as we go higher it gets harder to use the sports shoes. We recommend shoes with a good hard sole and also ankle support preferable water proof. While we do not subscribe to any particular brand you can try the Quechua forclaz 100, 500 or 600.
Socks:
- 2 -3 pairs of cotton socks.
- 2 pairs of woolen socks ( these are ideal to sleep in and best to use when in camp. We do not recommend them while trekking).
Clothing:
- Pants: 3 pairs (including the ones you wear) - Ideal are the quick dry light weight synthetic pants. Alternatively track pants are also comfortable to trek in. We do not recommend you get Denims or Jeans as they get hard to trek in.
- Tshirts 3 pairs (including the ones you are wearing) - Preferable cotton t-shirts that are full sleeves. You can also choose to get T-shirts with collars, they offer extra protection for the neck from sun burns.
- Synthetic Fleece Jacket - 1 pair.
- Wind proof/ Water proof Jacket - 1 pair.
- Down filled / Hollow fiber fill insulated Jacket - 1 -pair ( optional - get this if you want to stay extra warm at camps.)
- Thermal liners - 1 pair upper and lower (optional).
Accessories:
- Raincoat/ Poncho - what ever you get make sure it is something that will cover your daypack and camera too.
- Warm Beanie - make sure it is something that covers your ears. You can also use buffs, scarfs etc in addition to your beanie.
- Gloves - Lightweight synthetic gloves made of Fleece or you can also use woollen gloves.
- Sun Cap- 1 no
- Sun Glasses with good UV protection.
Other necessary things that we recommend you get:
- Toiletries - Sunscreen SPF 40+, Moisturizer, Lip balm, Soap, Toilet paper.
- Repair Kit (needle and thread).
- Headlamp/ Torch.
- Camera.
- Water Bottle- Ideally keep two bottle 1 litre each.
- Trekking Pole - Optional.
- Plastic Packing covers. (Please pack all your gear in waterproof plastic bags so that your clothes etc do not get wet while on horses or porters. Also carry extra plastic bags in case you need to pack wet clothes.)