spitok to stok trekking questions.

Hi there.

I want to do a small trek from spitok to stok. I have plenty of time and will be acclimatized in Leh before leaving. I just don't want to be too far away drom the roadnetwork because of a kneeoperation last year - this being the first trek since.

I was thinking of going from Spitok through Jingchan and Rumbuk. Then crossing the Namlung La (and stay at Doksar - or how far is it down to Stok from there?)

Questions are:

1 where to break the journey. Don't want to push myself too much?
2 Is it possible to get accommodation or should i bring my tent? (and what about food)
3 Can u do this on your own or do you need a guide.

Best regards - Troltuu

Hiya...

Well, Ladakh is not exactly the place where you should be venturing off for solo treks... And I certainly won't advise you to do the same solo... But then, the fact remains that I did the very same trek from Spituk to Stok, solo...!

Ideally, find a trekking companion - Advertise your trek on a poster on Leh's walls - everyone does it...! Or, get a guide...

Ideally, the trek is broken up into 3-4 days...
Day 1 - Leh to Spituk bridge via Bus / Cab and then a trek to Zingchen - first along the Indus, and then upstream along a tributary which flows into it.
Day 2 - Zingchen to Rumbak right through the Hemis Wildlife Sanctuary
Day 3 - Rumbak - Campsite
Day 4 - Campsite - Stok and then back to Leh

Well, the above is just a scheduled itinerary.
I combined Day 1 and Day 2 and reached Rumbak the first day itself - But I was quite exhausted at the end of the day, and not recommended... After entering the Hemis Sanctuary, one moves into a narrow gorge with a fast flowing stream alongside. Here, one has to keep crossing the stream every once in a while and more often than not, the log-bridges are missing... I actually lost a couple of hours here - funny reason actually... Decided to rest for 10 minutes with my eyes closed; and then got up and started walking again... After 15-20 minutes, I noticed that the direction of flow of the stream was kinda different; and then I realized that I was walking in the wrong direction...!!! And then it took a while to find a way across the missing bridges et all...! Surely something I wouldn't recommend to anyone...
You'll get accommodation at Rumbak - experience the life of the villagers in the middle of nowhere... And you need to pay a nominal amount for the homestay in a villager's home... Experience the cultural bonanza - You'll never forget it... By the way, Rumbak happens to be the capital of the Snow Leopard Territory of the World...!
Day 3, If you leave Rumbak pretty early, which you should, You can reach Stok by late afternoon itself; and so don't need to camp at all...
Well, I left pretty late (It was still Day 2 for me) and after spending a few exhilarating hours on top of Stok La (Namlung La), I carried on down along the steeper path... And spent a night in a cave...! (A man-made cave where people have spent nights) This was an amazing experience and I didn't meet a soul for 24 hours...!

For more anecdotes, tips and suggestions about Ladakh, check out this thread :

Ladakh in 5 Days...?! (Or 6 or 7 or 10 or 15...!)

Cheers...!

Thanks solotrekker.

I won't be going all alone since we 're two travelling together. The question was more if you need a guide to find the way or if it's straight forward.

Great to know about accommodation possibilities. I bet I can get food there aswell then?

Hiya...
Two of you together is just fine...
No need to hire the services of a guide really...
Just ensure you have a good map...
I managed solo even with a lousy map...!
Food is included in the homestays - thatz good for the experience, but you don't really eat much because : 1) after all that high altitude trekking, somehow the appetite just isn't there... & 2) the choice isn't much - just ladakhi bread with veggies...
Cheers...!