This is the day your trek begins. Post breakfast, your guide will share with you the trail and what all you will do. You have to make sure that you are carrying essentials like camera, lunch box, water bottle, sunglasses and sunscreen with you. Then, from the beautiful green fields of Kanji, you will walk south. You will stop for lunch and photo breaks depending on your time and choice. After lunch, you can rest a while and then resume the trek. Today, you will scale gently sloping meadows and you will reach the base camp smoothly for overnight stay.

On the 3rd day, you will need to climb continuously till you reach the Kanji Pass. From here, you can admire the beautiful Himalayas and the renowned Nun Kun twin mountains. The panoramic views will leave you mesmerized. To reach your campsite amidst rocks, you have to descend till you arrive at the union of two streams. It is also possible to reach Rangdum from here, as the Kanji-Rangdum trail was very famous in the bygone days. Often, locals use this path to transport horses and yaks.

Day 4 is easy and you will have a great time walking along a stream that flows gently from Pingdon-la. Since there will be no trek involved, you can start spending the day as you please from the afternoon onwards. Relax in the lap of nature or click hundreds of photos.

Though the path to the pass will be snow-laden, no ice axes or crampons will be needed. You will find it an easy climb too. From the summit of Pudzong-la or Pingdon-la, you can admire snow-capped mountains in all directions. Then, you have to descend along a snowy slope to reach a rocky trail. This zigzag path will take you to unique rocky towers that lie on both sides of the valley. After 900 metres of descent, you will come across some bushes and small trees. When you start walking down the left side of the valley, you will come across uninhabited houses and wild fields and finally a wide river. You can either ride a horse to cross it or wade your way across.

After trekking for another hour from here, you will see the charming village of Dibling, with its gompa and a few houses. In West Zanskar, it is the most isolated village, thanks to high passes on all sides. The monastery here is perched above the village and requires a good climb. This Yellow Hat Monastery houses the divine figurines of Maitreya (Buddha of the future), Shakyamuni Buddha, Chenrizig and Tsong-khapa (founder of the Gelukpa Yellow Hat Order). Dibling will wow you with pretty houses, green fields and the local people working in the fields. You will get to camp either at the village or 2km from it and you will find that the locals are very warm and friendly. They might invite you for tea and cosy chats.

On the 6th day, you will leave the Dibling village and resume your trek along a narrow and rocky trail. The path will lead to a gorge and you will fall in love with the rocky landscape. Finally, you have to cross the main river and go back to its left bank. Eagles, pigeons and sharp cliffs will greet you now. You might meet some folks from the Dibling village too as they come to Lingshed to shop for daily necessities.

You will leave the valley of Oma Chu or Milk River and enter a gorge at Lingshed. You will have to walk up to Barma-la’s base. If you look back now, you will see beautiful snow-capped mountains framed by the gorge walls.

On the 7th day, it will take you about 3 hours to reach the pass from the base. Though the trail can be a little zigzag in pattern, the pass itself is broad and dotted with prayer flags. The view of the valley of Lingshed and its monastery from the pass is truly memorable. The path from the pass connects with the Padum route on the right and goes through fields and houses to reach the Lingshed Monastery. Your campsite will be there too. You will also find some decent toilets and a shop there. The shop might stock beer too!

Things can get a little tasking since you will have to conquer 2 passes in a single day. The eighth day will start with a simple climb that will take 4 hours and you will reach the first pass soon. At a height of 4370 metres or 14,330 feet, the summit of the Murgum-La will offer you stunning views of the valley of Neyrakon. This lies on the other bank of the Zanskar River. There will be a gentle descent towards the villages of Gongma at 4000 metres and Skiumpata at 4060 metres. Then, a very steep climb will begin till you reach the summit of the Kiupa-la at 4430 metres or 14,530 feet. When you reach the summit of the pass, you have to continue till the Sengi-La which is at 4430 metres or 14,534 feet. Here is your base camp where you will halt for the night.

The climb to the highest pass will take about 2 hours as it is steep. But the view from the Sengi-la summit at 4900 metres or 16,070 feet will make up for it. You can explore the pass, capture great views on your camera, and then go along a gentle slope to reach the valley. Next, a gentle climb will lead you to a second pass called Bumiktse-La at 4200 metres or 14,430 feet. The descent from the pass will take you to the charming Photoksar village which is at 4130 metres. This is where you will halt for the night. Surrounded by lofty mountain walls, a 20 minutes’ climb from this village leads you to a deserted monastery. Since it is the last night of your trek, your crew will organise a small party for you as well!

You will be driven back to Leh from Photoksar. After this refreshing trek, you will find peace and energy to deal with daily life. And all the beautiful moments will be captured in your camera forever.