Kang Yatse & DzoJongo are located in the Markha Valley, in the Ladakh Region. Actually there are two peaks one is easy and non-technical (6200mts high), and the other one is technical (6400mts. high). Though there are many options for this summit, but the best way is to do it with the Markha Valley trek with 6 days of acclimatization trek from Spituk to Hankar, 4-5 days to reach upto summit and back to base camp, and 2-3 days from base to Nimaling and then to Shang Sumdo Via Gongmarula (5150mts). Our journey commences from Leh Ladakh tour in a jeep after which we head onto Zingchen.
Starting our Trek from Leh, the trail goes through a flat and desolate plain along the river Indus till its confluence with the Zanskar where we make a u-turn and enter the Zanskar Valley and drive up along the muddy Zanskar till we reach Chilling. A little ahead of Chilling lies Kaya-Do where we cross the river on a trolley and make our way to the small village of Skiu. We are going to stay overnight.
The trail to Markha rises about 300m across 22km, crossing the Markha River a couple of times. Markha is a substantial village, complete with a derelict fort on the hillside and a small village monastery. Overnight Camp here.
Kang Yatse (6400m), a magnificent snow-clad mountain commands the views for the next two days. On the walk there are sights of some fascinating geological creations of large boulders balanced precariously on top of consolidated earth spikes. Continue down over a bridge to Thachungtse, a lovely valley to camp in and a popular place to spot herds of blue sheep. Overnight Camp.
You pass several mani (stones with prayer inscriptions) walls and suddenly come across a small lake. The view is wonderful from here - both of Kang Yatse, whose bulk gets reflected in the still waters of the lake, and also of the Markha Valley which we are now well above. Overnight Camp.
After breakfast we start our acclimatisation walk to Kongmaru La which is a gain of around 540m. The trail is steep uphill till we reach to the ridge from where it's flat to the foot of the pass and then the trail is again steep uphill to the top of the pass. We walk back for lunch at Nimaling. After lunch we will relax and will check our climbing gear
It's uphill from Nimaling through the loose rocks till we reach to the point from where we get the views of Kang Yatze base camp. Now the trail eases down a bit with gentle walk till we reach to base camp. Total walking hours from Nimaling should be 2-3hrs.
We start a little after midnight for our summit attempt of Kang Yatze 2, also popularly referred to as Kang Yatze shoulder. It is gradual all the way except for a few parts where we might have to rope up. We should be at the summit by daybreak to catch the sun rise and the glorious view of the Zanskar range and the distant Karakoram. Descend to Base.
Now since one summit is being achieved, we will start our trek for the other. We will leave from Kang Yatze Base camp in the early morning to reach Dzo Jongo Base Camp on time. On the trial, we will pass beautiful views of the barred mountains, since Dzo Jongo Base Camp is at an altitude of 5500m.
We start our trek for Dzo Jongo early morning from the base camp. It is gradual all the way except for a few parts where we might have to rope up. After reaching the top of the summit, we can see the glorious view of Karakoram. Then descending back to the Base Camp before nightfall and staying overnight.
We pack camp and proceed to the grazing grounds of Nimaling. From there it is a gradual ascent to Kongmaru La pass at 5260m with prayer flags fluttering. Beautiful views all round from the pass. We descend steeply at first before it becomes gradually as we reach the stream. A little ahead from there is Chuskirmo with chortens and a small shop.
Trek along the Shang River for couple of hours before we reach to Shang Sumdo - road head and then get into vehicles to go to Hemis monastery (optional) or continue directly to Leh. Lunch at the hotel, wash up & spend the afternoon visiting the interesting market in Leh.
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