This post is to written with an intention to help those who want to attempt Stok Kangri trek. (Stok Kangri reaches an altitude of 6153m)
There are two routes that I know of (both the starting points are to be reached from Leh):
There are two routes that I know of (both the starting points are to be reached from Leh):
- Option one (The shorter route)
Stok Kangri village --> Changma --> Monkormo --> Base camp --> Summit.
This is a shorter route and takes around 2-3 days. From Leh, one has to hire a taxi or share with others and get to the Stok village. From here, the route is well marked. From Stok village, the next campsite is Changma which can be reached in around 3 hours. Most of the trekkers continue to Monkormo camp. This is a larger campsite. From Changma, Monkormo is another 3 hours. There is a lot of altitude gain and one has to be careful regarding acclimatization while on this route. Most trekkers either camp at Monkormo for the night or continue to the base camp which is around 2 hours from Monkormo. If you reach Monkormo late in the afternoon, you better rest at this campsite.
Base camp is around an altitude of 14,700 feet. Hence, you are already at a significantly high altitude. This is the reason why unless you are well acclimatized, it is advised to camp at Monkormo for one night, spend another night at Stok base camp to acclimatize.
- Option two (The longer route)
Shang --> Shang Phu --> Gangpoche --> Monkormo --> Base camp --> Summit.
This is a much longer route. The advantage though is the acclimatization factor. This route takes you through two very high passes ( ~ 16000 ft). This allows for proper acclimatization by the time you reach Monkormo. The route is marked but it is advisable to get a local guide. The route requires a bit of scrambling every now and then but nothing which is not manageable. Since this is a longer route, it might take around 4 days to reach Monkormo. Thereby, solo trekking or trekking with friends has the additional burden of managing the supplies. One more problem with this route is there is no human settling that you will find anywhere till you reach Gangpoche. Gangpoche has a cafe (Mitra cafe) and this is the only place where you can get some supplies. Be advised, this is not an easy route. In fact, some of the terrain here is more tougher than the one you would find on the shorter route.
Difficulties involved in both the routes:
- You'll have to cross a lot of moraines. Cross a lot of streams as well. These streams can swell up due to rain or due to the snow melting upstream.
- The climbs along the way are taxing (especially on the second longer route)
- The water from the streams might not be clear water. This is because the water carries a lot of sediments from up the mountains. This is something to be kept in mind while going for the trek.
The climb:
The final climb from the stok base camp to the peak is one of the toughest part of the trek. Usually the final climb starts early in the morning or late night. (i.e some start around 11pm, some start by 2am). This is because the climb requires crossing a glacier and it's better to cross when the sun isn't at his full strength. The route is straight forward and you mostly will meet a few teams attempting the summit. The easiest thing is to hire a guide from base camp or to hook up with the larger expeditions. (yes, the climb is considered an expedition due to the difficulties and the altitude involved).
The climb to the summit is not dangerous but is difficult after crossing the glacier. From here onwards, the climb is a zig zag climb along the slope of the stok mountain. The problem is the altitude. The thin air makes breathing pretty difficult. The climb can take around 6-8 hours depending on the fitness level of the group. The ideal scenario would be to reach the peak by 7am and start the walk back down to the base camp by 8am. The climb down usually takes a minimum of 3 hours. Hence, by the time you reach the base camp, it mostly will be 12 noon. The ideal thing to do is to rest for the night and start off to Stok village the next morning. (The longer route is not used while returning). The return to Stok village is around 4 hours.
Arranging supplies:
The final climb from the stok base camp to the peak is one of the toughest part of the trek. Usually the final climb starts early in the morning or late night. (i.e some start around 11pm, some start by 2am). This is because the climb requires crossing a glacier and it's better to cross when the sun isn't at his full strength. The route is straight forward and you mostly will meet a few teams attempting the summit. The easiest thing is to hire a guide from base camp or to hook up with the larger expeditions. (yes, the climb is considered an expedition due to the difficulties and the altitude involved).
The climb to the summit is not dangerous but is difficult after crossing the glacier. From here onwards, the climb is a zig zag climb along the slope of the stok mountain. The problem is the altitude. The thin air makes breathing pretty difficult. The climb can take around 6-8 hours depending on the fitness level of the group. The ideal scenario would be to reach the peak by 7am and start the walk back down to the base camp by 8am. The climb down usually takes a minimum of 3 hours. Hence, by the time you reach the base camp, it mostly will be 12 noon. The ideal thing to do is to rest for the night and start off to Stok village the next morning. (The longer route is not used while returning). The return to Stok village is around 4 hours.
Arranging supplies:
If you choose the first (shorter option), which most of the solo trekkers or trekkers without guides do, you will get the supplies along at Changma, Monokormo and base camp. These places have a cafe (Mitra cafe) which happen to provide the essentials for the trek.
If you are along the longer route, you better go with a trekking group. The problem is with the duration of the trek. Since it's pretty long and the options of getting supplies is less, carrying everything might not work out for solo trekkers (or a group of friends). Plan very carefully while on the longer route.
Permits:
Permits:
There is no legal permit required for Indians to climb the mountain. Though a permit for foreigners is required. The information regarding the same can be obtained at Leh.
Fitness required:
There are two major problems I see in this trek:
- Longer days.
- Higher altitude.
Hence, a strong lung capacity is a must.
PS: I trekked this route with Indiahikes. The final climb got cancelled due to heavy snowfall and we had to return to Leh. But four of us started off the very next day from Leh using the shorter route and did the climb. We had hired a guide from base camp to make the climb. In our second attempt we did the trek from stok village to stok peak and way back in around 36 hours (Not at all advisable). We were able to take the risk as we were acclimatized and had already spent two nights at basecamp when we were with Indiahikes group.
