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This is the tenth time that Almas Khan has led our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in northern India. This is also the second year we have run it with the updated and improved itinerary. Almas has crafted the ultimate trekking itinerary in Ladakh based on his years of experience exploring Northern India. The feedback from this year’s and last year’s group has so far been very positive, with the main highlights of the trek being:
Unique and Remote: The Ladakh Sky Trail is a less-traveled route, providing a sense of wilderness and discovery with very few other trekkers.
Diverse Landscapes: The scenery is varied, including green pastures, dramatic rock formations, gorges, glaciers, and high passes.
Cultural Encounters: The trek includes opportunities to visit monasteries, offering fascinating cultural experiences.
You can get a good idea of the highlights of the trek described above by watching the video from one of our trekkers, Jonty Crane, in our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT group in 2025. You can view his video on The Mountain Company’s YouTube channel or by clicking on the link lower down this page. Thanks very much, Jonty!
Our 2025 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT trek went really well and made good progress until towards the end of the trek, when bad weather came in. Up until then, the group had successfully crossed Prinkiti La (3,600m) on August 12th; Singge La (5,120m) by vehicle on August 13th; Tarti La (4,900m) on August 15th, Niri La (5,150m) on August 20th; Lar La (4,850m) on August 21st, and Rothang La pass (5,000m) on August 22nd. When at Phugtal Monastery on August 24th (Day 16), it started to rain, and it continued for the next 2 ½ days…
At that point, Almas made the right call to abort the final pass due to the high risks following the bad weather. Instead, the Plan B was to drive out via Kargil back to Leh. While it is always a bit disappointing not to complete a trek, it sounds like the drive out had spectacular views and, importantly, everyone got back to Leh safely. As Almas says, “It was a freak weather event for the month of August, which I don’t recall experiencing in my last 30 years of trekking in Ladakh.”
Thanks very much to Jonty for his AITO Traveller’s Review of his experience on the trek. Thanks also for his kindness in allowing us to use his GPX tracks, superb photos, and amazing video, too. I have copied extracts of his review below:
“This was my third long trek with The Mountain Company (TMC), and once again, I found them excellent to deal with. Their organisation and communication are consistently first-rate. The high level of care and professionalism throughout reinforced why I keep coming back to TMC for my big treks.
The crew was excellent – professional, friendly, and attentive. Food was consistently good, and the spacious tents made camping comfortable. Campsites were always positioned by streams, which meant the bonus of being able to wash most days (though the water was cold!). The itinerary worked smoothly for acclimatisation, and no one in our group experienced altitude issues.
One important point: there are three days with extended sections of high exposure on narrow, loose trails. These are among the most spectacular parts of the route, winding through gorges and canyons, but hikers need to be comfortable with this type of terrain. Hiking in Ladakh feels quite different from treks in Nepal or Bhutan, and this trip will appeal to those looking for a fresh Himalayan challenge in a truly unique setting.”
You can view the Google Maps set up for our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT for August 2025, including the use of Jonty’s GPX tracks.
Our international leader, Almas Khan, describes his experience leading this trek as follows:
“The weather on the trip was great to start with. When we got to our first camp at Nerak, there was very mild precipitation which lasted a very short time. After that, we had blue skies and no rain, and had a few hot days until we reached Phugtal Monastery on August 24th (Day 16). Whilst we were having lunch at the monastery, it started raining and it continued for the next two and a half days. The snows came down to 3,700 meters, and the landslide started blocking trails and roads.
It was a pity we could not cross the last pass of the trek, Phirtse La, due to the rain and snowfall. Keeping these risk factors in mind .... lots of snow (about 2 to 3 feet) on the pass, the rivers on the other side of the pass, and rock falls- it was decided not to attempt the pass and start working on ways to return to Leh in time for group departure flights.
After deciding to go with Plan B, the entire staff took good care of us and made sure we camped at beautiful and safe campsites along the way. The drivers chosen for the drive back to Leh were safe, and the drive was very picturesque. In compensation, I think we were blessed with a few clear days to see and observe the great views and different culture and religion of the beautiful Suru river valley on the way to Kargil. I still think it was a good holiday experience for the group.”
I would also like to thank Almas and his trek crew for picking up a lot of rubbish left by other trekking groups. As Almas says, “our trekking staff took good care of the rubbish and left the campsites clean. They also cleaned other trekkers' rubbish from Niyari Doksa and Shade village. We brought all the rubbish to Zangla for the first section of the trek and sent it back to Leh; it weighed 12kgs. The second lot of rubbish was brought back to Leh with us, weighing 15kgs. Total rubbish collected was 27kgs.”
Once again, thanks very much to Almas and the Ladakhi trek crew for doing a great job.
Almas will be back in Ladakh again next summer, leading our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT in August 2026. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining him.
Trek on!
Roland Hunter
The Mountain Company