Has anyone taken this tour? What can you say about it? Would altitude be a problem? I am used to high mountains as I live in Switzerland and I know I have no problem at 3'800 meters, but not much experience at more than that. As a first time in India, should I start in an other region? Thank you for your help.
Ekat
Re: Ladakh - The Hidden Kingdom
Dear Ekatarina,
Thank you for your post.
It's impossible to predict how you will cope with the altitude on this tour, as altitude can affect different people in different ways, regardless of fitness or age.
We have run a few departures of this tour and it has been fairly popular, so if anyone out there can give provide feedback on how they found this tour we would love to hear from you. (Unfortunately not everyone reads the forums so I cannot guarantee a reply for you from another passenger, Ekatarina).
There's no reason why you shouldn't do this tour as your first visit to India - if this is the kind of thing you want to do then go for it!
Re: Ladakh - The Hidden Kingdom
Hi Kelly M
Thank you for your answer. It's a dream of mine to go to the indian Himalaya region, so I am bound to go there sometime.
I'm just worried about the altitude. Do you know what the maximum altitude is on the tour?
Thank you so much for your help.
Ekatarina
Re: Ladakh - The Hidden Kingdom
Hi Ekatarina,
Thanks for your reply. The altitude on this tour reaches a maximum of 5,328m - this is on day 10 of the tour while driving along the Leh-Manali Highway - it is at Tanglang La and is the highest pass in the world!
At other times, the altitude will be around 3,500m (Leh), not much higher than 4,000m on the trek, and varying on the drive Leh-Manali on days 10-11 - these are very long driving days.
The reason we have 3 days in Leh at the start of the tour is to give you some time to acclimatise, and it's recommended to take lots of rest in the first 24 hours of arriving.
There are several passes on the Leh-Manali Highway. The Rohtang pass is 3,978m, the Langkacha La pass is 5,059m (this is the second highest pass), and the highest pass as already mentioned is 5,328m. The overnight camp at Sarchu on day 10 is around 4,000m.
The trekking on this tour is graded A - Easy, however the altitude (and possibly heat, depending on when you go) will make it harder than you would otherwise find it, so you will need to be prepared to slow down and take it easier.
There are also lots of resources available on the internet or guidebooks where you can find further information on the effects of altitude and how to cope with it.
I hope this helps!