Stok Kangri – Himalayan High Altitude Climbing

Stok Kangri is the highest mountain with a height of 6,153 meters or 20,187 feet, in the Himalayan Stok Range. It is situated in the Leh – Ladakh region, India. It is at a distance of around 15 kilometers from Leh.

View of Stok Kangri
View of Stok-Kangri

The mountain peak is situated inside the Hemis National Park. It’s very popular with the High Altitude Climbing community.

It usually takes six days to trek to the mountain peak and return to the starting point at Leh.

Leh to Zingchen journey is by car. From Zingchen, actual trekking starts. Your stay for the first day is at Rumbak. The trekking time to Rumbak varies, depending on the weather conditions. It normally takes anywhere between 8 hours to 14 hours.

Day 2 is to trek from Rumbak to Stok La and then to Mankarmo.

Day 3 trekking is from Mankarmo to the Base Camp at around 4969 meters or 16302 feet.

Day 4 is for Acclimatization. You can go for a short walk above the base camp here.

On Day 5, you will be trekking to the mountain peak from the base camp and return to the base camp.

On Day 6, you will be back to Leh (descending is faster since it is through another route).

The shortest route for the Stok-Kangri expedition is through Stok Chu and Stok village. This route is often used while descending. Stok-Kangri mountain peak can be trekked even by the non-technical trekkers, during July and August.

High Altitude Climbing requires a lot of stamina and is not for the mentally weak. Remember that you need to carry items weighing anywhere between 10 to 15 kilograms yourself while trekking. Acclimatization is also required in most cases. To acclimatize, you may start from Zingchen and then cross the Stok La pass.

Group trekking package is available with many leading trekking companies. Please ask your travel agent if you are interested in trekking to these beautiful areas. The area is blessed with the beauty of nature.

How Do I Go to Stok-Kangri?

Stok-Kangri is situated around 15 kilometers southwest of Leh, the second-largest district in India.

Leh–Manali Highway National Highway, 1D, connects Leh to Srinagar.

Manali is at 479 kilometers distance from Lah through this highway. National Highway 1D, is open only for 4 to 5 months a year, depending on the snowfall.

There is an International airport and railway station in Srinagar.