Stok Kangri Trek Blogs

 

Stok Kangri is famous as being the highest trekking Peak of India. While people say there can be many such peaks like Mentok Kangri and others in Ladakh region but for a very long time, the official website of IMF showed Stok Kangri is the highest trekking peak. The caveat here is that it named very few peaks in that list. We have compiled all the information about this extremely challenging yet desirable trekking expedition here. Everything you need to know about Stok Kangri is compiled in these blogs.

1. Stok Kangri - A Stepping stone for serious trekkers

Known as one of the most difficult treks in the Himalayas, Stok Kangri is your ticket for the mountaineering expeditions. All the mountaineering expeditions lie beyond the impressive height of Stok Kangri (6,152 m).

Though you need no technical expertise, Stok Kangri is no short of challenges. It is often said that one should often prepare for the battle by knowing its enemies well. This is what you are going to face on Stok Kangri:

1. The rapid altitude gain and rarefied air that brings challenges with it
2. The biting cold wind that will chill you to your bones.
3. Steep climb all the way up to the peak
4. and also, the steep descend

Read in detail about how to overcome the challenges

2. What Stok Kangri and men from the 60s taught me

"I had never gone 20 steps up a ladder, let alone stood on top of a mountain that's 20,100 ft. high, that's higher than the highest mountain in Africa (Mt. Kilimanjaro) and even higher than Everest Base Camp. 

Here I was standing in front of 9 men, the youngest of whom was aged 33 and 6 out of 9 were over the age of 50. With the round of introductions, we found out that most of them had been trekking together since the past 30 something years."

Age is just a number. And the best views come after the hardest climbs. Read about Pooja Dhiman's experience on the Stok Kangri along with mountaineers at the age of 60.

3. Wildlife you stumble across while trekking in Ladakh

Ladakh region may raw in terms of beauty but it is enriching in terms of wildlife. When you come across indigenous species in the region, you don't realize you are in India anymore. 

You hardly have seen these species in zoos which is why you ought to go to Ladakh to experience the fauna of the region.

It’s a completely different feeling to spot them in the wild, their natural habitat, their home rather than admiring them during a safari or a national park visit. Let's see if you come across any of these beautiful creatures during the Markha Valley trek or Stok Kangri expedition:

1. Blue Sheep or Bharal
2. Himalayan Marmots
3. Pikas
4. The symbol of love; Chukar
5. Alpine Chouph
6. The well-known Yaks 

Read in detail about these species that you can spot on your treks in Ladakh.

4. Places you must visit in Leh Ladakh

Leh is a paradise on earth. No second doubts about it. The only reason why people go for a trek in Leh-Ladakh region is that of the astounding views it has to offer. Trekkers come here for Chadar Trek, Stok Kangri, Markha Valley, and Manali Leh Khadung La Cycling and they can see the blend of Tibetan culture in the area that feels like another world. There are a number of places to visit in Leh-Ladakh to have a soul-stirring experience:

1. Hemis Monastery
2. Magnetic Hill
3. Leh Royal Palace
4. Diskit Gompa
5. Namgyal Monastery
6. ...Read more

5. Stok Kangri Trek Photo Blog

Stok Kangriis not just about its diffuclty and impressive height. It is as beautiful as it is difficult. The span of the Karakoram Range from the top, the wildlife you spot on the way, the barren landscapes of Chang Ma, all these features will make you gasping out for breath.

If these photos don't convince you that Stok Kangri Trek is one of the most exhilarating treks in Ladakh, then I don't know what will.

Let these stupendous images from the Stok Kangri Trek get you all Stok'd up. ;)

Get a glimpse.

6. Achieving the impossible: Stok Kangri Experience

The world changes by your example and not your opinion. The memory of the 2 and half year long intensive and exhaustive treatment is still very fresh in my mind. I had started defying the odds by running a 10km in under 57 minutes, while I was on treatment - that had helped me reach out and inspire not only others by myself as well. By the end of my treatment, I had lost both lower halves of my lungs.

Read more about Saurabh's experience