Ladakh & Zanskar · Summer 2025
Trans Himalayan Expedition — August 2025
Eleven days, six 4x4s and eighteen people from Manali to Hanle and back down through Tso Moriri. A dry August meant the Zanskar crossings were unusually kind, but the Shinku La approach still handed us two water crossings above knee depth and a full day of graded gravel.
By the numbers.
- Distance driven
- 1,840 km
- Time behind the wheel
- 62 hours
- Highest point · Khardung La
- 5,359 m
- Passes crossed
- 7
- Participants
- 18 guests
- Vehicles
- 6
- Crew on route
- 4
- Nationalities
- India, Germany, Singapore
The line we drove.
Manali → Shinku La → Padum → Kargil → Leh → Nubra → Pangong → Hanle → Tso Moriri
- 01
Manali (2,050 m)
- 02
Shinku La (5,091 m)
- 03
Padum (3,505 m)
- 04
Kargil (2,676 m)
- 05
Leh (3,500 m)
- 06
Khardung La (5,359 m)
- 07
Nubra (3,048 m)
- 08
Pangong (4,350 m)
- 09
Hanle (4,500 m)
- 10
Tso Moriri (4,522 m)
Departure dates
- This report
What the mountain gave us.
Weather summary
Dry, hard light, cold nights above 4,000 m.
- Two afternoons of high wind on the Hanle plateau, gusting past 45 km/h
- Brief hail at Shinku La on Day 2, cleared within twenty minutes
- No monsoon interference beyond Jispa — Zanskar stayed in rain shadow
- Daytime range
- +14 to +24 °C
- Night range
- −2 to +6 °C
Everything that stopped us.
| Day | Location | Issue | Action taken | Downtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 02 | Shinku La north slope | Lead Thar bogged in melt-channel silt at the second crossing. | Static recovery on the support Gypsy, 8 m strap, ten-minute job. | 25 min |
| Day 05 | Pensi La approach | Sidewall cut on a Scorpio rear from shale. | Full-size spare fitted; tyre patched that night in Kargil. | 40 min |
| Day 09 | Hanle–Loma stretch | Fuel-filter icing symptom on a diesel after a −4°C dawn start. | Warm-up hold and filter drain; no repeat for the rest of the run. | 35 min |
From the lead vehicle.
Logged by
Expedition Desk, Rohru
Lead vehicle & route control
- 01
Shinku La is now graded almost end to end, but the melt channels between km 12 and km 18 refill by mid-afternoon. We moved the group start to 05:30 and cleared every crossing before 10:00.
- 02
Padum has reliable diesel again, but we still carried 40 litres per vehicle from Jispa. Nobody needed it — we would carry it anyway.
- 03
Hanle acclimatisation held because we spent two nights at Leh before pushing east. Every group that skips that second Leh night sees headaches at Hanle.
- 04
Pangong to Hanle via Chushul is slower than the map suggests. Budget nine hours with photo stops, not six.
Frames from the log.
Shinku La approach, Day 02 
Zanskar river crossing, Day 05 
Hanle plateau, Day 09 
Tso Moriri, Day 10
Watch the route
as it ran.
Footage shot on this departure by the crew and guests.
Trans Himalayan Expedition — Film Part 1
Trans Himalayan Expedition — Film Part 2
What they said after.
Average 4.7 / 5 from 3 verified participants
Run like an operation, not a tour
Eleven days without a single wasted hour. The lead vehicle called every crossing, the recovery gear came out twice and both times it was sorted before anyone got cold. Hanle at night was the best sky I have ever seen.
Ankit Mehra · Bengaluru ·
Properly acclimatised, properly briefed
I was nervous about altitude. The two nights in Leh made all the difference and the crew checked on everyone each morning. Zanskar was the highlight — completely empty roads.
Lena Brauer · Munich ·
Hard days, worth every one
Day 9 was a long one and I would have liked an extra night at Pangong. Everything else was excellent. Vehicles were in good shape and the food on the road was better than expected.
Rohit Nanda · Delhi ·
Take the report
with you.
One page: route, distances, altitude, weather, recovery log and guide notes — formatted for printing or sharing with the people you are travelling with.
Other departures
we logged.
- Read the report
Ladakh · Summer 2025
Chumathang Plateaus Expedition — July 2025
Six days on the eastern plateaus with the Indus for company. Wide, fast gravel, thin air the entire time and almost nothing between fuel stops. Two guests flew into Leh and needed a full extra acclimatisation day before we moved east.
- Read the report
Spiti Valley · Summer 2025
Summer Spiti Circuit — June 2025
The first full-circuit run of the season. Kunzum La opened five days before we rolled, so Chandratal was still ringed with old snow and the Batal stretch was pure meltwater. Eight days, twelve guests, four vehicles, no missed nights.
- Read the report
Spiti Valley · Winter 2026
Winter Spiti Expedition — February 2026
Nine days into the cold desert with Kunzum La shut and Kinnaur as the only way in. Coldest recorded night was −27°C at Langza. Two vehicles ran studded tyres, all six carried chains, and we used them on four separate stretches.