Sham Trek Ladakh

I have been a trekker for almost 5+ years and have done many treks in Himalayan states of Uttarakhand, Himachal and Ladakh. Although, it goes without saying that the all of them are different, with different level of difficulties as well as magnificently beautiful and magical views they offer.

Ladakh took my heart away when I went for Markha valley along with a few friends with Wanderers. I then booked myself for the Sham Valley trek. This was clubbed with the road trip I planned for ladakh. For a short trek like Sham valley (about 3 days trek) three days could be clubbed in the road trip itinerary. I booked once again with Wanderers.

From an itinerary standpoint, Wanderers keep the first two days for acclimatization. But for me, it was customized as I was clubbing it with my road trip. I was extremely excited to leave Delhi. June and July is not the time one wants to be in Delhi. Via Manali, we drove to Jispa, From Jispa to Sarchu and after spending a night in Tso Moriri, finally got to Leh. We spent the day unwinding and acclimatizing. The following morning, we were all set for our trek. A short drive took us to Lekir It was roughly a 2 hour drive to this small viallge called Lekir. Right by a stream, a quick right turn at the end of the village brings you to the trek starting point. A clearly carved out path was our starting point. Our guide Tashi took a quick briefing before we started. We were all given some dry snacks and packed lunch. We were told that there will hardly be any village on the way so better be prepared.

Finally, to reach Yangthang, it took us about 4 hours. We were there by early evening. Once agin, there is no doubt that ever remote location in Ladakh has its own local charm. A quick uphill pass brings you to Yangthang and you will see many homestays options.

We had a great time and experienced the local village life. Music kept playing in the homestay and it was just great. The following morning, we started for Hemis Shukpachan. Through Tsermanchang Pass, it is a gradual descends that got us to Hemis Shukpachan village. I can tell you that the trek into the Hemis Shukpachan was the most beautiful part of the entire Sham Trek Ladakh. We had our homestay there with an old lady who was like a lone ranger managing the whole show. We had an awesome time at the village.

The next morning, we were all set for Temisgam. We started at ease in the morning and started from Hemis Shukpachan. Via Mebtak La (a steep ascend to the pass takes quite a bit but as always it is fun), it is all descend. We took about 4 hours to reach Temisgam. Practically, it took us less than 2 hours coming down from the Mebtak La and it was easy post the pass.

It took us about 2.5 hours to drive back from the village to Leh. Once again, a must do trek for beginners and nature lovers.