Ladakh · India
Mentok Kangri
A desert summit above sapphire Tso Moriri
The trek
A remote high-desert peak above the sapphire-blue Tso Moriri, climbed across the wild Rupshu plateau of south-eastern Ladakh.
Mentok Kangri rises straight out of the Rupshu plateau, the vast, wind-scoured high desert of south-eastern Ladakh, and looks down on one of the most beautiful lakes in the Himalaya: Tso Moriri, a 19-kilometre ribbon of sapphire and turquoise set at over 4,500 m. To climb it is to spend days in some of the emptiest, highest country in India — a landscape of nomad camps, kiang herds and barren ochre ridges under an enormous sky.
The peak itself is a cluster of summits a little above 6,100 m. The standard line is non-technical — long snow and scree slopes rather than steep ice — but the remoteness, the thin air and the brutal exposure to wind make it a serious undertaking. Acclimatisation is everything here, so the expedition builds in time on the plateau before establishing base and high camps within sight of the lake.
Summit day is a long, cold pre-dawn slog on crampons up moderate slopes to a viewpoint that takes in Tso Moriri far below, the Mentok range around you, and on a clear day the distant ranges of Tibet. For fit, acclimatised trekkers ready to learn basic mountaineering, it is a wild and rewarding first or second 6,000-metre peak — and far quieter than the better-known objectives near Leh.
Highlights
- A 6,130 m summit straight above sapphire Tso Moriri
- The vast, remote Rupshu plateau and its nomad camps
- Non-technical snow-and-scree climbing at extreme altitude
- One of the quietest, wildest expedition peaks in Ladakh
From
₹37,999
per person
- Free reschedule up to 21 days out
- Small groups, certified mountain leaders
- Oximeter, oxygen & evacuation plan on every route
Day by day
The itinerary
9 days from Leh / Tso Moriri. Tap any day to read the detail — distances and altitudes are planning figures and may shift with conditions.
Fly into Leh and rest to begin acclimatising in Ladakh's high desert capital. The first day at over 11,000 ft is for quiet recovery, steady hydration and no exertion. The thin, arid air takes time to adjust to, and sound early acclimatisation underpins the whole remote expedition to come. The day is spent gently settling in.
What's included
- Hotel in Leh, camps at Tso Moriri and base/high camps
- All meals throughout the expedition
- Certified mountaineering leader and high-altitude crew
- Technical climbing equipment — rope, crampons, ice axe, harness
- Peak permit, inner-line permits and emergency oxygen
Not included
- Flights to and from Leh
- Personal climbing clothing and mountaineering boots
- Insurance covering high-altitude mountaineering
- Anything not listed under inclusions
In the field
The country you'll walk
Ready when you are
Walk Mentok Kangri with us
Small groups, honest briefings and a crew that has done this route many times over. From ₹37,999 per person.
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