Pure Grit. Pure Adventure.
Bikat means difficult. But with us, that’s not a warning—it’s a promise. Of stories worth telling. Of adventures worth chasing.
There's a lot that the Himalayas are hiding within its endless ranges. One such hidden gem is the Dzo Jongo peak which stands tall at 6,260 M with its smooth icy slopes towards its West face and its rocky terrain towards the East.
The wide spread of the monotone of skies, the long stretches of milk-white snow and the tiny footprints of man are the elements that make up the terrain of this very beautiful, lesser explored peak - Dzo Jongo (West). What's more, the West face also happens to be the true summit of the mountain - the knife-edge ridge on top giving new meaning to the phrase, living on the edge.
After our successful ascent up this gorgeous peak, we took it upon ourselves to dig into our experiences from the trail and distill the expedition down to all its major highlights.
If you live away from the North of India, travelling to the Himalayas comes with an enormous cost in terms of time getting to and from the mountain. The Dzo Jongo trek starts from Leh – which is a popular tourist destination and hence only a flight away from some of the major cities in the country. Outside of the time on the mountain, you get to start and finish your trek in a place which is well-connected - cutting down on extra travel time. The trail head, Skiu, is just a 35 km ride from Leh. This short but beautiful drive is the perfect introduction to the terrain you will be spending the next 10 days in.
The drive from Leh to Skiu goes through a flat and desolate plain alongside river Indus until we reach its confluence with the distinctly coloured Zanskar River. In this short drive, we witness barren mountains of all shapes, forms and textures – slabs of rock neatly stacked one of top of the other, chunks of rock resting on each other haphazardly, sheets of rock hard-pressed into each other, loose rocks, mountains made of mud, and much more. The entire set up looks like an experimental playfield of forms for the creator where He dumped all the discarded versions of His clay models.
After coming through some of the driest areas you will witness, the campsite of Skiu is amongst the many scattered and tiny hamlets spread out in the area turning browns into greens for all the fields of the locals. The freshness of vegetation is a sight for sore eyes in this otherwise galactic, mud land!
An ascent up this enchanting peak calls for crossing the rugged land of Markha Valley which is quintessential of the peculiar landscape of Ladakh.
The Markha Valley trek is one of the most fascinating and popular treks in Ladakh. It takes you on a beautiful journey in the land of fluttering colorful prayer flags, mani walls, high passes, exotic wildlife, and fascinating geographical formations. Not to forget the pristine villages you walk past, bringing you closer to the Ladakhi culture. The colourful rock formations found on the trail, along with the views of Stok and Zanskar mountains often leave people awe-struck. It is a challenging trek, with loads of stream crossings, steep ascents, and descents and takes you through a high mountain pass. The trek brings you face to face with some of the most fascinating man-made structures in the form of stupas, old forts and monasteries camouflaged amongst the many folds of these barren mountains. The best part about this trail is that it takes you to the infamous twin lakes, one of which houses the golden statue of Padmasambhava bang in the middle of its quiescent waters. This lake embellished with prayer flags alongside a walk through this magnificent valley is a lesson in spiritual confluence and the story about the history of the place and its people.
This culturally rich experience which takes you through a civilization of mud, heat and insurmountable beauty of a peculiar kind, comes as a part of climbing Dzo Jongo.
Dzo Jongo, at a daunting height of 6,260M, might be every bit as mysterious as any urban legend you ever heard! Hidden like a mystery in plain view, Dzo Jongo only presents itself to you half an hour before you get to its very base which is on the SEVENTH day into your trek. Firstly, you have to wait 6 days just to get a glimpse of the mountain in question. Secondly, it lies silently behind a dozen blind humps of scree, where each one tends to fool you into believing this is the last before the base of the mountain. And thirdly, it has two summits - a true one and a one that's frequented. If you like your treks to be full of mystery, drama and challenge, this one might be for you!
Although housed in the popular valley of Markha, this marvelous peak has been overshadowed by its much popular neighbours, Kang Yatse I and II for much too long. Dzo Jongo, therefore, does not see too many climbers, reserving all the mighty sights, its icy slopes and the breathtaking 360° view of the nearby ranges, just for you. As less frequented as Dzo Jongo is, the West face of the mountain is even lesser so for its technical and precarious climb. The mountain is usually climbed from its East face, the route which puts it in the category of a trekking peak. Climbing the west face of Dzo Jongo and getting to make your own footsteps on a mighty mountain, take it from us, is a feeling unparalleled – even more so when it’s the only route that takes you to the ‘true’ summit of the mountain.
From the dust storms of Markha Valley to the tent-flapping winds of its basecamp at 5500M to the snow storms during summit push, Dzo Jongo West (6260M) is the perfect recipe for adventure. It's the right amount of challenging and technical, the right mix of extreme temperatures, and requires the right combination of skill and endurance for it to make it to the top of your 'must-have' experiences.
There’s something about waking up in the middle of the night and trekking in a white trail of head torches under the light of the moon in freezing temperatures. It gives you the feeling of a professional mountaineer and hence all the drive of one too. Summit Day is a test of your grit and a firm reminder of the fact that ‘a lot can happen in a day’. A continuous climb on steep slopes and exposed ridges and the achievement of making it to the summit comes with bragging rights. The entire journey takes you about 11-12 hours of walking, all within a span of one single day. Let no one convince you that this is a small feat. Navigating all kinds and textures of the snow in the thick of the night comes with its own level of exhilaration. You are likely to experience a tiny tinge of a halo around you for having attempted this deed which is a complete test of your mettle.
We climb down to Leh through Kongmaru La Pass which lies at an altitude of 5,236M and has the ability to single handedly put this expedition on the top of your must-do list. As we start our trek towards this high pass, the sun blushes all shades of red, from pastel to a bright orange as the clouds run amuck in all directions. The sunlight makes the snow on the peaks shine like wildfire adding to the drama of the landscape. At Nimaling, the river flows urgently from the meadows towards the mountains as the many animals, in their morning glory, romance the land below.
The pass provides for magnificent views of Kang Yatse 1 and 2 and also Dzo Jongo. Adorned with prayer flags, the wind on the pass is fierce. The descent from this pass takes you on a narrow trail, through gorges and water crossings with the valley appearing and disappearing on every turn. The terrain is interesting in its colours with rocks across the colour palette, to geological formations with massive walls of rocks standing vertically on either side of you and the gush of water filling up these narrow passageways to the strangest and most interesting fauna you will ever see.
What's fascinating about the West face of Dzo Jongo (6,260M) is that it's got easy bits of straight walking and it's got extremely scary sections with 80° ice walls. It's got trekking sections and it’s got sections where you need to know exactly how to use your tools. It's got sections where you'll feel like it's a cake walk and it's got sections that will make you cry. This magnificent peak can get you brimming with self-confidence and just when you thought you got this, it throws something at you which will fill you with self-doubt. It's an extremely confusing internal and external journey but it's worth every bit of the conundrum for its spectacular views and the amount of learning it offers.
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