Grand Canyon Of The Himalayas: Ladakh, India
Journeys International is pioneering a new trip tracking snow leopards in this remote mountain region, while both OARS and Bio Bio Expeditions are breaking new ground leading trips running the Class V's of the region's Zanskar River.
"The Zanskar is one of the most stunning places you will ever visit," says Bio Bio Expedition's Marc Goddard. "Most of the real Tibetan Culture has left Tibet and regrouped in Ladakh, so not only do you have the amazing river and mountains, but you get to experience the Tibetan culture as it was before the Chinese took over Tibet."
Ibex Expeditions, meanwhile, is offering new mountaineering trips to some of Ladakh's lesser-known, less intense 6,000-meter peaks, which provide the bragging rights of a big Himalayan ascent without the usual amount of pain.