Stok Kangri (6,153 m), Ladakh: Closure Status & Alternatives
India's favourite first 6,000er is closed. Here is what to climb instead.
Climbs on Stok Kangri stopped in 2020, and a Ladakh administration order of December 2023 keeps all expeditions closed, with no reopening date. This page gives the dated status, the reasons, the former route for context, and the closest 6,000 m peaks you can still climb, led by Yunam in Himachal.
- Status closed since 2020
- 6,153 m summit (20,187 ft)
- Dec 2023 Ladakh closure order
- Closest match Yunam 6,111 m
Mountains of India › Ladakh › Stok Kangri
Last verified 4 Oct 2026
Is Stok Kangri open in 2026?
No. Stok Kangri (6,153 m / 20,187 ft), near Leh in Ladakh, has been closed to climbers since 2020. On 21 December 2023 the Ladakh administration closed “all kinds of expeditions” to the peak over the depletion of the Stok glacier, and no reopening had been found as of October 2026. The closest open alternative is Yunam (6,111 m) in Himachal; see our list of India’s 6,000 m peaks.
Status, checked 4 October 2026: closed. No reopening order has been found in news or official sources. Any trip still sold as a “Stok Kangri expedition” runs against the Ladakh order, so there is no legitimate trek or climb to book and no honest trip cost to quote.
December 2019. The All Ladakh Tour Operators Association announced a halt to climbs for 2020–2022, citing pollution of the Stok village water source, glacier retreat and over-tourism (The Outdoor Journal).
21 December 2023. The Ladakh administration ordered that “all kinds of expeditions to the region have been temporarily closed and restricted with immediate effect”, citing the “depletion of Stok mountain glacier and environmental issues”. The order covers the Army, the Air Force, paramilitary forces and travel agencies (The Statesman).
2026. No reopening has been announced. The peak stays on our list of mountains of India as information only; if it reopens, this page will say so with the official source and date.
The former route (closed, for context only)
Before the closure, Stok Kangri was the most climbed 6,000 m peak in India, because the road-head is close to Leh and the climb needs no technical skills. The trail left Stok village, followed the Stok valley (Stok Chu) past the camps of Chang Ma and Mankorma, and reached base camp at about 4,969 m, two days from the village.
Summit day was the hard part: more than 1,000 m of ascent and 8–14 hours on the move, at an altitude where many first-time climbers turned back. The table shows the former camps; the route is closed, and the 2023 order covers “all kinds of expeditions to the region”, so treat the base-camp trek as closed too.
| Camp / point | Altitude | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stok village | 3,500 m / 11,483 ft | About 3,500 m; former road-head near Leh |
| Chang Ma | 4,000 m / 13,123 ft | About 4,000 m; camp in the Stok valley |
| Mankorma | 4,400 m / 14,436 ft | About 4,400 m; camp |
| Base camp | 4,969 m / 16,302 ft | Two days from Stok village |
| Stok Kangri summit | 6,153 m / 20,187 ft | 8–14 hour summit day, over 1,000 m of ascent |
How hard was Stok Kangri?
When it was open, Stok Kangri was graded a trekking peak: no ropes or technical climbing on the normal route, but very high. The summit day climbed more than 1,000 m from base camp and took 8–14 hours, and the altitude, not the terrain, turned most people back.
That profile is why Yunam is the natural replacement: it is also a non-technical 6,000er where altitude is the main challenge, with a long single-push summit day. If you have never been on snow, start with Friendship Peak.
The best alternatives to Stok Kangri
Yunam (6,111 m), Himachal is the closest like-for-like swap: a non-technical 6,000er with a long summit day, climbed from the Bharatpur camp on the Manali–Leh highway below Baralacha La in June–September. Steep scree and snow near the top and the altitude make it a real test.
Friendship Peak (5,289 m) above Manali is the classic first snow summit, climbed in May–June and September–October; read our Friendship Peak climbing guide. Deo Tibba (6,001 m) near Manali and Chau Chau Kang Nilda (6,303 m) in Spiti are the next steps up.
In Ladakh, Mentok Kangri (6,250 m) above Tso Moriri and Dzo Jongo (6,280 m) in the Markha area are non-technical trekking peaks in our dataset. We give them as information only: Suzu arranges climbs in Himachal, where more peaks are listed on our Himachal peaks page.
Showing 7 of 7 peaks
| # | State | Range | Status | Grade | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chau Chau Kang Nilda'Blue moon in the sky'. | 6,303 m20,679 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Great Himalaya (Spiti) | 1939 | Climbed | Moderate |
| 2 | Dzo Jongo | 6,280 m20,604 ft | Ladakh | Zanskar range (Markha) | — | Climbed | Trekking peak |
| 3 | Mentok KangriRises above the west shore of Tso Moriri; the lake is ringed by 6,000 m peaks including Mentok Kangri and Lungser Kangri. A 2010s SummitPost report gives about 6,250 m… | 6,250 m20,505 ft | Ladakh | Zanskar/Rupshu | — | Climbed | Trekking peak |
| 4 | Stok KangriWas India's most-climbed 6,000er before the closure. | 6,153 m20,187 ft | Ladakh | Zanskar range (Stok range) | 1951 | Closed | Trekking peak |
| 5 | Mount YunamClimbed from the Bharatpur tent camp on the Manali–Leh highway; summit day is a long single push. No documented first ascent found. | 6,111 m20,049 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Great Himalaya (Lahaul, Baralacha) | — | Climbed | Trekking peak |
| 6 | Deo TibbaFirst climbed in 1952 by J. de V. Graaff's party via the Duhangan col between Deo Tibba and Indrasan. Wikipedia names Clare Graaff and Pasang Dawa Lama; the Himalayan… | 6,001 m19,688 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Pir Panjal | 1952 | Climbed | Moderate |
| 7 | Friendship Peak | 5,289 m17,352 ft | Himachal Pradesh | Pir Panjal (Solang) | — | Climbed | Trekking peak |
Permits, the 2023 order and the alternatives
The 21 December 2023 order closes all expeditions to the Stok Kangri region, for the armed forces and travel agencies alike, so no outfitter can legitimately run a climb, whatever permit wording is offered.
For the Himachal alternatives, foreign nationals need permission from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF). For peaks up to 6,500 m, which covers Yunam, Deo Tibba, Chau Chau Kang Nilda and Friendship Peak, the IMF base fee is US$500 for a team of two, plus per-member charges and US$500 liaison-officer equipment hire (IMF peak-fee page, checked 1 Oct 2026). Indian climbers go through a registered Himachal outfitter, which arranges the local permissions. More in our guide to climbing permits in India.
History of Stok Kangri
Stok Kangri is the high point of the Stok range of the Zanskar mountains, in Hemis National Park about 15 km south-west of Leh. Wikipedia gives 1951 as its official first ascent; the party is not reliably recorded.
The first official winter ascent was made in March 2002 by a British team. Its height of 6,153 m (20,187 ft) is the figure Wikipedia says a 2007 GPS reading confirmed; other sources give 6,136 m or 6,155 m.
Easy access from Leh made it India’s most climbed 6,000 m peak, and that popularity, with pressure on the Stok village water source and a shrinking glacier, led to the closure.
Other Ladakh peaks of a similar height
-
Ladakh6,250 m20,505 ft
Mentok Kangri
-
Ladakh6,280 m20,604 ft
Dzo Jongo
-
Ladakh6,349 m20,830 ft
Chiling I
-
Ladakh6,400 m20,997 ft
Kang Yatse I
Stok Kangri: questions climbers ask
Is Stok Kangri open in 2026?
No. Climbs stopped in 2020, and a Ladakh administration order of 21 December 2023 keeps all expeditions closed. No reopening had been found as of October 2026.
Why was Stok Kangri closed?
Glacier depletion, pressure on the Stok village water source and over-tourism. The 2023 order cites the “depletion of Stok mountain glacier and environmental issues”.
When will Stok Kangri reopen?
No date has been announced. We will update this page if an official reopening order appears.
Can I still trek to Stok Kangri base camp?
Treat it as closed. The 2023 order covers “all kinds of expeditions to the region”.
How high is Stok Kangri?
6,153 m (20,187 ft) in our dataset and on Wikipedia. Other sources give 6,136 m or 6,155 m.
What is the best alternative to Stok Kangri?
Yunam (6,111 m) in Himachal is the closest match: a non-technical 6,000er with a long summit day. Friendship Peak (5,289 m) suits a first snow summit; Mentok Kangri and Dzo Jongo are Ladakh options.
How difficult was Stok Kangri?
A trekking peak: non-technical but very high, with more than 1,000 m of ascent and an 8–14 hour summit day.
When was Stok Kangri first climbed?
Its official first ascent was in 1951. The first official winter ascent was made by a British team in March 2002.
Planned Stok Kangri? Climb a Himachal 6,000er instead
We plan guided climbs of Himachal peaks, from Friendship Peak (5,289 m) to Deo Tibba (6,001 m), with registered local outfitters and certified guides — permits, stays and transfers in one quote.
Keep exploring
Sources
- The Statesman (21 Dec 2023) — Ladakh admin bans expeditions to Stok Kangri
- The Outdoor Journal (23 Dec 2019) — Why climbing was banned on Stok Kangri
- Wikipedia — Stok Kangri
- Indian Mountaineering Foundation — peak fees for foreign expeditions
- Wikipedia — List of mountain peaks of Himachal Pradesh
- Wikipedia — Tso Moriri (peaks incl. Mentok Kangri)
