Stok Kangri is closed in 2026. Climb these 6,000m peaks instead.

No. Stok Kangri is not open for commercial expeditions in 2026.

The latest official public notice from the District Administration Leh is the December 2023 order titled “Order for permanent closure of all kind of Expeditions at Stok Khangri”. The notice describes a permanent closure of Stok Khangri for tourist, Army, Air Force and armed-force expeditions. As of 31 May 2026, we have not found a newer official reopening order.

That means a Stok Kangri trek package in 2026 needs to be treated carefully. Do not book one unless the operator can show you written permission newer than the Leh closure order.

The useful question now is not “when will Stok reopen?” It is: what did you want Stok Kangri for?

If you wanted the shortest road from Leh to a 6,000m certificate, look at UT Kangri. If you wanted the most complete first-6,000m expedition in Ladakh, look at Kang Yatse II. If you wanted the Markha Valley without the Kang Yatse queue, look at Dzo Jongo East. If you wanted the fastest true 6,000er from a roadhead, look at Yunam. If you wanted quiet Ladakh, look at Mentok Kangri II.

Kanamo is in this guide too, but with a caveat: TVT’s current peak database treats it as 5,964m and not an IMF-listed 6,000m peak. It is a good high-altitude Spiti option, not a clean replacement if your goal is an IMF 6,000m summit certificate.

The short answer: Stok Kangri alternatives in 2026

If you want the TVT answer in one line: start with Kang Yatse II or Dzo Jongo East. They are the closest honest replacements for the job Stok Kangri used to do for Indian climbers.

Why Stok Kangri closed

Stok Kangri was the first 6,000er for a generation of Indian climbers. It was high enough to matter at 6,153m, close enough to Leh to fit into a short itinerary, and famous enough that every trekking company had a page for it.

That combination is why the route absorbed too much pressure.

The closure story starts with the 2020 season, when Stok Kangri was shut for ecological recovery after years of pressure on the route, camps and glacier. The December 2023 Leh order made the current public position much stronger. It cites depletion of the Stok mountain glacier and environmental issues, and restricts expeditions carried out by travel agencies and armed forces.

The wording is worth being precise about. The notice-page title says permanent closure. Some older operator pages still call it temporary. The safest planning position is this: Stok Kangri is closed to commercial expeditions in 2026 unless someone can show you a newer official reopening order.

Old route information still has value. Stok village, Stok Kangri base camp, Mankarmo and the old summit line still matter historically. But that is not the same as a bookable expedition.

What made Stok Kangri hard to replace

Stok Kangri was not just a height. It was a package:

• 6,153m summit altitude.
• Leh access.
• A short approach from the Stok side.
• A known July-September Ladakh season.
• A non-technical standard route, but serious altitude.
• A name that families, operators and first-time climbers recognised.

No open peak replaces all of that cleanly.

Kang Yatse II is a better expedition, but it asks for a longer Markha Valley approach and a slightly more technical summit day. Dzo Jongo East is quieter and a touch easier technically, but it does not have the same brand recognition. UT Kangri is geographically closest, but the product is still emerging and operator names differ. Yunam is fast and relatively low-cost, but the roadhead profile can rush altitude exposure. Mentok is quiet and beautiful, but not cheap or simple. Kanamo is useful, but it is not a clean 6,000m certificate peak in our data.

So the honest replacement depends on the reason you searched for Stok Kangri in the first place.

Kang Yatse II: the natural all-round Stok Kangri successor

Kang Yatse II is the safest lead recommendation for most climbers who wanted Stok Kangri as their first 6,000m peak.

It is a 6,250m peak in Ladakh’s Markha Valley, graded Alpine PD+. TVT runs it as a 9-day Leh-to-Leh expedition in the 2026 season: two acclimatisation nights in Leh, the Markha Valley approach through Markha and Hankar, base camp below Kang Yatse, a skills day, summit attempt and descent over Kongmaru La.

The route does more for you than the old short Stok itinerary did. The approach is not dead time. It is acclimatisation. You move through villages, climb gradually into the high meadows, and arrive at base camp with several nights of altitude behind you.

The tradeoff is summit-day seriousness. Kang Yatse II is not a casual trek. It uses crampons, ice axe, glacier travel and a short fixed-rope section on the upper ridge. You do not need a BMC certificate for a guided attempt, but you should have one Himalayan trek above 4,500m and a training block behind you.

Choose Kang Yatse II if you wanted Stok because it was a first 6,000er, but you do not want the replacement to be another overused shortcut.

Dzo Jongo East: the quieter Markha Valley 6,000er

Dzo Jongo East is the answer for a climber who wants the Markha Valley, a true 6,000m summit and fewer people on the summit line.

TVT’s current Dzo Jongo East page uses 6,217m and Alpine PD. The standard expedition is 10 days Leh to Leh, with the same broad Markha-Hemis world as Kang Yatse II: two nights in Leh, walk-in through the valley, base camp in the Nimaling area, a training day, a non-technical snow walk to a wide summit ridge, then exit over Kongmaru La.

The difference is on summit day. Kang Yatse II has the iconic name and the fixed-rope ridge. Dzo Jongo East is a grade easier in our classification: crampons, ice axe and rope-team movement, but no fixed-rope ridge on the standard line.

Choose Dzo Jongo East if you wanted Stok because you wanted a realistic first 6,000er, not because you wanted the most famous peak in Ladakh.

UT Kangri: the closest Stok Range replacement

UT Kangri is the closest geographic replacement for Stok Kangri.

That matters. A lot of Stok’s appeal came from the Stok Range itself: short logistics from Leh, a dry Ladakh setting and the feeling of climbing a peak you could connect to the old Stok ecosystem. UT Kangri sits in that replacement lane better than Kang Yatse or Yunam.

TVT’s peak database lists UT Kangri at 6,070m, Alpine PD, open, IMF-listed and climbable in July, August and September. External operators often market UT Kangri II at around 6,030m from the Rumtse side, usually in a 9-10 day window.

That altitude spread is the caveat. “UT Kangri” and “UT Kangri II” are not always used consistently by operators, and TVT does not yet have a public product page for it. In this guide, treat UT Kangri as the closest Stok Range replacement, not our lead booking recommendation.

Choose UT Kangri if your non-negotiable is a Ladakh 6,000er with the shortest conceptual distance from old Stok Kangri.

Yunam Peak: the fastest true 6,000m alternative

Yunam Peak is the fast option.

At 6,111m, it is a true 6,000m summit in Lahaul, reached from the Manali-Leh highway near Bharatpur and Baralacha La. TVT’s peak database grades it Alpine PD, with a typical 8-day itinerary and a cost band around Rs 55,000-Rs 80,000, depending on inclusions, group size and operator.

The attraction is obvious: shorter trip, lower logistics cost, genuine 6,000m altitude. If you are comparing only time off work and money, Yunam will look easier than Kang Yatse II.

The body may disagree.

Yunam is technically simple and physiologically rude. The roadhead is high. Base camp comes quickly. You get fewer approach days for your body to adapt. For a well-trained climber who has already slept high, that can work. For someone coming straight from sea level and trying to compress a 6,000m summit into the shortest possible itinerary, it can be a harsh first lesson.

Choose Yunam if budget and time matter, but do not confuse a short itinerary with an easy altitude profile.

Mentok Kangri II: the remote Tso Moriri option

Mentok Kangri II is not the budget replacement. It is the quiet Tso Moriri replacement.

TVT’s current peak database uses 6,250m, Ladakh’s Tso Moriri region, Alpine PD and a typical 10-day duration. The route starts from the Leh side and moves toward Korzok/Karzok and the high country above the lake. It requires more remote logistics than Markha and, for many itineraries in the region, an Inner Line Permit.

The draw is setting. Mentok gives you a different Ladakh from the Markha corridor: Tso Moriri, open high plateau, fewer climbers and a more private expedition feel.

The caveat is naming. Mentok Kangri I, II and III altitudes vary across operator pages and local conventions. Do not pick Mentok because one page gives a neat number. Pick it because you want remote Ladakh and can afford a less standardised product.

Choose Mentok Kangri II if you want a quieter, higher-commitment Ladakh climb and do not need the simplest logistics.

Kanamo Peak: the near-6,000m Spiti caveat

Kanamo Peak is useful, but it should not be flattened into the same category as Kang Yatse II or Yunam without a note.

Many climbers compare Kanamo with Stok because it is high, non-technical and reachable from a village base in Spiti. Current operators run it as a trekking-peak style objective from Kibber. It is a good option for someone who wants high-altitude exposure without a full expedition feel.

Our caveat is altitude and status. TVT’s current data uses 5,964m, with an altitude note that sources disagree. It is not marked as IMF-listed in our database. That makes Kanamo a poor answer if your exact goal is “my first IMF-recognised 6,000m summit.”

Choose Kanamo if your real goal is altitude hunger, Spiti and a non-technical climb. Do not choose it if you want a clean 6,000m certificate replacement for Stok Kangri.

What we would not choose as a direct Stok replacement

Friendship Peak gets searched more than most Indian climbing peaks, and it is a useful training climb. It is not a Stok Kangri replacement. At around 5,287m in our data, it is below 6,000m. It can teach snow movement, rope discipline and expedition habits, but it cannot replace the altitude target.

Deo Tibba is a true 6,001m peak and deserves its own comparison. It is not the same buyer job as Stok. The route character is more Manali/Pir Panjal, with crevassed glacier and a final snow dome. It suits some first 6,000m climbers, but it is not the clean Ladakh redirect.

Black Peak is a TVT flagship at 6,387m in Uttarakhand. It is too serious to be the default Stok replacement. The standard route is graded AD- in our data, with a steep ice wall and a longer expedition structure. Consider it after BMC, prior high-altitude trekking and specific training, not because a Stok page sent you looking for “something similar.”

Permits and booking reality

For true IMF-listed peaks below 6,500m, the current public Indian Mountaineering Foundation peak-fee schedule lists a US$500 handling charge for a party of two. Foreign expeditions also need to follow the IMF expedition application process, and the IMF’s public guidance says a foreign expedition requires an Indian Liaison Officer with a US$500 equipment hire charge.

Those numbers matter, but they should not be read as the full cost of a trip. Operator fees, transport, park or camping charges, insurance, gear rental, rescue cover, hotels and GST can change the final price.

For Stok Kangri specifically, the permit question comes before the price question. Ask for the official reopening permission first. If the operator cannot show it, choose another peak.

For cost planning, separate peak fees from operator fees. The IMF fee is one line item. The larger number you pay an operator covers transport, tents or homestays, food, technical equipment, guides, support staff and permits handled on your behalf. TVT’s public Kang Yatse II expedition is listed at Rs 54,000 for the 2026 season; Dzo Jongo East, UT Kangri, Yunam and Mentok pricing should be confirmed directly because public pages and inclusions vary.

Which Stok Kangri alternative should you pick?

Pick Kang Yatse II if you want the most complete replacement: Ladakh, 6,250m, Markha Valley, real expedition rhythm and a route TVT actively runs.

Pick Dzo Jongo East if you want a quieter Markha Valley summit with a slightly lower technical bar than Kang Yatse II.

Pick UT Kangri if your strongest pull is the Stok Range and the shortest conceptual replacement for old Stok Kangri.

Pick Yunam if time and budget matter most, and you already understand how your body behaves above 5,000m.

Pick Mentok Kangri II if you want remote Ladakh and Tso Moriri more than you want the simplest commercial itinerary.

Pick Kanamo if you want high-altitude Spiti and do not need it to count as a clean IMF 6,000m peak.

If you are still stuck, use Peak Match or start with the broader first 6,000m peak in India guide. Stok Kangri used to let people avoid this decision. The replacement peaks make you choose more honestly.