The Ladakh administration on Thursday temporarily banned expeditions to Stok Kangri mountain range near Leh in view of depleting glacier.

The order covers the Army, Air Force, paramilitary forces and travel agencies, an official said.

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“In view of depletion of Stok mountain glacier and environmental issues, all kinds of expeditions to the region have been temporarily closed and restricted with immediate effect,” he said.

Stok Kangri was also closed in December 2019 for trekking and climbing from 2020 to 2023 due to overtourism. The interval was meant to give the region a chance to recuperate.

Stok Kangri is a favourite trekking route for foreign and domestic tourists. The 20,187 feet Stok Kangri is the highest mountain in the Stok Range of the Zazkar Mountains, a trans-Himalayan mountain in the Ladakh region of north India. The peak is located in Hemis National Park and is around 15 km southwest of the city of Leh, the capital of Ladakh.

Despite its high altitude, Stok Kangri is a popular trekking peak and is often climbed as an initial non-technical foray into high altitude mountaineering.

However, the difficulty of Stok Kangri is often underestimated and the need to acclimatise before and during the ascent makes Stok Kangri an enduring challenge.