Markha Valley Trek

Day 1 - Arrival at Leh

Arrival at Leh. Our representative will meet, greet, assist and transfer you to the hotel in Leh. Rest of the day free to acclimatize to the high altitude of Ladakh. In the evening, take a walk to the local bazaar in Leh. 

Day 2 - Acclimatization at Leh

Early morning drive to Lamayuru. Lamayuru is famous for its ancient monastery and the surrounding landscape, which closely resembles the surface of moon. This is where Ladakh gets its name - ‘The Moonland’. 

Confluence of the Zanskar & Indus: On the way to Sham Valley before Nimu village one can have this magnificent view of two rivers in wed-lock! In seasons they have different colors and flow and wildness.

MAGNETIC HILL: Defying the law of gravity. This place is close to the Gurudwara Shri Patthar Sahib. It has been noticed that when a vehicle is parked on neutral gear on this metallic road, the vehicle slides up-hill. This is indeed a miracle in Ladakh!

Alchi monastery: Alchi Monastery or Alchi Gompa is a Buddhist monastery, known more as a monastic complex (chos-'khor) of temples in Alchi village. Traditionally, the creation of the Alchi complex is attributed to the famous scholar-translator Rinchen Zangpo (958–1055) in the 10th century.

Lamayuru monastery: The Drikung history states that the Indian scholar Naropa (956-1041 CE) allegedly caused a lake which filled the valley to dry up and founded Lamayuru Monastery. The oldest surviving building at Lamayuru is a temple called Seng-ge-sgang at the southern end of the Lamayuru rock, which is attributed to the famous builder-monk Rinchen Zangpo (958-1055 CE). Rinchen Zangpo was charged by the king of Ladakh to build 108 gompas in Ladakh, Spiti Valley, and the surrounding regions.

Day 3 - Leh to Chilling and trek to Skiu

Today we start in Chilling. The bridge to cross the river is broken by the recent floods and hence you get to cross the river in an interesting rope trolley. 

All your trek stuff and equipments will be transferred in the similar fashion. Once you cross the river, the horses are loaded and then we are set to start our trek to Markha Valley. Today, we camp at Skiu – A three hour easy trek on mostly flat trail with occasional short ascents and descend.

The trek route is very interesting and the landscape is very fascinating and unique. Sudden appearance of a few green patches on the otherwise barren, creamy mountain adds a unique contrast to the scenery. Sightings of a few wild animals and locals enhance the day. Our campsite is defined and after some 3- 4 hours, we reach our campsite.

Day 4 - Skiu to Markha

Waking up to a wonderful morning in Skiu, we trek to the village of Markha. An easy trek with almost flat walks on most parts of the trail with occasional short ascents and descends like Day 3.

The views throughout are breathtaking. Watch out for different and unique rockscapes and structures of the mountains formed by wind and water erosion. With our previous experiences, we tried to tickle our imagination with the illusions created by these unique structures and strongly supported our conclusions of what they looked like -  ‘trunks of elephant’, ‘doorway to a very old tomb’, 'dinosaurs', etc. Its an interesting game to play which keeps us engaged with the mountains continuously and it goes unrealized when we reach our campsite.

Markha is a very beautiful campsite. The campsite is designated on a flat meadow with the stream flowing by. We visit an old monastery in the evening during the free time.

Day 5 - Markha to Thochungtse

The trek to Thochungtse goes via Hankar from Markha. It is a beautiful trek and takes about 4 - 5 hours. The route to Hankar is mostly flat with occasional ups and downs. Soon, we get a glimpse of Kang Yatse which fills us with excitement. After about 3 hours of trek, we reach the beautiful village of Hankar with few houses, lots of greenery and the massif of Kang Yatse in the backdrop. It’s a perfect picturesque setting. It’s a good idea to spend some time here and have our lunch here. After leaving Hankar behind, the terrain changes immediately with no mentionable greens to be seen further. The route is jaw-dropping with unique structures of the mountains and the rocks. Here it’s very easy to spot blue sheep, ibex, and snow leopards too! A walk of some 2 - 3 hours brings us to a small grassy plains which is the designated campsite of Thochungtse. 

Day 6 - Thochungtse to Nimaling

• Altitude:- 4,800m/15,800ft

Starting the trek from Thochungtse to Nimaling , we climb a mountain hump straight ahead of us. At that altitude, it does take some time, but once done, we enjoy breathtaking views of Kang Yatse, a huge massif overwhelming us with its presence. Also, the very thought that we will be approaching to the base of it further adds to our excitement.

Day 7 - Nimaling to Chokdo via Kongmaru La to Leh

• Altitude:- Kongmaru la 5,200m/17,100ft, Chokdo 3,700m/12,100ft

This day will be nostalgic and exciting, as this is the last day of the trek landing to the highest pass of the trek. Also, this day will be filled with surprises. After a strenuous climb of 2 hours to Kongmaru La pass, you will be pleasantly welcomed by the Karakoram Range mountains and the excellent array of peaks. Hold your breath for the mind-blowing sight of the huge K2 Mountain, the second highest peak in the world. There are prayer flags moving along the wind. To your surprise, there is a good network connection from the pass.

The trail then gradually descends, coinciding with villages to say goodbye. The immediate trail from pass has steep and narrow descend which later opens to Chikirmo village. Throughout the route, you can get indulged into the scenery of Indus valley and Ladakh range. After a gradual climb down and rocky terrain, you will reach Chokdo. This is the last stop of the entire trek, that also has many home stays. Get into the pickup vehicles that will take you to Leh.

Day 8 - Departure from Leh