MARKHA VALLEY TREK

Arrive at Leh kushok bakula rinpoche airport, where you will be received by our service executive and he will transfer you to pre booked hotel at Leh. Full day rest for proper acclimatization. Overnight stay at Leh.

Today after breakfast you will visit various famous monasteries of Leh . You will visit Shey, Thik and Hemis Monastery. Shey Palace is 16 kms from Leh. It used to be the summer palace of the kings of Ladakh. There are lots of Stupas built around the palace. Shey palace was built by Deldan Namgyal in the beginning of 17Th century AD. Thiksey Monastery close to Shey is about 3 kms. Thiksey monastery also known as the Mini-Lhasa is the biggest Monastery under Gyelukpa Sect. Hemis, about 45 kms south of Leh it is one of the most famous and largest monastery in Ladakh. It belongs to the Drukpa Sect and was founded in the early 17Th century. Overnight stay at the guest house.

After breakfast at hotel we will Drive to spituk in taxi, it will take 20 minutes to reach there. The trek starts from Spituk.You can visit spituk monastery before you start your trek-built in 15th century, the monastery belongs to Gelugspa order. Follow the dirt road from Spituk, along the Indus River, all the way up to Zingchen. The trail all the way to zingchan is really a dirt jeep road. It takes about four to five hours to reach Zingchen on foot from Spituk. There are a number of campsites. People who want to take a break can camp here. Overnight camp at Zingchen.

Easy trek today. The trail criss-crosses a stream flowing through a gorge. Take the wooden bridge to cross the stream and go to the left of the gorge. Further up move to the right and cross the stream. This trail heads to Rumbak from Zinchen. It takes about 3hrs to reach Rumbak. As today walk is a short one you should take the detour to Rumbak village: a beautiful village with lush fields; an old ruined fort situtated just beyond the village and a gompa. From rumbak there is no need to walk back to the tea tent as there is shortcut from village that takes you back to the main trail beyond the tea tent. From there head to your right to reach Yurutse. Take the small wooden bridge across the stream which leads to the valley on the right. A 300 m climb from there, brings you to Yurutse village. Camp besides the lush green barley fields here. Overnight camping/homestay at Yurutse (Note:The decision to camp at Yurutse and not head for the pass crossing of Kanda-la is to ensure that the team gets a rest day before a hard day 3 trek to Skiu where many trekkers complain of AMS symptoms and fatigue).

Difficult day with long distances to cover via Gandala (Kandala) Pass. Start early. It?s a 1 hour gradual ascent towards Ganda La Base camp. The next stretch from Ganda La base camp to Ganda La pass is a steep climb of two and half hours. The descent from the Ganda La Pass is steep for the first 20 min. The rest of the descent is a gradual downhill walk. Once into the valley you see wide open fields and the terrain starts getting dusty and yellow. 3 hours of walking brings you to the village of Shingo. Stop for a break here at the tea stall and refresh yourself. There is no source of clean drinking water after Ganda La so make sure you have enough water from Ganda La to Shingo. From Shingo, follow the stream ShingriNala. It?s a long downhill trek on a rocky terrain. Along the trail you see terrain with red, yellow, green and brown rocks. Skiu is situated at the confluence of ShgriNala and Markhariver. Its takes about 3 and half hour to reach Skiu. You see a monastery in Skiu, nicely placed. Do not miss the beautiful sunset by the Markha river. Overnight stay at skyu.

Another long day of trekking. The trail is well laid out along the Markha River. In some places you find the direction marked by Bharal Horns. Keep going as you cross the settlements of Narding, Zara and Chalak each having parachute tents. Beyond Chalak, you see green barley fields, colorful birds and huge mounds of baral horns. Another one km and you reach a bridge crossing section. Cross the bridge and return back to the right side of the river. Observe cultivated Barley fields ahead. You have reached Chalak. This is a suitable place to have lunch. It takes 5 to 6 hours to reach Chalak from Skiu. From Chalak the trail ascends gradually as you pass by a trail marked with Bharal horn for directions. Observe chortens and mani walls set high above the river throughout the way. After 2 to 3 km the valley opens up and a river crossing takes you to Markha Village. Let the guide decide the best spot for the river crossing. You may find the level of water to be thigh high. The water is icy cold so better to take off your shoes and socks and pull up your pants. Once you cross over, trek for a couple of kilometres till you see a final bridge crossing. As you cross over the bridge you approach Markha -the biggest village of the area. This village has 25 houses. An old fort dated back to 1830?s can be seen here. Towards your north, look for a renovated Gompa. Look for a camping spot at a higher spot above the village. Overnight stay at Marka.

Moderate day for trekking. From the Markha village take the trail that climbs immediately to take you to upper Markha valley. The monastery and settlement on top is a nice spot to capture good photographs. From there, it?s a gradual climb along the side of the Markhariver. 2 hours of climbing brings you to Umlung. The trail goes on a ledge over the bank of the river. In two hours, spot the summit of Kang Yissay on your right. The next two dwellings enroute are Tacha and Hankar. A couple of stream crossings bring you to Tacha monastery. There is a tea shop where you may stop by and take a break. Its takes about 2 hrs from tea shop to Hankar. After Hankar a rocky and steep ascent brings you to Thochuntse camp site. Enroute you pass through green wheat fields and finally cross a stream. Overnight at Thachungtse.

Easy trek today. It?s a shorter 6 kms trek to Nimaling.15 minutes from the Thotchuntse campsite, the trail forks. Take the trail to the left. After an hour?s climb, the terrain is smoother, curvier. The climb becomes gradual. One and a half hours into the climb, brings you to a pond where you can fill water. A long walk on a grassy meadow brings you to Nimaling. You see gushing streams on your left with a glacier behind the Kang Yatse and to the right is the Kang Yatse peak. The campsite of Nimaling is in a broad valley and is completely exposed to strong winds. When it snows, the green of the valley turns to a complete white carpet. Yak herders from Hankar Village have temporary stone settlements here in the summer months. Overnight at Nimaling.

Today is a difficult day due to the highest altitude pass crossing of the trek. From Nimaling look ahead towards Kongmaru la Pass. Cross a stream section and proceed towards the north climbing a long face of a ridge leading to Kongmaru la Pass. The hike from Nimaling to Kongmaru la pass takes around 2 hours and is a steep incline hike. At the top of the pass you will get a great view of Indus valley and Ladakh ranges. The downhill descent from the pass to Sumdo is brutal. The terrain is rocky and drops down steeply as you enter into a narrow canyon after trekking down 2 to 3 km. The hike from Sukarmo to Shang Sumdo is a long one with a major part on a dry river bed. At Shangsumdo Taxi will be waiting for us to transport us to leh hotel.

Today you will depart from Leh with the beautiful and soulful memories of Ladakh.