12 Days Markha Valley trek

Upon arrival our team from excursion to Himalayas will receive you at the airport and drive you to the Hotel for relaxation. Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast catch the domestic flight from Delhi to Leh. If the weather is clear you will see the best view of Himalayas. The flight is approximately 1 hour 20minutes. Upon landing at the airport our team will assist you to the hotel and brief you about the trekking.Overnight at Hotel.

Explore the leh city.Its important to spend sometime at the city since you will have to acclamatise and understand the trekking route. Detail briefing will be done by our team. Overnight at Hotel.

Leh was an important stopover on trade routes along the Indus Valley between Tibet to the east, Kashmir to the west and also between India and China for centuries. The main goods carried were salt, grain, pashm or cashmere wool, charas or cannabis resin from the Tarim Basin, indigo, silk yarn and Banaras brocade. Overnight at Hotel.

We Drive to Zingchen (3,400 m) and Trek to Yurutse (3,53 0m) – 5 to 6 Hours walking along the nice and beautiful village. On the way you might come across locals and few tourist exploring the area. Upon arrival at campsites our team will make sure that you are offered with tea and coffee. Dinner and Overnight at Tented Camp.

From Sumdzom walk upstream on the left bank (true right bank), crossing the stream twice over sturdy wooden bridges. Then climb steadily up the hill as the path moves due south-east until it comes out of the narrow gorge. Straight in front is the Kanda La Nallah, along which a path leads to high pastures. On your left, or east, is the path which leads up to Rumbak Village. And up ahead, crossing the nallah and to the right is the path leading to Nyurutse and the Kanda La Base Camp. This junction is a pretty spot with wild flowers and a tea shop, a perfect resting place. Follow the Nyurutse path as it climbs steadily southwards. Nyurutse is a tiny hamlet and you can rest here, but see if you can press on for another hour that will bring you to a parachute-tent tea shop (shops in tents that come up during the season).

There are plenty of camping spots right after Nyurutse and even after the tea shop, but if you are a small group then head up south-west to the Kanda La Base Camp for the night. This is a small flat piece of land with a water source. It commands very nice views of the valley below, besides cutting short the sharp climb up to the pass the next morning.

Set out early, particularly if you have camped below the Kanda La Base Camp last night as today is a long day. The trek up to the Kanda La Pass (15,978 ft) takes a little under 2 hrs of steady climbing from the base camp. Follow the path south around the hill and then, instead of going straight up the pasture, find a path to the right or west which zigzags up to the pass marked by prayer flags. Look out for marmots en route. From the pass, a well-defined path leads down to Shingo. This is a surprisingly long descent on a well-defined path, taking around 2 hrs to the parachute tent tea shop.

There are two campsites at Skiu, a small one as soon as you enter the village, and a more favored one just past Skiu, by the Markha River. One can have a lovely rest day here, bathing in the river and doing a side trip westwards into the Zanskar Gorge to the village of Kaya.

If you have rested the day before, today will be relatively easy as you are walking on more or less level ground in the Markha Valley. From the second campsite, head a few hundred metres north to the edge of the pasture and find a broad path going east. After a few kilometres, you will come to a broken bridge across the river. Do not cross but continue walking upstream, heading east, into the thicket of willows and out. You will be walking either at the base of the hill or on a path cut into its side. About 7 km from Skiu, the path climbs up and abruptly confronts a high, but sturdy wooden bridge across the Markha. From here, it is a couple of kilometres to Sara where one can stop for some hot tea and refreshments. Overnight at Tented Camp.

Today is long day and Kangyatse peak dominates the the land scape with upper hanker village welcoming you and to Thachingse. Overnight at Tented Camp.

 Nyimaling is a beautiful, broad, grassy valley with plenty of water. If you have stopped at Tsigu for the night, then you can do the side trip from Nyimaling to Kangyatse Base Camp on the same day. If you are walking from Thujungtse, it may be too tiring. Either way, you may want to factor in another rest day here.

From Tsigu, find the well-defined path heading east in a series of switch backs until you come down into the broad valley with a parachute-tent tea house marking the Nyimaling campsite.

And Drive to Leh – 1 Hour. Overnight at Hotel.

Early in the Morning. Overnight at Hotel.