India: Trekking in Ladakh (Markha Valley)

Route: Delhi airport to hotel

Your driver meets you at arrivals and takes you to the hotel. Nothing is planned for the evening.

The flight to Leh leaves early tomorrow. Every flight to Leh leaves in the morning, because winds pick up later in the day at an airport about 3,250 m high. Tonight is for sleep.

Experience of the Day

–  Private airport pickup and transfer to the hotel.

–  A free evening to rest before tomorrow's early flight to Leh.

Food

Dinner at the hotel; nothing else is planned today.

Activities to Do

None scheduled. An easy evening to recover from the international flight.

Route: Delhi – Leh (flight)

The flight crosses the Himalaya into the Indus valley. Your guide and driver meet you at Leh airport, and you go straight to the hotel.

Leh is at 3,500 m. The Ladakh tourism advisory asks new arrivals to rest on the first day and add no more than about 500 m of sleeping height a day after that. Today is for rest. Drink plenty of water and skip alcohol tonight.

Experience of the Day

–  A flight over the Himalaya into the Indus valley.

–  Met at Leh airport by your guide and driver.

–  A full rest day at 3,500 m, as the Ladakh tourism advisory asks of new arrivals.

Food

Breakfast before the flight; lunch and dinner at the Leh hotel.

Activities to Do

Light rest only today. No sightseeing is planned on arrival day.

Route: Leh hotel – main bazaar – Leh hotel

The morning is free. A slow walk to the main bazaar is fine, and any walking should stay easy. Your guide then holds the trek briefing at the hotel: the stages, the passes, the river crossings, what the horses carry and what you carry.

After the briefing the guide checks every guest's boots, poles, layers and day pack, and records a first pulse-oximeter reading for each guest. These readings are repeated each evening on the trail, and they give the guide a baseline for the whole group.

Experience of the Day

–  The trek briefing with your guide, covering stages, passes and river crossings.

–  A gear check of boots, poles, layers and day pack.

–  A first pulse-oximeter reading, the baseline for the trail.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Leh hotel.

Activities to Do

A slow walk to the main bazaar if you wish, and last purchases or hire of kit.

Shopping

Trekking kit, warm hats and gloves can be bought or hired in Leh's main bazaar today.

Route: Leh – Shey (about 15 km) – Thiksey (about 19 km from Leh) – Leh

Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh. The present palace and monastery were built in 1655 by Deldan Namgyal in memory of his father, Sengge Namgyal. Inside is a 12 m copper Buddha, gilded with about 5 kg of gold, made by a Nepalese sculptor with copper from the Lingshet mines in Zanskar.

Thiksey monastery stands at about 3,600 m and has twelve storeys. It was founded in the mid-15th century by Palden Zangpo and belongs to the Gelug order. Its 15 m Maitreya statue, installed for the Dalai Lama's 1970 visit, is the largest in Ladakh.

Return to the hotel by early afternoon to rest. Tomorrow the walking begins.

Experience of the Day

–  Shey Palace and its 12 m gilded copper Buddha.

–  Thiksey monastery's twelve storeys and 15 m Maitreya statue.

–  A half-day at the height of Leh, with no gain in sleeping height.

Food

Breakfast at the hotel; lunch en route or at the hotel; dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

A guided walk through Shey and Thiksey; an afternoon rest before the trail.

Route: Leh – Zingchen (about 30 km) – Rumbak (walk of 3 to 4 hours)

The road ends at Zingchen, at about 3,400 m, where the park begins. Vehicles cannot go further, so the last stretch is on foot, up a gorge along a stream. Your guide sets a slow pace. Rumbak sits close to 4,000 m, about 500 m above Leh.

Hemis National Park covers about 4,400 km² and rises from about 3,000 m to 6,000 m. It was founded in 1981 and is the only national park in India north of the main Himalayan range. Blue sheep, or bharal, graze the slopes above the village, and Asiatic ibex, red fox, marmots and golden eagles live here too. You reach the village by lunchtime. The afternoon is for rest, tea and a short walk to a spotting point with your guide.

Rumbak is a village of about three dozen households, and only some of them take guests. Rooms are simple. Meals are homemade Ladakhi food such as thukpa and momos.

Experience of the Day

–  The gorge walk from Zingchen into Hemis National Park.

–  A first night in a Rumbak family home.

–  A look for blue sheep above the village with the guide.

Food

Breakfast at the Leh hotel; lunch and dinner at the Rumbak homestay.

Activities to Do

A 3-to-4-hour walk up the gorge; a short walk to a spotting point after lunch.

The Human Story: The Rumbak Homestays

The homestay programme at Hemis began in the early 2000s, run by the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. Snow leopards kill livestock, and villagers once saw them as a loss. Guest income changed that. Ten per cent of the proceeds go into a village conservation fund, and villagers now guide visitors on the leopard trails, and the cats are worth more to the village alive.

Route: Rumbak – Yurutse (about 4,150 m)

The trail climbs gently up the valley above Rumbak to Yurutse, a single house at about 4,150 m with the camp pitched below it. It is a short day on purpose. Tonight is the highest sleep so far, only about 150 m above Rumbak, and tomorrow is the first pass.

The afternoon is for rest, tea and a short, slow walk with the guide. The evening oximeter readings are taken before dinner, and the guide tells the group the plan for the early start.

Experience of the Day

–  A short climb to Yurutse, below Ganda La.

–  A first night in a trail camp at about 4,150 m.

–  An afternoon of rest and slow acclimatisation.

Food

Breakfast at the Rumbak homestay; lunch and dinner at the camp, cooked by the trail cook.

Activities to Do

A 2-to-3-hour walk uphill; a slow evening walk near camp with the guide.

Route: Yurutse – Ganda La (about 4,900 m) – Shingo (about 4,100 m) – Skiu (3,400 m)

The trail climbs from camp to Ganda La, at about 4,900 m. Published heights run from 4,850 m to 4,980 m, so the guide gives you the number on your own device on the day. From the pass you look into the Shingo valley and, on a clear morning, across to the first peaks of the Zanskar range.

The descent is steep and zigzags down to Shingo, a small settlement of two houses at about 4,100 m, then follows a stream down to the Markha valley. Skiu, at 3,400 m, is the first village of the valley. It has a monastery and tea tents, and you sleep in a village home about 1,500 m below the pass.

Experience of the Day

–  Ganda La, at about 4,900 m, and the first view into the Shingo valley.

–  A drop of about 1,500 m from the pass to Skiu.

–  An evening in a Skiu village home.

Food

Breakfast at camp; packed lunch on the trail; dinner at the Skiu homestay.

Activities to Do

A 6-to-7-hour walk over the pass; a visit to Skiu's monastery in the evening if energy allows.

Route: Skiu – Pendse – Humarge – Sara – Markha (about 3,700 m)

The trail follows the river upstream through barley fields and small villages, with a tea break at Pendse. It passes Humarge and Sara, crosses a low rise marked with chortens and prayer flags, and reaches Markha, the largest village of the valley, at about 3,700 m.

The river is crossed several times. In July and August, when glacier melt is at its peak, crossings can be knee-deep and very cold. Footbridges carry some of them, and the crew and horses take the rest. Wear sandals or waterproof socks for the wet crossings and keep boots dry for the day.

Experience of the Day

–  The Markha River and its crossings.

–  Barley fields and small villages between Skiu and Markha.

–  An evening in Markha, the largest village of the valley.

Food

Breakfast at the Skiu homestay; tea at Pendse; lunch on the trail; dinner at the Markha homestay.

Activities to Do

A 7-to-8-hour walk with several river crossings; sandals or waterproof socks for the wet ones.

Route: Markha – Markha gompa – Hankar (about 3,900 m) – Thachungtse (about 4,300 m)

From Markha the trail passes the village gompa, then crosses the river and runs through fields and past long mani walls to Hankar, at about 3,900 m, the last permanent village of the valley. Above Hankar lie the gompa and the old village. From here the valley narrows and the trail begins to climb.

Thachungtse is a camp at about 4,300 m, near the stream that comes down from Nimaling. It is about 600 m above last night, the largest single night gain on the trail, and it comes after a gentle day. If anyone is struggling with the height, the group sleeps at Hankar instead and the guide adjusts Day 10.

Experience of the Day

–  Markha gompa and the long mani walls of the valley.

–  Hankar, the last permanent village of the valley, and its gompa.

–  A first night above 4,300 m in a trail camp.

Food

Breakfast at the Markha homestay; lunch on the trail; dinner at the camp.

Activities to Do

A 5-to-6-hour walk with river crossings and a steady climb after Hankar.

Route: Thachungtse – Nimaling (about 4,700 m)

The trail climbs gently across a broad pasture to Nimaling, at about 4,700 m, in the shadow of Kang Yatse, 6,400 m. Livestock graze the grass in summer and the camp sits among them. Nimaling is usually a busy place in the season.

The afternoon is for rest, with an optional slow walk up the pasture for the view. Eat well and drink more than you think you need. Tomorrow starts before dawn.

Experience of the Day

–  The broad Nimaling pasture beneath Kang Yatse.

–  The highest night of the trail, at about 4,700 m.

–  An afternoon of rest before the pass.

Food

Breakfast at the camp; lunch and dinner at the Nimaling camp.

Activities to Do

A short 2-to-4-hour walk; an optional slow walk up the pasture in the afternoon.

Route: Nimaling – Kongmaru La (about 5,200 m) – Chuskurmo (about 4,100 m) – Chokdo – Shang Sumdo (about 3,700 m)

The climb to Kongmaru La is long and steady, and the height is felt with every step. Published heights for the pass run from 5,100 m to 5,260 m, and at about 5,200 m it is the highest point of the trek. From the top the Zanskar mountains fill the view.

The descent is steep, loose scree and rock, and drops about 1,000 m to the stream at Chuskurmo. From there the trail follows the valley down through Chokdo village to the road-head at Shang Sumdo, at about 3,700 m. The vehicle waits there, and the crew pitches the last camp.

Experience of the Day

–  Kongmaru La, at about 5,200 m, the highest point of the trek.

–  A 1,000 m scree descent to Chuskurmo.

–  The walk down through Chokdo village to the road-head.

Food

An early breakfast at camp; packed lunch on the trail; dinner at the Shang Sumdo camp.

Activities to Do

A 7-to-10-hour day on foot: a long climb, a steep descent, then a valley walk.

Route: Shang Sumdo – Hemis monastery – Leh

The vehicle takes you down the valley to Hemis, about 45 km from Leh. The monastery was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal and follows the Drukpa lineage. It lies inside Hemis National Park, the same park you have just walked through for seven days.

From Hemis the road follows the Indus to Leh. You reach the hotel by early afternoon. A hot shower and a rest are the plan, and the crew say their goodbyes before you leave the road-head.

Experience of the Day

–  The drive down the valley to Hemis.

–  Hemis monastery, re-established in 1672.

–  A hot shower and a rest in Leh.

Food

Breakfast at the camp; lunch in Leh; dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

A guided visit to Hemis; a rest afternoon at the hotel.

Route: Leh hotel – main bazaar – Leh hotel

Today is held empty. If the trail lost a day to weather, or a flight is delayed, it is used here. If not, it is a day of rest after seven days of walking.

The main bazaar is a short walk from the hotel and sells pashmina, Ladakhi jewellery and prayer flags. Laundry and a slow lunch are the other options.

Experience of the Day

–  A spare day, held empty for weather and flights.

–  Rest after seven days of walking.

Food

Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Leh hotel.

Activities to Do

None scheduled. Laundry, a slow lunch and the bazaar are the options.

Shopping

Leh's main bazaar, for pashmina, Ladakhi jewellery and prayer flags, is a short walk from the hotel.

Route: Leh – Delhi (flight) – Delhi airport

You fly out of Leh early in the morning and reach Delhi before midday. Rooms are available on request for day use, to rest or freshen up before an evening international flight. Your driver takes you to the airport in time for your flight home.

Experience of the Day

–  An early flight across the Himalaya to Delhi.

–  Transfer to the international terminal in the evening.

Food

Breakfast at the hotel; other meals as you choose.

Activities to Do

None scheduled. A day-use room in Delhi is available on request.