Markha Valley Trek

Markha Valley Trek

Trekking in the Markha Valley

A walk in the skies. High over the great Himalayan region, over 15,000 feet. You feel like you are on top of the world. And suddenly, bling! You go down and downer. The zigzag road from the edges of the Indus Valley, abruptly crests the valley’s edge, and plunges thousands of feet to the ground. Ride this roller-coaster trek to the Markha Valley and get touched by nature’s bounties like you have never ever been.

We can include trekking at Markha Valley in your luxury tour to India

The Markha Valley Trek is among the most varied and beautiful the world’s mountains have to offer. And it is not merely an incentive for a hot bath that awaits your aching feet at sundown. If the upper end of the Markha Valley makes for breathtaking eye candy with spectacular views of jagged snow capped peaks, you touch base at the end of the trek at the famous Hemis Buddhist monastery, which is soul candy, and opens the spiritual eye of your mind.

A veritable green oasis, the Markha Valley trek passes through the snow-capped Korakoram Mountains, and offers trekkers an enthralling short trekking trip along its high passes serenaded with deep gorges and arid landscapes, splashed in bright colors of mustard and barley plants. It should surprise no one really why Markha Valley is also described as “Little Tibet”.

Markha Valley is not for the faint-legged. Do you have it in your feet, for the going gets tough in elevated and uneven terrain, and demands that the tough get going.

At some part in the trek, you might get that eerie feeling, that you are all alone in a lonely planet. Don’t press the panic button, for you feel so because the trek is on pre-assigned route, and it is not advisable to change course mid-stream.

The Markha Valley trek is a reasonably straight-forward trek, with many villages on the way, and even the odd tea “house” tent. Among the big draws for trek enthusiasts is the Kang Yatse trek, in Markha Valley in the south east side of the Leh and located on the top of the Nimaling Plateu.

The first village you get to see in the Markha Valley trek is the Yurutse village, and the first campsite (that’s what you want to know!) is beautiful Lartsa. Further up the trek is Da-amo campsite, the highest permanent settlement in the Markha valley. The tough part is after reaching Nyimaling, where you have to be conscious of altitude sickness.

If trekking is your pet passion, hop across to India. To the Himalayan Region. There are more options to trek here than anywhere else in the world. The best place to begin – and explore – is the Markha Valley.

Best time for a trek to the Markha Valley: March to June, September to December.
Tour Advisory: Pack sufficient medicines, food and warm clothing to last the entire trekking trip since you may not find these essentials once you have started the trek.

Shutterbugs Day Out: Carry your cameras, for the Himalayan mountains offer extraordinary wildlife viewing opportunities, diverse flora and fauna and the exceptional views of peaks and valleys.

Flying high: The flight to Leh is surely one of the most sensational flying experience taking you right over the top of the Greater Himalaya Range before dropping down in a series of steep turns, to land at the small airport at Leh.

Destinations for the Faithful: Hemis is the most important monastery of Ladakh, and is 360 years old. The gigantic Thanka, one of the largest in the world, is displayed once every 12 years. The Shey Monastery near Hemis, has a 7.5m copper statue of Buddha plated with gold, the largest of its kind. Another Buddhist destination, the 800-year old Thikshy Monastery situated on a hilltop is a mandatory must-visit.
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