• Markha valley hikking
  • Rumbak Markha
  • Thachungtse Markha

Markha Valley Trek (9N10D)


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Introduction

The Markha Valley Trek is the most serene and one of the famous treks of the Ladakh Region. It is an amazing trip to get introduced to the magical and remote Buddhist Kingdom of Ladakh. While trekking on through this trek, we visit beautiful Buddhist Monasteries, remote Mountain Villages, and High altitude pastures like Nimaling. there are the ruins of many forts and castles, some built-in some pretty unlikely places!

It is a fairly long trek, crossing Kongmaru La at 5200m and has the fine objective of visiting the base camp of the highest peak in the Zanskar range, Mt Kang Yatse, 6400m.

While planning your trek, as a beginner keep the following points in consideration:-
  • you feel fit enough to trek for hours.
  • you walk two or three kilometers daily.
  • you don’t have any breathing problems.
  • you are not scared of heights.
  • Duration

    9 nights 10 days

  • Grade

    Moderate to difficult (T3)

  • Open

    June to September

  • Trek Distance

    70 km

  • Highest Altitude

    Kongmaru La Pass (5200 Meters)

  • Price

    39900/ Per Person

Inclusions

What’s included in the Price?

  • All road transport by private ac cars

    For Day 1 and 10 – Airport transfers, from Leh to Zingchen base camp on Day 2 and back to Leh on Day 9 from Martselang.

  • 7 nights of tented accommodation
    Twin sharing; 2 persons in a 3-man-tent
  • 2 nights
    (before and after the trek) Deluxe Hotel accommodation
  • All trekking gear included
    Tents (twin sharing), dining and kitchen tent, toilet tents, sleeping bags and mats. Trekking poles (1 per person) also included.
  • Local Guides and Cooking staff

    Languages; English, Urdu, Hindi and Kashmiri

  • All cooking utensils

    LPG stoves

  • Offloading
    Horses to carry your backpack throughout the trek (offloading) (except day sack)
  • Meal plan- Vegetarian meals including eggs and cheese, unless specified

    Trek-4 meals per day (Breakfast, Lunch, Tea snacks, Dinner). Hotel or Houseboat – 2 Meals (Dinner and Breakfast)

  • Wildlife Permits
    Trek Permits
  • Drinking Water

    Packed bottled mineral drinking water (2 ltrs per person) on first day of the trek. Boiled drinking water for the rest trek-days

  • First Aid Kit

What’s not included in the Price?

  • International or domestic flights
  • Visa
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal clothing and equipment
  • Any medical costs

    Costs associated with a medical incident, such as your evacuation from the mountain and/ or hospitalization (for which you should have travel insurance)

  • Optional trips or excursions
  • Tips for local staff and guides.

Itinerary

Brief Itinerary

Day 1 :- Arrival Leh

  • Arrive Leh (Alt. 3500m)
  • Pickup from Leh airport
  • 7 kms drive to Hotel at, approx 30 minutes.

(Transport from Leh airport to the hotel. Tea, dinner and breakfast)

Day 2:- Leh- Zingchen (drive) and Rumbak (trek)

  • Altitude: 3500m to 3700m drive
  • Altitude: 3700m to 4000m trek
  • 40 kms drive approx 5 hours and 9 km trek, approx 5 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 3:- Rumbak to Ganda La Base

  • Altitude: 4000m to 4500m
  • 9 kms trek, approx 4 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 4:- Ganda La base to Skiu via Ganda La

  • Altitude: 4500m to 3300m via 4900m
  • 11 kms trek, approx 7 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 5:- Skiu to Markha

  • Altitude: 3300m to 3800m
  • 11 kms trek, approx 8 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 6:- Markha to Thachungtse

  • Altitude: 3800m to 4100m
  • 8 kms trek, approx 6 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 7:- Thachungtse to Nimaling

  • Altitude: 4100m to 4700m
  • 6 kms trek, approx 4 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 8:- Nimaling to Shangsumdo via Kongmaru La

  • Altitude: 4700m to 3800m via 5200m
  • 13 kms trek, approx 7 hours

(lunch, tea, dinner and the breakfast)

Day 9:- Shangsumdo to Martselang trek, Drive to Leh

  • Altitude: 3800m to 3650m
  • 3 kms trek, approx 2 hours
  • 38 kms drive, approx 1 hour

(Transport from Aru, Pahalgam to Srinagar Hotel. Deluxe Houseboat or Hotel accommodation (twin sharing) at Srinagar. lunch at Aru, dinner and the breakfast at the hotel in Srinagar)

Day 10:- Leh Airport drop.

  • 7 kms drive to Leh airport, approx 30 minutes

(Transport from Leh to the airport for departure)

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: – Arrival reception at Leh Airport.
On arrival at Leh airport, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to the hotel. Overnight stay.

Day 2: – Leh- Zingchen- Rumbak 4000 m (5 hours trek): We drive from Leh to Spituk and continue on a dirt jeep road into a parched and exposed region. After about an hour’s drive, we will enter the Zingchen Valley where the Rumbak River flows into the Indus which makes its way down a mighty canyon. Further into the valley lies a beautiful village of Rumbak, inhabited by 15 families.

Day 3: – Rumbak – Ganda La Base 4500 m (3-4 hours): From Rumbak it’s a short walk to our next camp, but a very important one in terms of acclimatization, as we will camp very high tonight and cross the high pass the next day. So, we will not hurry and take our time to reach the camp at the base of Ganda La. After a short walk from the camp, we will come across the village of Yuruche, inhabited by only 1 family. From our campsite, there are spectacular views of Stok Kangri and the whole Stok range.

Day 4: – Ganda La base – Skiu via Ganda La 6-7 hours: After a light breakfast, we will begin our 2-hour ascent towards Ganda La (4900m). The usual Chorten and prayer flags mark the top of the pass, where one may see blue sheep, marmots and argali roaming the hills around. Views of the lofty Zanskar Range and the distant Himalaya Range are great as well. After a short rest, we will make a gradual descent to Shingo and break for lunch. We will finish the day by hiking for 2-hours through a spectacular gorge before making camp at Skiu (3300m). Within this idyllic village lies an old monastery and ruins of an old castle, once a rest stop for the Royal family on their way to Srinagar.

Day 5: – Skiu – Markha (8 hours trek: Following the Markha River, we will hike through the lovely valley on a fairly level path. The trail crosses the river at various points and passes winter settlements that contain Lhatos (religious shrines for local deities) and Mani walls (stones inscribed with Buddhist prayers). During peak season several tented teahouses will be open for refreshment. Markha (3800m) is the largest village in the valley, consisting of around 20 houses, an old monastery, and a ruined fort.

Day 6: – Markha – Thachungtse (6 hours trek): The Markha valley trail continues past old stone-mills, a ruined castle, and the auspicious monastery of Techa, which proudly perches upon a cliff that looms above Markha. The path then intersects the river several times before cutting through the last hamlets in the valley. After leaving the village of Umlung, we will be afforded our first view of mighty Mt. Kang Yatse (6400m), which will stay in sight until we cross Kongmaru La. After we break for lunch in the village of Hangkar (the last one in the valley), we will continue onward to the lovely green pasture of Thachungste (4100m), where we will make camp.

Day 7: – Thachungtse – Nimaling (4 hours trek): Today the trail will lead us up to the beautiful plateau of Nimaling, where the people of the Markha Valley bring their herds to graze during the summer months. At 4700m, Nimaling is the highest camp (4600m) on the trek, giving us spectacular views of the huge peak of Kang Yatse to the right.

Day 8: – Nimaling – Shangsumdo via Kongmaru La (7 hours trek): After a hearty breakfast, we will cross Kongmaru La (5200m), the highest pass on the trek, and from here we will have a wonderful view of the Indus Valley and Ladakh Range. The descent is quite steep, but will gradually level out as we enter Shang Gorge, with its fascinating rock formations. More river crossings bar our way before we arrive at the sour-spring of Chuskurmo (used in traditional medicine by the Amchi doctors). Camp overnight in Shang Sumdo.

Day 9: – Shangsumdo – Leh via Martselang: We will enjoy a pleasant 2-hour walk along a jeep road to Martselang, where the jeep will pick us up. On the way to Leh, it will be possible to visit some of the great monasteries of Ladakh such as Thikse, Hemis, and Shey.

Day 10: – Departure. Drop at the airport. Our representative will drop you at Leh airport for departure.

What to Carry?

The trek is supported by horses. You will need to carry only a light sack, weighing about 4-6kg for your items like passport, money, and camera gear. The following is a list of the items you should carry on the trek. If you have items that can not be used on the trek, you can store them at our houseboat or our office and take them back after returning from the trek.

  • Please note that only postpaid Indian mobile sim cards (Jio, Airtel and BSNL) work in Ladakh. There’s no cellular connectivity from Day 2 to Day 8 of the trek.
  • Please double check your passport or Aadhar numbers before submitting through booking form. These numbers are required for preparation of trek permits.
  • Passport or a valid ID card
  • Duffel Bag 60 liters
  • One Pair Trekking Shoes
  • One Pair Trail Approach Shoes
  • Trekking Pants
  • Hooded Rain Jacket
  • Shade Hat
  • One Pair Sunglasses
  • One Pair Liner Gloves
  • Small Size Day-Pack
  • Two Pair Trekking Socks
  • One Pair Sandals
  • Extra Warm Clothes
  • Warm Hooded Down Jacket
  • Sunscreen Cream
  • Lip Balm
  • Any Personal Medication

Fitness

Kashmir Treks are achievable by anyone with a healthy lifestyle and a good level of general fitness. Team members should be willing to be part of a team working together to achieve the goal of the expedition. As a team member, you should have an adventurous and robust spirit. The biggest challenge on this expedition is the first part of the trek across alpine terrain, much of which at altitudes of above 3000m.

Minimum fitness requirements

  • Trek: up to 10km per day.
  • Daily activity: up to 5 hours’ trekking per day.
  • Carry: up to 5kg in a day sack.
  • Terrain: remote, uneven, snowy, icy, rocky, sometimes exposed terrain at up to 3600m.
  • Climate: Can be sunny in valleys and cold and windy at Gangabal. Averages are 3000m, 5 to 25C.
  • Swim: not required though there will be river crossings to make.