Trekking Tales from Fascinating Markha Valley

River Markha is one of the loveliest rivers in “Little Tibet” or Ladakh, where you can also find one of the world’s highest inhabited plateau zones. Here is where you would get the absolutely mesmerizing sights and the most beautiful scenic pleasures and where you would certainly want to bask in the glory of the trekking pleasures. Get the most eye-catching views of the Great Himalayas and the Zanskar and the Ladakh ranges.

Here the Markha Valley trek would take you around this land of eden and also help you to understand the thrill of having a trek in the most pristine spots of India. As the trail winds past the beautiful sights of the willow groves and the wild roses the entire canyon looks straight out of a picture card. The trek introduces you to the nomads of this region with their yaks which incidentally are the most intriguing part of a visit to Markha valley. Lighting butter lamps in monasteries is the other thing that could fascinate you and as you get used to the landscape and the climate and it is time to come back, it is not without remorse that you would make your way back from this lovely land of trekking pleasures Markha Valley.

Knowing all this and more, when I set out with my friends for this trek, it totally had hypnotized my excitement and I was looking forward to a great time of thrill, adventure and memorable pleasures. Tarang, Swapnil and I had long planned to embark on such a trek when we were in college and it was heartening that finally we had got around to doing it. The best season to go on a Markha Valley trek is mid October and we had made all arrangements to go at this time.

This trek is surely one of the most enchanting treks in the entire world. There is something special about feeling on top and something really vibrant about venturing into the high slopes of the majestic Himalayas, crossing two passes and getting closer to Buddhism.

We knew that we would encounter many shrines or chortens as they are called, as also Mani or prayer walls. The Buddhist culture is a major feature here in Ladakh and Markha Valley and we knew that we were going to have the most thrilling and sensational 12 days in our trek to the Markha Valley.

• Suggested Treks: Best of Ladakh Treks

12 Days Markha Valley Trek Itinerary 

We were received at Delhi by our tour agent, and then we went to the hotel which was booked for us. The next morning we took a flight to Leh and were again met by a tour representative who took us to the hotel. We went around the Leh market in the evening and got used to the climate there.

The following morning we went to the monasteries in Leh. The Shey Gompa is around 15kms from Leh. This was actually the summer palace of the Ladakh kings. Many gompas and stupas were built around this magnificent palace. It was Deldan Namgyal who built the Shey Palace sometime in the 17th century AD. We saw the Shakyamuni Buddha statue measuring 12 m in the Dresthang Gompa and also went to the Thiksey Gompa which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in this region. It belongs to the Gelugpa order.

Then we reached Hemis monastery which is one of the largest Ladakh monasteries. Belonging to the Drukpa order it has been existing since the early half of 17th century. With the loveliest sights of the valley below and streams flowing through, the Mani Walls only enhanced the entire beauty.

The next morning we left Leh early by a jeep and reached a place called Spituk. This took us around an hour and here we visited the Spituk Gompa that is around five centuries ago. We crossed a bridge here and then walked towards the confluence of the Zingchan and the Indus. We camped at Zingchan for the night in tents. It was exciting to stay under the tents.

The following morning we climbed to Rumbak. Here we got great views of the Stok Mountains. Then we moved towards the Rumbak Nala and went towards Yurutse village where we were enthralled by the sights of the potatoes and barley fields. We camped in the serene surroundings of this village.

Day 6 saw us climbing to the Ganda La which is at a height of 4900 metres. Here we got the loveliest views of the Zanskar range and also the distant Himalayan summits. As we descended down to the Shingo village, the trail took us to a gorge that led us to Skiu which is the place where the Markha valley and Shingo region rivers meet.

After the stay at Skiu overnight we proceeded to Markha. The hike was quite pleasant and the trail took us along many beautiful streams. This lovely village Markha had a fort which is deserted today and gave us the absolute pleasures of being in a paradise.

From Markha we went to Thochuntse, and then to Nimaling. Then from Nimaling we went to the north of Markha and reached the Kongmaru La pass. We saw the best sights of the Everest and Mount K2 and reached the Martselang Valley. Here we took a jeep back to Leh and then reached Delhi by flight and came back to Mumbai.

The Markha Valley trek is still etched in our minds and we would surely venture going again.

• Suggested Tours: Ladakh Best Holiday Packages