The Markha Valley Trek
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at the group hotel. Complimentary airport transfers are provided. KE Land Only package services begin with lunch after which there is an optional sightseeing tour of the city.
Day 2: Transfer to the domestic airport. We take the 1-hour flight northwards, across the Himalaya to Leh, where we transfer to the group hotel. Afternoon free.
Day 3: A full day's sightseeing tour. We visit some of the area's most important monasteries at Shey and Thikse, for example.
Day 4: Today, we drive up to the Khardung La (5380m / 17,650ft), one of the world's highest road passes. Great views of the Karakoram peaks, then return to the hotel in Leh.
Day 5: It is just a short drive via Spituk Monastery and the start of our trek at Lato. We have an easy first day via the Jingchan Gorge to our camp at Rumbak (3800m / 12,467ft).
Day 6: Another short day of trekking as we pass through the village of Yurutse to a camp at the foot of the Ganda La (4380m / 14,370ft).
Day 7: Today, we make the steep hike up to the Ganda La (4900m / 16,076ft) and a long descent to the village of Skiu in the Markha Valley.
Day 8: A long day of trekking beside the Markha River leads through several isolated hamlets to Markha Village (3800m / 12,476ft).
Day 9: Still following the river and crossing it on a couple of occasions, we trek to the highest village in the valley at Hangkar.
Day 10: We leave the last of the settlement behind today and trek up onto the Nimaling Plain, to a camp (4600m / 15,100ft) beneath the peak of Kang Yatze.
Day 11: Trekking on a zig-zag trail, we cross the Kongmaru La (5100m / 16,732ft) and descend through a rocky gorge to Chogdo.
Day 12: Descending the steep, rocky valley to Hemis, there is time to explore this important monastery before driving back to the hotel in Leh.
Day 13: A morning flight to Delhi, where we transfer to our hotel and some well earned relaxation.
Day 14: KE Land Only package services end after breakfast at the hotel. Complimentary airport transfers are provided on this day.
