The Markha valley has a lot to offer to the avid trekkers. You will cross traditional villages with their irrigated fields, meet the very hospitable Ladakhi at their home, discover the stunning landscapes of the Hemis National Park, crosses high altitude lakes and passes, and spot many species of birds and mammals.
There is no technical difficulties on most of the trails around the Markha valley, until you want to climb the Stok Kangri of course !
As there are several options to trek the Markha valley and the Stok Kangri range, you can easily adjust your trek according to the time you have in hands and according to physical fitness.
The Markha valley
The higher Markha valley with passes towards Hemis and Lato
The Kang Yatse above the Markha valley
The Techa gompa in Markha valley
Markha valley trek
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Discover one of the most beautiful valley of Ladakh going through the Hemis National Park
Markha valley trek features (Skiu to Lato)
Altitudes of your trek
Min : Minimum altitude of your trek.
Max : Maximum altitude of your trek.
Ascent : The total ascending difference of altitude on the trek.
Descent : The total descending difference of altitude on the trek.
Difficulty of your trek
Stamina : The physical effort involved during your trek. Rated from 0 (easiest) to 100 (most strenuous). If you have an average fitness you can consider all the treks up to 50. See here for more details
Technical : Difficulty of your trek in terms of exposure to danger and required experience.
0 to 20 : No difficulties,
20 to 40 : Walking on good mountain trails,
40 to 60 : Some walking on difficult mountain trails (steep slopes, rocks, etc.),
60 to 80: You are exposed to some dangers (void, snow, falling rocks, etc.),
80 to 100 : Experience required (please inquire).
Overall : Average between Stamina and Technical rating.
Markha valley trek map
Markha valley treks itineraries
There are several options for your trek in the Markha valley. There are all shown on the map in green. In this page the main itinerary starts from the village Skiu and ends at Lato.
Town
Motorable road
Trekking trail
Monastery
Village
Camping spot
Noticeable peak
Mountain pass
Markha valley trek, best time to go
Best time to trek into the Markha valley is from May to September In early season you may not be able to cross the high passes because of the snow.
The Markha valley is known for the presence of the Snow Leopard. If your purpose is to observe the Snow Leopard, you must trek the valley in winter time and cope with the extremely low temperatures that fall to minus 20 or 30 degree Celcius.
The Markha valley is known for the presence of the Snow Leopard. If your purpose is to observe the Snow Leopard, you must trek the valley in winter time and cope with the extremely low temperatures that fall to minus 20 or 30 degree Celcius.
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Markha valley trek itinerary
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
|
No walk Homestay |
We leave Leh in the morning. |
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
|
7 to 8 hours +460m / -0m under tents |
The trek starts ! |
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
|
4 to 5 hours +450m / -0m under tents |
Today we will leave the inhabited part of the valley ! |
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
|
5 to 6 hours +600m / -0m under tents |
Today we reach the higher altitude of the Markha valley. |
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
|
5 to 6 hours +490m / -820m under tents |
Probably the most exciting part of the trek today. |
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
|
5 hours +390m / -1500m homestay or hotel in Leh |
To reach Lato, the end of our trek, we need to cross another pass : Poze La that we reach in one or two hours. |
Zingchen to Stok trek
Zingchen to Stok trek
This trek is a great option for those who have only 2 days. |
|
| Day 1 | Zingchen (3380m) to Rumbak (3980m) A road is now reaching Zingchen so you don't need to walk to Zingchen anymore. Your hike to the village Rumbak takes only 2 to 3 hours. You can spend the night in a homestay. |
| Day 2 | Rumbak (3980m) to Stok (3530m) After the night in a homestay in Rumbak, you start your hike to the pass Stok La at an altitude of 4943 m. You have about a 1000 m climb. It is much harder than a climb in the Alps for example because of the high altitude. But the efforts will allow you to enjoy a great view from the pass. It is then a long descent to Stok. Don't do this trek at the beginning of your trip to Ladakh as you need to acclimatize tothe altitude. |
Rumbak valley trek
Trek from Zingchen To Chilling
You don't have enough time for the entire Markha valley trek? This is a nice one in 4 days. |
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| Day 1 | Zingchen (3380m) to Rumbak (3980m) A road is now reaching Zingchen so you don't need to walk to Zingchen anymore. Your hike to the village Rumbak takes only 2 to 3 hours. You can spend the night in a homestay. |
| Day 2 | Rumbak (3980m) to Yurutse (4170m) Again the hike today is not long (2 or 3 hrs). So you have the entire day to enjoy this beautiful valley located in the heart of the Hemis National Park. If you are a wildlife enthusiat you can enjoy observing the many birds and mammals of the area. You spend the night in the charming village of Yurutse. |
| Day 3 | Yurutse (4170m) to Shingo (4130m) Today we climb to the Ganda La pass at 4968 m. It is a bit strenuous because of the altitude but you will rewarded when reaching the pass with a stunning view of the Zanskar range. We go down via the next valley that leads to the Markha valley. We stop for the night in a hamlet called Shingo where we stay in a homestay. Total hiking today : about 5 hours. |
| Day 4 | Shingo (4130m) to Chilling (3210m) On this last day of the trek we go down to the village of Skiu first. Then we continue hiking up to Chilling. Hiking time : about 4 or 5 hours. You can make it shorter by taking a vehicle at Skiu or Kaya accessible by a small road. |
Other treks in Ladakh
Recognition of Himalayan Ecotourism
Our awards
Himalayan Ecotourism is the winner of the To Do award 2022 in the field of "Socially Responsible Tourism".
We are also the Overall Winner of the Indian Responsible Tourism Award 2019 and the Gold winner in the Best Adventure Operator category.
We have been declared winner of the Sustainable Tourism Award 2019 by Skal International and Biosphere.
Our cooperative-based model of social enterprise and our efforts to conserve the Himalayas are the main reasons for winning these awards.
Thank you to all our cooperative members, our customers, our friends and well-wishers !
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