Trekking in Markha valley
Ladakh, India

Arrival in Leh. We stay in Leh for two days to get our bodies acclimatized to the altitude of 3500 meters. On the first day, we visit Leh Palace and Tibetan bazaars. We will stroll along the narrow streets of the ancient city.

On the second day, we will drive by private jeeps to the Lamayuru monastery, where one hundred fifty Buddhist monks live permanently. We will stay in the monastery for the evening puja - monk's throat singing of Buddhist mantras. Meditating on this sound they believe it embodies emptiness.

Early in the morning we will jump into our jeeps and drive toward the starting point of our Himalayan trek. A little further than the Rumbak village where we start trekking. After a couple of hours, we will reach our first homestay. It is a cozy house with traditional Tibetan interiors - accurate rows of dishes and cups on shelves. Low tables and carpets instead of chairs. Buddhist flags flutter on the wind outside, cute donkeys with melodic bells on their necks pass by and a nearby river sings its songs - that is the perfect place to fall asleep.

We hike from Rumbak village (3960m) to Shingo village (4150m). It will be a long day with the first challenge - climbing Gandala Pass (4900m) and descending towards Shingo village. On the way, we will meet funny Himalayan marmots and will observe beautiful red-colored mountains and snow-white Himalayan peaks. The hiking time is 8 hours.

Today we walk from the Shingo village to the Skio village (3435m). It is well deserved easy-walking day only for three hours. So we wake up whenever we want and walk in a super chill mode. In Skio village, there is a small ancient Buddhist temple. The special key from it is kept by one family in the village. Son from this Tibetan family will kindly open the temple for us. Later in the evening, we will walk around the village and later will observe a sky full of stars.

Trek from the Skio village (3435m) to the Markha village (3750m). It will be an easy path along the Markha river without steep descends and ascents. Markha village is the main village on the trek and in the valley. Green fields are surrounded by small Tibetanhp houses with scenic Himalayan mountains in the background. After a delicious dinner will walk a bit around the village and surroundings.

Today we hike from the Markha village (3750m) to the Khankar village (3980m). And again, we are lucky with quite easy plain paths. Today we will pass sandy castles, and in the Umlung village, we will stop for tea. Don't miss the Buddhist Tacha temple hidden up on the steep hill. Today is the day to spot for the first time mount Kang Yatse (6400m).

This day is one of the most picturesque days on the route while we hike from the Khankar village (3980m) to the Nimaling camp (4730m). Tiny Buddhist villages, horsemen and shepherds with goats and sheep pass by us along the way. We will make a radial walk to the mountain lake, where we will have a lunch break. In the Nimaling we will spend the night in tents set up here, especially for trekkers.

Today is a tough day - we will cross the Kongmaru La pass (5150m). We will start the hike with a quite steep descent directly from Nimaling camp (4730m) towards the direction of Shang Sumdo (3730m) village. When after two-three hours we will finally climb the pass, we will hang all around Buddhist colorful flags to spread mantras by the strong Kongmaru La winds. The view from the pass is just mind-blowing. We will see from here the giants of the Zanskar and Karakoram including the K2 on the north-western horizon. After the group photos, we start to descend and cross the red river. A short wall after the river and we are near the road, where jeeps already wait for us. In two hours we will be in Leh. At the dinner in my favorite restaurant in Leh, we celebrate the end of our trekking and enjoy an evening in the small capital of Ladakh.

Today we will explore the city or just relax with a book in the garden of the hotel. The only must thing for today is to try tandoori bread in the Muslim part of the city and mango-lassi in the Buddhist one.

After a day of idle life in Leh, we are ready for new adventures - a jeep ride to the turquoise mountain lake Tso Pangong (4335m). A huge lake with a length of 147 kilometers is located on the territory of two countries - China and India. We will reach the lake after lunch, check in and go out to explore these scenic high-altitude landscapes.

We spend the whole day on the lake - we walk along the endless shore, rest, relax, and enjoy the scenic views all around.

We will wake up early to see the sunrise at Tso Pangong lake. After breakfast, we will drive back to Leh to spend our last evening there and celebrate the end of the journey. The next day we will fly back home.