Independent style trek to Markha Valley, 2nd - 9th Sept 2016
Nitish Waila
Markha Valley Trek, Ladakh
2nd - 9th September 2016
One of the most popular treks in Ladakh and is one of the rare tea-house treks in India, which makes it perfect for solo trekkers or self organised groups to go on the trail even without guides but definitely with some experience. And this is exactly why we are heading out on this adventure. Yes, we are going solo and I will be glad to invite like minded experienced trekkers to join us on this beautiful journey.
It is a perfect combination of beautiful trans-himalayan landscape with ladakhi villages. There are good chances to spot some high altitude wildlife as well as experience the life of nomadic families as they herd their yaks in these big and beautiful valleys. It involves crossing of high passes - Kongmaru La 5274 mts, Gandla 4878 mts and walking on the banks of the Markha River. Kang Yatse peak (6400m) can be approached from this route as the base camp is on the plains of Nimaling.
Duration: 08 days
Grade: Moderate
Trek Itinerary:
Day 01 (2nd Sep) - Fly to Leh (3500m) and stay at Leh for the whole day.
Day 02 (3rd Sep) - Drive to Spituk, Trek to Zingchan (3380m) 4-5 hrs
Day 03 (4th Sep) - Zingchan - Ganda La Base (4380m) 6-7 hrs
Day 04 (5th Sep) - Ganda La Base - Skiu (3400m) crossing Ganda La (4850m) 6-7 hrs
Day 05 (6th Sep) - Skiu - Markha (3700m) 5-6 hrs
Day 06 (7th Sep) - Markha - Thachungtse (4150m) 5-6 hrs
Day 07 (8th Sep) - Thachungtse - Nimaling (4720m_ 3-4 hrs
Day 08 (9th Sep) - Nimaling - Shang Sumdo - Leh, crossing Kongmaru La (5130m)
Trek Fees:
This is an alpine style trek, we will take care of everything on the go. Total cost will be shared equally amongst all. Since we are not going with any guide or organised groups, we don’t have a fixed cost here.
Accommodation and food will be available in Homestays or Tea houses on the route. If you wish to stay in the 5 million star hotels (commonly called as Tents) then you are more than welcome to bring your tents or we can rent them from Leh as well.
Inclusions:
- A great company of trekkers and interesting people with their crazy mountain stories.
- Prospective climbing/trekking partners
- Splendid ladakhi landscape for a nature lover
- Cultural widespread throughout the route, meeting the locals and immersing yourself into their part of the world
- Company of an adventure photographer who might not even take your photos but would love to capture the memories throughout the journey :)
- Company of an experienced and certified mountaineer who has his own climbing stories that will definitely give you goosebumps
Trekking guidelines/ instructions:
- Never throw any garbage en-route or in the campsite. Collect all waste in the garbage bags & bring it back to the base.
- Alcohol, Smoking and any type of intoxication is prohibited during trekking program.
- Do not collect any souvenirs such as plants or animal parts from the forest.
