Classic Markha Valley Trek with Tsomorir and Tsokar Lake 17 Days
Area: Ladakh Himalayas Duration: 17 Day
Max. Altitude: 5150 Meters Grade: Moderate Season: Mid June Mid Oct Trekking: 07 Day Walking Time: 06/07 Hours Package Start From.....$3499.00* Inclusions: 1.Domestic Airfare Return ( Delhi – Leh – Delhi ) 2.In Delhi hotel accommodation based on Twin sharing basis in four star hotel with Breakfast. 3.In Leh hotel accommodation based on twin sharing basis in A Class hotel with Breakfast and Dinner. 4.Two people in one tent on full board (All meals) during trekking. 5.Fixed Tents on twin Sharing Basis on full board (All meals) in Tsomoriri and Tsokar Lake. 6.Air conditioned Vehicle in Delhi and Non A/c Jeep in Ladakh. Please Click here regarding more info..... Online Brochure....... |
7.Local English speaking guide as per itinerary.
8.Company escort/rep on above 04 Pax as per tour. 9.Inner line permits for Tsomoriri lake and Tsokar lake. 10. Camping fees during Trek. 11. Camping # Transport to and from trekking point # cook # helpers # all meals # ponies to carry luggageTrekking amenities *tents on twin sharing basis A Shape/ Dome Shape* foam mattresses * toilet tent *medical first Aid kit*portable oxygen* kitchen tent * dining tent with table and chairs* local English speaking guide.
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Day 01 Arrive Delhi
Arrival Delhi, meeting and greeting at Delhi Airport and transfer to Hotel. At leisure.
Over night at Hotel
Over night at Hotel
Day 02 Delhi - Leh Fly
Tibetan Prayer Flags, Leh
Fly to Leh for the spectacular early morning flight due north over the mountains, the western end of the great Himalayan chain. It is still early when we arrive in Leh (3505m) and are met and transferred to our comfortable courtyard hotel, the Yak Tail. This is very well run by a diligent and helpful Ladaki family. Relax in the garden and get oriented. Acclimatize to the change in altitude.
Overnight Hotel
Overnight Hotel
Day 03 In Leh
Himalayan road Leh to Manali
Leh acclimatization day, visit Leh Bazaar & Royal Palace. Most people will feel breathless on their first few days in Leh as they gradually adapt to the altitude. Today we plan to do very little, just explore the town. The capital of Ladakh has a fascinating history on the southern route of the Silk Road. Goods from over the mountains were sold in the main bazaar to other traders who would continue the long journey west. The bazaar is still there as the centre of town, still lined with shops and stalls and the goods still come in from over the mountains. It has now become a centre for all manner of precious things from Tibet and India, an exotic shopping paradise. There are many good restaurants, serving most styles of food, at very reasonable prices. We plan to go up and explore the great Royal Palace and monastery that dominate the town. The towering ancient palace was the inspiration for the Potala palace in Lhasa, and is gradually being carefully restored. Overnight Hotel
Day 04 In Leh
Road to Kee (Ki, Key) Monastery. Spiti Valley
Leh acclimatization day, visit Spituk monastery & Stok Palace. In the morning we take a short jeep ride to visit the important Ladakhi monastery of Spituk and the wonderful ancient royal palace at Stok, which houses many priceless artifacts – turquoise peraks and the finest collection of Thanka paintings. On the route down the valley we start to get a wider picture of this amazing location, passing the many hundreds of white chortens that line the road between the lush fields around the rivers and the rich rocky hillsides that enclose them. We return to the hotel and have the afternoon to prepare for tomorrow’s departure.
Overnight Hotel
Overnight Hotel
Day 05 Leh – Chiling Drive 64 Km
Indian Himalaya Landscape
Chiling – Skiu Trek 6 hrs Trek
Drive Leh to Chiling. It takes a few hours by jeep to Chiling (3,250m/10,660ft), down the Indus and then up the Zanskar from their dramatic confluence, the meeting of two great rivers. The exciting business of getting all the group and kitbags over the wide Zanskar on the little two-man cable car, hauled across by the ferry-man – its a thrilling ride. Our horses arrive on the other side; they cannot cross here so have to come from over the Ganda La. We are immediately into some really classic Ladakhi landscape; the path winds its way over beautifully eroded rolling ridges, here quite hot and dry, above the steep east bank of the Zanskar to its confluence with the Markha river, a patch of green groves in this wide rockscape. The good trail continues as we start our journey up the Markha – over the next few days we will follow it all the way to its origins as the Nimaling Chhu. The first village we come to is Kaya, shortly followed by Skiu, our first campsite (3,400m/11,150ft), where the gorge of the Shingri Nala joins the Markha valley from the north. It is worth a short detour up the side valley here, where there is an incredible array of hundreds of chortens, mostly in disrepair. These and the walls of ruined gompas now almost indiscernible from the yellow rocky crags above, on which they are built, are the first signs of the Markha’s mysterious ancient history. There is also a small active monastery in Skiu.Overnight Camp
Drive Leh to Chiling. It takes a few hours by jeep to Chiling (3,250m/10,660ft), down the Indus and then up the Zanskar from their dramatic confluence, the meeting of two great rivers. The exciting business of getting all the group and kitbags over the wide Zanskar on the little two-man cable car, hauled across by the ferry-man – its a thrilling ride. Our horses arrive on the other side; they cannot cross here so have to come from over the Ganda La. We are immediately into some really classic Ladakhi landscape; the path winds its way over beautifully eroded rolling ridges, here quite hot and dry, above the steep east bank of the Zanskar to its confluence with the Markha river, a patch of green groves in this wide rockscape. The good trail continues as we start our journey up the Markha – over the next few days we will follow it all the way to its origins as the Nimaling Chhu. The first village we come to is Kaya, shortly followed by Skiu, our first campsite (3,400m/11,150ft), where the gorge of the Shingri Nala joins the Markha valley from the north. It is worth a short detour up the side valley here, where there is an incredible array of hundreds of chortens, mostly in disrepair. These and the walls of ruined gompas now almost indiscernible from the yellow rocky crags above, on which they are built, are the first signs of the Markha’s mysterious ancient history. There is also a small active monastery in Skiu.Overnight Camp
Day 06 Skiu – Markha village Trek
Indian Himalayan landscape in Marhka Valley
We make an early start today as it can be hot along these lower reaches later in the day. We continue up river through the out-lying fields of the village which give way to willow groves and pastures fenced off from pack animals by thorny hedges. Crossing the main river by a simple log bridge, we continue on the south bank, where there are a choice of two routes, one along the tree lined river and the other on the slopes above, used only when the river is in spate. They soon rejoin anyway and we pass some lush pony grazing, before reaching the fields around the little hamlet of Chaluk. This pattern continues, passing from dry rocky slopes to green pastures, until the bridge crossing back over to Tunespa. We climb up through the fields of this village and reach a ridge with many chortens and mani stones. It gives us a good view back down the river and a little further on, our first glimpse of Kang Yatse peak that we will be approaching right to its foot. More pastures and dry flats lead us to another chorten ridge where there are some cave houses and a pit used to trap wolves that venture down here from their remote lairs during the winter snow (never in the summer, don’t worry!). On the flats below we must take off our shoes and socks to ford the river, here at its most shallow. This is generally not much of a problem at this time of year, but we can always send back a pony to carry over any late-comers. Our campsite is not far, on the near side of Markha village (3,705m /12,140ft), in a gorgeous meadow with mature willow trees belonging to a grand household on the south bank. The house itself is really splendid, typical Ladakhi with tapering whitewashed walls. To visit the village itself (though we will pass through tomorrow anyway), we must cross back over the river – this time by bridge! There is a little gompa just up the side valley above the village.Overnight Camp
Day 07 Markha village – Tchutchse Trek
Himalayan river landscape Markha Vally
After the lush fields of Markha we reach a bend in the river marked by an incredible rock spire, the full height of the valley walls. A high route climbs a cliff-cut trail on the north bank opposite the spire. The condition of this path varies from year to year, depending on how much winter damage has been repaired, but care should be taken in any case. Generally a better alternative is to ford and re-ford the river by the base of the great spire, and take the level route over the rock strewn flood plain between. Either way it is a wonderful sight, followed just around the corner by Umlung gompa high on the cliff above. We pass through the small settlement of Umlung and then the valley widens out, giving us our best view so far of Kang Yatze. This shapely peak now stands at the head of the valley, and the level walk through alongside the barleyfields and mani-walls between here and the village of Hankar (3,950m/12,960ft), is particularly lovely. Here we leave the main valley, which swings southward, and turn up through a rocky gateway to the lively Nimaling Chhu, rushing down through a gorge to the west. On the crags above are the dramatic ruins of Hankar gompa, almost indiscernible from the rock itself. Crossing lovely wild flower meadows, we reach a bridge across to the south bank and continue up to Tchutchse (a name to get your teeth into, 4,150m/13,620ft), our campsite. This is another beautiful location, lush pastures with many coloured flowers amongst the grass and the clear water of the river running through the rocks.Overnight Camp
Day 08 Tchutchse – Nimaling Trek
Amazing Himalayan lakes along Ladahk Trek
This is a magnificent walk, as we ascend to the high moorland landscape at the base of Kang Yatze. We follow up a side stream away from the main river which disappears into a gorge, reaching a beautiful series of high tarns, the mountain reflected in the waters. The slopes run almost continuously from here to the peak, and we contour across from here to where the wide pasture plain of Nimaling opens out before us. The river can be seen again snaking through the middle before entering its gorge. We descend to cross the plain, passing the first of the summer settlements, houses and sheep pens used by villagers during the high grazing months of May to October. We cross the river, now much diminished, on a basic log bridge, and make for our campsite (4,720m/15,490ft) a little up-stream. We are now in a stunning wide arena, enclosed on three sides, but opening to distant views to the west. To the south is the even hillside sloping up to the Konmaru La (pass); we could see the path winding up to it on our approach. To the east the river continues up toward the Lalung La which passes over to the Manali-Leh ‘highway’ and the Changtang plain of Tibet. The south is dominated by Kang Yatze.Overnight Camp
Day 09 In Nimaling
Rest day, option to Kang Yatse base This is a eveling day for relaxation or exploration, with many choices of viewpoint destinations. The Konka Wangpo is a pass to the south crossing the western flanks of Kang Yatse itself via the base camp. From here there are magnificent distant views in all directions, and it is possible to continue up the ridge for some way to really get the best of it. Its up to individuals just how far they go (if at all – you might just want to put your feet up and soak it all in), and there is the option of going on in the afternoon to the Lalung La for the views to the east of the wide Changtang plain. Its usually beautifully warm during the day at Nimaling, but at night the temperature can drop dramatically. On a clear nights its worth braving the cold to see the most stunning starscape imaginable; even without the moon the brilliance of the stars in this crystal clear air can illuminate the peaks around.Overnight Camp
Day 10 Konmaru La, Nimaling – Chuskirmo Trek
We start up the hillside immediately behind the campsite, steeply to start with, but eveling out to wide sloping moorland. This is excellent grazing, and herds of sheep and goats can be seen dotted over the landscape. Amongst the grass and shrubs underfoot there are huge flowering lichens, and many wild flowers. The path is easy going, but just toward the top where the slope steepens again and the grass dies away, it zig-zags the last stony section. The trail of prayerflags that mark the top, visible all the way up, now arc out in the breeze above us. It is an incredible approach as we edge our way up, looking back over the unfolding view behind. At the top (5,100m/16,730ft) the amazing reds and greens of the immediate rocky landscape open out, leading down to the greenery of the Indus valley, and beyond to the high passes of Tibet, line after line of peaks far into the distance. Behind us Kang Yatze is magnificent, and out to the west the whole of Zanskar is spread out before us, all the wonderful rocky crags and spires. Behind are the mountains of the Himalayan tail, the fluted peak of Sickle Moon, and Kun and Nun the last two 7000 metre peaks. The descent is steep at first and care is needed on the stony trail. But soon we reach the start of the gorges we will follow down to our night stop, sometimes on the valley bottom crossing the stream many times, sometimes on paths cut out of the rocks above. The gorges are really fantastic, twisted layers of multi-coloured rock strata create amazing formations, which the stream has etched its way through. They are the haunts of the mountain bharal or blue sheep, and these remarkably sure-footed beasts can often be seen leaping from crag to crag, on footholds that are invisible to the human eye. There is much rock-hopping for ourselves down on the valley floor but it is not far to our campsite at Chuskirmo (4,070m/13,350ft) the first hamlet down.Overnight Camp
Day 11 Chuskirmo – Shang Sumdo Trek
From Chuskiurmo the dramatic gorge continues, gradually widening and revealing views ahead far over the Indus valley to the Tibetan plains beyond. Gradually more willow groves and fields start to appear and finally we round the corner to the lush farmland around Shang Sumdo (3,660m/12,010ft), our final campsite which we reach by lunchtime. This is an excellent place to relax after the rugged landscape of the past few days and yesterday’s pass crossing, camping amongst the groves of willow trees. The Shang river joins from the west here and a side path leads up here to the village gompa, and beyond in the direction of the remote monastery of Gotshang.Overnight Camp.End of Trekking.
Day 12 Shang Sumdo – Leh
Hemis monastery and Thiksey
Morning we close our camps and drive to Leh. On the way visit Hemis and Thiksey Gompa. Overnight Hotel
Morning we close our camps and drive to Leh. On the way visit Hemis and Thiksey Gompa. Overnight Hotel
Day 13 LEH – TSOMORIRI Drive 223 km 8 Hrs
Leave after an early breakfast, take the Leh – Manali highway until Upshi, from here the road branches off and turn left, from here the road switches from left to right bank of Indus river until Mahi bridge, en-route visit Chumathang sulphur hot springs. At Mahi finally cross over to left bank of river. From here the road gradually ascends through narrow Puga valley until Puga village (Tibetan refuge settlement), here take left turn and the road still ascends up to a small pass (Namshangla). From here continue for a short distance to Tso Morari for overnight camp.Overnight Camp
Day 14 In Tsomoriri
Landscape with Mountain Lake Tso Moriri
Full Day to explore the Lake, Korzok Village and Nomad people.
Overnight Camp
Overnight Camp
Day 15 TSOMORARI
Landscape with Mountain Lake Tso Moriri
TSOKAR Drive 80 Km 3 Hrs. After an early lunch drive down to Puga village (Sumdo), where the road branches of for Tsokar. Continuing journey through Puga valley up to another small pass called Polo Kongkila, from the pass descent into Samad Kharnak (Tso Kar) and visit Thokjay monastery. Camp for overnight. Overnight Camp
Day 16 Tsokar – Leh 160 Km. Drive 06 Hrs
After breakfast we drive back to Leh from Tanglangla Pass. (5200Mts) and later after crossing few villages we join the River Indus again. Afternoon arrive Leh. Evening free time and preparation for next day.Overnight Hotel
Day 17 Leh – Delhi -International Flight
Delhi sights, evening to airport The morning mountain flight takes us back to Delhi. Our international flight leaves tonight so, leaving the baggage safely at the hotel, there is plenty of time for our tour of the old Raj capital. We’ll take in Connaught Circus, the Viceroy’s Residence and India Gate, Red Fort if we have time, and visit some bazaars and emporiums full of exotic wares. Evening farewell dinner. After wash and change transfer to airport for homeward flight/Day use Hotel .
