Magic of the Markha | Trekking in Ladakh

There was no snow when I stepped on top of the Kongmaru La (5100 metres), the last pass on the Markha Valley trek. Below me was the steep trail which I had just ascended, zigzagging across the hillside. The long line of prayer flags danced crazily in the breeze while to the south-east, the snowy dome of Kangyatse peak (6400 metres) dominated the horizon.  To the north west, were a long range of mountains – the Karakoram? Could K2, the second highest peak in the world be amongst them, I wondered? The silence at the pass was soon shattered by the shrill neighing of the ponies and the cries of the pony men guiding their wards across this divide and down into the valley.

Six days ago, our team of six trekkers accompanied by the indomitable Stanzin and his crew had started out from Leh. The Markha Valley, wedged between the Stok Kangri range to the north and the Zanskar peaks to the south, is the most popular trek in Ladakh.

We left Leh on a sunny September morning with a hint of autumn in the air. The drive along the Indus and then along the Zanskar river to Chilling took around two hours. The crossing of the river at Chilling is an experience in itself which is not for the faint hearted as there is no bridge!   There is a trolley which holds three people at the most and is run by a winch which drags the trolley across the foaming Zanskar.

Once across the river, our ponies were waiting and with Stanzin, our guide, cook and “Man Friday” in the lead we set off for our trek. The days walk to Skiu was mostly on level ground and in about three hours we arrived at a spectacular campsite on the banks of the Markha river. The hot sun had been beating down on us for most of the afternoon so without much adieu we plunged into the icy waters for a well deserved bath!

The next day’s walk from Skiu to Markha is the longest – we passed a small lodge at Pendse which sells handicrafts made by the Ladakh Womens Alliance Group.  Just before Markha we crested a small pass with a fantastic array of chortens and yak horns.

That night at Markha we were rewarded by one of the most wondrous night skies. With my camera on a tripod I waited for the stars.  The last light of the setting sun faded from the sky and then the shadows of the night took over. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky shone like a beacon while higher up overhead was the Great Bear.

Fifteen minutes uphill from the Markha campsite lies the Markha gompa. The view from the monastery reveals a series of terraced fields in neat checker-board patterns above the river.  The villagers are able to grow one crop in summer and we saw ripened barley ready to be harvested.

The walk to Hankar the following morning took us past the impossibly high Tacha monastery clinging to a cliff which seemed more like a mountaineering challenge than a walk – we decided not to attempt the climb!

Stanzin proposed that we camp the next day near a small lake rather than continue to Nimaling. The lake camp below Kangyatse peak is Markha valley’s best kept secret.  Our tents were pitched on the shores of the lake which is rich in birdlife. We spotted sandpipers, wagtails, redstarts, accentors, dippers and many other species. In the background, the peak of Kangyatse stands sentinel over this pristine location.  The evening ended with a superlative Chinese dinner of hot and sour soup, fried rice and mushrooms with vegetables all cooked by Stanzin:  this was possibly the most perfect campsite on the trail!

The walk to Nimaling is through meadows where we saw marmots and the Ladakh pica scurrying in and out of their burrows. The giant golden eagles were soaring with the thermals and we tried in vain to spot bharal (blue sheep) perched high up on seemingly inaccessible crags.  A sharp wind blew across the pastureland and at this altitude of 4,500 metres we felt that we were finally above the clouds.  Ridge after ridge of the Ladakh ranges were behind us now, the gnarled rocks lit up in extraordinary colours of red and russet.

A steady two hour climb from Nimaling the next morning brought our group to the top of the pass. This was followed by a knee cracking descent of more than a thousand metres all the way down to the campsite of Chukirmo!

The last day’s walk through a canyon follows the valley past neatly manicured villages, a school and finally to the road head at Shang Sumdo. A welcome tea tent served us a meal and chilled juice while we waited for our transport back to Leh.

 Sculpted canyons, fantastic rock formations, ancient villages, Buddhist gompas and above all, the snowy mountains, the Markha valley could well be the ideal short trek in the Himalaya!

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