Itinerary
Our journey begins and ends at Leh. We drive to Spituk from where the trek begins. Our first stop is at Zingchen, from where we will proceed to the Ganda La base. On the third day, we will cross the Ganda La and reach Skiu. We will reach Markha on Day 4 and on the following day we will camp on the green pastures of Thachungtse. The next day we will trek to our highest campsite, Nimaling. On Day 7, the last day, we will reach Shang Sumdo across the Kongmaru La. We will drive to Leh from here.
We highly recommend arriving atleast a day earlier to acclimatize to the rarefied atmosphere of high altitudes.
Day 1: Drive to Spituk from Leh, Trek to Zingchen (12 km)
We will start early and travel by jeeps to Spituk. From here, we start trekking along an old jeep track. The land is parched and finally opens onto the lush Zingchen Valley with the Rumbak River flowing through. The Rumbak ultimately converges with the Indus. Overnight in tents.
Day 2: Trek to Ganda La Base (6 km)
The trek will take us through the Hemis National Park which is home to the endangered Snow Leopard, Ladakhi Urial, Tibetan Wolf, lynx and more. We will climb through a gorge and be rewarded with gorgeous views of the imposing Stok mountains. Just before Rumbak, we will stop for tea at a tea-house. We will further walk through the lovely village of Yurutse to reach the base of Ganda La. From the campsite, breathtaking views of the Stok Kangri can be had. Overnight in tents.
Day 3: Trek to Skiu across Ganda La, 4900 m (23 km)
Post breakfast, a 2 hr trek to Ganda La. Chortens and prayer flags dot the top. You can spot blue sheep and marmots roaming the hills. A gradual hour long descent will bring us to Shingo. A hike through a spectacular gorge will bring us to our campsite at Skiu. There is a monastery and ruins of an old castle here in the village. Overnight in tents.
Day 4: Trek to Markha (20 km)
Our trail winds past the Markha River today. We will cross the river at various points and hike past winter settlements that contain Lhatos (religious shrines for local deities) and Mani walls (stones inscribed with Buddhist prayers). In the high season, the otherwise empty valley comes alive with tented tea-houses that offer hearty refreshments. Our destination for the day is Markha, the largest village is this valley comprising of around 20 households, a monastery and the ruins of an old fort. Overnight in camps.
Day 5: Trek to Thachungtse (13 km)
We hike past old stone-mills, a ruined castle and the auspicious monastery of Techa before crossing the river a couple of times to enter the last of the hamlets. Post the village of Umlung, the Kang Yatse appears in the distance. We will stop for lunch at Hangkar before proceeding onwards to the green pastures of Thachungtse where we will camp for the night. Overnight in tents.
Day 6: Trek to Nimaling, 4700 m (7 km)
We trek to the beautiful plateau of Nimaling. In summer, the people of Markha bring their cattle to graze here. Nimaling will be our highest campsite. The Kang Yatse looms on the right and below us we can see the serrated ridges of the Zanskar Range and the blooming Markha Valley. Overnight in tents.
Day 7: Trek to Shang Sumdo via Kongmaru La (17 km), Drive to Leh, Departure
We will cross the 5200 m Kongmaru La today. The descent is quite steep and evens out as we enter the Shang Gorge that has strange rock formations. After a few river crossings, we come to the sour spring of Chuskurmo. The water of this spring was used by Amchi doctors in their medicines. We will reach the village of Shang Sumdo for our last evening together. A 2 hrs drive from here will bring us to Leh via Thiksey, Hemis and Shey.
