MARKHA VALLEY |
Review:
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South of Indus Valley, the trails
through the Markha valley would have been followed by villagers and
monks for many centuries. Eminent travelers William Moorcroft and
George Trebeck wandered these valleys while awaiting permission to
cross the Karakoram pass.
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Ref: |
LMH. |
Grade: |
Moderate to
Vigorous. |
Duration: |
15 Days. (
Actual Trek 08 Days, From Spituk To Hemis) |
Season: |
June – Oct |
Itinerary: |
Delhi - Leh -
Spituk - Trek - Hemis
- Leh - Delhi |
DAY 01. ARRIVE DELHI
Morning arrive Delhi and transfer to hotel.
Afternoon combined guided tour of Old and
New Delhi
includes Jammia Masjid Mosque, Cycle rickshaw ride through
Chandni chowk, Red Fort, drive through India Gate and
Parliament house, Qutab Minar and Humayuns Tomb.
DAY
02. DELHI – LEH
Fly
Morning
transfer to airport and fly to Leh, arrive and transfer to
hotel. Rest of the day at leisure for acclimatization.
Leh is a
small picturesque town of about 10,000 people. Situated at
3505 Mt. (11500 ft), the summer days are dry and sunny but
nights can be cold. A double lines of "Manies", stone shelters
for departed spirits, protects the towns approaches. During
these three days we will explore some of the interesting
monasteries of the area.
DAY
03. IN LEH
Morning half day sightseeing of
Phyang
– founded in 16th century by King Tashi Nangyal.
Spituk
-
The monastery first belonged to the Kadampa
order but in the 15th century it was restored and
Tsong Kapa sent two Lamas to transfer it to Gelupa order.
Afternoon free for preparation of the trek.
DAY
04 to 11. TREK
Morning
a short drive to Spituk trek point, where the mules will be
waiting. After loading the mules, we commence the trek. To
begin with it is a short stage and moderate ascend to
Zinchen.
The second stage to
Yurutse
is too easy and moderate. Our next stage is strenuous all the
way up hill till Gandla Pass (4900 M.), then descend to
Skiu
village. Trail now is fairly flat along the river, we will
have to switch several times from right to left and for this
purpose we have to begin our day very early in order to
complete river crossing in early hours of the day to avoid
high tide, finally we camp near
Markha
village. From here the trek involve some steep ascends with a
few difficult stretch at the river bed and pass through
Humling monastery as well as Hankar village to
Thanchungtse
pasture for night halt. Now a short and beautiful stretch
under at the foot of Kangyatse Peak (6400M.) in the wonderful,
one high valleys of Ladakh to
Nimaling
(4700M.) for night halt. This is a gazing ground for yaks.
Now the trail climbs steeply for few hours up
to Kongmarula pass (5150M.) which commands a beautiful view of
surrounding peaks, we stop here for some time to enjoy the
panoramic views, then descend down in to gorge with few
difficult stretches over the boulders and cross several time
the ford to
Shang
for night halt. A short and easy stretch all the way down hill
to Martselang village, the a gradual ascend up to
Hemis
monastery.
DAY 12. HEMIS – LEH
Drive 45 Km 2 Hrs.
Morning visit the famous
Hemis
- largest monastery founded in 1602 by Tagtsangrepa and drive
to Leh. En-route visit
Thiksey Gompa
–
Tsong Khapa had prophesied that a monastery would be built
here and Thiksey was founded by one of his disciple and
Shey Palace
– once the capital of Ladakh in the pre – Tibetan era until
the 15th century. Arrive Leh and check in at hotel.
DAY 13. IN LEH
Full day at leisure to explore the town and
nearby monasteries.
DAY 14. LEH - DELHI
Fly
Morning fly to
Delhi
arrive and transfer to hotel for overnight stay. Remainder of
the day at leisure.
DAY 15. DEPARTURE
Morning transfer to airport for onward / homeward flight
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