Trekking in Markha Valley

The Markha Valley is Ladakh's classic trek and one of the few genuine teahouse — here, homestay — routes in India. Over nine days you walk through high-altitude desert and Buddhist villages of a dozen houses, sleeping in Ladakhi homes and parachute-tent kitchens, sharing the trail with sheep, yaks and goats, and finishing over the Kongmaru La at around 5,200 metres with Kang Yatse filling the skyline.

The appeal is the mix: the walking is serious — multiple river crossings, some waist-deep and cold, and long days over rocky ground at altitude — but the nights in village homes give it a warmth that tented expeditions lack. Prayer flags, mani walls and the enormous silence of the mountains are the backdrop throughout.

Ladakh's summer is dry when the rest of India is drowning in monsoon, which is why the timing works, roughly June to September. Acclimatise in Leh at 3,500 metres for several days first — it's the most commonly ignored requirement here, and the most important.

Ladakh's classic trek and one of the few genuine homestay routes in India.

Over nine days you walk through high-altitude desert and Buddhist villages of a dozen houses, sleeping in Ladakhi homes and parachute-tent kitchens, sharing the trail with sheep, yaks and goats, and finishing over the Kongmaru La at around 5,200 metres with Kang Yatse filling the skyline.

The mix is the appeal: the walking is serious — multiple river crossings, some waist-deep and cold, and long days over rocky ground at altitude — but the nights in village homes give it a warmth that tented expeditions lack.

Prayer flags, mani walls and enormous silence are the backdrop throughout.

Acclimatise in Leh at 3,500 metres for several days first — it is the most commonly ignored requirement here, and the most important, given the 5,200-metre pass ahead. Go in Ladakh's dry summer, roughly June to September, when the rest of India is under monsoon.

Homestays mean you carry only a light pack and support the villages directly; arrange the trek and any horse support through Leh. This is advanced-to-expert altitude walking with real river crossings, so bring poles, crossing shoes and warm layers.

Come fit and patient with the height, and treat the acclimatisation days as part of the trek.