Markha Valley Trek hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Markha Valley trek is the best-known multi-day walk in Ladakh, in the far north of India. It runs through Hemis National Park, between the Zanskar river and the Indus valley south of Leh, and links a string of small Buddhist villages along the Markha river before crossing the Kongmaru La (5,260 m) to the road at Shang Sumdo. You sleep in family homestays in the villages and in a seasonal tent camp on the high plateau at Nimaling, so you can walk it without carrying a tent or food. The trail is not waymarked but is easy to follow in summer.

The route

This guide walks the classic route from the Zanskar bridge below Chilling, about 65 km by road from Leh, to Shang Sumdo near Hemis. The first short day follows the new dirt road up the Markha river to Skiu. The long second day continues up the valley through Pentse, Sara and Chalak to Markha, the largest village, with a small monastery on the hill above. From Markha the path passes Umlung to Hankar, the last village, below the ruins of a fort. Then it climbs past the campsite at Thachungtse to the wide grassy plateau of Nimaling at about 4,800 m, below the Kang Yatse massif. The last day crosses the Kongmaru La and drops steeply through a narrow gorge, with many stream crossings, past Chuskyurmo and Chogdo to Shang Sumdo.

This guide follows the route as mapped on OpenStreetMap, about 66 km, and splits it into 5 stages, about 13.3 km each. The total climb is about 2,700 m. The lowest point is about 3,200 m at the Zanskar bridge and the highest is the Kongmaru La. The usual alternative start, from Zingchen over the Ganda La (4,900 m) to Skiu, adds two days and is not in this guide.

Highlights

• Village life: whitewashed houses, barley fields, prayer walls and chortens in Skiu, Sara, Markha and Hankar
• Markha and Hankar: the small monastery above Markha and the ruined fort above Hankar
• Nimaling: a high summer pasture with yaks and horses, under the glaciers of Kang Yatse
• Kongmaru La: views south to the Zanskar range and north across the Indus valley to the Ladakh range
• Wildlife: Hemis National Park is known for snow leopards, which you will almost certainly not see, but blue sheep (bharal), marmots and birds of prey are common

When to walk the Markha Valley trek

The season is mid-June to mid-September. Before mid-June snow can block the Kongmaru La, and in September nights at Nimaling fall well below freezing and the tent camps close. July and August are the busiest and warmest months, but melting snow makes the rivers higher: the crossings between Markha and Hankar can be knee to thigh deep, and walkers in 2023 and 2026 reported 15 to 20 crossings on the descent from the Kongmaru La. Cross early in the day, when the water is lowest.

How hard is it?

The walking itself is moderate: mostly a gentle climb up a wide valley on a road or a good path. The difficulty is the altitude. Leh is at 3,500 m, Nimaling at about 4,800 m and the Kongmaru La at 5,260 m. Spend at least three nights in Leh before you start, drink plenty of water, and do not go higher if you have a bad headache, vomiting or breathlessness at rest. The 5 stages in this guide take 5 days; with less experience, add a night at Sara, Umlung or Thachungtse to break the long days and to gain height more slowly. The last day is the hardest: 450 m up to the pass and 1,600 m down, on loose ground and through cold streams.

Permits, fees and booking

No Inner Line or Protected Area Permit is needed for the Markha valley, for Indians or for foreigners. Every visitor to Leh district pays the environment (green) fee of Rs 400, a Red Cross contribution and a wildlife fee, online at lahdclehpermit.in or through a Leh agency; keep the receipt. Inside Hemis National Park a park fee of about Rs 20 per person per day is also charged at the checkposts.

You do not need to book homestays. The families in each village share guests in turn, and you are shown to a house on arrival. In 2026 walkers paid about Rs 1,600 to 1,800 per person for a mattress, blankets, dinner, breakfast and a packed lunch, and about Rs 2,000 to 2,500 at the Nimaling tents. Rooms are simple and shared, toilets are traditional dry toilets, and there are no showers. Groups that camp should book a Leh agency with horses and a cook.

Getting there and away

Fly to Leh (Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport) or come by road from Manali or Srinagar. Taxis in Leh charge fixed union rates: in 2026 a taxi to the Chilling bridge cost about Rs 3,000 to 3,600 and takes about 2 hours. From Shang Sumdo or Chogdo a taxi back to Leh costs about Rs 2,000 to 3,000 and takes about 1.5 hours; book it in Leh before you start, as few taxis wait there.

New road in 2026: a dirt road now runs from Chilling via Kaya and Skiu up the valley to Markha and Hankar. By May 2026, 38 of its 39.85 km had been cut, with surfacing planned. A walker reported in August 2026 that taxis stop at a gate about 9 to 10 km past Skiu. It makes the lower valley less quiet but lets you shorten the trek; above Hankar nothing has changed.

Money and phone signal

There are no ATMs, banks or card machines after Leh. Take enough cash in rupees for homestays, park fees, snacks and the taxi back, plus a reserve. Mobile signal is patchy after Chilling and absent in most of the valley. In 2026 Markha and Hankar had weak village Wi-Fi, and there is usually a signal on top of the Kongmaru La. Satellite phones and satellite messengers are illegal in India without a licence, so do not bring one.

What to pack

Homestays give blankets, but take a sleeping bag rated to about -5 °C for Nimaling, a warm jacket, hat and gloves. You also need sun protection (hat, glasses, high-factor cream), sandals or old shoes for the river crossings, trekking poles, a headlamp, a water filter or tablets, and a power bank, as power is solar and limited. Pack snacks for the long days. Buy medicines in Leh: there are no pharmacies or clinics in the valley.

Safety

The nearest hospital is SNM Hospital in Leh, which treats altitude sickness. There is no mountain rescue service. Call 112 where you have a signal, or send someone to the nearest village or road. Altitude sickness is the main danger: the cure is to go down. Hankar is the last place to turn back easily before the pass. Walk with someone else if you can, tell your homestay where you are going next, and carry insurance that covers trekking to 5,300 m.