Trek Ladakh's classic high desert valley, past whitewashed gompas and over the Kongmaru La, in the shadow of the Zanskar range.
Ladakh sits in the rain shadow of the Himalaya, and the Markha Valley trek shows off the result: bare ochre mountains, a ribbon of barley fields and poplar trees along the river, and Buddhist monasteries perched on outcrops that look painted onto the landscape. The route follows the Markha river through the villages of Skiu, Markha and Hankar inside Hemis National Park — snow leopard country, though you're far more likely to spot herds of blue sheep than the cats themselves — before climbing to the Kongmaru La at 5,150 metres for a final panorama of the Zanskar and Ladakh ranges.
This is trekking with a strong cultural thread: you'll stay in village homestays as often as tents, share butter tea with Ladakhi families, and visit the cliffside gompa at Hankar and the royal fort ruins above the valley. Leh itself, with its own palace and old town, makes an atmospheric start and end point, and we build in a full acclimatisation day there before setting off — Ladakh's altitude catches out anyone who rushes it.
