Day 1: Leh

This morning board your flight from Delhi to Leh. On arrival in Leh, you will be met by a Sky Vacations ambassador who will assist you and transfer you to the hotel.  The balance of the day is at leisure, giving you time to acclimatize to the environment.

Day 2: Leh

After breakfast, you’ll proceed for a visit to Shey Palace and Stok Place.

Shey Palace was built in 1645 by Deldan Namgyal as a summer residence for the kings of Ladakh. It is the oldest palace in Ladakh and above the palace is an even older, ruined fortress.

Stok Palace is the present residence of the royal family of Ladakh. The palace was built in 1825. The palace has an impressive collection of royal costumes, old thankas (tapestries), and even the king’s crown! On the way back to the hotel, we visit the SOS village – the home for Tibetan Refugees.

SOS village houses a school, clinic, and craft shop and also has a lovely, two-story, golden roof and is the summer residence of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Enjoy lunch at the hotel followed by a walk up to Shanti Stupa for a panoramic view of Leh town.

Day 3: Leh

Wake up early morning for a visit to the Thikse monastery to experience the prayer ceremony.

Thiksey Gompa is the most picturesquely situated monastery in Ladakh perched high on a hill above the Indus River. Its buildings are arranged at various levels, leading up to the private apartments of the incarnate lamas on the summit.

Return to hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we drive to Saboo village with a picnic lunch for an acclimatization hike in the area. This afternoon, we return to the hotel for a day to unwind or stroll the area on your own.

Day 4: Leh – Chilling – Skiu

Enjoy an earl breakfast followed by a drive to Chilling with picnic lunch.

Chilling is a small village of craftsmen, who work with metals like copper, tin, silver and make ladles, local liquor pots (tchang), tea pots etc. Upon arrival in Chilling, we cross the Zanskar River over a bridge and continue the drive stopping for en-route for a visit to Kara Monastary, before arriving to Skiu village- the entry point to Markha valley and our first camping site for the night.

Day 5: Skiu – Markha

This is a beautiful section of the Markha Valley. The day is fairly long but relatively easy, as our trail goes upwards steadily to Markha. En route, we pass a shrine at the meeting of a canyon with the Markha Valley. You see prayer flags at the shrine which are said to protect the spirits of one valley from those of the other. The trail continues steadily upwards to Markha where we will spend the night.

Day 6: Markha – Thachungtse

Today, we start our trek towards Thachungtse, our camping site for the day. It’s an easy walk over a rugged trail carved into the sheer walls of the Markha canyon.

En route we pass Umalung village (4030 m/ 13,220 ft) and a farmers’ village called Hankar (4030 m/ 13,220 ft). As we follow the trail, landscape changes from wooded sections in the lower valley to a starker landscape past Umalung.

Day 7: Thachungtse – Nimaling

Today our trek to Nimaling includes 2-3 hours of hard trekking through a narrow valley to reach the top, from where we get a 360 degree panoramic view of snow capped peaks. After stopping here for a bit of rest,  we descend into the Nimaling plain, our second last camping site on this trek. The Nimaling plain is a broad undulating meadow with slopes to the base of the ice-clad Kang Yatse peak (20,990 ft).

Nimaling is the grazing ground for animals such as yaks, dzos, sheep, goats and horses from villages all around. Here Himalayan marmots and white-tailed hares can be seen in plenty and occasionally one can spot a blue-sheep or a wolf.

Day 8: Nimaling – Kongmaru La – Churkimo

Today after breakfast, it’s a 2-hr hard trek to Kongmaru La (5275 m/ 17,300 ft), the highest pass on this trek but the view from the top more than makes up for the hard work. After spending some time at the top enjoying the magnificent views, we descend on the other side of the valley to reach Churkimo village, our last camping site on this trek.

Day 9: Churkimo – Shang Sumdo – Leh

Today after breakfast, we continue to follow the trail downhill to Shang village (12,040 ft), which is our finishing point on this trail. On arrival at Shang village we board our waiting vehicle and drive back to Leh. The balance of today is yours to unwind and contemplate your amazing journey.

Day 10: Leh

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.