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5 Unbeatable Reasons To Trek Markha Valley

Markha valley is a treat to the eye; a scenic depiction of Markha valley

Limitless deserts, thriving jungles, prosperous rivers and breathtaking views – with every step you take on the Markha Valley Trek you are introduced to nature, beauty, adventure and a heap of emotions felt never before.

With its trail taking you through the Hemis National Park where there’s a good chance you’ll spot a snow leopard to further heading to tiny Himalayan hamlets with huge parachute tents and a unique Buddhist culture to finally crossing high mountain passes that offer you views so enchanting that you almost never want to leave, the Markha Valley Trek has it all!

So if you’re planning your next trekking adventure, look no further! Here are 5 Unbeatable Reasons to do the Markha Valley Trek this summer.

Explore Diverse Landscapes
Unlike the numerous treks that take you through forests or arid deserts of the region, the Markha Valley trek introduces you to landscapes along flowing rivers, green pastures, scenic valleys, and flourishing national parks, and bone-dry desert expanses. On this trek, you will experience excitement – when you spot a snow leopard; hardship -when you cross stretches of the waist-deep Markha River; peace -when you take a stop at the confluence of Indus and Zinchen Rivers; thrill -when you conquer over 17,000 feet at Kongmaru La Pass.

Discover Ancient Buddhist Villages
The Markha Valley Trek takes you through some diverse landscapes and while most of the hike is shadowed by wilderness, there will be days when you will stop by tiny mountain hamlets. Trek through scenic landscapes and pass along river banks; meet the region’s locals and come face-to- face with religious shrines at Lhatos and confront the Mani walls. Mani walls are stone structures that are formed by the compilation of intricately carved stone tablets mostly with the inscription of ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ loosely meaning ‘ Hail to the jewel
in the lotus’.

Hike through the villages of Umlung and Hangskar. Much like an eagle nest perched on the tallest tree, the Techa Monastery in Umlung is one of the highest located monasteries and is easily a 1000 years old. Although Umlung offers the comforts of a monastery and a handful of homestays, a visit to Hangskar (the last hamlet in the valley) with its ever welcoming locals and their hot butter tea is a reward in itself. Some of the other villages that you will pass by during the Markha Valley Trek are Spituk, Shingo, and Siku among others.

An Encounter with the Wild
One of the best parts of about the Markha Valley trek is that it takes you through the charming Hemis National Park. Best known for having the highest density of snow leopard in any protected area in the world,
the Hemis National Park with its large population of rare species of wildlife is arguably one of the best parts of this trek. Tibetan wolves, red foxes, Eurasian brown bears and Asiatic ibexes – they are all here. But that’s not all – the region also boasts of being the only habitat of the Shapu in India and is also home to the mountain weasel and the Himalayan mouse. The park is also a bird watcher’s paradise and visitors are often lucky to spot the Lammergeier vulture, the fork-tailed swift, Fire-fronted serin and Tibetan snowfinch in their natural habitat.

Live in Parachute Tents
The Markha Valley trek is also known as the ‘tea house trek’, takes you through diverse terrains and arid deserts but that’s not the only fun part of this excursion. While the villages on the trail have ample homestays that provide the comfort of a home away from home, this adventure also lets you have the experience of camping in parachute
tents. These parachute tents are massive tents where you camp the night with your entire group. Fun much? Oh, you have to experience it to know how much!

Be an Achiever
The trek begins from the green landscapes of the Hemis National Park but don’t let the lush environs fool you, this is just the beginning. The Markha Valley trek takes you through striking contrasts. Trek through the land masses with powerful rivers that are knee-deep if not more and pass through rocky canyons to reach the towering peaks of
Ganda La at 15748 feet, and Kongmaru La at 17060 feet. Reach the top and be welcomed by breathtaking views of Ladakh and the Zanskar ranges. It’s a superlative achievement that feels a million times better
than it reads.

It’s not every day that you come across a trek that offers an out-an-out Ladakhi experience. Raw and natural beauty, exciting adventure, the Buddhist culture, the local food, and the warm hospitality of the people
– everything’s covered.

This trip is everything that dream vacations to Ladakh are made of, and if it resonates with your idea of adventure, let there be no place else you head this summer.

How to prepare for Goecha La Trek

The end of monsoon is here and winter’s on its way. It’s time again to plan a date with the Himalayas. After exploring the majestic Trishul, Nandaghunti and Dhauladhars in Uttarakhand and Himachal in the summers, it is high time we should look east. By east we mean North-east. And there is no better way to explore Eastern Himalaya than to trek to Goecha La Pass. This trek route brings you up and close to Kanchendzonga Mountains like no other. Kanchendzonga or the sleeping Buddha is the tallest mountain in India and the third highest in the world. Trust me when I say that this trek will surpass all your expectations. The mountains are higher than you have ever seen; the climbs harder than what you have done so far and the weather much colder than what you have experienced so far!

That is why it’s my pleasure to list out a few things to keep in mind to best prepare for Goecha La Trek

Know the trail

The Trek is generally moderate since we climb up to 16000 feet. The trail goes through moss covered forests of chestnut, oak, maple, pine, and magnolia and last, but by no means least, the most popularly known Rhododendron trees. We explore the rich bio diversity of the diverse forests throughout the trekking trail. If lucky you may spot many beautiful birds like Red Billed Leothrix, Rufous vented Yuhina, Fire breasted Flowerpecker, and Silver eared Mesia and many others. One encounters not just Mt. Kanchendzonga but also gets a close up view of Mt. pandim, Kabru and Simovo. It is a perfect place for a naturalist and a mountain worshipper. So keep your cameras ready and a writing pad if you would want to take notes.

Preparation for the best experience

One must remember that it is a trek that goes through tough terrain, so one must be physically and mentally strong to complete this, as in a span of 8 days one walks for about 90 odd kilometres. Especially on the day you cross the Goecha La Pass, it gets long and tiring. One must be able to sustain for about 12 hours of trekking.

In order to make sure that you have the right amount of fitness required for this trek, it is recommended to do cardio exercises like jogging, climbing stairs, and cycling on regular basis. One must attempt to jog 5 kilometres in 30 minutes. If planning to walk on a treadmill, try it on inclined mode for the desired results.

Apart from cardio exercises, one must do regular stretching exercises which will help build the calf, shoulder and hip muscles. It will not be easy to tread on steep slopes no matter how light your backpack. It will cause immense strain to the lower back and hip muscle. Hence a bit of strength building exercises will land you in much better shape on the trek.

Lastly, if anyone is into yoga, then Pranayama and Asanas really help in fighting Acute Mountain Sickness.

How to pack right

Packing for a trek in summer varies from what needs to be packed for a winter trek. Goecha La in September and October will be much colder than in May. Hence one should pack extra carefully. In post monsoon season, the challenge is mostly with the chilled winds from which we must protect ourselves. Chances of snow, once at the pass, will be there. There might be chances of snow fall on the route as well.

Absolute essentials

Good quality Trek shoes
Rucksack not weighing more than 8 kgs
Clothing in layers – light layers as in full sleeved collared t-shirts with a fleece jacket topped with hollow fill jacket. A Balaclava, water resistant gloves, woollen socks for the nights and cotton socks during the day
Accessories – Head torch, Sunglasses, toilet kit consisting brush, tooth paste, sun screen lotion, hand sanitiser, trekking poles, water bottle
Personal medicine kit – should have medicines for fever, cold, stomach upset, acidity, headache, pain killer, Band-Aids
Miscellaneous – Tissue paper, plastic bags for carrying waste, day pack
Original and photocopy of government photo identity card (There is no place in Yuksom to get print outs and photocopies)
Two passport size photos
Foreigners need to obtain ILP (Inner Line Permit), which you can get outside Bagdogra airport or at the check-post before entering Sikkim from Silguri
Medical Certificate and Disclaimer (to be filled by the trekker)
Medical certificate (to be filled by a doctor)

Goecha La – Fun stories

The trekkers hut at Lamuney is considered to be haunted. Many trekkers have had weird experiences while spending a night at the trekkers hut. As far as the stories go, a trekker once was woken up by a strong push on his chest in the middle of the night and when he opened his eyes he saw nothing but felt someone sitting on his stomach. The feeling lasted for some minutes and warded off on its own. Spooky huh? Don’t worry; you get to stay in tents not in the hut 🙂

The day of the cross over to the Goecha La pass from the campsite Lamuney will be the most memorable day of your life. Typically you begin at midnight around 2 AM under the guidance of the starry night sky and ice cold air for your company to reach the first spot from where you get to view the sun rise over Kanchendzonga up-close. The story will not be over at this spot. It is only the beginning. There are many myths about viewpoints in this trek. They are all unique points from where one gets jaw dropping views of the mighty Himalayas. One completes the trek only after reaching the green glacial Goecha Lake. People should not confuse this lake with the Samiti Lake which comes much earlier on the route while coming from Lamuney. The Goecha Lake is the start of Goecha La. It is from this point that you get the views of not just Kanchendzonga but also Mt Pandim, Simovo and the mighty Goecha Peak. It is this place which can be truly called the stairway to Kanchendzonga.

Lastly, Goecha la is a trek very dear to my heart and I insist all to do this trek if intrigued by Eastern Himalayas. No other moderate level trek takes you so close to the mountains that you could feel like you can reach out and touch them. All the fun, thrill and adventure are hidden in the last days of the trek. Ensure to go for it and stay at it!

All that You Need to Know about the Valley of Flowers

India is infamous throughout the world for its sweltering summer heat, which I, for one, am sick and tired of. The real winters come in late December, and before you know it, it is summers already. Just as March ends, the temperature starts rising to the point, where you feel the ground burning, even if you are wearing shoes. Yeah, we can switch on the AC to get some respite and hike up our electricity bill, but I want something more. Call me demanding if you will, but I feel that a technologically fabricated environment can never match the feeling of being in the relatively cool places on Earth.

What you can do in such a case is head to the mountains of the North…the mighty Himalayas. Within the chain, there are places, mostly above the altitude of 6000 feet that are cool even during the strongest and most pathetic of summers. But, mind you, even there the temperature can touch 30 degree Celsius. The alternative obviously is going even higher, say 10-15000 feet? Whatever havoc the summers are laying in the rest of the country, such places always remain cool. For ages, I have wanted to visit the Valley of Flowers, located in the state of Uttarakhand! So, I went to the internet, wanting to know everything I could before I plan to go. Below, I share with you the treasure of knowledge that I found about this “heavenly” place.