Two Unparalleled, Entrancing Indian Treks to do this Monsoon - Markha Valley Trek and Valley of Flowers Trek

 

Standing 14,000 ft above sea level, on a mountain top amidst bewitching and transfixing mountainscapes with breathtakingly beautiful surroundings, is truly an other-worldly experience.

While several Indian treks take you above 14,000 ft, the Markha Valley trek and the Valley of Flowers trek are two of our favorite monsoon treks that remain distinctive and offer unparalleled, unique experiences.

Both these treks juggle in two different states of the country. The Markha Valley is a delightful and appeasing valley snuggled in the eastern corner of the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the Valley of Flowers is an enticing and intriguing valley located in the Pushpawati River Valley of the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Both these treks stretch over opposite topographies as well as climatic conditions and consequently offer two completely different yet equally refreshing and mind-boggling experiences.

 

MARKHA VALLEY TREK -

Settled in the exotic and barren land of Ladakh, the trek to Markha Valley briefly outlines some of the most stunning regions of Ladakh in an itinerary spanning over eight days. The highest altitude trekked during this expedition is 17,100 ft at Kongmaru La Pass. The Kongmaru La pass unfolds into majestic panoramic views of the fierce Karakoram Range and the robust K2 Peak that also remain the key highlights of this trek.

Overall, the Markha Valley trek is a moderate to difficult grade trek which requires average fitness and stamina. It ventures into extremely remote areas of Ladakh and offers jaw-dropping, scenic views all along.

 

The trek to Markha Valley begins at Leh that rests at an altitude of 11,500 ft. Since the default altitude at Leh is as high as 11,500 ft, every trekker must stay back at Leh for an additional day to facilitate acclimatization. There are a host of interesting places in Leh, like the Thicksey Monastery, Shay Palace, Shanti Stupa, etc, that can be visited to explore the Ladakhi culture.

Distanced 65 km from Leh is the village of Chilling that is also the actual starting point of the Markha Valley trek. A smooth drive of approximately 2 hours via the iconic Magnetic Hill and the Zaskar and Indus River confluence will drop you at Chilling, where you can kick-start your trek towards the beautiful village of Skiu that lies roughly 9 km away.

Skiu is a small village perched at an altitude of 11,150 ft, nestled in the Hemis National Park that serves as the first camping site during the Markha Valley trek.

Nearly 10 km from Skiu lies Sara at an altitude of 11,490 ft. It takes approximately 3-4 hours to trek from Skiu to Sara. The Markha River remains an honest companion meandering in parallel to the trails to Sara that traverse forests and cut paths with the Nangding village to drop you at Sara.

The Markha village remains just 10 km farther from Sara. As you trek through the Chalak village and juggle your way through stupas and mani stones, you will soon enter the Markha village at 12,200 ft within merely 3-4 hours of steady trekking.

Up next on the itinerary is the Hankar village distanced 11 km from the Markha village. You will traverse beautiful scenic landscapes to reach the quaint Umlung village, where you can catch the first few glimpses of the Kang Yatse Peak. A few river crossings away from the Umlung village lies the Hankar village at 13,100 ft, where you shall camp for the night.

Distanced 9 km from Hankar village is Nimaling, perched at an altitude of 15,400 ft. An easy trek through Thochungtse will lead you to vast, lush green grasslands, a few river crossings ahead of which lies the mesmerizing campsite at Nimaling. This day, you will be able to catch clear sights of the glorious Kang Yatse Peak and the enchanting Tigu Lakes.

The last day of the Markha Valley trek remains a little taxing yet equally thrilling. You will first trek to the Kongmaru La Pass situated at a whopping altitude of 17,100 ft and then to Chokdo, covering nearly 16 km of distance this day.

An arduous climb of nearly 2 km along steep ascents will take you to the Kongmaru La Pass, where you can relish and admire the jaw-dropping views of the Karakoram Range and the fierce K2 Peak. A steep descend from Kongmaru La for a while followed by a gradual descend for nearly 5 hours will ultimately drop you to Chokdo at an altitude of 12,100 ft.

Chokdo remains the last village on the itinerary of the Markha Valley trek. A smooth drive of not more than 2 hours will take you back to Leh, bringing your Markha Valley trek to a happy end.

 

VALLEY OF FLOWERS TREK

The trek to Valley of Flowers is an easy to moderate grade trek that takes you deep into the mountains of the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand to a maximum altitude of 14,100 ft. What remains astonishingly beautiful about the Valley of Flowers trek is that the valley itself stretches over 8 km and cradles more than 500 varieties of flowers in its ambit. The visit to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara makes the experience all the more interesting and merrier.

The itinerary of the Valley of Flowers trek begins with Rishikesh as the starting point. Rishikesh is a charming city that also remains easily accessible by various means of transport. Roughly 250 km away from Rishikesh, perched at an altitude of 6,200 ft, is the enticing city of Joshimath nestled in the Chamoli district of the state of Uttarakhand. It takes almost 11 hours to reach the city of Joshimath from Rishikesh.

A 20 km drive from Joshimath will take you to Govindghat at 6,800 ft. 5 km from Govindghat lies Pulna, the actual starting point of the trek. Distanced 9 km from Pulna is the devastatingly beautiful Ghangria at 9,800 ft. The trail from Pulna to Ghangria is well pathed and commercialized, with many eateries on the way. The ascend along this route is also gradual and accomodating.

4 km away from Ghangria lies the enchanting and spellbinding Valley of Flowers stretched over 8 km of land with exquisite varieties of flowers in their full bloom. The trail from Ghangria to the Valley of Flowers, all the way to the utmost end of the valley, is breathtakingly beautiful and will indefinitely leave you awestruck and overwhelmed for a period. You will trek to the Valley of Flowers and return to Ghangria the same day since camping at the valley remains unpermitted.

Trek to Hemkund will mark the events of the next day. The Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara lies at an altitude of 14,200 ft, approximately 6 km away from Ghangria. The trail from Ghangria to Hemkund Sahib traverses refreshing stretches of similar landscapes as the previous day's. As you reach the gurudwara, you will be transfixed to see the enchanting Hemkund lake crisply reflect the surrounding mountain peaks. The sight is simply magical and to die for! After offering your prayers at the gurudwara and admiring the spectacular beauty of the place, return to Ghangria the same day.

A 13 km trail from Ghangria to Govindghat remains the last stretch to trek on the Valley of Flowers trek that will bring you down to an estimated altitude of 6,800 ft. It will take at least 5 hours for you to descend to Govindghat, from where you shall drive back to Joshimath the same day.

And finally, an exhilarating, 11-hour long drive back from Joshimath to Rishikesh shall bring your Valley of Flowers trek to a great, grand end.