Jo got the chance to head out on our Markha Valley Trek in Ladakh, undertaking a beautiful journey into the north-western corner of India and a lesser-known, but no less inspirational, section of the Himalayas. Read her blog to find out more about her adventure.

When it comes to trekking in the Himalaya, more often than not people turn towards Nepal for their mountain trekking fix. In August of 2017, I was lucky enough to get another view of the Himalaya when I undertook KE’s Markha Valley Trek in Ladakh, Northern India.

Landing at 3500m in the wonderfully laid-back town of Leh is a great introduction to the high altitude, mountainous region of Ladakh. As breath can be sparse to start with, it’s good to take your time and visit Buddhist temples, haggle in bustling marketplaces and stare in awe and wonder at the surrounding layers of snow-capped mountains, whilst properly acclimatising before starting into that ruggedly beautiful landscape that is all around you.

The Markha Valley trek itself is 8 days of some of the most stunning hiking I’ve ever been privileged enough to embark upon. Often following the glacially cold waters of the Markha River and taking you over two high passes, the route sees you constantly surrounded by the imposing peaks of the Himalaya, such as Stok Kangri and Kang Yantze, but, unexpectedly also introduces you to an array of mountain colours, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Rock hews formed by the mineral deposits in the mountain sides display ranges of reds, browns, greens, purples and greys, all of which change colour slowly as the day progresses and the sun’s levels increase and decrease.

En route you will also come across remote villages, adorned with a multitude of colourful prayer flags all flapping in the breeze, monasteries perched precariously atop rock faces and the impressive mani stones, carried for miles by the local villagers to be placed on isolated walls made from these intricately carved stone prayer tablets.