How to acclimatise in Leh
Leh is at 3,500 m. What you do in your first two days decides how the trek goes.
A day on the Markha trail, from tea at 6.30 to lights out
What a walking day actually looks like on our Markha trek: the timings, the pace, the stops and the evenings in camp.
People planning their first trek often ask what a day on the trail actually involves. Here is a typical walking day on the Markha trek, between Markha village and Hankar.
At 6.30 am the kitchen helper brings tea to your tent door. You pack your duffel bag and leave it outside for the pony men. Breakfast is in the dining tent at 7.15. By 8, after the morning oxygen and pulse check, the group starts walking with the lead guide at the front and the assistant guide at the back. Nobody walks behind the assistant guide, so nobody is ever alone.
The pace is slow and steady, with a short rest every hour for water and a snack. The trail follows the river, crossing it several times. Some crossings are knee-deep in the morning, so carry sandals in your day pack. Around noon we stop for a packed lunch in the shade of a willow grove or beside a chorten. The ponies pass us during the morning and reach camp first, so by the time you arrive, around 2 or 3 pm, your tent is pitched.
Afternoons are free. Wash in a stream, rest, read, or walk up to the ruined fort above Hankar with a guide. Soup and pakoras come at 4, and there is a short talk about the next day’s route at 6.30. Dinner is at 7. Most people are in their sleeping bags by 8.30, and the stars come out over the valley soon after.
