Spituk - Zingchen (4-5 hours) In the early morning hours  we will go by jeep to Spituk, where horses will be waiting to carry our  equipment. The trek will begin along an old jeep road into a parched and  exposed region, so water and sunscreen are absolutely vital! After plodding  through the shattered land we will enter the lush Zingchen Valley, where the  Rumbak River flows into the mighty Indus. Further into the valley lies our  campsite, in the two-house hamlet of Zingchen (meaning 'big field').

Zingchen - Ganda La base (3-4 hours) Today we will enter Hemis  National Park where we may be fortunate to glimpse wildlife. The National park  homes snow leopard, lynx, Ladakhi Urial (a type of goat), arghali (great  Tibetan sheep), Bharal (blue sheep), red fox, Tibetan wolf, dhole (wild dog),  marmot and mountain hare. After paying the entrance fee, we will climb  gradually through a beautiful gorge before reaching the valley leading to the  village of Rumbak. Here we will stop at a tented teahouse run by women from the  village. After a cup of warm tea we will continue past the house of Yuruche  before reaching camp at the base of Ganda La (4545m). From our campsite there  are spectacular views of Stok Kangri and the whole Stok range.

Ganda La base - Skiu via Ganda La 6-7 hours After a light breakfast, we  will begin our 2-hour ascent towards Ganda La (4900m). The usual chorten and  prayer flags mark the top of the pass, where one may see blue sheep, marmots  and arghali roaming the hills around. Views of the lofty Zanskar Range and the  distant Himalaya Range are great as well. After a short rest, we will make a  gradual descent to Shingo and break for lunch. We will finish the day by hiking  for 2-hours through a spectacular gorge before making camp at Skiu (3300m).  Within this idyllic village lies an old monastery and ruins of an old castle,  once a rest stop for the Royal family on their way to Srinagar.

Skiu - Markha (7-8 hours) Following the Markha River,  we will hike through the lovely valley on a fairly level path. The trail  crosses the river at various points, and passes winter settlements that contain  Lhatos (religious shrines for local deities) and Mani walls (stones inscribed  with Buddhist prayers). During peak season a number of tented teahouses will be  open for refreshment. Markha (3800m) is the largest village in the valley,  consisting of around 20 houses, an old monastery and a ruined fort.

Markha - Thachungtse (5-6 hours) The Markha valley trail  continues pass old stone-mills, a ruined castle and the auspicious monastery of  Techa, which proudly perches upon a cliff that looms above Markha. The path  then intersects the river several times before cutting through the last hamlets  in the valley. After leaving the village of Umlung, we will be afforded our  first view of mighty Mt. Kang Yatse (6400m), which will stay in sight until we  cross Kongmaru La. After we break for lunch in the village of Hangkar (the last  one in the valley), we will continue onward to the lovely green pasture of  Thachungste (4100m), where we will make camp.

Thachungtse - Nimaling 4 hours Today the trail will lead  us up to the beautiful plateau of Nimaling, where the people of the Markha Valley  bring their herds to graze during the summer months. At 4700m, Nimaling is the  highest camp (4600m) on the trek, giving us spectacular views of the huge peak  of Kang Yatse to the right.

Nimaling - Shangsumdo via Kongmaru La (7 hours) After a hearty breakfast, we  will cross Kongmaru La (5200m), the highest pass on the trek, and from here we  will have a wonderful view of the Indus Valley and Ladakh Range. The descent is  quite steep, but will gradually level out as we enter Shang Gorge, with its fascinating  rock formations. More river crossings bar our way before we arrive at the  sour-spring of Chuskurmo (used in traditional medicine by the Amchi doctors).  Camp overnight in Shang Sumdo.

Shangsumdo - Leh via Martselang We will enjoy a pleasant 2-hour  walk along a jeep road to Martselang, where the jeep will pick us up. On the  way to Leh, it will be possible to visit some of the great monasteries of  Ladakh such as Thikse, Hemis and Shey.