The Markha valley is by far one of the most beautiful valleys in Ladakh and a popular destination due to the proximity of its whole circuit to Leh. A varied trek across high passes with tremendous views of the snow capped mountains, gorges, arid landscape dotted with villages with their colourful fields of mustard and barley and meetings with locals make this trip a trekker's delight. However, on this particular itinerary, we do not take the standard route but begin from the little village of Chilling, the only village where metalwork is done in Ladakh. Spending a night here, we cross the Zanskar River by cable to meet with our horses on the other side which joins the popular route at Skiu. At the end after crossing the Kongmarula, we make a diversion into a lesser known but again another beautiful valley with high pastures and great views to Stok Base Camp and the ultimate highlight of our trip - the summit of Stok Kangri (6137m).