✅ The Markha River becomes a frozen highway! – In winter, long stretches of the river turn into thick ice, letting trekkers walk and glide across it just like the Chadar, but in a far quieter environment.
✅ Hemis National Park is the world’s largest snow leopard habitat. – Winter pulls both prey and predator down to valley floors, increasing chances of spotting pugmarks, scrapes, or fresh kills near Skiu, Markha, and Hankar.
✅ Blue sheep form giant winter herds. – Instead of scattered groups, bharal gather in herds of 20–40 to search for scarce grazing patches, making sightings extremely common on the cliffs around Thachungtse and Hankar.
✅ Ibex descend lower due to snow buildup. – Heavy snowfall forces Siberian ibex to move from high alpine ridges to sun-facing slopes closer to human trails, making winter one of the best seasons to spot them.
✅ Ancient Ladakhi homestays keep rooms warm even at –25°C. – Traditional mud houses trap heat naturally, creating warm interiors without heaters while outside temperatures drop to –30°C and below.
✅ Winter birds stay active despite extreme cold. – Chukar partridges, golden eagles, ravens, lammergeiers, and Eurasian magpies survive the cold desert by feeding on exposed shrubs and scavenging along frozen streams.
✅ Marmots are not visible in winter. – Himalayan marmots hibernate deep underground from October to April. Many trekkers expect to see them, but winter Markha is a silent landscape where they remain asleep.
✅ Seabuckthorn and willows dominate winter vegetation. – Leafless but standing strong, these hardy Himalayan shrubs line the trail even at –20°C, giving the valley its characteristic golden-brown winter look.
✅ Frozen waterfalls turn into blue-ice curtains. – Between Chilling and Skiu, several side waterfalls freeze solid, forming towering ice sheets that glisten under the winter sun.
✅ Snow leopards use frozen rivers as travel corridors. – With the Markha River iced over, snow leopards walk the frozen surface for easier movement, leaving clear pawprints that trekkers often spot early in the morning.
✅ Ravens and magpies follow trekking groups. – Winter food scarcity makes these intelligent birds shadow humans for crumbs, creating delightful interactions in the middle of the frozen desert.
✅ Juniper shrubs remain evergreen even at –30°C. – One of the few plants that keeps its needles intact, juniper stands out as dark green patches against the white and brown winter terrain.
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