Hemis High-Altitude National Park is the largest high-altitude reserve of India. Very close to Leh, in the area of Markha and Rumbak Valleys, the area in general is rocky and sparsely covered. The park comes under the district of Ladakh and represents the Trans-Himalayan ecosystem. The park was established in the year 1981 to preserve the dwindling population of wildlife in Ladakh region with an area of 600 sq km. The park has been earmarked as one of the snow leopard reserves under a central government project to conserve the species, its prey population, and fragile mountain habitat.

The conservation efforts in the Ladakh region are of recent origin. Apart from the park, the region also has one of the better-known Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh, the Hemis Gompa. Coupled with exotic wildlife, culture and art, and natural splendor, the Hemis High-Altitude National Park can make a perfect holiday destination.

The Hemis National Park is located in the Ladakh division of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. Situated at a distance of around 40 km southeast of Leh, it takes its name from the world famous Buddhist Gompa situated here. The National Park is situated at the bank of river Indus and includes the catchments areas of Markha, Sumdah, and Rumbak streams. The park extends from the latitude 33º38'-34º11' in the North to longitude 77º00'-77º44' in the East.

The climate of this region is one of the extremes with great variations and changes in the temperature at daily and seasonal levels. During the winters, the temperature goes down well below the normal at around -40ºC in the nights and near freezing point during the daytime. All the major rivers in the Ladakh region become frozen during this season. The annual rainfall is very low at around 160.5 mm of rain. Summer is best season to explore the region.

The famed monastery of Hemis is tucked away among rocks and concealing poplars inside the Hemis National Park. There are a number of shrines around the great courtyard, all of them of considerable interest. Some scholars even believe that Hemis holds ancient documents which speak of the hidden years of Jesus Christ. Hemis, however, it best known to tourists because of its colorful festival held in July. At this time, monks perform their traditional dances to celebrate the birth anniversary of the monastery's founder, Padmasambhava.

Hemis Gompa
It is the biggest and one of the most important monasteries in Ladakh. Situated 49 km south of Leh, the monastery was built in the 17th century by Chapgon Gyalshas. A library provided at the monastery houses an excellent collection of rare artefacts.

Markha
A trek through the Markha Valley is especially rewarding which offers the visitors mesmerising views of the amazing natural beauty of the place. The treks range from the difficult six to eight day to the easy four to five day treks.

By Air : Leh is the nearest airport. Indian Airlines flies to Leh from Delhi (6:45, except Monday). Jet Airways flies from Delhi to Leh (5:54, except Sat).

By Rail : Jammu is the nearest railhead. Jammu is well connected to other cities in India by daily trains from Delhi which include the JP Jat Exp. (22:35), Jammu Mail (21:15), Shalimar Exp. (16:05), Jhelum Exp. (20:49), Malwa Exp. (7:10) & the Tata Jat Exp. (20:40). Trains running Mumbai-Jammu are Jammu Tawi Exp. (23:15, Sat) & Swaraj Exp. (6:45, Mon, Thu, Fri, Sun) while Kolkata is connected through the Jammu Tawi Exp. (11:45, daily) and Chennai through the Andaman Exp. (5:15, Wed, Thu, Sun).

By Road : To reach by road from Leh, take the state highway to Hemis via Choglamsar, Thiksey, Karu and Martselang. Buses are available but be sure to plan your schedule accordingly. It is better, however, to hire a private taxi, preferably a four wheel drive.

Flora
The vegetation in the Hemis High-Altitude National Park can be characterized as high-altitude desert with sparse grasslands and herbaceous vegetation on mountain slopes and in harmony with rest of Ladakh. In the lower valley of the park, one can find scrublands and patchy forests.

Dense mixed scrubs (5-10 m high) of buckthorn (Hippophae salicifolia), willows (Salix spp.), Myricaria elegans, and rose (Rosia webbiana) occur in patches on moist valley bottoms up to 3,500 m. About 20% of valley bottomland is covered with this scrub but it represents less than 10% of the total land area. Poplars (Populus spp.) are cultivated on moist valley bottoms up to 3,700 m. Some juniper (Juniperus macropoda) occurs on valley bottoms and slopes at 3,300-4,000 m, and is best developed in the catchments of the lower Khurnak Chu.

From 3,500 m to 4,000 m, this mixed scrub becomes progressively shorter (less than 5 m) and grades into almost pure H. salicifolia and H. rhamnoides on the valley bottoms, or pure Salix spp. in the case of some side valleys. Above 4,000 m, H. rhamnoides forms dense low (30 cm) thickets and Myricaria squamosa occurs as isolated plants. Scattered individuals of R. webbiana, Lonicera spp., Ephedra gerardiana and J. macropoda occur on mountain slopes up to 4,000 m. Caragana sp. occurs in patches on uplands at 4,300 m-5,000 m. Scrublands cover less than 5% of the total land area. Graminaceous and herbaceous plants form the main vegetation type, usually covering less than 15% of the total area. The dominant species include woundwort (Stachys tibetica), cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.), worm weeds (Artemesia spp.), Bistorta spp. and Agrostis spp. The meadows on valley bottoms are dominated by sedges, namely Carex spp. and Koresia spp.