Martoli Village

Martoli Village is a high-altitude Himalayan settlement in the Johar Valley of Munsiyari Tehsil, Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand, at about 3,430 metres. Once a thriving Shauka trading village on the Indo-Tibetan route, it is now seasonally inhabited and largely preserved with traditional stone houses. Notable for panoramic views of Nanda Devi East, Nanda Kot and surrounding peaks, it lies on the trek route to Milam Glacier within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.

Visitors can expect a remote, seasonally inhabited Himalayan village with traditional dry-stone Shauka houses, many partially abandoned, set on alpine meadows against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks including Nanda Devi East and Nanda Kot. The village is reached only by trekking and offers open meadows, a small Nanda Devi temple, and camping areas. There are no urban facilities; accommodation is limited to seasonal homestays and tents, and the surroundings are pristine high-altitude landscape within the Gori Ganga valley.

Martoli was historically a prosperous village of the Shauka (Johari Shauka) trading community who conducted cross-border trade with Tibet via the Johar Valley passes. Trade declined after the 1962 closure of the Indo-Tibetan border, leading to seasonal migration and gradual abandonment, leaving traditional stone architecture preserved as evidence of the former trade route culture.

The village reflects the culture of the Shauka community, known for seasonal transhumance between lower valleys in winter and high villages in summer. The local Nanda Devi temple and traditional houses demonstrate vernacular Himalayan architecture and reverence for Nanda Devi, the presiding deity of the region, within the broader Johar Valley cultural landscape.