Home -:- Places of Interest in Ladakh

Places of Interest in Ladakh

Leh

Book Now

Location
Leh is located in the state of Jammu & Kashmir in the extreme north of India.

Tourist Attractions : Buddhist Monasteries, the Leh Palace.
Best Buys : Tibetan handicraft items.
Best Hangouts : The Monasteries
Best Activity : Trekking, Mountaineering, Camping, Water Rafting.
Nearby Tourist Destinations : Jammu, Leh, Kargil, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam.
When to Visit : June To End October

About Leh
Ladakh, a part of Jammu & Kashmir State in north of India consisting of two districts Leh and Kargil. At a distance of 434 kms from Srinagar and 474 kms from Manali, Leh is situated on the banks of the river Indus, at a height of 11,000 feet. The land of majestic mountains, Leh is a complete beauty in itself. Leh has quite a few amazing places to offer its tourists. The most striking sight of Leh is the group of women, traditionally attired, selling fruits, vegetables and household articles, spinning and knitting, and exchanging gentle banter between themselves and with passers-by. Leh airport is Ladakh's only link with the outside world for the seven months of the year. Leh is one most frequented destinations for the trekkers in India. Rumbak and Markha offer exciting treks, while Stok Kangri is the best for a climb. One can also go for boating and river running on the Indus.




Drass
The town of Drass, 60 km west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is located at an altitude of 3,300 m in a relatively flat and open space in the centre of a valley.

Overview
The town of Drass, 60 km west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is located at an altitude of 3,300 m in a relatively flat and open space in the centre of a valley. It has extensive willow groves along the river. In winter it is covered with a thick blanket of snow. Drass experiences the lowest temperatures in the Ladakh valley and is said to be the second coldest inhabited place in Asia. The mercury may drop to as low as 40 degrees Celsius below freezing point, and communication with the outside world is often completely cut off. During the spring and summer, however, the valley around the township becomes very picturesque as the gently undulating hillsides turn into lush green pastures splashed with a variety of fragrant wild flowers.

Its inhabitants are mainly of the Darad stock, an Aryan race believed to have originally migrated to the high valleys of the Western Himalayas from the Central Asian steppes. They speak Shina, which, unlike the Tibetan-originated Ladakhi dialects spoken elsewhere in Ladakh region, belongs to the Indo-European linguistic family. Their ancestral sport, `horse-polo' which the Darads play with particular zeal, resembles our modern polo. The Drass valley starts from the base of the Zoji La pass, the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh. For centuries its inhabitants are known to have negotiated this formidable pass, to transport trader's merchandise across and to help stranded travellers to traverse it, even during the most risky period in the late autumn or early spring, when the whole sector remains snow-bound and is subject to frequent snow storms. By virtue of their mastery over the pass they had established a monopoly on transportation for trading, during the heydays of the Pan-Asian trade. A hardy people, with the fortitude to tolerate the harshness of the valley's winter, the inhabitants of Drass can well be described as the guardians of Ladakh's gateway




Kargil
The average tourist to Ladakh usually begins by taking a tour of Leh, the capital and prime town of Ladakh. It invariably ends the sightseeing the monasteries, justly famous, of Shey, Sankar, Phyang, Spituk and Hemis. Some might include Alchi, Likir and Lamayuru. Few if ever trek to interior villages, venture north to Narbu valley or visit the Zanaskar region. Yet, the last few years have seen an increase in tourists to the western flank of Ladakh, which comprises several valleys. Chief among these are Drass, Suru, Mulbekh and Zanskar. Lying immediately east of the Greater Himalayan wall and drained and formed by the west most tributaries of the Indus river, these constitute present-day Kargil district.

This region once formed part of the erstwhile kingdom of Ladakh. In fact, it was the first to be inhabited by the early colonists of Ladakh - the Indo-Aryan Mons, the Dards of Central Asia and itinerant Tibetans. Also, its valleys, by virtue of their proximity to Kashmir, Kishtwar, Kulu and Gilgit-Baltistan served as the initial receptacle of the cultural waves and ethnic movements that emanated from across the Greater Himalayan wall. As the area receives abundant water from rivers originating in the Greater Himalaya, the undergrowth here is more luxuriant than in eastern Ladakh. The upper Suru valley, in particular, is famous for its grassland, which attracts a large number of Bakarwal herdsmen from the Jammu hills.




Zanskar
About 20 kms south-east of Rangdum stands the Panzila axis, across which lies Zanskar, the most isolated of all the trans-Himalayan valleys. The Penzila pass (4,401m) is a picturesque tableland surrounded by snow-covered peaks.

As the Zanskar road winds down the steep slopes of Penzi-la to the head of the Stod valley, the majestic " Drang-Drung" glacier looms into full view. A long and winding river of ice and snow, "Drang-Drung" is perhaps the largest glacier in Ladakh, outside the Siachen formation. It is from the cliff-like snout of this extensive glacier that the Stod or Doda tributary of the Zanskar River rises.

Zanskar is a tri-armed valley system situated between the Great Himalayan Range and the Zanskar mountains, the three arms radiating star-like towards the west, north and south from a wide central expanse. Here the Zanskar River comes into being by the confluence of its two Himalayan tributaries, the Stod/Doda and the Lingti-Tsarap rivers. It is mainly along the course of this valley system that the region’s approximately 14,000 strong, mainly Buddhist population, live.




Nubra Valley
Nubra is located in the north of Leh. Nubra is a tributary to the Shyok, which flows parallel to the Indus. On the other side of the Ladakh range the Nubra Valley used to be on the caravan route leading from Leh to Kashgar through the two passes of Saser and Karakoram. The main attractions of this area are the Bactarian Camels (Double Humped Camels), Khardung-La Pass (world's highest motorable road at 18,380 feet) and the monasteries like Samstaling.

The Safari leads to Nubra Valley through Khardung-La, which is about 39 kms from Leh. Camel Safari can be organized from Deskit to Hyundar Village for 2 hours.This tour can be extended for 2 nights / 3 Days.

Permit is needed to this area, which is issued by the Deputy Commissioner at Leh itself NUBRA means the garden of green valley. It is 150 kms from Leh and one has to cross over to KHARDUNGLA pass, which is not kept open throughout the year. It is said to be the highest motorable road in the world. Many people for the sake of adventure have crossed it over by scooters, cars and cycles.

NUBRA lives up to its name as encompassed by the numerous orchards of apples and appricots. The chief crop is wheat, barley, peas, millet, buckwheat and onion. There are two main rivers thru the valley named Shyok and the NUBRA river and has much better climate than Leh. 90% of the population is Buddhist and the rest are muslims.

NUBRA VALLEY is situated on the old caravan route, the beautiful fertile valley was an important halting place for the caravans.

Day 01: Delhi - Leh
In time transfer to airport to board flight for Leh. Arrive Leh and transfer to hotel. Rest of the Day at leisure. Overnight at hotel.

Day 02: In Leh
Day free for acclimatisation. Overnight at hotel.

Day 03: In Leh
Full Day sightseeing of Shey, Thikshey and Hemis monastries with packed lunch. Overnight at hotel.

Day 04: Leh - Khalsar Drive
Leave Leh early morning to Khalsar. Crossing over Khardungla pass (18,000 ft) the highest road in the world. Arrive Khalsar on the other side of the pass for dinner and overnight camp

Day 05: Khalsar - Panamik Drive
Early morning visit the Gompa at Khalsar then dirve to Panamik, a very large village in the Nubra valley along side the Nubra river. Overnight in the camp.

Day 06: Panamik
ToDay visit to the Sulphur hot spring baths famous for mineral ailements. Return to the camp for lunch. Evening visit the famous samoor Gompa which is 250 years old monastery. Overnight in camp.

Day 07: Panamik
Day free to explore the area.

Day 08: Panamik - Tirit
ToDay drive back to the Tirit village which is the centre of handicraft for wool and Jewellery. Overnight in the camp.

Day 09: Tirit - Khalsar
Drive to Khalsar. Arrive and camp. Overnight at camp

Day 10: Khalsar - Diskit Driver
Drive to Diskit, the district. Headquarter of Nubra valley. Arrive and overnight at camp.

Day 11: Diskit
Free to explore the little town which is on the bank of Shyok river. Overnight at camp.

Day 12: Diskit - Hunder Driver
Driver 45 kms to Hunder village. Arrive and camp. Evening explore the area. Overnight at camp.

Day 13: Hunder - Khalsar
Drive back to Khalsar, enroute stop all the places for photo. Overnight at camp.

Day 14: Khalsar - Leh
Drive backto Leh (4-5 hrs). Arrive and check into hotel. Rest of the Day at leisure. Overnight at hotel.

Day 15: Leh - Delhi
Morning in time transfer to airport to board flight for Delhi. Arrive and transfer to hotel.


Chang Thang
The land of Nomads
Changthang means Eastern Flat land, is located in the east of Leh on the Chinese border. The average altitude of the area is around 14600m above sea level. This area is also known as Rupsho valley. The main attraction of this area is Changpa nomads, wild animals, Lakes and rare birds.