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ladakh

Leh

It is located to the north of the Indus River at an elevation of 3600m above the sea level. The town is dominated by the Namgyal Tsemo (victory peak) built by King Tashi Namgyal in 16th century, as a royal residence and the nine-storey Namgyal Palace built by King Sengge Namgyal on his victory in reunification of the Upper and Lower Ladakh in 17 century. Leh became the capital of Stod (upper Ladakh) during the reign of King Graspa Bum- Lde, who ruled Ladakh from 1400 to 1430 AD. In the later period, Leh became an important center for trade in Central Asia, along the Indus Valley between Tibet to the east, Kashmir to the west and ultimately between India and China. Leh Palace is the old mosque, a Sunni Muslim mosque. It was constructed under the threat of military action by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb which prompted King Deldan Namgyal to build the mosque in 1661. The mosque reflects a mixture of Islamic and Tibetan architecture and can accommodate more than 500 people. There is a religious coexistence of Buddhism and Islam, have been living in Harmony in Leh. Thus, Ladakh an ag-old tradition of cohesiveness Besides these two communities there are people living in the region who belongs to different religions like Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikhism. And they too live in harmony and forms a vital part of the society.The Christian community in Leh were converted from Tibetan Buddhism by German Moravian missionaries who first established a church in 1885. In 1974 Ladakh was thronged open for foreign tourists. Since then Leh became the centre for tourism related activities in the region and today, Ladakh is among the most preferred tourist destination for foreign as well as domestic tourists. Leh has a cold, arid climate with long, harsh winter season that is, from October to early March. The winter temperature in Leh dips down at maximum to -29 degree Celsius and during summers the mercury rises to a high of 33 degree Celsius. Leh provides medium and lower class accommodation, with hundreds of guesthouses and hotels, which can suit every budget. There are number of good restaurants that offers palette of good multicuisine dishes for a reasonable price. There are number of tour Operator/Travel Agents around the town, which look after traveler’s requirements like booking oh hotels, providing tour guides, different tour packages and taxi services etc. Buddhist monasteries are the must visit places in and around Leh. Tour to these monasteries can be organized in one or two days, as all the famous monasteries are within a drive of one or two days from Leh. For information on monasteries please check monastery section of this web site.

Kargil

Kargil is located on the bank of the Suru River which flows at around 10,000 ft. high. Here people were followers of Buddhist religion till the 14th century AD. Presently, Kargil is inhabited by Muslims of Shia sect. Kargil, the headquarter of Kargil district, is around 204 Kms. to the east of Srinagar and 234 Kms. to the west of Leh.It was a transit point of caravans on their way to and from China, Tibet, Yarken and Kashmir till 1949, but since 1974 with the influx of tourists the region has been replaced as centre for tourism related activities. Tourists traveling between Zangskar, Leh and Srinagar have to make a night halt here, before starting for the second day of their journey. Suru Valley Suru valley has a beautiful landscape to view, especially when it gets dotted by flowers in the summer. The valley expands from Kargil town upto the Penzi La watershed, from where the Suru river rises. The valley constitutes a large population, mainly of Tibetan-Dard Muslims, who converted to Islam in the 15th century. The peaks of Nun (7,135m) and Kun (7,035m) Massif add to the beautification of this region. Kartse Khar The Kartse Khar (palace) is an ancient village known for its 7m tall rock carved statue of Maitriya Buddha which is an evidence of the presence of Buddhist community in the valley in the past. There are other magnificent Stupas and rock carved statues to be seen in Suru valley, if one wishes to explore. Drass Drass is around 60 Kms. to the west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar. The place has beautiful pasture grounds and majestic mountain peaks surrounding it. Drass is the second coldest inhabited place in the world, where the temperature goes as low as - 50 in winter. Drass has become famous in recent years because of Pakistan’s misadventure in the Tiger hill and Tolloling areas. One can have a lovely view of Tiger hill from Drass village. The inhabitants in Drass consist mainly of the Dards stock, an Aryan race believed to have originally migrated to these villages of the western Himalaya from Central Asian steppes. The language they speak is Shina, which is very much unlike the Ladakhi dialects spoken elsewhere in the Ladakh region. Polo is the favorite time pass of the inhabitants of Drass. Buddhist remains at Drass Drass is dominated by Muslims, which was predominant a Buddhist region, converted to Muslims in 15th Century. The only Buddhist remains of note in the whole area are images carved in relief on stone of Maitriya, Avaloketeshvara, a lotus flower, a man on horseback and a stupa.

Zangskar

Zangskar valley lies to the south west of Leh, surrounded by the Himalayan and Zangskar ranges. It is the most isolated of all the trans- Himalayan valleys. Zangskar comprises two main valleys of Stod (Doda chu) and Lunak (Tsarab chu), which converge below at Padum. The valley has an area of about 5,000 sqr. Kms. and is situated at an elevation of 13,154 ft. The area remains inaccessible for nearly 7 months in the year. As winter approaches all the high passes get close and the river freeze on the surface. Zanskaris walk along the frozon river to reach the Indus River in Nimoo village, which is known as the Chadar trek. The route from Kargil to Padum via Penzi La is the only motorable road to reach Zangskar valley, which remains open from June to September. Padum Padum is the sub-tehsil of Zangskar which is 464 kms from Leh and 234 kms from Kargil. Once the Capital of the Zangskar valley, today it is the administrative headquarter of the region and probably the most populous settlement of Zangskar. There is a small market along the main road with hotels, restaurants and number of shops. The town has a newly contructed Mosque and a recently formed Muslim community. Stakrimo Gonpa on a hill side and the 10th century monument carved on a huge rock near the river bank, provides an epigraphic evidence that the region was influnced by Budddhism since ancient period. The main attractions in Zangskar are the ancient Buddhist monasteries like Zongkhul, Bardan, Stongde, Karsha, Phuktal and Sunni Palace. The beauty of these monasteries are beyond describtion and most of the monasteries can be visited in a day or two by Jeep from Padum. Padum is the head quarter of Zanskar Valley and it provides Hotels, Guest Houses and couple of restaurants. Jeep is available for the sight seeing of nearby monasteries.

Nubra Valley

Looking for a romantic hill station amidst greenery, perfect for relaxing holidays? The valley of flowers- the Nubra Valley welcomes you with the purest and most divine greenery, ideal for your holiday break. The fertile land of the nubra valley, used for the cultivation of grains and fruits, is nurtured by the Shyok and Nubra Rivers. Popularly called the orchard of Ladakh, Nubra valley offers a graceful view of yellow and pink wild roses in summer and a carpet of wild lavender in the post-monsoon season. You will definitely be overwhelmed to see the Bactarian Camels (Shaggy double hump Camel) around sand dunes, Deskit & Samstanling monasteries and Khardung la Pass (18,380 ft above sea level). Getting There The road journey to Nubra valley leads through the world highest motorable road, Khardongla Pass which is at a hight of 18380 ft above sea level and around 50 kms from Leh. After crossing the pass, you can have a view of Khardong village, Khalser and Deskit (the main villages of Nubra valley). The Deskit village offers Guest Houses and lower budget hotels. The Camel Sand Dune safari can be organized from Deskit to Hunder village for 2 hours. Hundar village has a small monastery and is located on the ancient Silk Route- an experience to share.

Changthang

Changthang means Eastern Flat Land; it is the land of nomads 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. The Changthang area is rich in natural beauty. The landscape in its silence, emptiness and unbelievable vastness is breathtaking. Next to the desert mountains along the Manali-Leh-highway, that are bare of the slightest sight of vegetation, the coarse eastern grasslands towards the Tibetan border are dotted with natural lakes. These lakes to the visitor appear as turquoise gems in the barren brown-green landscape that change their colour with the sky above - from a deep amethyst to flaming red to black as the night. The largest lakes of Ladakh‘s so-called Nyoma subdivision are Panggong Tso and Tso Moriri.

Dhahanu

The land of Aryans Dhahanu is situated to the south west of Leh, around 163 kms, passing through the beautiful villages of Kaltsey, Domkhar, Skurbuchan and Achinathang. There are many small villages but only two villages of Dha and Hanu are open for tourist. Being on lower altitude Dhahanu is warmer than Leh. Attraction The main attraction of this tour is coming across the Drokpa Community considered to be the last race of Aryans confined to the valley. Their feature is pure Indo Aryan and they have preserved their racial purity down the centuries. Their culture and religious practices are very similar to ancient pre- Buddhist religion known as Bon-Chos. This tour can be done in two days with one night stay in tent.