Must visit places in Ladakh

Ladakh is a land with extraordinary charm. Surrounded by two of the world’s most fascinating mountain ranges, the great Himalayas and the Karakoram, this destination of India is endowed with captivating geographical features.

Some of the best places in Ladakh are:

Leh: Leh, the crown of Ladakh, is a famous city known for its mind blowing attractions. The snow-capped mountains, the charming river and the beautiful valleys, all combine to make this tourist destination a big hit with tourists. This land has been the center of Tibeto-Buddhist culture for ages. It is one of the best places for mountaineering. The Leh Palace and the beautiful Gompas are striking attractions.

Alchi: It is a legendary Himalayan beauty located on the banks of river Indus. Having rich cultural heritage, it is a small village famous for one of the oldest monasteries of Ladakh, Alchi Monastery. Built in the 11th century, the monastery is decorated with beautiful murals and frescoes.

Lamayuru: Enveloped in natural beauty, this small village is proud of its arresting Gompas. Surrounded by the huge mountains, the village is a home to the beautiful Kagyupa monastery, which is one of the largest and oldest monasteries in Ladakh.

Kargil: Kargil is the second largest urban centre of Ladakh. The town lies nestling along the rising hillside of the lower Suru basin. Two tributaries of the Suru River that meet here are the Drass and Wakha. The land available along the narrow valley and the rising hillsides are intensely cultivated which grow variety of vegetables and cereals. Kargil is also famous for fine apricots grown here. Kargil serves as an ideal base station for adventure activities like trekking, mountaineering, camping, river rafting, etc.

Drass: Drass has beautiful pasture grounds and 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. One can have a lovely view of Tiger hill from Drass village.

Zanskar: Zangskar is the most isolated of all the trans- Himalayan valleys. Zangskar comprises of two main valleys of Stod and Lunak, which converge below at Padum. The area remains inaccessible for nearly 7 months in the year due to snowfall and this makes this valley one of the coldest inhabited lands in the world. All the high passes are close in the winter and the river freezes on the surface. Zanskaris walk along the Frozon River called ChadarTrek to reach the Indus River. The route from Kargil to Padum via Penzi La is the only motorable road to reach Zanskar valley, which remains open from June to September.

Padum: Once the capital of the Zangskar valley, today Padum is the administrative headquarters of the region and probably the most populous settlement of Zanskar. Stakrimo Gonpa is on a hill side and the 10th century monument carved on a huge rock near the river bank, provides epigraphic evidence that the region was influenced by Buddhism since ancient period.

Nubra Valley: The Nubra Valley means ‘the valley of flowers’. The altitude of the valley is about 10,000 ft. above the sea level. The pleasant weather and natural beauty make this place a popular tourist destination. The main attraction in this area is Bactarian Camels around sand dunes, Deskit & Samstanling monasteries. Khardung la Pass, and Camel Safari.

Pangong Lake: What strikes the eye in coming first in view of this lake is the lovely colour of its water, especially towards evening, which is of the richest deep blue. The water of the Lake is not that as salty as sea water. The landscape on the way to Pangong is spectacular.

Dhahanu-The land of Aryans: Dhahanu is situated to the south west of Leh, around 163 Kms. Being on lower altitude Dhahanu is warmer than Leh. The main attraction of this tour is Drokpa Community considered being as 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.

So, find for yourself why Ladakh is one of the most gifted places in the world.