Ladakh, the region of mountain passes, a piece of broken moon land- a perfect place to witness the unmatched beauty of nature. Ladakh is the highest plateau of the Indian state of Kashmir with much of it being over 3,000m. It lies between 32 to 36 degree north latitude and 75 to 80 degree east longitude. The total area of 45110sq km makes Ladakh the largest district in India. Ladakh region is bifurcated in Kargil and Leh districts. Kargil lies at an altitude of 2750m and Leh at 3505m. The largest town in Ladakh is Leh.
Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It spans the Great Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges and the upper Indus River Valley. The district bordered Pakistan occupied Kashmir in the west and China in the north and Eastern part and Lahul Spiti of Himachal Pradesh in the South east. Ladakh's ethnic composition consisted of Mongoloid and a mixed Indo-Aryan population of Mons and Dards. It is sometimes called little Tibet due to strong cultural and geographical similarities with Tibet. The approach to Ladakh is invariably marked with many long walls running 2-3 kms, decorated with engraved stones bearing the mantra aœOm Mani Padme Huna and Chortens which symbolizes Buddha's mind.
Ladakh is a high altitude desert as the Himalayas create a rain shadow thus prohibiting the entry of monsoon clouds. The main source of water here remains the winter snowfall on the mountains that forms the glaciers. Like in the rest of the parts of the country where people pray for rain, here Ladakhis pray for the glaciers or snows to melt for irrigation and drinking purposes. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes. Only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke n frostbite at the same time.
Climate: The summer temp. is quite pleasant but in winter it touches the extreme. The winter temp touches as low as minus 30 degree (Leh & Kargil) and minus 60 degree in Drass. Subzero temp prevails from December to February throughout Ladakh, whereas, zero degree temp is experienced during rest of winter months. This results in freezing of all conceivable water resources. During summer the maximum temp rises from 20 to 35 degree Celsius in July and August.
How To Reach:
Road Distances- Srinagar-Leh 434 Km
- Manali-Leh 473 Km
- Srinagar-Kargil 204 Km
- Delhi-Leh 1047 Kms
- Leh-Kargil 234 Km
- Kargil-Padum (Zanskar) 240 Km
- Leh-Deskit (Nubra Valley) 118 Kms.
Air TravelIndian Airlines www.indian-airlines.nic.in operates 3 flight in a week between Leh and Delhi, 2 flights in a week from Jammu and once in a week from Srinagar. Jet Airways www.jetairways.com also operates six flights in a week between Leh-Delhi and Kingfisher Airlines www.flykingfisher.com operates daily flight Between Leh-Delhi.
Internal TransportThe cheapest way to travel within the region is by public buses, which ply on fixed routes according to fixed time schedules. The most comfortable and convenient though expensive mode of travel, however, is by taxi, which are available for hire on fixed point-to-point tariff. For visits to the newly opened areas of Nubra, Dah-Hanu, Tsomoriri, Tsokar and Pangong Lakes it is mandatory to engage the services of a registered/recognized travel agency for making all the requisite arrangements including internal transport. Detailed information about bus schedules, taxi tariff, travel agencies can be obtained from the Tourist Office or Local travels guide "Reach Ladakh", available at Book Shops.
Alchi
Driving past on the nearby Srinagar Leh highway you;d never guess that the culuster of low pagoda roofed cubes 3 km across the Indus from Saspol, dwarfed by a spectacular sweep of wine coloured scree, is one of the most significant historical sites in Asia
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In the north-western part of India sharing borders with Pakistan in the West and China in the East, Ladakh resides at a high altitude of 3500m. The only area that represents India's Trans Himalayan area
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Tour to Dahanu Valley is an essential part of many package trips to Ladakh. In fact it is said that an adventure tour to Ladakh is incomplete without a visit to Dahanu. Tour to Dahanu is a pleasurable experience for many.
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Nurtured by the Drass River which rises in the Machoi glacier near the famous Zojila Pass, the enchanting Drass Valley is situated at a height of 3230 m.
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Kargil, the headquarter of Kargil district, is around 204 Kms. to the east of Srinagar and 234 Kms. to the west of Leh.
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The Nubra Valley, once on the trading route that connected eastern Tibet with Turkistan via the famous Karakoram Pass, is the most recently opened area of Ladakh.
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This route takes the visitor past picturesque villages of Shey and Thikse, and turns off the Indus valley by the side-valley of Chemrey and Sakti.
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Literally meaning the middle country,Spiti is a high altitude cold desert dotted with numerous monasteries. Rudyard Kipling in Kim called it world within a world' and a 'place where the Gods live'..
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Zanskar Trek is one of the most well-known Himalayan Trek. It starts from the lush green valleys of the Himalayas, and leisurely traverse the great Himalayan range..
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