Places To See In Ladakh

Buddhist Monasteries to Palaces, to traversing the world's highest points to tons of stuff to do Ladakh is a complete package.

Heritage Sites

Ladakh Shanti Stupa - Located on a hilltop at Changspa, the shanti stupa was built by an organization named the "The Japanese for World Peace." The stupa celebrates 2500 years of Buddhism and was resurrected to promote world peace. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, inaugurated it in 1985.

Palaces

Leh Palace - This is a major tourist attraction in Leh. The palace rises from the edge of a hill and offers a breathtaking view of Leh. The palace was built for King Singge Namgyal in the 17 th century and had nine stories. Over the years the palace is all but dilapidated. The royal family occupied the palace till they were exiled to Stok in the 1830's. At the top of the Namgyal Hill where this palace is located is the Victory Tower. This was built to mark the victory of Ladakh over the Balti Kashmiri armies in the early 16 th century. The palace is now the office of the Indian Government's Archaeological Conservation Department.

The palace is said to have inspired the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

Shey Palace - Located about 15 kms up the Indus River, this ancient capital city is also known for its temples.

Basgo and Tingmosgang - Both these cities served as royal capital in the past when the kingdom was divided in the 15th century. Remain of old forts and temples are visible even today.

Stok - Across the river from Leh lies this small village. Today Stok Palace is the place where the royal family lives. The palace also houses a museum associated with the dynasty.

Religious Places

Monasteries

Many Buddhist monasteries also called gompas are concentrated in the Central Ladakh region. The oldest monastery is that of Lamayuru, this sacred place is credited with the pre-Buddhist religion of Bon.

King Tashi Namgyal built the Phiyang monastery as an act of penance for the deceitful way he betrothed the throne.

King Singge Namgyal built the Hemis and the Hanle monastery. The king's widow built the Chemrey Monastery in his memory. These belong to the Red Hat monastic sect.

The important monasteries belonging to the Yellow-Hat sect are the Thiksey, Likir, Ri-dzong and Spituk. Tak-Thok, Matho Gompas are representative of the Nying-ma-pa and the Saskya-pa sect respectively.

One of the important monasteries was the one at Alchi. Today, the monks of Likir are preserving the gompa.

Culturally rich and intricate paintings can be seen at Chos-Kor, which is a religious enclave comprising of five temples. These paintings date back to the 11th - 12th century and bear resemblance to the ones at the Ajanta Caves.

Others

Passes in Ladakh - Known as the land of passes, the thrill and the excitement of going to Ladakh is almost doubled when you venture out to the passes in this area, located at some of the highest elevations in the world.

The famous ones include the Zozila Pass, located at a height of 11,578 foot on the 434 km long Srinagar - Ladakh Highway. This pass is completely cut off from the rest of the world for a period of six months in a year owing to the huge amount of snowfall that falls.

Khardungla Pass - It is the highest motorable pass in the world, located at an altitude of 18,380 ft. It provides a gateway to the Siachen Glacier. It is 40-kms north of Leh on the way to Nubra Valley.

Ladakh Ecological Development Centre - A registered non-profit, it is dedicated to improving the lives of the villagers in the cold desert area of the Western Himalayas. The centre houses the main office, a craft shop, a library and a meeting hall.

Adventure Tourism - Ladakh in recent times has gained immense popularity among the thrill seeking public. The rivers and the mountains in this region, provide plenty of opportunity for river rafting, mountaineering, trekking. Various safari tours are organized in the region, the popular ones being the Jeep Safari, Camel Safari and the Yak Safari Tours.

River Rafting - The Indus River and its tributaries offer numerous avenues for water sports particularly river rafting. The rapids in this region rate upto level three of difficulty. New to the sport then the ideal stretch is at Karu for a little more difficulty the stretch between Spituk and Nimu or Saspol is recommended. The Zanskar River is the most tough to negotiate and requires expedition-like preparation.

Mountaineering - June to September is the ideal climbing season. One of the most popular climbing destinations is the Nun (7135 metres) - Kun (7077 metres) Massif. This area is easily accessible from the Kargil-Pudum Road and the short walk to the base camp makes this a popular destination in the Great Himalayan Range. A tougher two day trek, south of Leh is to the Stok-Khangri (6150 metres) Massif in the Zanskar Range. Gulap Khangri, Matho West and Kantak are the other ranges in the area in the 5200-5900 metres range.

To climb the peaks in the Karakoram Range which lie across the Ladakh Range and the Nubra Valley in the north of Leh requires a prior permission from the Indian Government.

Cycling - This is another popular sport in this area. To negotiate the tough terrains, the winding roads and the ascent is quite a challenge. The popular cycling routes include the 45 km stretch from Leh-Hemis, the 64 km stretch from Leh to Alchi. One can cycle through the highest motorable pass at Khardungla as well. Others include the Jispa-Gondla and the Marhi-Manali one.

Safari Tours

Jeep Safari - Travelling in a Jeep, exploring new places, dialects, culture and food is an exciting way to explore this rugged mountainous terrain. The journey takes one through picture perfect landscapes and some dangerously close points, which add to the thrill of the journey. To cross the Khardungla Pass, the highest motorable pass in the world is an experience not to be missed.

Camel Safari - The journey on a camel back can be enjoyed in the months of July, August and September. The safari tour offers a unique way to explore the sights and sounds of this cold desert. Nubra Valley is one of the good places to enjoy a camel ride. Panamic Village is the last leg in the Camel Safari Tour. The area is also known for its hot springs, which are noted for their therapeutic properties.

Yak Safari - This safari tour can only be experienced in Ladakh. So do not miss it. Yak is the largest animal of this cold desert. Ride on one to explore Ladakh's glacial valleys, streams, cascading mountains, magnificent snow peaks and forests up, close. Prior booking is required for this safari.

Trekking - The ideal trekking season is from June to Mid-October. The popular treks are the 4-5 day Stok-Kangri round trek, the 10-day Markha Valley trek and the 11-day Lamayuru-Padum trek. Horses and Ponies are also available for treks in Ladakh.

One of the famous winter treks is to Chadar, which is journey into the Zanskar Mountains. The path is only accessible in the wintertime and is open to adventure enthusiasts starting mid-winter to February. The trek route is through the frozen Zanskar River. It takes trekkers through the Zanskar Gorge. The gorge is completely inaccessible during the summer times. It is surely an adventurous way to explore the glacial valley and experience the bountiful nature at its best.

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