Leh & Ladakh

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 “Om Mani Padme Hun” and Chortens which symbolizes Buddha’s mind. 

Around the first century, Ladakh was a part of the Kushana Empire. Buddhism came to western Ladakh via Kashmir in the 2nd century. Buddhism is the religion of the majority of Leh District’s population. The most attractive features of the Landscape of Leh are the Buddhists Gompas ( Monastries). The Gompas are situated on the highest points of the mountain spurs or sprawl over cliffsides, located in vicinity of villages and provide focus for the faith of Buddhists. Gompas have a wreath of artifacts. There are also some religious places of Muslims which constitute slightly more than 15% of the district’s population. 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.

How To Reach 

Leh is connected with Srinagar by road which remains closed during winter months due to heavy snow fall especially on Zojila pass, the pass in the Great Himalayan Wall that serves as the gateway to Ladakh. The road to Leh opens in late May or early June, & closes by mid-October every year depending upon the weather conditions. Journey from Srinagar to Leh via Kargil is approx. 434 Kms and takes 2 days with night halt at Kargil where accomodation is available in Hotels / Guest Houses etc. Jeeps and cars are also available for the journey from Srinagar to Leh. The most dramatic part of this road journey is the ascent upto 11,500 ft and 3,505 m high Zojila pass. The J & K State Road Transport Corporation (J&K SRTC) operates regular Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Srinagar and Leh on this route with an overnight halt at Kargil. Taxis (cars and jeeps) are also available at Srinagar for the journey. Groups can charter Deluxe and A-class buses for Leh, Kargil or Padum (Zangskar) from the J & K SRTC at Srinagar.Leh is connected with Manali also by road with distance 473 Kms. Manali-Leh road has been serving as the second overland approach to Ladakh. This road also remains closed during winter months. This high road traverses the upland desert plateau of Rupsho, altitude ranges from 3,660m to 4,570m. A number of high passes fall enroute among which the highest one known as Taklang-La is world's second highest motorable pass at an altitude of 17,469 feet/5,235m. Himachal Pradesh Tourism, HRTC and J & K SRTC operate daily Deluxe and Ordinary bus services between Manali and Leh. The bus journey between Leh and Manali takes about 19 hours or two days with an overnight halt in camps at Serchu or Pang. Maruti Gypsy and jeep taxis are also available, both at Manali and Leh at quite reasonable rates.Some Important road distances from Leh are:Delhi - 1047 KmsSrinagar - 434 KmsManali - 473 KmsKargil - 234 KmsDeskit(Nubra Valley) - 118 KmsSrinagar - Kargil - 204 KmsKargil - Padum (Zanskar) - 240 Kms

Indian Airlines  operates 3 flights in a week between Leh and Delhi, 2 flights in a week from Jammu and once in a week from Srinagar. Jet Airways also operates six flights in a week between Leh - Delhi and Go Air operates daily flight Between Leh - Delhi.