Remote mountain beauty and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries thriving in the sparsely populated frozen land of Ladakh lure several tourists every year. People come here to seek adventure as well as spiritual awakening. High mountains ideal for mountaineering, trekking, and skiing; raging rivers for white river rafting; windy passes for thrilling drive; and incredible religious, cultural and architectural heritage provide a wide array of tourism options in Ladakh.
Places to See
Insurmountable mountains and excellent trekking trails make Ladakh a hotspot for adventure tourists. At the same time, its fascinating monasteries lure in a lot of spiritual seekers. At Leh, the capital of Ladakh, you must visit:
- Leh Palace
- Shey Monastery
- Hemis Monastery
- Alchi Monastery
- Thikse Monastery
- Lamayuru Monastery
Base Camps for trekking can be found around:
- Kargil
- Indus valley
- Zanskar
Other mysterious valleys of Ladakh are:
- Shyok Valley
- Padum Valley
- Zangla Valley
- Rangdum Valley
- Phugthal Valley
- Stongdey Valley
- Sankoo Valley
- Drass Valley
- Suru Valley
Shopping
Shopping enthusiasts in Ladakh must try Leh markets, Choglamsar, and Changspa for best deals on curios and souvenirs of the region. Popular items here are Pashmina shawls and woolen garments; Tibetan handicrafts such as Thangka paintings, prayer wheels and Buddhist masks; Tibetan and Ladakhi jewelry; apricots; and handmade rugs and carpets made from naturally dyed goat wool.
Where to Stay
You can find several centrally located budget and deluxe hotels as well as luxury resorts in remoter areas with excellent views at Ladakh. You must have a look at:
- Hotel De-Wa-Chan Continental
- Hotel Namgyal Palace
- Hotel Omasila
- Hotel Rafica Ladakh
- Hotel Shambha-La
How to Reach Ladakh
The easiest way to reach Ladakh is to take a flight up to Leh but if you are adventurous and would like to drive past high passes, travel to Ladakh by road.
By Road: Deluxe and regular state-owned buses connect Leh (the Capital of Ladakh) to Srinagar, 434 km from the city. The night halt on this route is at Kargil. It features steep ascent up the Zoji-La Pass, which is 11,500 ft high and is the gateway to Ladakh. Another popular route to Leh is the Manali-Leh route, which is open only from mid July to mid October. Manali is 473 km from Leh and the state-owned ordinary and luxury buses running on this route usually halt at Serchu or Pang for the night. The route is more popular with tourists because it features upland desert plateau of Rupsho, as well as a number of high passes, including 17,469 ft high Taklang-La Pass, world's second highest motorable pass.
By Rail: Ladakh does not have a railway station of its own. The nearest railway station is at Kalka near Shimla. From Kalka, you can take a bus to Manali and take the Manali-Leh Route to reach Ladakh.
By Air: At Leh, Indian Airlines offers flights to and from Delhi every alternate day, 2 flights a week to and from Jammu and weekly flight to and from Srinagar. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines also operate Leh to Delhi flights for six and seven days in a week respectively. There are flights to Chandigarh available from here too. A window seat is recommended during flight to allow panoramic views of the frozen land below. Due to unpredictable weather conditions, a two to three hour hold-up is considered normal.
