About Ladakh

Ladakh (the land of high passes) is renowned for its remote and very high caramel mountain ranges, rocky crags, snowy peaks, sandy plains and lush green valleys of waving willows and poplar trees, dotted with whitewashed stupas and mud brick houses, giant mountaintop Buddhist monasteries, age old tradition of mask dance, fluttering multicolored prayer flags, unique culture and friendly people. Ladakh is known also as ‘broken moon’ due to its geography, the ‘Little Tibet’ as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture, etc. where independent Tibetan Buddhism can still be found. It has a strategic location at the crossroads of major trade routes, in particular the silk route.

LADAKH is a mysterious land shrouded in myth and legend. Much of its ancient history is known only through the mythology of its people as its written history is of recent origin. During 5th to 15th centuries, Ladakh was an independent kingdom assigned to Tibet. Little by little, due to tensions among local kings and the pressure of China over the Tibet, the relationship deteriorated. The ancient inhabitants of Ladakh were Dards. But immigration from Tibet more than a thousand years ago largely overwhelmed the culture of the Dards and moped up their racial characters. In eastern and central Ladakh, today’s population is mostly of Tibetan or Tibeto-Mongloid origin. Buddhism reached Tibet from India via Ladakh. The area was the stronghold of Buddhism before Islam reached Ladakh.

Ladakh offers tourists not only beautiful monasteries to visit, but in Changthang (eastern part of Ladakh there are rare sights of the high altitude lakes of Tsomoriri surrounded by snow capped mountains at an altitude of 14,934 ft, 40 mile long Pangong Lake 1/3rd of which lies in Tibet/China, nomads who still rear cattle like yaks and herds of sheep and pashmina goats; and the Nubra valley which you reach after crossing Khardungla (18,380 ft) the world’s highest motorable pass where one can enjoy Bactrian (double hump) camel ride in the sand dunes of Hunder village, hot spring at Panamik, Yarab tso, Aentsa and other monasteries.

The Ancient Kingdom of Zanskar deep within the Himalayan ranges has remained isolated and has had little contact with the outside world due to its remoteness and high passes being closed over the long and harsh winter months when the locals travel to Leh by trekking on the frozen Zanskar river – Chadar” as it is known. Despite the road, most of Zanskar still remains isolated as one trek through deep gorges and high passes to the remote inner valleys dotted with meadows and villages to experience the spectacular ochre and coloured rocky landscapes that changes with the light. The ancient medieval villages, monasteries, nestled in and atop cliffs, and the trails to villages lined with mani walls and interaction with these simple mountain people whose lifestyles have not changed much over centuries make Zanskar a frequented destination.

Dha Hanu situated to the south west of Leh, around 163 kms, passing through the beautiful villages of Khaltsey, Domkhar, Shkyurbuchan and Achinathang is lower in altitude making the region warmer and more fertile than Leh. The main attraction of this tour is coming across the Drokpa Community considered to be 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.

Ladakh & Zanskar with its vast area offers its visitors a rich variety of trips to choose from. The high passes and mountain trails passing through villages, high pastureland, lakes make it possible for a beginners to take an introductory 2 – 5 days trek to various gradient treks for as long as a month and a half. The Snow capped peaks from 5,900 to 7,000 m have attracted mountaineers as well as simple trekkers too who would like to stand atop a 6,000 m peak. River enthusiasts can raft down the Indus and Zanskar rivers, the latter being considered one of the top “10” rivers runs in the world. With roads connecting some of the remote areas and availability of comfortable jeeps/cars it is now possible for a non-trekker to take a jeep tour to visit the valleys, oases like villages, high altitude lakes and monasteries thus making this high mountain desert of Ladakh & Zanskar remain a fascination to any kind of traveler.