Ladakh - The Land Of High Passes

❄ Description

Stark mountains, ancient monasteries, snow-covered peaks, high passes, desert landscape and glistening blue lakes – there is something magical about Ladakh. This is the only place in the country where you can experience snowfall and a sand storm on the same day.

Ladakh is bounded by the Karakoram Range in the north and the great Himalayas in the south. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in India with a blend of many different races, predominantly the Tibetans, Mons and the Dards. Renowned for its Remote Mountain Beauty and Buddhist Culture, Ladakh is sometimes called “Little Tibet” as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan Culture.

There’s hardly anything that hasn’t been said about this heaven. With all the fluttering prayer flags, warm honey – dipped people, snow – kissed mountains, winding rivers, stark deserts and lust green meadows; Ladakh is home to all our being.

Spectacularly jagged, arid mountains enfold this magical Buddhist ex-kingdom. Picture-perfect gompas (Tibetan Buddhist monasteries) dramatically crown rocky outcrops next to fluttering prayer flags and whitewashed stupas, while prayer wheels spun clockwise release merit-making mantras. Gompa interiors are a riot of golden Buddhas and intricately colourful murals and home to red-robed monks. It's a little corner of Tibet marooned in the furthest reaches of India.

The best season for Ladakh is May when the action starts. The weather clears up and one can enjoy their Ladakh sojourn “sunny side up”. The temperature in May is 16°C in the day and 3°C in the night. The breeze still carries the winter chill and one may feel the bite if sitting in shade for too long.

Acclimatization for Ladakh Trip

Leh and most of the places in Ladakh are located above the altitude of 10,000 feet. Thus, visitors may suffer from dizziness, headaches or even acute mountain sickness (AMS). So acclimatization to the high altitude condition becomes one of the most important things.

When you scale such heights, your body may not get enough time to adapt to the changing surroundings. This is what leads to acute mountain sickness. Besides this, the level of exertion you undergo also plays an important role.

One more way of getting rid of High Altitude Sickness is to Road travel to Leh from Srinagar. Srinagar – Kargil – Leh (480 Kms). Here, the altitude increases gradually and so your body gradually acclimatises to the conditions.

❄ Best Time To Visit: April To October

Permits

Government authorities had made it compulsory to obtain an Inner line permit for Domestic and International travelers visiting some of the protected areas of Ladakh. Inner line permits required for Nubra valley, Khardung La, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Dah, Hanu Villages, Man, Merak, Nyoma, Loma Bend, Turtuk, Tyakshi, Chusul, Hanle, etc.

Mobile Network

Only Post-paid BSNL & Airtel mobile network is available at major tourist places.

❄ How to Get There ?

By Air

Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport is the main airport of the area. The flights are directly connected from Mumbai, Delhi, Srinagar and Jammu; by the flights run by Air India, Go Air, Spice jet, Vistara. The schedules are set already though, but these are subject to change according to the weather.

By Road :

Manali – Leh Highway

Out of the two highways which lead to Leh- Ladakh, one is Manali- Leh Highway, the perfect road for adventure enthusiasts, the other one being Srinagar - Leh Highway. This highway is 464 km long, out of which 350 km does not have any civilization. For those interested in biking tour, they can use Manali-Leh highway and Srinagar-Leh highway from around June to October.

Srinagar – Leh Highway

Srinagar-Leh Highway, also known as National Highway – 1D (NH – 1D), is 434 kms long. It is a lifeline in terms of road connectivity between Leh – Ladakh and other parts of India, en-route Kashmir Valley. This, one of the two ways to reach Ladakh, is a more reliable one than other: Leh- Manali. For those interested in biking tour, they can use Manali-Leh highway and Srinagar-Leh highway from around May to September.