High Altitude Wonders : Discovering Leh and Ladakh

Fly to Leh and day free for acclimatization

We took flight from Bangalore to Leh (layover in Delhi). I would say the flight from Delhi to Leh itself was worth the decision. We had booked window seat in order not to miss the opportunity to click the jaw-dropping beauty of the mighty Himalayas. There are some things which cannot be put in words and this flight was one among them. Enjoying the aerial view of mighty Himalayas from window seat of the flight, we landed in Leh early morning around 7.30am. We were picked up on-time and dropped at our hotel Caravan.

Checked in into the hotel. Hotel Manager briefed us to take rest, drink lots of water and also gave some info on AMS. I had seen some videos and also our travel agent had advised us to take AMS preventive medicine but after some home work and consulting the doctor, we decided just to keep the medicines with us and take it only if necessary.

Shanti Stupa is a Buddhist white-domed Stupa (chorten) on a hilltop in Chanspa, Leh district. The Stupa has become a tourist attraction not only due to its religious significance but also due to its location which provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

This was closed due to renovation work.

It is a former royal palace overlooking the city of Leh. The palace was abandoned when Dogra forces took control of Ladakh in the mid-19th century and forced the royal family to move to Stok Palace. It is nine storeys high but we are not allowed to 9th storey since it still has sacred royal buddhist items stored.

Namgyal Tsemo Monastery or Namgyal Tsemo Gompa is a Buddhist monastery in Leh city. Founded by King Tashi Namgyal (1555-1575) of Ladakh, it has a three-story high gold statue of Maitreya Buddha and ancient manuscripts and frescoes.

Please follow the monastery rules while visiting these sacred places. For tourist (non-buddhist) it might be another spot to see but for monks it is their house and for locals it is a sacred place. so please be respectful.

If you cannot feel the monastery's high energy, you can still enjoy the tenderly streaming Indus waterway and the snowcapped tops of the Zanskar range which make for some great views from here.

While you acclimatize in Leh on arrival, Leh market is the place to go. Just soak in the hustle of market, watch out for tourists and locals stroll around and negotiate with vendors. If you hear your regional language while strolling, its easy to start conversation with other fellow tourists and exchange some stories :)

A place to feel pride and bow down your head to our brave soldiers.

Hall of Fame is a museum constructed by the Indian Army in memory of the brave Indian soldiers who laid down their lives defending the motherland in the Indo-Pak wars.

Find more detailed information at below link: https://www.lehladakhindia.com/hall-of-fame/

Inside this lot of information about Kargil war and other Indo-Pak wars are displayed and also a soldier who also has served at Siachen explains in detail about Kargil war and life at Siachen. The Army officer's explanation was so much touching that a strong sense of pride and patriotism is felt in this place.

Spituk Monastery is amongst the best and most beautiful monasteries of Ladakh. Its cliff-top location makes the view from the top absolutely stunning. The monastery was built by Od-de who was the brother of Lha Lama Changchub Od. The huge monastery houses approximately 100 monks and the key attraction here is the giant Kali statue.

Located in the periphery of Leh, on the Leh-Kargil road, is the Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, which was constructed in memory and honour of Guru Nanak. This place of worship is associated with a very important event in the history of the Sikh religion. It is popularly believed that during 1515-18 when Guru Nanak was returning to Punjab via Srinagar, after travelling to Sikkim, Nepal and Tibet, he had rested at this place. When he reached Leh he sat here to meditate. While here, Guru Nanak vanquished a demon who was trying to crush him with a boulder.

However, the boulder that the demon rolled down turned soft and melted and instead of hitting him and took on Guru Nanak's shape. In 1970, a boulder was discovered that is believed to be the one in the story with Guru Nanak's shape still carved in it. The Indian Army, along with the help of the local people, constructed this gurudwara to pay homage to this event and all cars passing this route make sure to stop to say a prayer and seek blessings.

It was perfect Langar time by the time we reached here. Had yummy moong dal halwa as prasad and later had Langar lunch.

For years, scientists have been perplexed by a peculiar phenomenon occurring on the hills of Ladakh. When vehicles are parked in neutral gear, they inexplicably move uphill at a speed of 10-15 kmph.

There are 2 theories behind the magnetic hill.

1. The Magnetic Hill looks like an upwards slope, but in reality, it goes downhill and it is an optical illusion that makes it look like an upslope. So, when you see the vehicle going uphill, it is actually going downhill. This is purely a natural optical effect caused by the specific layout of hills that obstruct the horizon.

2. Another theory is that, one of the hill has strong magnet and it pulls iron towards it.

Irrespective of this phenomenon, the place itself is magnetic with mind-blowing surroundings. Enjoy the phenomenon, take lot of photos and proceed further :)

Sangam is the confluence of Indus and Zanskar Rivers in Ladakh. It is located 35km from Leh in Nimmu, on the Leh Srinagar highway. The two rivers can be separately seen meeting at this point. While the Indus River appears as shiny blue, Zanskar River appears muddy green. It is a spectacular site to witness.

We saw the confluence from the top and later drove down to see it at close range. Rafting is also available here. But since it was too hot, we did not go for rafting.

Water is so crystal clear that you are never satisfied by the views it offers. After thoroughly enjoying the view and taking photos in all possible poses, we headed back to hotel.

Khardungla pass separates Leh valley from Nubra sub-division of Leh district.

Khardungla pass is at an altitude of 18,380 ft and is now the second highest motorable pass in the world.

Due to road construction, we had to wait for roughly an hour on the way to Khardungla luckily at an lower altitude itself.

The Khardung La pass is an essential stop for every tourist traveling from Leh to Nubra Valley, thanks to its stunning beauty. Despite challenging weather conditions, visitors often pause to capture the scenic surroundings, forming queues to take photos at the milestone displaying the pass's impressive height.

It's crucial to be mindful of the low oxygen levels at Khardung La, prompting the advice to limit the time spent at this high-altitude location. While the allure of the landscape is undeniable, prioritizing one's well-being and acclimatization to the altitude is key when making a pitstop at Khardung La pass.

We did not go inside Diskit Monastery which is also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa and is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in Diskit, Nubra Valley. You can explore this if interested.

We visited the 33 metre statue of Maitreya Buddha near Diskit monastery facing down the Shyok River towards the Nubra Valley. It seems to represent 3 ideas: protection of the Diskit Village, promotion of world peace & prevention of further war with Pakistan. After enjoying the surrounding stunning views, we headed out further.

Sand dunes and Camel Safari

We reached Hunder village and enjoyed the double humped Bactrian camel ride. Ride costed 500Rs per person.

Enjoy the contrasting landscapes created by God. Sand dunes with snowcapped mountains and bare mountains as backdrop. Also while approaching Hunder from the top you can also see river flowing. Such contrasting landscapes to enjoy here. After camel ride, we took some photos on the sand dunes. Since wind started and it started to become dusty, we started back and checked in into our hotel Himalayan Eco Resort.

Himalayan Eco Resort is situated in the picturesque village of Hunder in Nubra Valley. It is an eco-friendly resort comprising 20 private and independent luxury cottages and 05 deluxe tents, each affording a grand view of the snow-clad mountains, located amidst the vibrant woodlands and majestic plantations of poplar, willow, apple.

The staff here was welcoming. Rooms are clean. Electricity in Nubra valley is limited to Evening 7pm to 11pm and morning 6am to 8am only. WiFi was also very weak. But I think its good opportunity to shut off from rest of the world and connect with family and locals around.

One of the staff here was from Kashmir and gave good tips on acclimatization and also shared lot of local information. According to him, we have to keep drinking water and also keep ourselves warm. This helps a lot in acclimatization it seems.

There is a swing, basket ball court, lot of outdoor seating area in this resort from where you can enjoy surrounding landscapes.

Thang is the last village on Indian side ahead of Turtuk. Indian army opened this point in 2018 for public. You can hire binocular to view the POK border area. There is also a beautiful painting depicting this border (a fence parallel to the river).

The village is also famous for locally grown apricots, walnuts etc. You can buy dried apricots, apricot kernels (looks like small badam), walnuts from local market near restaurants.

You can try apricot juice here as well. Take some photographs, eat something light at restaurant if hungry, feel safe with army presence, enjoy local shopping before heading out to Turtuk village.

Turtuk is a small village sandwiched between the Karakorum Range and the Himalayas, and one of the northernmost villages of India, close to the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. Turtuk is one of five Balti-populated villages under Indian control.

Although the rest of Ladakh is a cold and barren desert, Turtuk is all about lush greenery all around.

When there, enjoy a stroll and interact with the locals there, who will have some interesting stories to tell about their life and also about the other side of the border.

We were dropped at the beginning of a wooden bridge. Once you cross the bridge, you can start exploring the village. There are some sign boards guiding you to the heritage museum, natural cold storage and refugee bunker. But since its inside village with narrow paths, often you get confused and would like to ask the directions to some local or fellow tourist whom you meet on the way. On reaching heritage museum, we had to pay entry tickets for rest of the sights which also includes a guide. With some local guide, it became easy and he explained some history and showed us further natural cold storage and bunker.

It was interesting to see the natural cold storage which was cold irrespective of scorching heat outside. Inside cold storage, there was a place where naturally very cold air was coming probably from a

Pangong Lake, situated at a height of almost 13862 ft, is the world’s highest saltwater lake. Its water, which seems to be dyed in blue, stand in stark contrast to the arid mountains surrounding it. Extending to almost 160km, one-third of the Pangong Lake lies in India and the other two-thirds in China.

It derives its name from the Tibetan word, “Pangong Tso”, which means “high grassland lake”.

You could spend hours in contemplation here, and still not have enough of its beauty. Pangong Lake is also known to change colors, appearing blue, green and red at different times based on sunlight. The beauty which awaits you here cannot be described in words. It has to be seen, felt and absorbed within yourself.

After 3 idiots movie, there is also more to do here. You can relive the moments of the movie by taking some photos with the scooter, drum etc. They also have the wedding dress which was worn by Kareena Kapoor to take photo with scooter. Dress costs Rs200, rest costs Rs50 per person. The person taking the money himself will take some good photos for you too.

Chang La is a high mountain pass in Ladakh at an elevation of 17590 ft in the Ladakh Range between Leh and the Shyok River valley. The Chang La, on Leh to Pangong Lake road is the third highest Mountain Road pass in the world.

There is an army outpost, cafeteria and awesome view of the surrounding mountain ranges. Most of the mountains were covered with snow and we thoroughly enjoyed the drive and the pass.

A temple "Changla Baba Sthal" is there, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Shey Monastery or Gompa and the Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey, 15 kilometres to the south of Leh. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. It contains a huge Shakyamuni Buddha statue. It is the second largest Buddha statue in Ladakh.

The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus Valley. It is a twelve-storey complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One of the main points of interest is the Maitreya Temple installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970; it contains a 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya, the largest such statue in Ladakh, covering two stories of the building.

We got a chance to sit and absorb the energy of Buddhist prayers/mantras since Monks were offering mid-day prayer at the time we visited. It was interesting to see young monks playing different music instruments and older monks reciting the mantras.

For locals its Druk Padma Karpo School built by their Lamaji but after 3 idiots movie, its more famous as Rancho school. There is sufficient parking space, and lot of areas inside school where 3 idiots paintings are done and tourists can take photos. You can also buy tshirts, pens etc which goes towards improvement of the school. We cannot interact with students but just roam around in the area reserved for tourists.

During this time, river was not clean. But there is a nice ghat and bridge built here where people can enjoy the stream if it was clean.

Stay again in hotel caravan, Leh. We missed Hemis and Chemrey monastery but never mind. Heard those are also quite good visit with again stunning views around.