Nubra, Pangong and Zanskar - A trip to Ladakh

Our Swiss cottage tents and campsite was very good with nice breakfast and dinner served. The tents have a small courtyard with chairs and inside it has luxurious bedroom and an attached toilet with shower area. The tent and the toilet are entered through a zipped entrance.

On day 6, it was time to leave the campsite and after breakfast, we headed to explore Samstangling Gompa which is about 150 years old and it was so peaceful there as there was very less crowd. The monastery is very beautiful amidst greenery and mountains.

Next we headed to Panamik, a small village which is on the way from Sumur to Siachen and is known for its natural Hot water springs enriched with Sulphur. There is hot bath complex (charges of about INR 20 to use it) where one can take bath in this hot water which is known to cure ailments such as skin diseases. The village of Panamik is also very scenic and provides marvelous views of the valleys and Nubra river

After spending ample amount of time, we then headed back to Leh via KhardungLa. Evening was free to explore the local markets of Leh and the market area at Leh is quite huge. After some window shopping, we returned to our hotel for our dinner and then crashed.

Pangong Tso

On Day 7, we were heading to one of the primary reasons why Ladakh tourism became so popular, which is none other than the heavenly beautiful high altitude lake surrounded by mountains, the lake of Pangong or Pangong Tso. It is one of India's trans-border lakes that is shared between India and China. With a length of 135kms and width of 5kms, about 40 percent of the lake lies in Ladakh in India. Tourists can visit the lake by reaching Spangmik which is at distance of about 150kms from Leh and the travel takes about 6hrs.

On the way to Pangong Tso, we had to cross one of the highest motorable passes, Chang La which is at an altitude of about 17500 feet. We reached Chang La around 12:30PM and when we were there, we even witnessed snow fall (my first time of witnessing a snow fall) and it was so beautiful (although it was for a short duration). Chang La is about 75kms from Leh.

We then stopped for lunch near Tangtse and then proceeded towards the lake. About 13kms before Spangmik and about 4kms from the start of the lake, one can get the first view of the lake seen between two mountains. This point is a good stop for some photos and we too did take some snaps here and then reached the Lake. We spent a nice time here enjoying the mesmerizing nature and enchanting views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. We then clicked some pictures with the yellow scooter that is placed here which was used by Kareena Kapoor in the movie "3 Idiots" [The Aamir Khan starrer was a major reason that many started considering Ladakh for their trip and a picture at this spot where the film's climax scenes were shot is definitely a must for movie buffs.]

We then had some evening snacks and coffee at a food stall opposite the lake called "3 Idiots Food Stall" and then proceeded further towards China border and visited the movie shooting spots

We stayed at Camp Martsemik La, a camp site opposite to the lake and the camps here were also Swiss tents.

After a not so good sleep in the tents due to very cold night, our day 8 began with witnessing the Indian flag hoisting by the ITBP jawans near the campsite. Post breakfast, it was time to leave the campsite and head back to Leh.

[While traveling to Pangong make sure you carry some warm clothes since the temperatures can drop at night. Also, for AMS, carry diamox or get small oxygen cylinders. If not comfortable staying in Spangmik, one can drive back to Tangtse to stay in a hotel]

On the way to Leh, we stopped at one of the beautiful and probably one of the underrated lakes in the region, Chagar Tso. This is a small lake seen from the Pangong Lake road and boating is available here. We did boating, spent some time for photos as well and then headed towards Leh via Chang La. We had lunch at Karu and then proceeded to visit one of the largest monasteries of Ladakh region in Hemis.

Hemis and Thiksey

Around 40 kms from Leh, Hemis monastery is the biggest, most visited and one of the very beautiful monastery. With white walls and colorful prayer flags on all four sides, this monastery is perched on a hill close to the Indus river and was re-established in 17th century by the then King Sengge Namgyal. The monastery also has a wide collection of historical and religious paintings called Thangkas. There is also a museum that displays a wide collection Tibetan books, Thangkas, gold statues, weapons, carriers, etc.

Our next destination was another monastery which is of religious importance - Thiksey Gompa or Monastery about 19kms from Leh. The monastery is also on a hill in Thiksey and is a 12 storey complex. The main attraction here is a tall Maitreya Buddha statue that covers two stories of the building.

After visiting the monastery, as we descended from the hill, we stopped to get some nice snaps of ourselves with the beautiful Thiksey Monastery in the backdrop.

Later, we reached our hotel Charu Palace in Leh to spend the rest of the evening at leisure.

Zanskar and Alchi

On our last day in Leh, we decided to check out the attractions that are located near Leh and can be reached by the Srinagar -Leh highway.

First on the list was the popular Magnetic Hill - about 27kms from Leh. This place is known to defy gravity where vehicles appear to move uphill while actually moving downhill. It is considered an optical illusion by many and many believe that the landscape nearby has the magnetic force. There is a signboard which mentions about a yellow box marked on the highway where this phenomenon can be experienced.

Next up, we headed to the confluence or the sangam point of the two rivers, the Indus river and its largest tributary, Zanskar river, that flows entirely in Ladakh. The confluence is clearly visible from Leh-Srinagar highway at about 35kms from Leh. The Indus river is seen on the left and Zanskar on the right. One can take a road downhill from the highway to reach the confluence point.

We then visited the historic UNESCO World Heritage site of Alchi Gompa Choskhor, the oldest monastery built somewhere around 1055. Located at a distance of about 65kms from Leh, off the Leh-Srinagar highway, the monastery consists of a main assembly hall, a main temple, many chortens [stupas] from the 13th century and Manjushri Temple [a square temple dedicated to Manjushri, a bodhisattva, dating back to 12th century]. Indus river can be seen flowing near the backyard of the Alchi Gompa complex.

Post lunch, we headed to one of the most memorable adventures of mine, river rafting in the Zanskar river. The rafting starts at a distance of about 15kms from the confluence point in the Zanskar valley [near Chilling] and ends at the confluence point. With multiple rapids of grades 1 to 3, this was the first time that I did rafting and what an awesome experience it was. At some places during the rafting, one can even get into the ice cold water [places where there are no rapids].

The rafting activity is conducted under the supervision of an expert guide and they take care of the safety by providing safety equipment such as life jacket and helmet and also take us to the starting point in their vehicle. There are changing rooms available near the rafting booking place where one can change to swim suits which are also provided.

Hall of Fame

Our last place of visit at Ladakh was the Army memorial museum called Hall of Fame. Due to our rafting activity, we got delayed and we reached Hall of Fame almost at its closing time around 7PM (while on our way back to Leh). The Army officials were kind enough to let us in. The entry ticket is INR 25.

Hall of Fame is about 5 kms from Leh and is close to Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport of Leh on the Leh-Srinagar Highway and is constructed by the Indian Army in memory of the brave Indian soldiers who laid down their lives defending our motherland in the Indo-Pak wars.

The museum is two-storied which displays many photographs and weapons used in the Kargil War and is a fascinating account on how our soldiers fought the war. Also, it has sections to showcase the life of soldiers at Siachen region that highlight army posts on the glacier, accommodation and the training process of the troops. There is also a wall on the ground floor that displays photographs of all the soldiers who gave their lives for the nation during the war and that reminds us of all the sacrifices that these men do to defend and protect our country.

Other nearby places (which we could not cover) include the Gurudwara Pathar Sahib [a place of religious importance to Sikhs and is constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak who is the founder and first guru of Sikhism] and Spituk Monastery.

On Day 10, we left Leh in the morning around 8 for our flight to New Delhi and then to Bengaluru

This brings us to the end of a splendid memorable trip

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