Ladakh region
The Region Ladakh comes under the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India; the Ladakh province is well-connected to the Kunlun Mountain to the north and the outstanding most beautiful Himalayas to the south. The people residing are the descendants of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan. The province Ladakh is one of the lowest populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir.
The history proves that the Ladakh province caused the assimilation of Baltistan also called Baltiyul valleys, the Indus Valley and the other sparse regions such as Nubra valleys to the north and the isolated Zangskar, Spiti and Lahaul to the south. To the east of Ladakh province are Ngari and Aksai Chin as well as Guge and Rudok area.
Current Ladakh region borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the trans–Kunlun territory of Xinjiang to the far north. Ladakh region is famous for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet" as it has been powerfully prejudiced by Tibetan culture.
Ladakh Time Zone
The Indian Standard Time (IST) is as per the calculation done in the Allahabad city, IST is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of London, 4 hours and 39 min ahead of Paris and about 10 hours and 30 min behind the New York City.
Telephone and fax facilities are available in Leh, Padum, kargil and Nubra Valley. International phone and fax services are available in Leh town and in some of the hotels also. Internet services are available in the Leh town with both broadband and V-sat connections. The available mobile connections in Ladakh are BSNL, Airtel and Aircel . Only postpaid connections of other states work here and for prepaid connection you have to buy a locak sim. International sims doesns work in Ladakh.
Acute mountain sickness can occur to anyone at an attitude above 10,000feet from the sea level. The most common symptoms of the acute mountain sickness are headache disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, nausea, coughing, irregular breathing, breathlessness.
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For the information of the tourists carrying out mountaineering and trekking expeditions in Ladakh, there is no private serial rescue agency in ladakh. Government of India Ministery of Defence has authorized the station commander, air Forces station, Leh, to airlift for rescue cum casualty evacuation of members of mountaineering expedition and trekking parties in...
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Leh
To suit every budget Leh hotels has provided higher and lower class accommodations with many guest houses and hotels for customer convenience. Many restaurants offer a unique variety of dishes for reasonable prices. In case of any difficulty Operators/Travel agents are always present to help you out with tour guides, taxi services and also variety of tour packages to offer.
Buddhist monasteries are the must visit places in and around leh. Tours to these monasteries can be organized in one or two days, as all the famous monasteries are within a drive of one or two days from Leh. Within a drive of one or two days from Leh. For information on monasteries please check monastery section of this guide book.
About Leh Read moreKargil
The kargil town is 220 km from leh. It is about halfway to Srinagar from leh. This shia populated town remained a transportation point of trade caravans from Tibet, Central Asia, yarkand enroute Kashmir until 1949. Since ladakh was open to tourist in 1974, the kargil town became a night-halt place for tourists traveling between Srinagar-leh, Zanskar. Kargil, at an elevation of 10,000 feet, has the strong suru river flowing through it once a Buddhist area, this shia Muslim subjugated district was converted to islam in 15th century.
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Nubra Valley
The original name used for Nubra Valley is Ldumra meaning the 'valley of flowers' It is situated in the north of Ladakh region. The average altitude of the valley is about 10,000 mtrs above sea level. The main settlements are along the shayok River and the siachen river. The river belt is sandy and the vegetation includes green Farmarisk and Myricaria. One of the unique features of the landscapes in Nubra is the sand dunes between Deskit (administrative center) Hundar villages.
An ancient trade route (a branch of the popular Central Asian silk route) used to pass through Nubra Valley and its imprints can be seen even today. The double humped Bactrian Camels of the silk route trade period still wander in the wilderness of the valley. Tourists require permits from the local administration in leh for a stay of maximum seven days in this strategically sensitive area. Six photocopies of the permit should be carried along by you to be submitted at the various check posts on the way.
About Nubra Valley Read moreDha Hanu
Dha Hanu is situated to the south-west of leh around 163 kms passing through the beautiful villages of khaltesey, domkhar and Achinathang. There are many small villages in the valley but only two villages of dha and bema are opened to tourists. Bearing on lower altitude, dha hanu is warmer than leh which makes it possible to grow crops and variety of fruits i.e. apricot, apples, walnut and grapes.
The drogpa community is considered as the last race of Aryans confined to this valley. Their features are pure indo-Aryan and they appear to have preserved their racial purity down the centuries. Their cultural and religious practices are very similar to ancient pre-buddhist as practice in the rest of ladakh. They have preserved their ancient traditions and way of life partly through the celebration fo harvest and partly through their songs and hymns. Their language is similar to that spoken in gilgit and by immigrants from gilgit and settled in drass. About Dha hanu Read more
Changthang
Ladakh's portion of the Great Tibetan plateau, known as the changthang, is inhabited by changpa nomads, the traditional producers of the finest quality pashmina wool used by kashmiri weavers for their famous and expensive pashmina shawls. The scenic beauty including lakes and the vast wilderness of changthang and its rich wildlife makes it one of the most the sought after tourist destination. However, the fragile ecology of region which has already suffered considerable damage since it was opened to tourism, calls for taking extra care while traveling.
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Zanskar
Zanskar valley lies to the south-west of leh, surrounded by the Himalayan and zanskar ranges, which is the most isolated of all the trans-himalayan valley. It takes two days, with a nigh halt at kargil, to reach Zanskar negotiating the rough road beginning from kargil.
Zanskar comprise two main valleys of stod (Doda chu) and lungnak (Tsarab chu)(, which converge below at padum. The valley has an area of about 5,000 square km and an elevation of 13,154 ft. the area remains inaccessible for nearly 7 months in the year. All the high passes gets closed in winters. The only alternate route out of Zanskar river, which has become a popular destiny for winter tourist hikers.it is nearly week long walk on frozen river from Zanskar to reach leh. This is popular as chadar trek.
About Zanskar Read moreAlchi
Alchi is a village and monastery in the Leh district of Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, situated on the bank of Indus River 70 km downstream from the capital in Leh. Unlike the other Gompas in Ladakh, Alchi is situated on lowland, not on a hilltop. The village is famous for the existence of one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh Alchi Monastery, mainly known for its magnificent, and well-preserved 11th- or 12th-century wall paintings, all in an Indo-Himalayan style. Alchi is a small village with several tourist homestays, most offering modern conveniences for overnight stays, the best time to visit is from June to September.
About Alchi Read morePangong
Pangong Tso is one of the largest brackish lakes in Asia. Stretching from eastern Ladakh to Tibet, it is a 134 kilometer long narrow strip of water where tourist needs an Inner Line Permit to visit. It is nestled at an elevation of 14,256 feet above sea level and freezes completely during the winters. Currently, it is in the process of being identified as an internationally acclaimed wetland under the Ramsar Convention. The saltwater of this lake has very sparse vegetation and is bereft of any aquatic life except for small crustaceans. However, this lake is a haven for bird watchers as it acts as an important breeding point for several migratory birds such as Brahmini ducks and Bar-headed goose.
About Pangong Read moreSarchu
Sarchu region is also well-known as Sir Bhum Chun. Sarchu is on the border between Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir States in India. It is a main halt point with tented accommodation in the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. It is positioned between Baralacha La to the south and Lachulung La to the north, at an elevation of 4,290 m.
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Padum
Padum has a small monastery and there are numerous rock engraved Buddhist images dating from 10th century. Monument in padum has a set of prehistoric rock statue near the riverbank. There are 30 monks hangs to a tree covered ridge beyond the town. Padum is the sub-tehsil of Zangskar which is 464000 meters from Leh and 234000 meters from Kargil. The Mosque is being constructed in the city for muslims community.
About Padum Read moreTso Moriri
Tsomoriri Lake Also known as Moriri Lake, Tsomoriri Lake is positioned at an elevation of 15,075 feet and the largest lake in the Ladakh region. It has been declared as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 2003. It is fed by two streams and springs. 7 kilometers wide and 19 kilometers long, this stunning blue lake plays host to a huge number of flora and fauna. Adjacent to this lake is a picturesque village known as Korzok, which is a popular tourist attraction due to its Buddhist monastery. This lake plays host to as many as 34 species of birds.
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