What to do in Leh

There a lot of things to do in Leh if tourists come up with question about what to do in Leh. Some of the things are listed below.

Leh Archery has been a chosen pastime activity for the people of ladakh and has been stated in various national epics also. Even today the people of ladakh idolize the legendary hero darpon chemo, the great archer of the kesar sagar. Separated into two groups, each having a captain, the participants, in pairs of two in Leh Archery enter into an arrow shooting competition, shooting at the isa ga or the bull's eye. When one hits the bull's eye, his partner offers 'khatak' or white scarf to him. He has to lead a dance at the end of the round of shooting. Leh Archery is an vital component in the performance of cultural, social and traditional activities of ladakh. Since it's a traditional sport it has been inherited from generation to generation and today the younger load is persuing this sport as their carrier showing great skill and performance.

Although the origins are unclear, Leh polo has for centuries, been a popular sport in the rugged mountain valley of karakoram range, particularly in remote and inaccessible Himalayan region of Gilgit, Hunza, skardo, and khapulooin baltistan and ladakh in the north and Manipur in the east.

According to a legend, the game of Leh polo came to central ladakh from neighbouring baltistan, where for centuries, is used to be the main source of amusement. Historians date the introduction of polo in ladakh to king jamyang namgyal's reign in the 15th century, who married gyal khatun, a princess from baltistan. In fact, all the major villages of ladakh have their own Leh polo ground called 'Shagaran'. The most striking feature is that after a goal is scored, the ends are changed automatically. The scorer gets the privilege to patch up the ball, goes into gallop with shoots towards the goal, trying for the perfectly controlled shot. No polo match in ladakh is complete without its musical accompaniment of surna and daman. The music varies according fortune of the team. Accelerating in tempo and increasing in volume on the scoring of a goal.

Bacterian camels in india are found only in nubra valley of ladakh. The bacterian camels are double humped and are the descendents of their ancestors from gopi desert in Mongolia (central asia). The caravan from central asia used to pass through nubra valley during the central asia trade days- pre independence period of india. Most exciting Leh bacterian camel safari takes place in the silvered coloured sand dunes of nubra valley and its silk route as well. Tourists enjoy free rides on Leh Bacterian camel safari in nubra and leh as well during ladakh festival.

In India, nearly all monastery in Leh of Buddhist are extended across the region. Major Gompas are situated in the central area of Leh and all these monastery in Leh belong to the Red Hat of Tibetan Monastic Order.

Most of the visitors come to Leh in order to enjoy beautiful scenery or the Gompas. Monastery in Leh hold carvings, gilded statues, religious icons, exquisite murals, scrolls and these remain alive with the devotions of monks.

Leh has many significant monasteries which are known as Gompas and these Buddhist practices their religion,study. The monastery in Leh are situated in attractive places such as mountains,hills and and have rich collections of artifacts. Buddhist Thangka paintings and sculpture. Therefore Leh Monastery tour is very essential for tourists visiting Leh.

The Indus river, locally knows as the singhey khahabs (out of lions mouth), flows across the north west to the south east, passing through ladakh and flows into Pakistan where it is joined by Shayok and suru to become the historical Indus river.

The Indus originates near the kailash mountain and the mansarover lake in western Tibet. Water levels remain high during the month of june till late August, which is the best season for fulfilling River Rafting in Leh on Indus for one to five days.

River Rafting in Leh on Indus provides spectacular view of landscapes ladakh and Zanskar ranges which house Buddhist monasteries on a high cliff.

The white water Indus has rapids generally grades I & II and at some places, has grade III to even V rapids.

Ladakh is mountaineer's delight with several mountain ranges all across the region. The most famous and easily accessible is the stok khangri massif - a part of the Sanskar Mountains to the south of leh in Trekking in Leh. The base camp for the various peaks of this massif is about 4 days trek from the village of stok or spituk. Among its known peaks, stok khangri (6,150m) is the most famous among the tourists. It offers a spectacular view of Indus valley and karakoram range. Other peaks in the area include Golaib khangri (5900m) adjacent to stok khangri, matho west (5,950 m) and many unnamed peaks in the same range.

Ladakh is well-known for its pristine natural beauty and spiritual places like monasteries and stupas, but now it has also come to be known as emerging destination for lovers of winter sports like ice hockey in Leh and ice skating. Since Ladakh is one of the few places in India that freezes in winter. As north India comes under the grip of chill, the cold desert of Ladakh gears up for winter sports, skating and ice hockey in Leh which are hugely popular. Ice hockey in Leh, also called shinny or pond hockey, are a way of life during the long winters in Ladakh.