Pangong Tso

Across bare fields spotted with the odd herds of wild goats and marmots, beyond the third highest motorable mountain pass in the world, Chang La, lies Pangong Tso (4250 m). Beneath teal skies, fringed naturally by rocky shores and snow-capped mountains, this high altitude lake is sinfully enchanting. If ever going nowhere led somewhere, it is definitely here and come here you must.

Spangmik

Marking the limit of travel for foreigners, Spangmik lies about 7 kms along the southern shore from the head of Pangong Tso. You must come here to catch a never-elsewhere view of the Chang-chenmo range in the north against its shimmering reflection in the blues and greens of the lake’s brackish waters.
If you area summer visitor, you might also get to meet the Chang-pa, the nomadic herdsmen of Tibet and southeast Ladakh. They come to stay a while and grow sparse barley and peas.

Khardung La

Half a day from Leh and also a gateway to the Nubra Valley, Khardung La is supposedly the world’s highest motorable mountain pass. It’s enroute to Pangong Tso and you can stop over for a cup of ‘garam chai’ (hot tea) and go berserk with your camera.

Alchi and its Buddhist Murals

About 60 km from Leh, lies Alchi - a small, incredibly beautiful Himalayan village. However, what makes it unique is that it is home to some unique 11th century Kashmiri Buddhist murals. Unfortunately most of them are in sad stages of neglect, but we recommend you visit them before they disappear altogether.

Nubra Valley: Deskit, Hunder, White Sand Dunes, Bactrian Camels & Panamik

Nubra valley is the entire valley of river Nubra and that of Shayok, both above and below their confluence. It is dotted with large but picturesque villages that have thick plantations of willow and poplar. Most of them are placed at a lower altitude than Leh and summer temperatures vary here between 15C and 28C.
Deskit is the main village, 120 kms from Leh, where you will enjoy strolling down the bazaar and visiting a 500 year-old gompa perched on a rocky spur. From Deskit, the road leads naturally to Shayok and to Hunder across sly sand dunes whose contours shift with every gale. In between, you will also come across a small population of the shaggy double-humped Bactrian camels sought after for camel safaris.
Panamik lies at the end of this circuit; a sleepy village fringed by mountains with hot water springs. Across the river lies the tiny Ensa gompa, marking the end of an unforgettable natural route that you are unlikely to see elsewhere.

Hall of Fame

This is literally the army museum – made by the Indian army to showcase the memorabilia, images and weapons used during the Kargil war. It also includes a section dedicated to Siachen and its heroes.

Magnetic Hill

If you thought Ladakh was only about the astounding beauty of nature, visit the Magnetic Hill, 30 kms west of Leh. It has magnetic properties that can not only attract metallic objects but even move heavy vehicles at up to a speed of 20 kmph while their engines are switched off!

Confluence of Indus and Zanskar

About 4 kms before the Nimmu village, at an altitude of 10,823 ft lies the confluence of Indus and Zanskar. It is a sight to see; two rivers with differing colours in water meeting with a force one should be wary of.

Maitreya Temples - Basgo Gompa

The mud-brick fortress of BasgoGompa between the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges has survived four centuries and the three temples that it protects are still open to visitors even today. The most famous is of course the Maitreya temple, dedicated to the Buddha of the future. The fort and the temples stand lone against the rocky peaks but they are actively used and loved by the locals. They are being lovingly restored bit by bit and till today, the temples continue with their religious commitments.

Drokpa Valley: The land of Aryans

The last of the original Aryans, the Drokpa Community, live here in the villages of Dha and Hanu. They still retain their pure Indo-Aryan features and racial purity and you will find that, their culture and religious practices bear a strong resemblance to ancient pre-Buddhist religion known as Bon-Chos.

Tsomoriri, Rupshu Valley & Korzok

Tsomoriri or the Tsomoriri Wetland Conservation Reserve, is India’s largest high altitude lake (15165 ft) and is just 240 kms south-east of Leh. But that is not its only claim to fame. Flanking its western banks, lies the Korzok monastery, one of the oldest settlements of the world. Also, the monastery and a few other lakes together form the Rupshu Valley – the only place in Ladakh where you are treated to a rare Zanskar landscape - just rolling blue-green-purple-black hills cut up by high valleys made by dust devils.
Korzok’s barley fields are supposedly the highest in the world and its wildlife deserves a mention. You can spot a Kyang, the wild ass of the Ladakh and Tibetan plateaus, an unusual tail-less rat and birds, including the bar-headed goose, the Great crested grebe, Brahmini duck, Black-necked Crane and Ruddy Shelduck here.