“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Recently I took a 6 night, 7 day trip to
Ladakh which is the highest plateau of the Indian state of Kashmir with much of it being over 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and ethnic Tibetan, it is one of the most sparsely populated regions in the area. Ladakh is sometimes called "Little Tibet" as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture. On popular demand, here's where all I went along with pictures of some of the most breathtaking views I've seen.
Day 1: New Delhi to LehSituated at the height of about 3,505 meters above sea level,
Leh is the most beautiful and easily accessible place in Ladakh. Leh is the most common entry point to Ladakh region. Leh is connected by air from Delhi and it takes about 65 minutes to reach
Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport from Delhi. Surrounded by the majestic Himalayan peaks, Leh is rinsed by the Zanskar River, which meets the Indus below. The temperature during the winter dips below zero and hence July to September is the best time to visit Ladakh.


Tip: Day 1 is spent getting acclimatized to the high altitude and low levels of oxygen - trust me, you would need this day to relax if you're coming in the from the plains. Try exploring the main Leh market in and around the mosque.


Also, plan your days in two halves - before lunch and after lunch - it's important that one rests during the day else exhaustion and altitude sickness can take you down real quick.
Day 2: In and Around LehDay 2 began with a light breakfast at the hotel and jumping in to our Toyota SUV which we had booked for the duration of the journey.
Phyang Monastery of Ladakh is situated at a distance of approximately 40 km to the west of Leh town. There are a number of sacred shrines situated inside the monastery complex. Also, there are some exquisite wall paintings, dating from the royal period, adorning the monastery. Phyang contains numerous sacred shrines inside the monastery, frescoes dating from the royal period, and a 900 year old museum which has an extensive collection of idols including a number of fine Kashmiri bronzes probably dating to the 14th century, thangkas, Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian firearms and weapons.








After Phyang, we traveled to the
Spituk Gompa which is perched on a high hill overlooking the Indus river and well as the main Indian Army base in the area. The Spituk monastery is known for its collection of Buddhist artifacts. One can see the Indian Army helicopters practicising sorties all through the day and the view from this hill is simply breathtaking.





Hall of Fame near Leh is worth a visit for every citizen. It is a glorious museum constructed by Indian army. You can see the memorabilia, eminent defence personalities with biographies, images and weapons used during Kargil war and belongings of enemy soldiers found at war site. Another section of this building is entirely dedicated to Siachen and its heroes.




After a quick lunch and a brief nap, I headed to the
Shanti Stupa. which is an impressive white-domed structure in Chandspa that is beautifully illuminated at night. It was built by a Japanese Buddhist organization to commemorate 2500 years of Buddhism and to promote World Peace. The Shanti Stupa was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 1985. The views of the sunset and sunrise from the Shanti Stupa are especially spectacular and the majestic Budhist artistry add more than a dash of color to the barren mountain surroundings.







Tip: In between Phyang and Spituk, one can stop at what is known as the 'Indus View Point'. This point offers great views of the Indus valley. As your driver to show you the only ice hockey ring in that region, which of course, would be a pond in the summer.



Day 3: In and Around LehDay 3 began on a scary with both my friend and I waking up with splitting head aches. Both of us had vomited at least once during the past couple of days and it seemed like the trip would have to be cut short since my friend started having a pain in his chest. We decided to pop in some medicines and move on - it worked like magic and the trip was rescued.
We drove 40 kms east of Leh to the wonderful meeting place of two main rivers in the region - the Indus and the Zanskar. The
Sangam, as it is popularly known, offers a pristine view of the mountains and blue waters gushing down from the glaciers high above us.


Magnetic Hill, located on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik national highway, is a gravity hill located on the way back to Leh from the Sangam. The hill is alleged to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference; in reality, the effect is an optical illusion created by the gravity hill.




A little further on our way back to Leh, one can stop at Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, where Guru Gobind Singh once meditated.




In the evening, we drove up to the
Leh Palace which was the residence of the Ladakhi royal family. There is an Rs. 5 entry fee for Indian nationals and Rs. 100 for foreign nationals. Since the palace was undergoing renovation when I visited, I found it pretty dull and boring as compared to the otherwise colorful Ladakh.



A few hundred metres above the Leh Palace lies the
Tsemo Gompa. One of the most treasured possessions of this Gompa is a three-story high solid gold idol of Maitrieya Buddha (future Buddha, also known as the laughing Buddha). Near the monastery is an old fort, which, because of neglect, lies mostly in ruins now. One can trek up to the Tsemo Gompa from the Leh Palace however, we decided to drive so as not to risk tiring ourselves again.

Tip: I would recommend timing your visit to the Gurudwara around lunch since the
langar there is delicious. Indian Army personnel can be seen cooking and serving at this place.
Day 4: Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardung La PassDay 4 started with a 4 hour drive from Leh to Nubra Valley where we would be spending our next couple of days.
Khardung La located 40 Km north of Leh links the capital of Ladakh with the road to the Siachen Glacier. It said to be the world's highest motorable pass at 18,380 ft or 5,602 m. The spectacular view and a cup of tea from the tea-stall at Khardung La, will make you feel you're on top of the world. One should take a couple of minutes before getting in to the snow at Khardung La - my friend's and my head was spinning as soon as we stepped out of the car due to the rarefied air.





Nubra Valley is about 130 kms from Leh. The Shyok River meets the Nubra (the
Siachen Glacier melts in to this river) to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and the Karakoram Ranges. Along the Nubra river lies the village of Sumur where we had rented a cottage. The owner of these cottages, Lt. Col Stobdan Kalon (Retd.) was part of the first team from the Indian Army to step foot on the Siachen Glacier. This lovely campsite by the river, close to the village, like some others in Nubra, offers good tents-for-two with beds and a table and common dining and wash rooms. The villages are irrigated and fertile, producing wheat, barley, peas, mustard for oil, and a variety of fruits and nuts. Since the valley is at lower elevation, it has a mild climate. This climatic condition has created lush vegetation in the valley and the valley is, therefore, called the “Orchard of Ladakh". Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this place and it is one of the most scenic places I have witnessed. We took long walks in Sumur village on this day and soaked in the mesmerizing views that it had on offer.












Tip: Since Ladakh is on India's sensitive north western border, the movement of foreign tourists is restricted in some areas of Ladakh. You WILL need an Inner Line Permit to go to
Nubra Valley so check with your travel operator on this.
Day 5: In and Around Nubra ValleyDay 5 began early and we set out to explore the valley and its many wonders.
Hunder is a village after Diskit Village in Nubra Valley. Its more peaceful with more pastures around. Hunder runs into a desert, a vast stretch of sand dunes. The desert against the backdrop of the rugged reddish-brown mountains, the rolling sand dunes seem truly out-of-the-world. One will see a few double-humped
Bactrian camels treading through the sands and one can take a camel ride on them too.

















Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery (gompa) in the Nubra Valley. Approach to the monastery is through a flight of steps made of stones, which lead to the prayer hall of the monastery. Diskit Gompa has quite an interesting legend attached to it. It is believed that a Mongol demon once lived here and was considered to be a sworn enemy of Buddhism. He was annihilated near the monastery. However, even after his death, his body kept coming back to the monastery again and again. It is said that even today the wrinkled head and hand of the demon lie inside a temple of the monastery, which is filled with fierce Gods and Goddesses. Personally, I loved the 270 degree view of the Nubra valley from top of this Gompa - no words can describe its serenity and peaceful beauty.










The waters of the
hot sulphur springs at the village of Panamik, the last destination travellers are permitted to travel to in Nubra, are believed to have certain medicinal qualities that cure a number of ailments.
The
Samstanling Gompa at the relatively bigger Sumur Village is definitely worth a visit, and houses a fine collection of idols, frescos and tangkhas (painted and embroidered scrolls).












Tip: The walk back from Samstanling Gompa to Sumur village around sunset is best walk you can take for a long long time.
Day 6: Back to LehDay 6 began with our 4 hour ride back to Leh. This time the altitude sickness did not kick in around Khardung La. The snow had melted by the tonnes in the past 3 days and a lot more tourists were to be seen than when we had first come there.








Tip: Tibetan Refugee Market on Old Leh Road is another ideal place for shopping in Leh. For Tibetan-Ladakhi items of art one can head to Government Emporium.
Day 7: Back to New DelhiThe last day is the time to say good bye to this piece of heaven.
Tip: Be sure to arrive well in time for your flight - there is 4 layers of security at the airport.
ps: I was very happy with my travel package although I missed out on Pangong Lake. If I were to do this again, I will make spend one day less in Leh and go visit Pangong.