On Top of The World: The Travelogue Part-3
When I made the itinerary for the ride, I kept it pretty water-tight since I did not want to loose out on any place…
Read MorePart fantasy, part reality… Ladakh, is where, the forces of nature conspired to render a magical unrealistic landscape… a landscape of extremes… desert and blue waters… burning sun and freezing winds… glaciers and sand dunes. Ladakh is an authentic land, faithful to ancestral customs where life is characterized by intense spirituality. Rich traditions of Mahayana Buddhism still flourish in the purest form in this region, which has often been referred to as Little Tibet.
Leh is the capital of Ladakh and is famous for its monasteries, the Hemis Monastery being the largest. Nubra Valley, Tso Moriri Lake and Pangong Lake offer truly amazing landscapes high up in the Himalayas. Major attraction of Nubra valley is the highest motorable road Khardongla pass, majestic peaks and glaciers, enchanting valleys and villages. Chadar or Zanskar Trek, Parang La Trek and Kang Yatse Trek are great opportunities for Adventure tourism.
The only two roads into the area are the Zoji-La Pass from Srinagar (open June-October) and the high altitude Manali-Leh Highway from Himachal Pradesh(April December). Leh can be reached by air from Delhi.
Eco tourism in Ladakh encourages Homestays, a system where tourists who are trekking in Ladakh, instead of bringing tents and supplies that often has to be carried by horses or donkeys,stay with local families in the villages they pass. This is seen both as environmental since the pack animals can sometimes eat all the limited vegetation, and as socially responsible since it puts money directly into the local villages.
Best time to visit: June to October, January to mid- March for Chadar Trek
Languages spoken: Ladakhi
Climate: Pleasant summers and very cold winters with snowfall
Adventure tourism: River Rafting, Double humped Camel Safari, Zanskar Trek, Parang La Trek , Kang Yatse Trek
Natural Wonders: Diskit and Samstanling Gonpa, Panamik hot spring (Nubra Valley), Tso Moriri Lake, Pangong Lake, Sand dunes at Hunder
Holy Places: Hemis Monastery, Thiksey Monastery, Spituk Monastery, Stok monastery and Shey Monastery
When I made the itinerary for the ride, I kept it pretty water-tight since I did not want to loose out on any place…
Read MoreThe dinner at the small dhaba in Drass not only filled our famished stomach but also our hearts. Since the ride till Drass was…
Read MoreIt has been almost a month since our ride to Ladakh got over and yet the memory is as fresh as if the ride…
Read MoreThis time of the year, when the doors to the heaven named Ladakh is let open to the world, hordes of people take what can only be termed as a pilgrimage on two wheels. So did the nomads. 3000km, 15 days, 11 bikes, 9 high altitude passes, one epic journey.
Read MoreAge No Bar – 16 or 60 12/10/2010 Nurla Khaltse Lamayuru Fotu La Mulbek Kargil ( 160 km ) The UP boy prepared good…
Read MoreAge No Bar 16 or 60 Keylong-Leh-KhardungLa-Nubra-Leh-Nurla 06/10/2010 Keylong Pang ( 184 km ) We started in the morning, little bit apprehensive as to…
Read MoreJhakri-Kaza-ChandraTal-Gramphu-Tandi-Keylong A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving- Lao Tzu 23/09/2010 Jhakri Jeori Sarahan ( 38 km )…
Read More“The Land is so barren and the passes so high that only our fiercest enemies or Our best friends would want to visit us”…
Read MoreBe soft on my curves – sign – road to chang-la pass; it’s among the highest passes in the region after Khardungla. The glacier…
Read More13th Aug (Alchi) Vicky & Sandy came to our room @ 5:00 AM to wake us up and start for Drass & Zojila. Previous…
Read More10th Aug (Leh – Diskit) We start behind schedule for Nubra Valley. While I was waiting for others to fill up their petrol tanks,…
Read More4th Aug (Manali – Keylong) We started from Manali @ 7 AM in rain and fog as we didn’t have much choice. Entire stretch…
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