Cold Desert – Ladakh

Leh, the capital city, doesn’t explain the whole of the extremity that Ladakh experiences in terms of temperature or land forms. To have a feel of Ladakh, you must also visit Lamayuru and Moon Land and the white sand dunes of the cold desert, surrounded by rugged mountains at Nubra Valley Region. Even though Ladakh is so arid, it has some of world’s most beautiful lakes, the Pangong Lake and Tso Moriri being the most beautiful ones. Leh Hemis Monastery, rebuilt in 1672, existed from before the 11th Century. It is famous for the Hemis Festival held in June for which people from all over the world visit the monastery for its festivities and the mystic mask dance by the monks. The Monastery houses a museum exhibiting age old metal sculptors, ancient thankas and scriptures. The view of StaknaGompha, the only Bhutanese Buddhist Monastery in Ladakh, on a standalone hilltop, on the bank of Indus River will give you a dreamy experience. Thikse Monastery, located on a hill top, is a twelve storey complex, resembling the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The major attraction besides a panoramic view of the Indus Valley from the hill top is the 49feet high ornate bust of Maitreya Buddha, covering two storeys of the building. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. The stretch of road from Leh to Shey is noted for having Ladakh’s biggest Chorten field. As you climb up the Shey Palace you will be mesmerised by the view of the vastness around. As you reach the top, you can see a 39feet high bust of Shakyamuni Buddha. In the Shey village, Sidhu Ghat, the bank of Indus River is a popular site. On Guru Purnima in July, Sidhu Pujan is celebrated by worshipping the sacred river which originates from the holy ManasSarovar Lake in Kailash and with cultural performances. Pay homage to the Indian soldiers who laid their lives defending India during Indo-Pak wars.Hall of Fame is a museum constructed by the Indian Army in memory of these brave Indian soldiers and to remind us of the sacrifices made by our jawans to ensure our safety and security. It is located on the Leh-Kargil Highway, about 4km from the city of Leh. It can be visited on the way to Leh if you are travelling by road to Leh via Kargil. Leh Palace, a 9 storey ancient palace, overlooking the city of Leh is being restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. Very close to this ancient structure stands a newly built monument, the Shanti Stupa, built by the Japanese in 1991.This monument on the hill top provides a perfect location for observing sunset together with panoramic views. You can spend the early evenings in the Leh market with numerous souvenir shops, shops selling artefacts made of metal and wood, silver and stoned jewellery, shawl made of pashmina and/or yak wool. Lamayuru-Moonland Lamayuru, more than 100kms from Leh, is a small village on NH1-D, mid-way between Kargil and Leh which can be visited while you are travelling to Leh from Kargil or you need to visit from Leh separately on a day different from the one chosen for Leh site seeing. In this case it is advisable to book a night stay at Uletokpo Village or Lamayuru. Lamayuru is connected by buses from Leh. The beautiful hanging white blocks of the Lamayuru Monastery on the mountains with rocks with Tibetan scriptures carved on them appears artistic. This is oldest (10th Century) monastery in Ladakh. Climb up the meditation hill and have a bird’s eye view of the village. The monasteryexhibits ancient scriptures, thanks and statues of Buddha. Here you pass through the Fotu La Pass (More than 13000feet high), also called the Moon land for its extremely rugged land forms and with almostno vegetation. The yellow land with craggy rocks and the blue sky look surreal. See the magic of the Magnetic Hillwhere vehicles parked on neutral appear to move uphill, in defiance of gravity, on a downward gradient. This is Cyclopes Hill with its mystifying layout and surrounding slopes creating an optical illusion. Sangam, the confluence of the Sindh-Zanskar Rivers at Nimmoo Village is mesmerising. The blue and the murky rivers meet, forming a heart shape at the confluence. The sun and shadow on the rocky terrains and the fluttering colourful prayer flags conjure a magic together. The adventure spirited may indulge in river rafting too. On the way to Lamayuru from Leh, you can visit many monasteries – The ancient Spituk Monastery, closer to Leh and famous for the majestic Kali which is unveiled during the Spithuk Festival, The Rhizong Monastery, Likir MonasteryandAlchi Monastery and the ruins of the Basgo Palace. Nubra Valley via Khardungla You are literally on top of the World at the Khardungla Top, world’s highest motorable road at 18380 feet. To travel 150kms from Leh to Nubra viaKhardungla Pass, it takes around 6hours but it may vary depending on the weather conditions. The Pass has extremely unpredictable weather and the curvy roads with snow covered mountains are dramatic. The most popular places to visit in Nubra is Diskit, Hunder and Turtuk. Disket is famous for the picturesque 14th Century Monastery (the largest and the oldest in the Nubra Region) set up on the edges of the rocky mountain and the 106 feet tall statue of the MaitreyaBuddha on the hill top near the Disket Monastery. This majestic statue faces the Shyok River towards Pakistan and from the village below, the statue looks like the guardian of the land. The hilltop provides a picture postcard view of the Diskit Monastery and 360 degrees view of the vast Valley. You can reach Hunder (7kms from Nubra) in 20-40 minutes from Diskit by car. There you can see the glistening white sand dunes of the Tibetan Plateau and ride the double humped Bactrian camel. You can deck up like the locals and get clicked too. It is also believed that Jesus Christ has visited Baigdandu, an area nearby. Sumur, Kyagar (Tiger), Panamik and Turtukare villages along the Nubra or Siachen River. Samstanling Monastery is in between Sumur and Kyagar, Panamik is known for its hot springs and the EnsaGompha and Turtuk is the last outpost of India and one of the gateways to the Siachen Glacier. Pangong Lakeis the most popular Lake in Ladakh and its popularity heightened after Amir Khan’s movie, ‘3 Idiots’. You have to travel a distance of 150kms from Leh to Pangong through Changla Pass (17586 feet), the third highest motorable road in the world. This blue lake with saline water remains completely frozen in the winters and is world’s one of the highest altitude lakes. Soak into its serenity as much as you can.