LADAKH

Ladakh is popularly known as ''The land of Numerous Passes', 'The Land of Mystic Lamas', 'The Broken Moon', and 'The Last Shangri-La'. It is a land like no other. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges: the Greater Himalaya and the Karakoram, it lies between two others: the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range. Leh, Ladakh's largest town and administrative centre, is located in the northernmost part of India some seven kilometers from the Indus River and its extensive valley.

Although Ladakh is a remote region of the world, it is accessible by air (New Delhi to Leh, the capital of Ladakh) and thus conducive to touring almost year-round. The main trekking season in Ladakh is during the North American summer, from the beginning of June to the end of September. Although July and August bring the warmest temperatures in Ladakh as in North America, this is the period of rainfall in Ladakh.

This route takes the visitor past the picturesque villages of Shey andThikse, and turns off the Indus valley by the side valley of Chemrey and Sakti. The Ladakh rang is crossed by the Chang-la (18,000 feet / 5,475 M) which despite its great elevation is one of the easier passes, remaining open for much of the year even in winter, apart from periods of actual snowfall. Tangse, just beyond the foot of the pass, has an ancient temple.

The area traversed by the Manali Leh road, and containing the drainage basins of Tsomoriri and other lakes is known as Rupshu. Here, the Zanskarrange is transformed into bare rolling many-hued hills divided by open high altitude valleys scoured by dust-devils. It is a landscape quite unlike any other in Ladakh- or elsewhere in India.

Dha-Hanu, the land of Aryans is located around 163 kms to the south west of Leh. There are many small villages but only two villages of Dha and Hanu are open for tourists.
The main attraction of this area are the Drok-pa community, who are Buddhists by faith, but racially and culturally distinct from the rest of the Ladakhis.
Drok-pas are believed to have migrated to this area via Gilgit around thousands years ago from central Asia. They are considered to be the last race of Aryans and have pure Indo Aryan features unlike the mongoloid features of Ladakhis.

Nubra 'the valley of flowers' is located in the north of Leh around 120 kms across Khardung La (18,380ft), the world's highest motorable road. Nubra used to be an important trade center on the famous silk route leading from Leh to Kashgar through the two passes of Saser and Karakoram.

The main attractions of this region are the Bactrian camels (double humped camels), Khardung-La Pass (world's highest motorable road at 18,380 feet), theDiskit and Samstaling monasteries and the hot springs at Panamik.

The Indus river flowing through the Leh valley in the high altitude desert region of Ladakh, is by far one of the most scenic white water runs anywhere in the Himalayas. The river offers a wide spectrum of trips ranging from the most popular day trip from Phey to Nimmu to a more extensive multi day, self contained expedition from Upshi – Khaltsi.

The 'Ship of desert' camel is certainly not confined to the desert of the plains and Rajasthan but is also one of the chief modes of transportation in the cold deserts of Ladakh since the ancient times. Mostly available from July to September, camel safaris are one of the most memorable experiences as one gets used to the rolling and wobbly movements of the camel while exploring rugged mountain terrains and enjoy the ride through some of the most ancient passes and have first hand experience of the lifestyle of the remote villages of Nubra Valley.

Ladakh has been described as “The Last Shangrila”, a living museum of Tibetan Culture. Nestled high in the Himalaya and accessible by road just 2 months out of the year, this isolated ancient Tibetan Kingdom is home to one of the last surviving authentic Tibetan Buddhist cultures. Better termed an expedition, this unique motorcycling adventure travels through a variety of areas, from beautiful Himachal Pradesh through the stunning KulluValley, and up onto the Tibetan Plateau to the highest motorable pass in the world -Khardung La, 18,380 ft.

This is an ambitious exploratory trek, which traverses over glaciated Kangla Pass into theZanskar valley. This trip starts out with a spectacular drive into semi and Lahaul valley overRohtang Pass. Trekking up along the Mayer Nallah which line our route through what is probably the most beautiful alpine valley in Himachal Pradesh, we reach Khanjar, a last village of the valley where the valley broadens with varieties of wild flowers and meadows.