Ladakh – The Little Tibet

Arrival at Leh. Acclimatization etc.

Ladakh’s principal town used to be one of the busiest market towns on the caravan trade between India and Central Asia. These days it retains a distinctly central Asian feel. Leh is dominated by the nine-storey Palace, a building in the grand tradition of Tibetan architecture, said to have inspired the famous Potala in Lhasa, which was built half a century later. Today is a free day so you can take it easy and acclimatise to the high altitude. Do not overexert yourself, rest and keep drinking a lot of water.

The best way to see Leh is on a walking tour. Along the main street the Buddhist women with their tall hats chatter freely as they sell vegetables. Narrow lanes veer up and wind their way through the old city. You pass old dwellings clustered together on the slope and finally end up at the 16th century Leh Khar Palace and its gompa, the Temple of the Guardian Deities perched on top of the hill. Though ruined and austere for ages, Leh Palace still makes an unforgettable backdrop to the mud city. A relatively new addition to the rocky skyline around Leh is the toothpaste white Shanti Stupa above Changspa village, 3km west of Leh’s bazaar. Inaugurated in 1983 by the Dalai Lama, the “Peace Pagoda”, whose sides are decorated with gilt panels depicting episodes from the life of the Buddha, is one of several such monuments erected around India by a “Peace Sect” of Japanese Buddhists.

Shey is the oldest of the three monasteries and is not in regular use. The monastery contains a two-story high statue of the Buddha seated in meditation. Up ahead is the twelve-story 800-year-old Thikse Gompa. This is a good place to witness religious ceremonies. It’s a magical moment when the monks say their prayers amidst mystical chanting, the ringing of bells, the clashing of cymbals, and the blowing of horns. The Hemis monastery is the biggest and wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. Colourful flags flutter in the breeze from the four pillars in the courtyard.

Drive from Leh to the Nubra Valley (150 km, 4-5 hrs) by crossing the Khardong La (5602m), possibly the world’s highest motorable mountain pass. From the pass, one can see all the way south over the Indus valley to the seemingly endless peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north to the giants of the Saser massif. The villages in the Nubra (meaning green) Valley are irrigated and fertile, producing wheat, barley, peas, mustard for oil, and a variety of fruits and nuts, including apple, walnut, apricot and even a few almond trees. Before partition, the Nubra Valley was a centre for trade, as the famous Silk Route passed through this area. Every year, over 10,000 pack animals – horses, yaks, Bactrian camels, and an especially sturdy breed of local sheep – traversed the Nubra region, carrying Varanasi brocades, Chinese silks, pearls, spices, Indian tea, pashmina wool, salt, indigo, opium, carpets, and gold. Hundar was the capital of the erstwhile Nubra kingdom in the 17th century, and is home to the ruined Chamba Gompa. In nearby Diskit, you can visit the 15th century Monastery. This is the most important monastery in the Nurba Valley, and the various rooms are full of thangkas, statues and effigies of the Buddha, and old mural paintings. A huge modern statue of Buddha overlooks the valley from a nearby hill. Between Hundar and Diskit lie several kilometres of sand dunes, and (two-humped) bactrian camels graze in the “forests” of seabuckthorn. You have a unique opportunity to ride on a bactrian camel (double humped) amidst the sand dunes of this high altitude desert with snow capped mountains on the horizon. You stay overnight in a pleasantly located hotel in Hundar. The hotel has a lovely garden where you can relax and enjoy evening tea.

From Hundar you cross the Shyok river and head further north to the Samstanling Gompa, in a peaceful location overlooking the green fields of Sumur village. Parts of the 19th-century monastery have been recently restored, and feature impressive images. Your next destination is the sacred Yarab Tso, which is popularly known as the hidden lake. From the road, there is a short 15 walk to the shore of the lake. The lake is very beautiful and a great place for a picnic lunch. You then continue to Panamik. This was a major halt on the caravan trade route, and is now well known for its medicinal hot springs. You stay overnight in a family-run hotel at the edge of Kyagar village. A late afternoon stroll through the village and the surrounding greenery is a fascinating and restful experience. As the Nubra Valley opened to foreign tourists only relatively recently, the friendly local Ladakhi people are still pleased to see visitors.

You cross the Khardong La again (140km, 4-5 hrs) to return to Leh where you stay the night.

Your tour ends after breakfast.