Ladakh
is bounded by world’s two mightiest
mountain ranges the great Himalayan and
the Karakoram, it lies athwart two others
the Ladakh and the Zanskar range. It lies
at altitude ranging from about 2,750m to
7,673m.The temperature in summer goes upto
27c and in winter it drops down to minus
25c. It is easily one of the finest destinations
for trekking and a haven for followers of
Tibetan Buddhism. With a superb airport
that allows jets to land directly from Delhi
, Jammu and Srinagar it leaves the first
traveler awestruck by its geographical and
cultural difference as they land at Leh.The
features of Ladakhi people,their clothes
and dialects are similar to Tibetan and
mongoloid then Indian. The Mons from Kullu
and Tibet were the first population immigrants
to Ladakh as shepherd’s nomads and
settled down near Indus River. Later Dards
and others immigrated to Lower ladakh.
Due
to cultural and geographical similarities
ladakh is popular among tourists as Little
Tibet. Buddhism is the dominant religion
in Ladakh while Kargil district is dominated
by Muslims and Buddhist. The approach to
Ladakh is invariably marked with Mani walls
that are long upto 2 to 3m,decorated with
engraved stones bearing the mantra “Om
Mani Padme Hum” and Chortens which
symbolizes Buddha’s mind.
The villages
and mountains are ornamented with monasterys
residing thousands of Buddhist Monks, hermits
and nuns. Islam came to Ladakh from central
Asia and Kashmir after 15th century AD.
Now the Kargil, Drass and Suru Valley is
populated by Shia and Sunnis.Ladakh can
be accessed by road from May to October
from Srinagar in the west and manali in
the east.
Season:
July to September
Duration: 3-day drive, 12-day trek
Grade: OE 3
This trek goes into the hidden kingdom of
Zanskar. Starting from the ancient monastery
at Lamayuru, perched on a precipice, the
trek offers close encounters with Zanskari
life, passing interesting villages with
their little gompas on practically every
day of the trek. The route also takes in
eight high passes and, depending on the
time of the year, up to a dozen river crossings.
Ladakh and Zanskar form the western edge
of the Tibetan plateau and are popularly
known as "Little Tibet" due to
the similarity of the culture and the high
altitude desert landscape. Politically,
this region forms a part of India, though
the religious head is still the Dalai Lama.
The flora and fauna is also similar to Tibet
and is quite distinct from the rest of the
Himalayas. The region, being beyond the
reach of the monsoon, is dry with sparse
vegetation. Willow groves and poplars are
found near villages. Bushes of eidelberry,
wild strawberry and sage brush are also
common. The fauna includes marmots, blue
sheep and ibex and an occasional snow leopard,
besides many birds of prey.
(However we can tailor-make
or customise a tour for any duration based
on multiple destination & interests.)