Leh Ladakh

Hello and welcome to the ‘Biker’s Paradise’ or should I say ‘Heaven on Earth’. If you have a bucket-list of places to be covered, please make sure to include Ladakh in it. This ‘ThandaRegistan’ (Cold desert) is well known for its scenic beauty, the colourful flutter of prayer flags, massive monasteries, gigantic gompas, rhyming rivers, jewel blue lakes, soothing stardust from the sky at night and so much more. This would be once in a lifetime experience I must say. However, as it is rightly said, “Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”, you need to begin with proper planning, few tips and last but not least good health. I would like to share few do’s and don’ts from my trip to Ladakh.

Best time to visit: June to September. Ladakh usually closes by 20^th September completely as per the information gathered from the local inhabitants. We travelled in July. It was pleasant though it did rain a bit.

Routes to reach Ladakh:

·         Srinagar-Leh highway:One of possible and most convenient routes for Leh is Srinagar-Leh highway. Crosses Sonamarg - the Meadow of Gold, you can depart from Srinagar as per road opening timings. The drive to Sonamarg is a spectacular facet of country side in Kashmir and Sindh Valley.The Sindhu Valley is the largest tributary of the valley of Kashmir. Drive to Kargil the road passes through the panoramic village reach Sonamarg (2740 Mtrs). After Sonamarg most rough road and wet Zojila pass 3527 Mtrs (Gateway of Ladakh) andcontinuing to drive towards Drass (The second coldest inhabited place in the world). Another two and half hours drive will take you to Kargil (2710 Mtrs) which has got its importance after opening Ladakh for tourists since 1974.Srinagar Sonamarg Kargil is about 7/8 Hrs drive stretching for about 250 Kms.

·         Kargil to Leh:en-route visiting the monasteries of Mulbek&Lamayuru& Moon landscape passing through Namkila&Fatula Passes, the highest pass on the Srinagar- Leh road and proceed to Leh. En-route visit to 1000 year old Alchi monastery, the only Gompa in Ladakh region on flat ground. Thereafter proceed to the Likir Monastery to visit the splendid three storeys Dharma Wheel Gompa. Here you'll be awestruck with the sight of the massive Buddha statues. Indus &Zanskar river Sangam (if you are lucky you can see the blue coloured water stream meeting at Sangam), drive along the Indus river visiting, Pathar Sahib Gurudwara(enjoy the Langar and shramdaan) and Magnetic Hill (where the cars defy gravity),  further on to Leh Hall of Fame (which has a museum of the Kargil War memorabilia). At Kargil war memorial you would be filled with pride and honour for your brave soldiers and the stories of their martyrdom. Do not skip this spot, it’s a must see. We also enjoyed a rented bike ride on the Magnetic hill till the top. You would reach Leh after a drive of about 6/7 hrs.

·         Route highlights:Cool, comfortable, better roads, less landslides, takes you through Kargil where an overnight stay is recommended for acclimatization. However, it is said that if you take the Manali-Leh route you would not want to come back as it is much more beautiful than this route. Please enjoy fresh apricots on your way to Leh. I am not sure why but they taste better there, compared to the ones you have picked from the malls. I would cover only Srinagar-Leh route as I have not travelled through the Manali-Leh highway (in the pipeline……)

Leh-Ladakh (Day 4): With the above route you would be in Ladakh by day 4. As you have taken an overnight stay at Kargil, you would be in a much better position (health wise) in Ladakh. A day is still recommended for the local monasteries where you are expected to climb a little as none of these monasteries are on flat lands. They are all atop mountains and so you would understand how ready your body is for trips to Khardungla and Pangonglake that are at much higher altitudes. For the local sight-seeing, Hemis is the largest and the wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. You may be able to pick few gifts from these monasteries as they have good stock, decent and fixed price, no bargain and a part of MRP I think goes to some charity as well. From Hemis, you are driving back taking the same route to visit Thiksey Monastery, located on a hill-lock with formidable view of the Indus valley. Thiksey is especially noteworthy for its gigantic seated statue of the Maitreya and is also known for its (Dukhang) assembly hall which houses hundreds of rectangular prayer books, stacked between wooden covers and bound in silk. After that you continue to drive through series of chortens to visit Shey Palace the former summer palace of the King of Ladakh. The Palaces are not very well maintained and do not expect a lot. You can also visit the 3 Idiots School Campus/ Druk Padma Drako which is on the way. However, we were excited to see actual Ladakh, rough roads, water bodies, camping, night sky from Shanti Stupa and so much more.

Visit to Nubra valley (Day5/6): Approximately 120 Km from Leh, this route offers you the roughest rideof your life. After a light breakfast,begin your drive to Nubra Valley via Khardungla (Highest Motorable road in the World, 18,380 ft).Rough roads, waterfalls and mud streaming through the roads and narrow passage may not allow you to return in the same coloured clothes if you are taking a bike. At Khardungla, you may enjoy hot drinks (tea, coffee), noodles, momos and Thupka(noodles, soup mixed with vegetables) which is a local delicacy here. Arrive at Hunder by afternoon. You would have rest of the day to explore Diskit, Hunder villages and Camel Safari in Sand Dunes (not a huge fan of this one) between Diskit and Hunder village.Nubra valley is a great place to enjoy scenic beauty, sand dunes, camping (optional). The place where we stayed offered organic food from their garden. It was simple and I enjoyed it. Some people would not feel like eating much on reaching Nubra as the ride is really rough. The next day, after breakfast visit Diskit Monastery and drive back to Leh by same route, crossing Khardungla Pass. Reach Leh by afternoon. You can enjoy the evening free time at leisure to explore Leh market.

Visit to PangongTso/Lake (Day 7/8):After early Breakfast leave for Pangong Lake (14,500 ft), through Changla Pass 17,350 ft., the third highest Motorable road in the world.  PangongTso is the highest salt water Lake in the World, shared by two countries India & China. About 2/3^rd of the lake falls in China. Enjoy the beauty of the lake on the banks of PangongTso while appreciating the changing colors and fascinating high altitude of the Lake. If planning for a photoshoot, daytime is recommended as it offers the best illumination and water colour reflections. Eye opening could be a challenge in the noon as the Sun is too bright due to high altitude but we could not see best photos in the evening session. You can enjoy dinner &overnight stay at the camp. If travelling in groups you may add bonfire to your night session and have fun at camps along with star gazing. You will not find any hotels at Pangong and it is only camping. The camps are decently warm but if you are carrying your own camps please check insulation as the nights are extremely cold to bear here. No shopping, no accessories can be bought here and you must carry all you need.

After breakfast visit the Lake at Sun rise, drive back to Leh, late afternoon visit Leh Palace & Shanti Stupa. Later in the evening walk around local market.  Enjoy dinner & overnight stay at the hotel.

Visit to Tsomoriri Lake (day 9): Travel to Tsomoriri lake is usually not ventured by all tourists. We did not want to miss out on anything in Ladakh so we took a ride. Tsomoriri is a fresh water lake but has not attracted many visitors due to distance which is very long (approx. 220 km from Leh). Almost 2/3^rd of the route aligns with the Indus river which looks serene, majestic and does take a rough turn at times on your way. You would come across many unusual animals that may cross your street very casually. These include rabbits, horses, yaks, sheep and lambs. If you are lucky you may get to see people making yak cheese on your way. Please be careful while driving as there are many small rabbits on this route that cross the streets and are often over-run. We had no reservations for Tsomoriri as this was an ad hoc plan but we still managed to find a lake view room quite easily. There are camps available here as well but I did not risk it here as these camps are just three steps away from the water body. They were chilling in the day and I managed how rough the night would be. Tsomoriri was the coldest place after Khardungla on this trip. There is a direct route from Pangong to Tsomoriri as well but this route was closed at that time so we had to come back to Leh and then return to Tsomoriri. The village is well developed near the lake and you can see farming as well here (not seen in Pangong as it is salt water lake). The tourism is not very well developed here and just one heads up, this place has some weird mosquito species near the lake. I hail from Mumbai and I have never seen any such variant. Mosquito repellants would not work on them and clicking photos near the lake was also a challenge. You can imagine! Nevertheless, I would still recommend this place though I could point out a whole lot of reasons why tourism was not being propagated in Tsomoriri.We returned from Tsomoriri next day via Manali Leh highway crossing the Tsokar village. Tsokarlake (was quiet dry then) and Tsokar village is also a decent place for camping as it is very untouched. Tsokar village had a pleasant climate when we visited admixed with fog, drizzle and bearable temperature.

Depart from Leh (Day 10/11): On your return to Leh the next day (by day 10), you can still spend some time in the local market, buy few gifts for family and friends, sightseeing, relaxing and enjoying the scenic beauty of this place as this is your last chance to capture all of it. The next day we took a flight from Leh to Delhi and back to Mumbai which was harder than trip to Nubra as you would not want to come back. Once the flight takes off you get to see all of Ladakh at its best beauty you can possibly imagine. A panorama of snow covered mountain tops for miles till horizon and nothing else. This portrait accompanies you for a very major part on your journey. You would not have time to click as you would be too busy peeping out the window.

I will make sure I visit Ladakh again via the Manali Leh highway, covering many places.

Travel Packages: Please make sure the below inclusions before travelling:

·         Please confirm the hotel bookings as even after confirmation the hotels do not have rooms for you on arrival. This is very common in Leh. They would make an alternate arrangement very often.

·         Please check with hotel for visitor’s permit, please send your ID (original and Photostat copies) for further action to the hotel. It costs 400/ person with 20 Rs/person/day and additional hotel charge (we paid extra 100 bucks)

·         Vehicle for transportation (we took a non-AC Innova and a traveler vehicle)

·         Please confirm the oxygen availability in the car.

Health tips:

·         Carry enough Sun protection: Sun screen spf 50 atleast (apply liberally, reapply as needed), Sun glasses with UV protection (light reflecting from snow causes discomfort to eyes), Sun hat with knot as it is windy and fashionable hats may not serve the purpose.

·         Mountain sickness: Please keep yourselves very wellhydrated. This will definitely help with your mountain sickness. Washroom availability is another challenge but hydration cannot be compromised as you would not be able to enjoy your trip otherwise.

·         We started Diamox 2 days before starting for Leh at a frequency of twice daily. Just a little heads up, the medicine may cause some tingling of fingers/toes/lips. You may consult the physician on this as it may not suit everyone but most visitors in Leh do take this medicine and it is helpful. If you develop any side effect, you must discontinue immediately. It is not advisable for everyone to take this medication as the active molecule may have unexpected side effects, so please consult your physician before starting the medication.

·         Headache, nausea, vomiting, breathlessness, discomfort would be the most common symptoms faced by few tourists in Ladakh due to high altitude. Adequate acclimatization would help you get over this and so plan your trip accordingly. I did face severe headache, vomiting and dizziness after Khardungla for about 50-75 kms. My sinusitis took a nasty turn at this point to Nubra but I took adequate and right medications on my way back from Nubra and I was able to enjoy all of it. Few of us did suffer from epistaxis/ nose bleeding.

·         Do not overeat at any point. I would not recommend chips and other oily stuff while travelling. It will not help. Eat small meals as required and drink adequate water. Carry some dry fruits instead, they will make you feel full and hold your hunger.

·         Please carry your basic medicine kit depending your medical history and anticipated illness if any.

P.S:

·         I would not recommend carrying a lot of luggage; you should buy winter wear from the local market instead. It’s cheap and handy. Go light on your packing so you can buy stuff you want.

·         Things you would not see in Ladakh: Air conditioners, refrigerators, even ceiling fans in even the best hotels; cold drinks are never cold and are served at room temperature. Most of these things are futile for the local inhabitants as for almost 6 months the place is covered with snow. I did not miss these things anyways. While out in Nubra, when I asked for a cold drink that is cold (due to the rough ride and vomiting), the waiter took the bottle and kept it in waterfall next to the hotel for about 20 minutes and later brought it to me. I was pleasantly amused to see this and greeted him with a smile. Accepting the simplicity of the place and people was one lesson learnt. Also necessity is the mother of inventionJ.

·         Layered clothing: The days are hot and the passes are too cold. Dress in layers so you may keep yourself cool or warm as per the weather conditions.

·         Even the best camera would not do justice to the beauty of this place. Neverthelss, carry the best camera you can afford. The jaw dropping scenes will leave you render you speechless.

·         Please carry the hotel booking confirmations, itinerary, contact numbers of your travel agents and local drivers if possible.

·         Only post-paid SIM cards would work in Ladakh, so please plan accordingly for your groups if you are using pre-paid ones.

·         We can all try not to soil the place by throughing trash, used bottles and wrappers on the way. This is an untouched place and we can try to maintain the beauty of this place by being a responsible citizen.

·         Animals crossing the streets are very common especially on the way to the lakes. So be careful for safety in this context for yourselves and the animals as we are entering their premises and not the other way round.

To conclude, this would be a lifetime experience you would never want to forget. I could not be more concise. Articles are freely available all across the internet that will help you more. I have described my experience through Srinagar-Kargil-Leh. Have a great trip to Leh Ladakh and may be you can guide someone better than this. ‘JULEY’ LADAKH!!