Srinagar to Leh Via Kargil

Travelling to Leh by surface is both exciting and adventure the journey is 434 kms with a over night stay in Kargil which gives tourists a first hand opportunity to explore more while helping them to acclimatize with the high altitude low oxygen atmosphere of Ladakh.

The long journey starts with Gandarbal crossing "Mahalgn", "Kangan", "Gund", "Khuliatan" reaching "Sonmarg" know as "Gateway of Ladakh" at an altitude of 2740m. A gushing river is the highlight of this meadow tourist destination normally tourist takes a break here for lunch. "Sonmarg", has a number of Hotels and lodges of various types. Beside scenic beauty "Sonmarg" has a lot to offer. After a break the journey begins again crossing “Batal” and reaching "Zozila Pass".

"Zozila" pass in 9km long and is the second highest pass after "Fotu La". There are more than 60 dangerous avalanche sites on this road the roads are narrow and bad in shape. The pass remains open only for four months in summer the drive is highly risky and adventours. After "Zozila" Pass the major destination is “Dras” crossing “Matyan”.

"Dras" is the coldest place and is located at the height of 3230m it is a small beautiful township where you can hault for a cup of tea. "Kargil" is just an hour away from "Dras" crossing “Thasgam” and “Kabru”.

In "Kargil" one can find few hotels and Guest house. Hotels like Siachen and D’Zozila are well maintained hotels where one can get all the modern facilities. "Kargil" is considered as a heaven for adventure lovers it is the entry point to the wondrous Zanskar Valley and is the perfect night stop for tourists. The local market offers variety of products ranging from raw sugar, to exotic spices.

After spending some time in "Kargil" the Journey to Leh which is 234 Kms starts again. 45 Kms drive will take you to "Mulbek", the area is worth visiting for its Buddhist Monuments. On the highway Mulbek Chamba an ancient 9m high sculpture of the future Buddha Maitreya is a major tourist attraction, after spending some time in "Mulbek" the drive takes you to adventures journey to "Namika La" pass(12,200ft) and "Fotu La" pass (13,479ft), crossing “Khangral”, “Bodhkhabru” and “Hansikot” giving a real dangerous feeling, being at the top of the world. One will be mesmerized to see the Lamayuru Monestary situated over a mountain side.

The journey has become much shorter with scenic and deserted beauty leading you to Leh crossing “Khaltse”, “Nurla”, “Saspol”, “Nimmu” and finally reaching Leh. After such a long spectacular drive the final journey can be a bit disappointed before entering the main city you go through a vast expanse of army huts and camps. Then you see Leh, all the buildings piled up one above the other and topped by ancient but un-used palaces. Welcome to Leh…!!

Magical Journey," Manali to Leh"

Manali to Leh Highway is normally open from June to August every year and the stretch between Manali to Leh is 475 Kms this breathtaking beautiful journey is completed with a hault at two places (optional) i.e. Keylong (123Kms) and Sarchu (222Kms). In both the places one will find decent Hotels like Hotel Dekyid and Hotel Snow Land in Keylong and Adventure Camps in "Sarchu" with basic facilities.

The journey normally starts after early breakfast in Manali crossing the beautiful scenes and reaching Rohtang Pass at 3977 Mt. Rohtang pass, is known for its unpredictable snow storms and blizzards. It takes approximately 04 hours to cross the pass. Traffic can be find up to Rohtang pass as many tourist stop at this pass to get the glimpse of the snow and click the memorable snaps. Just after Rohtang Pass there is a descent for Lahul Spiti (Batal, Tabo, Kaza etc). Next destination from Rohtang Pass is "Khoksar" the gateway to Lahaul and is 17 Kms from the pass. It is situated on the bank of river Chandra. During winter "Khoksar" is the coldest inhabited place in Lahul.

From "Khoksar" we move towards "Sissu" which is 90 Kms from Manali and located at the bank of River Chandra. One will find few tea stall for the ongoing tourist to stop by and enjoy the scenic beauty. After few minutes break in "Sissu" we continue our journey to next destination towards "Gonda". From "Sisu" to "Gonda" land is cultivable and fertile these two places the whole mountain side from the peaks over 6090 m to the river bed below 3050 m and is awe inspiring. Glaciers and snow fields over hanging the precipices make them one of the finest in the world.

The next nearer destination is "Tandi" it is a world renowned tourist destination and is situated above the confluence of the rivers Chandra and Bhaga some 7 kms before "Keylong". Tandi is the last stop where one can re-fill Petrol tanks after Tandi petrol pump is 365 Kms away. Here you can hault for a night in "Dilbu Retreat", it is situated at the Tupchiling just under the holy peak “Drilbu”. The cottages overlook the confluence of river Chandra and Bhaga facing the beautiful lush green villages of "Tandi" and "Gaushal". The cottage has well furnished cottages will all basic facilities and delicious food. (http://www.campsofladakh.com/drilbu.html). If one does not want to stay in Tandi there are multiple other options like "Keylong" which is just 7 kms away. It is the district headquarter of Lahul and Spiti and situated above the Bhaga river. This is also the hub centers of all commercial activity with a regular bazaar. Here you will find few hotels like Hotel Jispa and Hotel Ibex with modern basic facilities.

Next day early morning drive will take you to “Darcha” at the height of 3500 mt. It is the last village where one can see spares growth of trees. Beyond Darcha not even a single tree can be seen on either side of the highway. Landscape starts looking desolate and absolutely barren. Deserted road leads you towards “Zing Zing Bar” crossing “Pasted” moving towards “Baralacha La Pass” which is at the height of 4650 mt.

The journey from Keylong takes you to Baralacha La crossing “Darcha”, “Pasted” and “Zing Zing Bar”. Baralacha is a unique pass situated at a spectacular 16,400 ft above sea level. The pass itself is 8 kilometers long, and is literally the pass "where many roads meet". Here, routes from Zanskar, Ladakh and Lahaul meet, which have for centuries been used by ancient travelers and crossed in all directions. The two great rivers of Lahaul, the Chandra and the Bhaga, also arise from the huge snowfields on opposite sides of the pass.

After spending some memorable time at Baralacha La the drives begin and take you to “Sarchu” a tented camp on the boundary between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. It is situated between two passes Baralacha La towards South and Lachung La towards North at an altitude of 4,290m. The journey along the Manali-Leh high way at the high altitude and variable road conditions, normally takes tow days, so travelers and tourists use this spot as an over night stop. An Indian army Camp is sited nearby on the banks of the Tsarap Chu River. The highway and the camp are closed during the winter, when snow blocks the high passes along the road. This spot can also be used as a start point for the difficult trek into the Zanskar region of Ladakh.

As you keep going higher and higher on the GATA LOOPS, on the right one can see spectacular reddish cliffs with a perilous trail penciled across it, and as we almost reach the 21st bend, we near the “Nakeela Pass” at the height of 4940mt.

The continuous and steady drive will lead you to Lachung La Pass (5079m) it is the second highest motorable pass that comes ,in Manali-Leh highway. It is also one of the two passes above 5000m that need to be crossed on the Manali-Leh highway.

After Lachung La the drive becomes bit smooth towards Tanglang La Pass where you get to drive in plains crossing Pang. Tanglang La at the height of 5358m is the last pass on Manali-Leh highway. Few hours drive will take you to your final destination Leh crossing "Upashi" and "Karu"

Ladakh "Land of Passes"

Ladakh is better Known as Land of Passes or Mini Tibet, Ladakh is Land of rich cultural heritage and unique landscape on earth both these aspects make the Ladakh a hot tourist destination of the world. Ladakh is liked by all whether it is an eager traveler, fun visitor, adventure lover, environmentalist, monk in search of peace, photographer and so on.

Leh is the major city of Ladakh which is connected by both air and road for a limited period round the year. Three daily flights are available from Delhi of Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways. It is connected by road from Srinagar and Manali via Zozila and Rohtang pass respectively. But these passes get close in winters and remain close for 4 to 5 months. Adventure lovers like to visit Leh via Rohtang Pass from Manali to Leh, is over whelming and life time experience.

Ladakh lies at an altitude from 9000 ft to 25170 feet. At these heights, you are on the roof of the world. As the highest inhabited land in the world, it holds a fascination for many, while for some there is an enchantment of seeing mountains which had been under the sea for million of years. Ladakh is like a forgotten moment in time. It is common of Ladakh to come across villages carved out of veritable mountainside, Stupas reaching the sky, Monasteries virtually hanging from the cliffs. Their interiors are filled with price less antiques and art.

Ladakhi Culture is similar to Tibetan Culture. Ldakhai food has much in common with Tibetan Food, the most prominent food being thupka (noodle soup) ans tsampa know as Ladakhi ngampe (roasted barley flour). Edible without cooking tsampa makes use full trekking food. A dish that is strictly Ladakhi is skyu, a heavy past dish with vegetables. As Ladakh moves towards a cash based economy, foods from the plains are becoming more common. As in other part of central Asia, tea in Ladakh is traditionally made with strong green tea, butter and salt. It is mixed in a larbge churn and known as gurgur cha, after the sound it makes when it is mixed. Sweet tea (Cha ngarmo) is common now, made in Indian style with milk and sugar. Most of the surplus barley that is produced is fermented into Chang, an alc0holic beverage drunk especially on festive occasions.

The architecture of Ladakh contains Tibetan and Indian influences and monastic architecture reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. The Buddhist wheel, along with two dragons, is a common feature on every gompa, including the likes of Lamayuru, Likir, Thikse, Hemis, Alchi and Ridzong Gompa. Many houses and monasteries are built on elevated, sunny sites facing south and in the past were made of rocks, earth and wood but are now more often concrete frames filled in with stones or adobes.

Perhaps there is no better time to tour Leh Ladakh India then during the festive season. Ladakh comes alive during festivals, when people from different corner of Ladakh comes at one place to celebrate and enjoy the festival spirit. Festivals in Ladakh is in fact is the best way to feel the Ladakhi Culture. There are a number of festivals that take place in Leh like Hemis festival in June, Ladakh festival in september, Losar festival in January beside this there are number of other festivals that are held in Ldakh which include amayuru in July, Phiyang from Jult - August after 10 days of Phiyang another festival Tak thok is held. The special feature Phiyang festival is the exhibition of thangka which is done every year unlike the Hemis where thangka is exhibited once in 12 years.

There are may restricted areas in Leh, it is a high altitude desert as the Himalayas create a rain shadow thus prohibiting the entry of monsoon clouds. The main source of water here remains the winter snow fall on the mountains that form the glaciers. Like in rest part of the country where people pray for rain, here Ladakhis pray for glaciers or snow to melt for irrigation and drinking purpose. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes. Only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time.