Ladakh: Traveling

Ladakh
Traveling

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Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:

Ladakh was formerly forbidden country for travelers (opened for tourists only in 1974). Now is one of the world's greatest classics. Unfortunately, thanks to the influx of tens of thousands of local Indian tourists from the lowlands varies sadly faster than is healthy. Travel here is easy, especially in nearby Leh. Local travel agencies and taxi drivers are ready for tourists, so the most famous sites get virtually free of problems.

Administrative division

Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:

Ladakh falls administratively under the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It consists of 22 districts from the two, with a predominance of the largest ones, are at Ladakh (Leh and Kargil districts).

Landscape types

Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:
  • ** Leh and Indus Valley: ** This is the most visited part of all of Ladakh. The mighty Indus River is bordered on the south by the 6,000-meter Stok Mountains and on the north by the Ladáck Mountains. Here you will find the most Buddhist monasteries and the capital of the area with an abandoned royal palace – Leh. – ** Western Ladakh: ** The Muslim part of Ladakh lies completely to the west of the area in the Suru, Wakha and Drass river basins. Significantly fewer tourists come here, although the popular route through Kargil to Srinagar in Kashmir leads here. To the south, the area is bordered by the Himalayas with two monumental 7,000-meter mountains, Nun and Kun, which rise above the Suru Valley, the most beautiful part of the area. – ** Indian Karakoram: ** North of the Ladakh Mountains, behind the Khardung la pass, is the majestic valley of the Nubra and Shyok rivers, which gathers water from the gigantic Karakoram glaciers, including the infamous Siachen Glacier (the highest battlefield in the world). There are also the highest mountains of Ladakh, led by Saltoro Kangri (7,742 m above sea level). Unfortunately, most of this part of Ladakh, which is extremely interesting in the mountains, is closed to tourists. Mainly due to the still unresolved territorial disputes with Pakistan. – ** Zanskar **: another of the remote parts of the world, which was previously accessible only in winter by a trek along the frozen river Zanskar. In summer, it was only possible to get here by car via the Pensi la pass from the Suru valley. Now, however, a new road has been built across the Shingo la pass – formerly one of the most popular trekking routes in Ladakh, so this area is also gradually becoming more visited. – ** Rupshu: ** The south-eastern part of Ladakh (east of the Manali-Leh road) lies on the Changtang plateau extending here from Tibet. Tourists come here mainly behind the magical lake Tso Moriri. Nomadic Changpas live here. – ** Spiti Valley: ** It no longer „officially“ belongs to Ladakh, as it is located in the neighboring southern state of Himachal Pradesh, but landscaped and culturally still belongs to Ladakh. It is a valley to the east of Kunzum Pass and south of Rupshu (accessible via Parang la Pass). – ** Aksai Chin: ** An extremely remote part of the world, where the altitude hardly drops below 5,300 meters above sea level. There is no permanent settlement. The whole area has been occupied by China since 1962, mainly due to the fact that they built a strategic road G219 leading subsequently through the whole of western Tibet.

Traveler Itineraries

Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:

Visit of Ladakh falls into virtually every itinerary around northern India.

Classic Itineraries

Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:
  • ** The classic Ladakh circuit: ** begins in the capital of the Leh region. After exploring the city, you can visit interesting monasteries in the Indus Valley and on classic trips such as Lake Pangong tso, Khardung la saddle, Nubra valley or Lamayuru monastery. – ** From Manali via Leh to Srinagar: ** The most travel-friendly circuit begins in the city of Delhi, from where you can cross the flat Punjab to the Himalayan Kullu Valley and its tourist center Manali. From here, the impressive Himalayan road leads through 5,000 passes to Leh. After the classic program, see. above you will continue from Lamayur to Kargil and from there over the rugged Zoji la Pass to green Kashmir. – ** Zanskar and Suru: ** Thanks to the newly opened road across the Shingula Pass, there are already two roads to Zanskar, so you don't have to return the same route.

Combination with neighboring countries

Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:

Combination with the neighboring countries is not possible. Ladakh lies on the disputed borders with both Pakistan and China, and there are no such border crossings.

The most beautiful areas

Petr Liška Wrote 05.11.2015:

Ladakh is an area „behind the Himalayas,“ thus north of the main Himalayan ridge. This means that the whole area of Ladakh is located in the rain shadow. In recent years, however, there is increasing precipitation. Ladakh is a western part of the Tibetan plateau, so altitude of landscape rarely dropping under three thousand meters above sea level. The most telling characteristic of this country is alpine desert surrounding picturesque green valleys.

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