Ladakh

Travel to Ladakh & Leh in India Trans Himalayas region which is full of amazing sights, blessed with all the natural bounties, surrounded by towering peaks, trekking and hiking trails, a popular destination known for its immense natural beauty all over the world.

The remote, high altitude area of northern India occupies 96,701 sq km (including Aksai Chin) of the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is called Ladakh. It is bordered on the northwest with Pakistan; the north with the Chinese province of Sinkiang; and the east with Tibet. The capital city of Leh lies at an altitude of 3500 meters and it is also the largest population center, about 25,000 residents. Many books have been written about this fascinating and remote area in the Himalayas. Short descriptions of the following subjects should provide you with basic knowledge, and hopefully encourage you to visit Ladakh to learn more.

The flight into Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is an unforgettable experience - over the dramatic expanse of the Himalayas - for Ladakh straddles four main ranges - the great Himalayan, Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram. This is the highest inhabited region in India and the River Indus with its tributaries, slice their way through the ranges.

Remote though it is, Ladakh has never been totally isolated. Over the centuries the trade route from India to central Asia passed through this area undeterred by its high passes and desert landscape. Caravans carrying spices, brocades, pearls, carpets and more mundane merchandise like salt and tea took just two months to cover the distance from Amritsar in the Punjab to the central Asian towns of Varkand and Khotan! Leh and Kargil on this ancient route developed then into centres of trade.