LEH LADAKH TOURISM

www.himachalholidaymart.com

+918286164040

Himachal Holiday Mart

Ladakh lies in the Trans HimaLayan region and is known for its pure atmosphere, deep blue skies and the unforgettable experience it provides. It is a rugged Land bounded by two of the worlds mightiest mountain ranges, the Great HimaLayan and the Karakoram Range. Here, nature’s beauty is both raw and naked, barren and rusty, desolate and remote and yet live and colourful! Words seems less to describe the beauty of this Land famous for the highest passes and roads of the world. Ladakh with its barren mountain scape has been one of the the most inaccessible and forbidding regions of the world which has compelling charm and beauty of its own.

LADAKHA VIBRANT WONDERLAND

www.himachalholidaymart.com

2

Monasteries: Living Heritage of Buddhism

The arid Land of Ladakh is dotted with monasteries which are a silent witness to the unchanging beliefs of Buddhism. Fluttering prayer fLags, scattered chortens hold-ing the relies of Buddhists saints, mani wall carved with prayers, whirring prayer wheels, the chant of the mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum” (Praise to the jewel in the Lotus Flower)- all form an integral part of Ladakh’s Landscape just as its soaring mountains do. This fusion of religion with the geography of its Land reflects how im-portant religion is for people residing in almost inhospitable circumstances.

Lamayuru is situated at about 125 km from Leh. It is believed to be the oldest monastic site in central Ladakh. This is also one of the most famous and most spectacu-Larly picturesque of the gomapas.

Alchi is also on of the oldest monasteries which has many Thangkas dating back to 11th or 12th century. Known for its artistic Tibetan paintings made on its walls, the this monastery is one of the finest monasteries which needs about two hours to see the entire gompa.

Hemis, 48 km from Leh, across the Indus river is Ladakh’s Largest and richest gompa which was built with the support of King Singge Namgyal in 1630. Richly adorned, the Hemis gompa is a huge, breathtaking building which is highly popuLar during the annual Hemis Tse-chu festival, held in June or July.

Likir is situated 52km from Leh. This gompa is under the direct charge of Ngari Rimpoche, whose present incarnation is the DaLai Lama’s younger brother. With about 100 Lamas (monks) on its rolls, this monastery is the site of Dosmoche festival (annual prayer festival) held in february.

Shey, located 15km from Leh, is a a little distinct in its history from the rest of the monasteries. Initially Shey was the royal residence of the Namgyals who lived here till 1500.

Spituk was built in the 11th century, 8km down the Indus river from Leh, is located atop a hill, overlooking the fields and houses of Spituk vilLage.

Thiksey is situated snugly on the banks of Indus river, 20km from Leh is amongst the most impressive gompas of central Ladakh. With ten temples and a nunnery within it, this picturesque gompa is a twelve storeyed building, built in the 15th century.

Shanti Stupa is one of the most recent religious monuments of Ladakh. It is situated at a height in solitude, most apt for meditation. About 3km from the main market, overlooking the splendid Leh valley, the Shanti Stupa, also called the Japanese gompa, was inaugurated by His Holiness the DaLai Lama in August 1985.

3

Zanskar is also known as a Land of religion where important gom-pas are Sani, Karsha, Stongday, Bardan, Dzonphul and Phugthal. Both Dzonphul and Phugthal are amazing old gompas set in huge caves high up on a mountainside and are approachable only by foot. Zanskaris a favourite destination for trekkers. the gompas worth mentioning in the Kargil circuit are Mulbek, Shergol, Gyal and Rangdum.

Nubra Valley is known as “ The valley of flowers”. PopuLarly called the orchard of Ladakh, Nubra valley offers a graceful view of yellow and pink wild roses in summer and a carpet of wild Lav-ender in the post-monsoon season. Tourists are overwhelmed to see the Bactarian Camels (Shaggy double hump Camel) around sand dunes, Deskit & Samstanling monasteries and Khardung La Pass (18,380 ft above sea level).

Pangong Lake is 130 km in length and is at a height of 4,220 m. The ethereal beauty of the Lake lies in rich deep blue colour of its water. Only 25 percent of the Lake is in India while the rest of ot extends into China.

Tso-moriri Lake is a beautiful salty expanse of water. 24 km in length and at a height of 4,242 m, has recently been opened to foreign trekkers.

Magnetic hill is a gravity hill located near Leh in Ladakh, India. The hill is alleged to have magnetic properties strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to increase their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference. The “magnetic hill” is located on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar national highway, about 50 km from Leh, at a height of 11,000 feet above sea level.

KhardungLa is widely, but incorrectly, believed to be the world's highest motorable pass and lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. Khardung La is historically im-portant as it lies on the major caravan route from Leh to Kashgar in Chinese Central Asia. During World War II there was an at-tempt to transfer war material to China through this route.

Places of Interest

4

Information on Ladakh:

Access to Ladakh:By Road (Car, Bus, Motorcycle, Cycle, Foot)

Language: Ladakhi and Urdu

STD Code: 01982

Pin Code:194101

Best Season:June to Sep

Activities: River Rafting, Trekking, Mountaineering, Cycling

Contact Us:

Himachal Holiday Mart

Web Address: www.himachalholidaymart.com

Email: book@himachalholidaymart.com

Office: +91.828.616.4040

Skype: himachalholidaymart

5

Jeep Safari to Leh, Ladakh

Day 1:- Chandigarh to Manali by Jeep. Stay over night at Manali.

Day 2:- Manali  Local sight seeing  Hadimba temple, hot spring Vashisht , Tibetean monestry.

Day3:- Manali to Sarchu over Rothang Pass ( 3980 mtrs).and  BaraLach La pass (4270 m.)  Camp at Sarchu.

Day 4:- Sarchu to Leh over TangLag La  pass second highest motor-able pass in the world.

Day 5:- A Complete day of visit to the monasteries (104 Km) after breakfast drive to visit the Shey PaLace, Thiksey, Hemis monasteries and Stok PaLace Museum in the evening.

Day 6:- Leh to Nubra Valley (120 Km) After Breakfast drive to Nubra Valley via KhardungLa (Highest Motor-Able road in the World, 18,380 ft). Arrive at Deskit by Afternoon. Rest of the day one is free to explore Deskit, Hunder VilLages and camel Safari in Sand Dunes between Deskit and Hunder VilLage.

Day 7:- Nubra Valley to Leh (120 Km) After Breakfast visit Deskit Monastery and drive back to Leh by same Route, crossing KhardungLa Pass.

Day 8:- Leh to Pangong Lake to Leh (320 Km) After early Breakfast leave for Pangong Lake (14,500 ft), through ChangLa Pass 17,350 ft., it is the third highest motorable road in the world.Drive back to Leh by the same route.

Day 9:- Leh to Srinagar via Kargil. After breakfast full day sightseeing at Alchi monastery en-route visit Magnetic hill, Sangam and Likir monastery. Overnight in Kargil

Day 10:- Kargil to Srinagar  over D,zoziLa pass s/n at Srinagar

Day 11:- Early morning transfer to the airport for taking the flight onwards journey.

Package Inclusions: Transfers in Jeep from Chandigarh - Manali - Ladakh - Srinagar, Sightseeing, Camp Stay with Equipment, Hotel Accommodation in Manali - Ladakh - Srinagar, Breakfast & One Major Meal (Dinner), Parking Tickets, Permits.

6

Mountain Biking from Manali to LadkahDay 1: Leave Manali and cross the bridge over the River Baes. Head north to the vilLage of Palchan from where a side road leads to the winter ski resort of SoLang. Continue following the direction to Rohtang Pass 13,500 ft. On the way we stop at the small hamlet of Marthi for the night. Camp overnight.

Day 2: Continue to climb to the Rohtang Pass, then descend the Chandra river valley. From the saddle of the pass, look north and see the drastic change in Land-scape, barren Land with towering stark mountains. Ride down the pass, register at the Khoskar police post then continue on the vilLage of Sissu where we camp in a grove of willows for the night.

Day 3: Proceed along the Chandra River to Tandi bridge where it meets the Bhaga river flowing in from the north. Then turn north and pass the district headquarters of Keylong. Ride on the sleepy hamlet of Jispa and camp on the nights of Bhaga River.

Day 4: The road continues north past settlement of Darcha heading towards Zanskar and Ladakh. Crossing through the small vilLage of Patseo to finally reach the fLat grounds of Zingzingbar where we set up camps for the night.

Day 5: A ride through the second mountain pass of our journey, the BaraLacha La pass at 15,483 ft. Descending from this pass, head on to the pastures of Sarchu, a height of 13,890 ft. We will camp night in Sarchu.

Day 6: The road now goes along; up through 21 hairpins bends known as the Gata loops past biski naLa to the overnight camp.

Day 7: We will reach the Naki La and LachuLang La passes. From the saddle of the pass is a short descent to Pang camp where we stay overnight.

Day 8: The road climbs past 2 mountain streams and emerges into the vast 15, 580 ft Morey plains. The road passes grazing Landfull of wildlife; Kyang, Tibetan Wolly Hares, Marmots, Picas, Tibetan Red Foxes and Wolfs. We camp near the old workers camp at Debring 16 km below the TangLang La pass.

Day 9: The road now begins with a winding ascent to Tanglang La pass at 17,852 ft. Second Highest motor-able road in the world. We camp night here.

Day 10: You are now in the indus valley, the road heads west to Leh. We pass few monasteries, green fields. We check into a hotel for the night and come back to Manali via Jeep