Present in the beautiful city of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh having a population of 25,000 is an amazing place to visit. It has an area of about 97,000 sq kms and present at an average of 3,500 m above the sea level. Apart from the main language, Ladakhi, other languages spoken are Balti, Changshat, Shina and Brokshat. However, you will not find any inconvenience as the hotel and restaurant’s staff and the tourist guides are very well familiar with English and Hindi.
The best approach to Ladakh is the travel by road. The 434 km Drinagar-Leh road via Kashmir Valley remains open from June to November. The state transport provides Deluxe and Ordinary bus service between Srinagar and Leh, the capital of Ladakh. If you want to travel via air, then you can board a flight to Leh from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar. After reaching at Leh, the best and cheapest method of commuting is the local buses which travel on the fixed route at a fixed time or else you can hire the taxis or cars available.
The main tourist attractions in Ladakh are Alchi Gompa, Gompa Soma, Sankar Gompa, Phyang Monastery, Shanti Stupa, Sumda Chung Monastery, Thiksey Monastery etc.
Alchi Gompa is easily accessible as it is the only Gompa in Ladakh which is located on flat ground. It is present on the bank of River Indus. You can find the beautiful images of Buddha in the monastery. Gompa Soma is present in the main Bazar. It has a statue of crowned Buddha and open throughout the day. Sankar Gompa is located a few kms away from Leh. It is a branch of Spituk Monastery. Phyang Monastery is present 17 kms away in the west of Leh. The monastery also has a festival celebrated in the second, third and sixth month of Tibetan Calendar named as Phyang Festival. Shanti Stupa was built for world peace and was inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 1985. It is made up of a white huge dome shaped structure and is very beautiful to see in night. Also, watching a sunset and sunrise from the Shanti Stupa is wonderful. Located about 65 kms in the direction of southwest of Leh is Sumda Chung Monastery, having three temples. Thiskey monastery is situated about 17 kms in the south of Leh is the most beautiful monastery of all the monasteries. Thiskey festival is celebrated in the month of October and November. It is a 12 storey high building and has many a statues and a huge collection of Buddha.
Apart from these monasteries, other tourist places are Leh, Drass, Kargil, Zanskar, Nubra Valley and Chang Thang. The place is also famous for its beautiful view due to the gigantic Himalayan. Like the entire Himalayan region, Ladakh also has nine months of winters and three months of summer. The best season to visit Ladakh is in summers, that is, from June to August. In the winter season, most of the paths for trekking are closed due to heavy snowfall and moreover, all the festivals in Ladakh are celebrated in summer season.
One has to keep in mind that if you have an acute mountain sickness, then you should have a rest on the day when you arrive there.
Aalia Khan has given her words to a portal for India Tours where one can find info Trekking in Ladakh, and Ladakh Tours. Explore:-indianluxurytours.com