Ladakh – India’s Little Tibet

Often known as “Little Tibet” (because of Tibet’s proximity and influence over the city), Ladakh is definitely one of the best-kept secrets of India. The city is amongst the top 10 summer destinations in India for both Indians and international tourists. In fact, road tripping to Ladakh from nearby cities such as Delhi and Manali is considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience and rightly so.

Imagine miles and miles of snow-clad mountain peaks, barren valleys, twisty and unpredictable roads, picture-perfect lakes, and colorful and bright prayer flags at almost every turn! Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Once you are there, it would feel like it too.

The weather in Ladakh is known to be extreme in summers as well as winters, which, in a way, is what attracts most tourists.

Spotting hoards of motorcycles in and around Ladakh is a common sight since people from all over the world gather in nearby cities to gear up for an adventure of a lifetime that is the mountain biking experience through the valleys of Ladakh. Another exhilarating experience are the numerous trekking options that the region provide: Chadar Trek is one of the most famous treks of those which includes trekking over a frozen lake to get to the villages of Leh and Ladakh where life comes to a standstill because of extreme winters and snowfall.

Biking, trekking, or simply walking, Ladakh is a landscape to see and to behold every step of the way. One moment you will be looking at a magnificent monastery covered beneath thousands of prayer flags and another moment you will find yourself taking in the beauty of a picturesque lake.

Some of the must see attractions in Ladakh include –

• Magnetic Hill (if you leave your bikes unlocked at the base of the hill, they will move uphill gradually
• Zanskar and Ladakh Mountain ranges (every point here is kind of an echo point so if you find yourself in solitude you may as well try to shout your name and hear the mountains repeat it for you)
• Pangong Tso Lake (those who have seen Bollywood movie 3 idiots will relate to it instantly)
• Khardungla Pass (the highest civilian motor road in the world)
• Nubra Valley (a desert amidst the snow clad peaks of Ladakh)
• Hemis Monastery or Hemis Gompa (the biggest monastery in Ladakh which attracts large number of tourists during the Hemis Festival held in July each year)

If you are a luxury traveller and can’t travel without being checked into a Taj or a Leela Kempinski, then get out of here! The city has no 5-star hotels, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have decent accommodation. In fact, Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso offers many luxury tents and deluxe accommodation options. Grand Dragon in Leh offers a very opulent stay.