Sandwiched between India, Pakistan and China this piece of land is nothing but another heaven on earth. Pit stops in Ladakh are the trophies at the end of an experience. The experience being the journey between one stop to another.
We began our tour in the month of August. One of the best times to explore this territory owing to its extreme weather conditions. There is also this thing of getting acclimatised. Due to its high altitude, one may suffer headaches, nose bleeds etc. Thin Oxygen layer. Uh science! It takes a day or two to get adjusted they say. So if you plan to land in Leh directly via flight, give yourself at day to two before you start your explorations. Your body would need that time to adjust. Else you can also plan a road trip like we did.
Our Route –
Fly from New Delhi to Srinagar. By Road to Leh, Ladakh (with stop over at Sonmarg)
Back to Srinagar via road. Fly back to New Delhi.
There are other routes via Himachal Pradesh, Manali too. We had time constraints, so chose the former.
Highlights of our trip
- Nubra valley and the lovely double humped camels
- Khardungla Pass, Zojila Pass, Chang La Pass, Pangong Tso Lake
- Magnetic Hill
- The Himalayan birds, sheeps and other wildlife
- Tibetan people and culture
- Buddhists monks and monasteries
- Tibetan breads and apricot jams
- The delicious apricot fruit (not dried) and the almonds inside them
- If you like shopping, the Leh markets.
- The Indian Army and Airforce presence ( if you are an Indian reading this, trust me you will fall in love with them here)
- Kargil war memorial
- The roads by BRO
- The majestic brown mountains
- The stars in the sky that are just beyond reach
These are just some of the few highlights; there is more. If you get lucky, you can even team up with army or BRO to build the roads or bridges that were damaged due too – the extreme terrain. That MTV roadie feeling is awesome. No I wasn’t lucky, my cousin was. This is his experience. Each one us have a different story to tell about what happened en route Leh.
Like they say, it is not the destination that matters, but the journey. The experience of the entire road trip is so magical, that you can almost feel it – Becoming One with the One. In the silence of those huge mountains, you can hear it, the cold breeze whispering – The sounds of cosmos. Go there Solo or with company. But go there for silence, in silence. Shush!!!
So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and Go to Leh!!
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Author name – sweta kammath