6 ways to do Ladakh

Isn't it amazing how some destinations can be visited over and over again and still manage to offer the most exhilarating, yet an altogether different experience each and every time?!

Ladakh is one of them. It’s the most fascinating and intriguing destination in my view and therefore figures six times on my bucket list.

What can I say about Ladakh that hasn't been said, written, or spoken about before? Not much. So I’ll dispense with the adjectives for now and list down six different ways in which Ladakh can be experienced.

a)      Do a road trip

Seeing Ladakh by road is an experience in itself. There are two ways to do this – from Kashmir Valley via Kargil and from Manali to Leh. The wonder of these two roads is that each one will offer not just a different landscape but also conjure a different emotion within you.     

The route from Kargil remains open for traffic from early June to November. The most fascinating part of this road journey is passing the Zoji-La that stands at 11,500 feet and serves as the gateway to Ladakh.

The Manali-Leh road is open for traffic from around mid-June to early October. A bus journey will take you around 19 hours (or two days) with an overnight halt in camps in between. 

See this National Geographic documentary on crossing the Khardung la to Nubra Valley by road titled ‘Perilous Journey Crossing the Himalayas.’ It does get a bit monotonous at times but the host Marsh Mokhtari will keep you engaged – sometimes with the information and sometimes with his good looks!

b)      Raft down Zanskar

A rafting expedition on the Zanskar river – a tributary of the great river Indus – is one of the most surreal experiences you will ever have. It will take you down an extremely desolate, remote and sheer Zanskar gorge with walls rising a few thousand feet from the river bed.

You can also do a rafting expedition on the Indus.

d)      Walk down Zanskar! (Chadar Trek)

The Chadar trek is taking the same route as rafting but instead of paddling in a raft, you will be walking on crampons. Here, you will experience Ladakh at its harshest. Temperatures plummeting to -25 degree Celcius with no basic amenities and absolutely no connection to the outside world until you reach Leh! Read my (rather incomplete) post on the Chadar trek for more.

c)       Trek

There are so many trekking routes in this region, that you can do 10 trips just trekking all of them. The one that tops my list is the Stok Kangri trek. It will take you to India's highest trekable summit at 20,086 feet!

The terrain and the altitude make it a very difficult trek. The Stok Kangri base camp lies at 16,300 feet and is a collage of colourful tents. Check this site for more details on the trek; it has dedicated itself to it.

e)      See the sights

You can do the usual sightseeing routine and still never get bored in Ladakh. Visit the Thicksey and the Hemis monasteries as well as the Shanti Stupa. Dare to wet your feet in the Pangong lake. Shop at the Leh market (but beware, the summer rates are high). Taste the awesome local dishes of momos and thukpa.

f)      Attend the festivals

Ladakh is extremely popular for its annual festivals. The most famous of them all is the Hemis festival that takes place every June. There is also the Thiksey Gustor (Gustor literally means ‘sacrifice of the 29th date’), which is a two-day festival and marks the victory of good over evil. It takes place at the different monasteries of Spituk, Thiksey and Karsha Zanskar in different months of the year. 

I found this site on Ladakh very informative. You can try it too.