Information on my Leh Ladakh Tour
“If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here,” exclaimed the Moghul king, jahangir, moved to such ecstasy by the beauty of Kashmir. He was doubtlessly, enthralled by the valley’s lush greenery, its abundance of flowers and fruits, its shimmering springs and translucent lakes. He could not possibly have been thinking of that arid region in eastern Kashmir which is known as Ladakh and which recent historical events have brought into the limelight. But if Ladakh cannot boast of nature’s bounty, its high desert plateaus and granite peaks have a rugged charm of their own. And its isolated, ancient culture endows it with a mystery which irresistibly attracts the explorer and the tourist alike.
Its location has earned Ladakh the nickname of “Central Asian Diamond,” which brought the various realms of Asia together through gcertain important trade routes connecting lands lying on all its four sides. The minor routes acted links to the major routes lying to the north and south of Ladakh. For example, the “Silk Route” that connected China with the Middle East lay to the north of Ladakh. It was never a terminal point for any major route, never a cul-de-sac or a blind alley, but always a transit area, a region of interaction for people from neighboring regions. Also Visit – Leh Ladakh Pangong Lake Tour
With its borders touching Tibet, Chinese Sinkiang and Baltistan, and with the Soviet Union, Pakistan and Afghanistan in close proximity, Ladakh occupies a highly strategic position. It remained closed to visitors for almost a quarter century, and it has only recently been opened to tourists. Of the roads leading to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, the only one suitable for motor traffic is that from Srinagar, a two-day drive. This highway remains. Snow-bound from October till May. It takes one month to clear about ten million cubic feet of snow from a ninety kilometre stretch of the road and costs six million rupees a year.
My journey to Leh was, however, made by air. Accompanied by my wife, Bholi, I took off from Chandigarh in the morning. Within a few minutes we had left the dusty plains behind and were flying over the great Himalayas and Zanskar ranges with snow-clad peaks stretching as far as the eye could see. Beneath us was a sea of white, undisturbed snow. In vain did we look for a footstep somewhere. There was not a spot that man, bird or animal had trodden upon. But soon, there was a distinct change in the mountain-scape. Abruptly, it seemed, the snow had rolled away. There was no more white. It looked as if some mighty hand had plucked the sheet of snow away, exposing the mountain. We now saw brown dust and black rocks. We were over the strange, barren land of Ladakh.
It was a fantastic sight as the valley of Indus stretched down below, surrounded by the barren and desolate horseshoe-shaped mountains where not even a blade of grass grows. As we flew over this mysterious land which has been invaded since time immemorial, many thoughts crowded my mind. I visualized the invasions by the Turks, the Baltis, the Moghuls and the Dogras—hordes of riders, uttering war cries, their swords flashing as they entered into battle. Perhaps they trundled along some canons too. From the medley of thoughts an English name arose, that of Godwin Austen, who the, second European to penetrate into the vicinity of the world’s second highest mountain K-2, which is here, towards the north-west. “Captain Austen,” I ruminated, “what made you, a young British officer, come all the way here in the nineteenth century, to a land so far removed from your own country?” But even as I posed the question, I knew the answer. In the words of Mallory, a famous mountaineer: “You climb the mountains because they are there.” Also Visit – Leh Ladakh Tour
Not far off was another well-known summit—Nanga Parbat. I thought of Herman Buhl and how he had conquered this great mountain alone. Many a glorious battle may be fought without sword or bombs, scenes of those heroes’ exploits’ and how he had conquered this here, lay the heart of ght without swords or bombs, I mused. As we passcd by the the north, not far from A saluted them. Then, to and sa I felt like a pilgrim
Asia with the ancient cities of Kashgar, Yarkand and Khotan, with many historic and romantic associations—nestling in these barren hills and plateaus from where the names of the great explorers like Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang and Marco Polo emerged. It struck me that at one time, great cities must have existed in these barren lands. Recent archaeological research, particularly that conducted by Sir Aurel Stein in Central Asia, points to this fact. There were perhaps many lakes, but loss of moisture through evaporation and changes in atmospheric conditions extended the desert, water courses dried up, and the oases became smaller and smaller.
I was still in the midst of these thoughts, when we landed on this dry, dusty stretch of land. It was Leh, the capital of Ladakh, which by virtue of being situated at 3,500 metres above sea-level, becomes one of the highest valleys in the world. The three-letter word “Leh,” which appears prominently in all maps of the area, means “oasis.” Also Visit – Leh Nubra Tour
We immediately sensed the air, cool and almost pure. We noticed the dryness in it and were told that since the air is extremely rarefied, it is incapable of holding any moisture. Our drive from the airstrip to the Alpha Mess was fascinating. It was a beautiful, well-laid road, looking neat and clean, as if someone had just swept the dust off its even surface. There was no rubbish lying along the roadside.
It was early October, when it is neither very hot nor very cold in Leh. The green leaves of the trees were turning into a rich yellow and gold. September-end and early October is the best period to visit Ladakh. January and February are extremely cold. Spring comes late here and the trees do not break into foliage till June.
A peculiarity of Ladakh is that its gompas (monasteries), dark and gloomy inside, are constructed at the highest and isolated points on the rocky mountains. The immediate reaction on seeing a typical Ladakhi monastery is one of surprise because one feels that it will slide down the cliff any moment, so precariously balanced does it appear. With a gasp, Bholi asked me how they ever managed to construct anything so big and high at that altitude in those days, when not very much could have been known about construction engineering.
Yet another feature of Ladakh is its numerous hot springs, whose waters are attributed with curative qualities for ailments like rheumatism, ulcers and other skin diseases. It also has many lakes, the important ones being Pangong, Morarai and K ar Tso. Pangong Tso, the largest lake in Ladakh, is 136 kilometers long and situated at a height of approximately 4,550 metres, with the Tibetan border running along its eastern end. The crest of the great Himalayan range to the south and south-west of Ladakh prevents the monsoon from entering it and leaves the valley absolutely arid. There is hardly fifty millimeters of rainfall in a year. The snow line is higher here than in most other comparable places and the greater portion of land remains uncultivated. But in spite of the dryness, the land being stony, some cultivation of wheat and barley is done. Tamarisks, poplars, willows, elaeagnus and junipers are grown here. Also Visit – Kashmir Leh Ladakh Tour
Since I had been in the Valley of Flowers at a height of 3,500 metres in the Central Himalayas in the early pan of the year, I did not expect to be troubled by altitude sickness, though I was not entirely sure of how my body would react to the low pressure and paucity of oxygen in Leh. Neither was I sure about how Bholi would adapt to this peculiar situation. The altitude effect in this region on the human body is far more severe than at the same height elsewhere.
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