Without a doubt, Zanskar valley is one of the best places to visit in Leh Ladakh. It is amongst the most desolate places in the Himalayan range. The steep terrains covered with snow reflect the heavenly skies. The tributaries of the Zanskar River are famous for seasonal white river rafting.
Best Time to Visit: Zanskar is best visited between June to September when the road is clear of the snow. It’s closed for a significant time due to extreme snowfall and winter.
Zanskar or Zangskar (Ladakhi: zangs dkar) is a sub district or Tehsil of the Kargil district, which lies in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative centre is Padum. Zanskar, together with the neighbouring region of Ladakh, was briefly a part of the kingdom of Guge in Western Tibet.
A trip to Leh Ladakh is incomplete without a visit to Kargil. This is the second largest town in Ladakh, situated on the banks of Indus River. It is a transit hub with roads leading to Leh, Padum (Zanskar) and Srinagar. Also, it is a haven for adventure enthusiasts as they can enjoy sports such as trekking and mountaineering. Best Time to visit: The summer season between May to July is the best time to visit Kargil as the temperature is cool with frigid nights.
Kargil town is 204 km away from Srinagar and 230 km from Ladakh. Kargil is the 2nd largest town of Ladakh.
The town is located at the junction of famous silk route and caravans from china, Yakkand, Afghanistan and Indian plains used to go through Kargil in the past.
One of the best places to visit in Leh Ladakh is the Magnetic Hill. The science behind the phenomenon is unknown but it has been observed that if you leave your vehicle at the base of the hill with the brakes unlocked, it will start moving uphill slowly on its own. Magic? Definitely not. It’s simply the superpowers you get when you reach this place.
Magnet Hill is a "Cyclops Hill" located near Leh Leh Mera Khana in Ladakh, India. The layout of the area and surrounding slopes create the appearance of a hill. The right hill road is actually an uphill road. Objects and cars on the left hill road may appear to roll "uphill" in defiance of gravity when they are, in fact, rolling downhill. The other two such magnetic hills are in Gujarat. One is near Bhuj (Kalo dungar - the black hills) and other at Tulsi Shyam.
Shanti Stupa is one of the magnificent Tibetan structures that has ever been built. The architecture and the beauty of this place are unexplainable. Shanti Stupa is a white-dome structure dedicated to Buddhism. This brilliant structure stands atop a steep hilltop at a dizzying height of 11,841 feet above sea level. This dominating altitude of the Stupa allows it to offer picturesque views of its beautiful surroundings and hence, draws the attention of thousands of tourists every year. Facing towards the Leh Palace, the stupa overlooks the entire vibrant and colourful city of Leh and offers panoramic views of the Changspa village too. The beauty of Shanti Stupa takes a level up at night, especially during the full moon night when it is naturally illuminated by the moonlight.
Nubra valley is a dash of lush greenery in Ladakh's dessert and moon like landscapes and slopes, being almost 3000m lower than Leh. Snuggled between the Karakoram Range and nourished by two rivers, Nubra is brimming with Sea buck thorns and Alfalfa. During summers, the whole valley is carpeted with Pink and yellow roses and by Autumn in oodles of wild lavenders which, like almost everything around it, a sight beyond simple natural beauty. To travel to this place, tourists require an Inner Line Permit, that they can obtain in Leh.
Nubra is a tri-armed valley located to the north east of Ladakh valley. Diskit, the capital of Nubra is about 150 km north from Leh town, the capital of Ladakh district, India.
Ladakh is known as the land of the monks and monasteries. Spituk is one of the many tourist places to visit in Leh Ladakh. This is famous for its beautifully carved location at the top of a hill. The winds at the night, however, may chill you to the bones.
Founded in the late 14th century as See-Thub (‘Exemplary’) Monastery, impressive Spituk Gompa surveys the Indus Valley with multiple mudbrick buildings tumbling merrily down a steep hillock towards Spituk village. For fine views, it's worth climbing the exterior stairway to the three-tiered latho (spirit shrine) and gonkhang, which holds the monastery's guardian deities.
Rafting expedition is done on Zanskar River, called the Grand Canyon of India, with high cliff like gorges at certain places. The Zanskar Rafting expedition is one of The best river trips in The world.
One of the many wonderful activities that the landscape of Ladakh offers its guests is river rafting. Rafting in Ladakh is one of the most under appreciated activities in the region but also one of the most adventurous. Ladakh is home to the Indus river, which flows across its northern region before entering Pakistan. Though the river here is just beginning to gain momentum, the rapids to be found within it are of a force and intensity that make rafting in it a marvellous experience. Rafting can also be enjoyed on the rapids of the Zanskar river.
Hemis National Park has the distinction of being the largest national park in South Asia. The park is protected home for endangered mammals like leopards, Asiatic ibex, Tibetan wolf, the Eurasian brown bear and the red fox. For nature lovers and bird watchers, this has to be on your list of places to see in Ladakh. Pollution free environment and noise free surroundings make bird watching a joyful experience. Your Leh sightseeing experience stays incomplete without this one in the itinerary.
Best time to visit: Between May to September
