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Leh And Ladakh Tourism

Famed as “roof of the world”, Ladakh is a one of the most sought after tourist destinations of globetrotters. A high altitude cold desert, Ladakh is bounded by two of the world's greatest mountain ranges, namely the Great Himalaya and the Karokarom mountain ranges.

Ladakh valley, located in northern fringes of Jammu and Kashmir, behold the attention of visitors with its endless array of natural treasures. Gushing sound of icy river that surge down from the high glaciers, shivering cool breezes and the towering snow-capped mountains that very well touches the clear blue sky are the main attractions of these “land of passes”.

Sparsely populated by people of Indo-Aryan and ethnic Tibetan community, Ladakh used to serve as an important trade route between India and Central Asia. People here are very lively and learned the techniques of living in a harsh climatic and barren region.

Buddhist religion has a major impact over the natives of this valley. Every nook and corner of this undisturbed valley, is dotted with several tranquil monasteries or gompas of various Buddhist sects, as Ladakh was a Buddhist kingdom of yesteryears. Hemis Gompa, Namgyal Tsemo Gompa, Shey monastery, Spituk monastery are some of the best monasteries of the valley.

Lies mainly in Leh or its nearby areas, these monasteries are rich repository of Buddhist culture and tradition. Rhythmic chanting and colorful dance festivals of Buddhist monks truly creates an enchanting ambiance here in Ladakh. Vacationers from far and wide comes here to have a glimpse of these mesmerizing dance dramas.

Apart from monasteries, Leh which is the largest town of Ladakh valley is also beautified with some more important tourist spots like Leh Palace, Stok Palace and museum, Shanti Stupa etc. Perched at an altitude of 3,505 m above the sea level, Leh serves gateway to the barren mountainous region of Ladakh region. Beside being one of the favourite destination for holidaymakers, Ladakh is an ideal site for various kinds of adventure sports.

Trekking, mountaineering, white-water rafting are some of the famous adventures sports that every traveller wants to indulge himself or herself. Markha valley from Spituk or Lamayuru Gompa to Chilling trek are some of the popular trekking trails in Ladakh valley.

Beside participating in adventure sports, tourists can also engage themselves in wildlife tourism. The Hemis High Altitude National Park, located in Central Ladakh is a famous habitat fro various rare and distinct wildlife species of the region. It provide shelter to Bharal or blue sheep, Asiatic Ibex, Tibetan Antelope, and Tibetan Gazelle etc. It is also home to 225 avi-faunal species such as Brown Headed Gull, Hoopoe, Raven, Red-billed Chough, Tibetan Snowcock Chukar and Black-necked Crane etc.

While your sojourn at Ladakh, don't miss out to shop some turquoise and silver jewellery that come from Tibet and Myanmar. Also don't forget to purchase some Tibetan and Ladakhi artifacts, Thangka paintings, small prayer wheels, music bowls, Ladakhi carpets, rugs, shawls and stoles either from Government emporium or Ladakh Art Palace or Lhasa embroidery centre. Do visit Tibetan Refugee Market on Old Leh Road for some more shopping.

By: Mamoni Mazumdar

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