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Alluring Ladakh

Written by SuperHypersonic

Thursday, 03 July 2008 19:11

Alluring Ladakh landscape

How does one begin to describe :
a land of endless contrasts,
a land of bewitching beauty,
a land of tough terrain & majestic mountains ….. and more?

I could exhaust all superlatives, all adjectives so I’ll simply describe LADAKH as the place which you fall in love with the minute u set your eyes on it.

Ladakh itself means a land of thousand passes. It is at an average altitude of 10000 feet & is a high-altitude, cold desert. It’s bounded by the world's two mightiest mountain ranges - the great Himalayan and the Karakoram. It lies athwart two others: The Ladakh and the Zanskar range.
And that is the most enchanting aspect of Ladakh that the mountains are ubitiquitous.

You can turn in any direction & the majestic mountains are there!!
This also implies that the region has a harsh weather plummeting to as low as minus 40 degrees in winter & only as high as 25-26 degrees in summer.
The Great Himalayas also act as a barrier for rain-bearing clouds, hence Ladakh gets little or no rainfall. A first-time traveler also has to combat the extremely low levels of oxygen in this terrain.

But once you surmount the weather, you can’t help being smitten by the topography of Ladakh- because Ladakh is a land like no other. From Challenging glaciers, snow-clad peaks, mountain river gorges, brilliantly colored rocks to splendidly beautiful lakes like Tso-Moriri, Pangong-Tso, Tsokar etc., Ladakh has it all. It’s also home to the world’s highest motorable road “Khardungla” or “K-Top” as called by locals. Its at an altitude of a mind-boggling 18380ft !!! And stepping on this road is bound to fill you with a sense of awe as well as pride!

Ladakh’s largest town is Leh & most tourists base themselves here as it provides varied accommodation options. Most cultural events are also organized in Leh. Leh is is dominated by the nine-storey Namgyal Palace & the Stok Palace , both of which are major tourist attractions. Leh also has multicuisine restaurants that are also reasonably priced. There are number of tour operators around the town, which look after travelers requirements.

Ladakh also has some of the world’s most beautiful & celebrated monasteries & most are also frequented by visitors to the region.
And for the adventurous Ladakh offers exciting options of trekking, river-rafting.
One of the most difficult but exciting option for white-water rafting is on the Zanskar along its spectacular course through the gorge in the Zanskar Mountains.
Trekking though very challenging at such high altitudes, can be a very rewarding experience as one would be greeted by spectacular views at every step.
And though the altitude & low oxygen levels in Ladakh may make some tourists dizzy, what is guaranteed is that Ladakh is an experience of a lifetime. Unforgettable, enchanting & captivating, as I said before, words are not enough to describe this magical land. So, everyone who sets foot here remains eternally enamored by Ladakh.

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beautiful article :)
written by Emily , July 07, 2008

very beautifully written!
One day I hope I get to visit this magical place!

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well written
written by varsha_t , November 22, 2008

Your article is as poetic as the land!! I plan to visit this place in the near future.

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