Regions of Ladakh

Parched and stark but wildly beautiful Ladakh remains one of the most remote and sparsely populated regions on earth. The high altitude deserts surrounded by giant mountains of the Indian Himalayas are also the last refuge of pure Tibetan Buddhism. This ‘Land of the High Passes’ once extended its influence far across the Indus Valley, into Baltistan, across the Tibetan plateau, amidst Himalaya and Karakorum mountain ranges, its importance coming from its strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes on a branch of the Silk Road. Ladakh is cut off from the rest of India by road for 6 months a year and the little villages seem almost untouched by modern progress. Families work collectively and precious water is carefully diverted from mountain streams into ancient irrigation channels to persuade the high altitude deserts into green.

INDUS VALLEY

Is the central valley of the region, centred around the river Indus. The Indus Valley is a combination of arid and fertile, green fields and apricot orchards stand in stark contrast to the grey rock of the mountains and brown of the barren plains.

Mountains dotted with Buddhist villages and prominent monasteries, moon land landscapes, the mighty Indus and high altitude wildlife. The only civilian airport in Ladakh is in Leh.

Capital - Leh

Elevation - 3,500-7,000 metres (11,500–23,000 feet)

CHANGTHANG

The Changthang region is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau with vast highlands dotted with emerald lakes like the famous Pangong Tso. From eastern Ladakh, Changthang stretches approximately 1,600 kilometres east into Tibet as far as modern Qinghai.

The region is home to the Changpa tribe, a nomadic and pastoral community and is popular for its scenic beauty, lakes, medicinal hot springs and rare wildlife.

Capital – Nyoma

Average Elevation - 4,700 metres (15,400 ft)

NUBRA VALLEY

South of Leh over the Khardung la pass (the worlds highest motorable road) snuggled between the Karakoram and the Ladakh ranges lies the valley of flowers Nubra. Nubra was an important connection on the erstwhile Silk route connecting Central Asia and Tibet on one hand Afghanistan on the other.

Stunning mountains, Siachen river merging with the Shyok flowing through sand dunes. Double Hump camels, Balti Villages, enigmatic monasteries, ancient petroglyphs and hot springs at Panamik.

Capital – Diskit

Elevation – 10,000 ft.(3048m)

ZANSKAR VALLEY

Zanskar Valley is the most isolated of all the trans Himalayan Valleys, comprising of a tri-armed valley system lying between the Great Himalayan Range and the Zanskar mountain range with the Zanskar river bringing life.

Beautiful snow-capped mountains, monasteries and landscape. It is one of the most unexplored places in Ladakh, which makes it a hotspot for trekkers and adventure lovers. Explore ring-side views of a glacier to monasteries in caves in Zanskar valley.

Capital - Padum

Elevation - 3,500-7,000 metres (11,500–23,000 feet)

Rural Ladakh

These villages are many, scattered all over the high landscapes, each being a small cluster of people belonging to a like-minded community and sharing common customs and beliefs. Most of the villages date back to medieval or even earlier periods. Some are well-connected, yet others are isolated from the rest of the world, tucked away in the folds of the Himalayan terrain. Yet each village is a thriving hub of activity and life, with its own unique vibrancy. It is this zeal for living against odds, finding joy in small things amidst nature's harshness and adversity that keeps the spirits high and blood flowing through the veins of the local Ladakhis.

Buddhist Villages

Fluttering prayer flags, ancient monasteries perched on hillocks and smiling children saying ‘Julley’ mark your arrival in to a Buddhist village. Each village has a concrete identity, a deep-rooted history and varied traditions. A village is essentially like a close-knit family. In fact, all Buddhists truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child. As a community, they flourish in unity and they do it sustainably.

The Ladakhi people have lead a self-reliant way of life for centuries, dependent entirely on their land and what it provides. Agriculture is of primary importance but the harsh terrain and climate allows for a short season of cultivation. And then its time to prepare for the winter.

Balti Villages

Turtuk is the last Indian outpost before Pakistan in Ladakh and the northern most village in India. Known as erstwhile Baltistan, it is predominantly inhabited by Noorbakshi Muslims people here who speak Urdu, Ladakhi, Balti, and Hindi. The landscape, culture, language, clothing, and even the physical features of people change quite drastically in this region.

To look at the landscape from a distance with squinted eyes, this village could just as well mimic the Italian countryside, with tall Viridian green trees contrasted against pale ochre patches of barley. There is a desire to linger on, the sense of being a part of a time warp into the past that would change if exited.

Aryan Villages

For them ethnicity defines status. They claim to be of pure Aryan stock and myth has it that they trace their genetic history to the members of the Alexander’s army which stayed back. Nestled in 4 villages of Ladakh, this 1800 strong Brokpa community has rather successfully been able to keep its gene pool intact, using strong social sanctions and rules. They have very distinct features from Ladakhis – tall and statuesque, with green eyes, high cheek bone, fair with flawless skin and some with blonde hair.

The community calls itself Minaro (meaning Aryan) , but are popularly known as Brokpa.

Plan your journey around a festival

The different festivals of Ladakh offer a unique opportunity to explore the rich cultural and traditional landscape of the region. There are various festivals that happen through the year starting in February-March with the Guru Tsechu festival as Stok and the Matho Nagrang festival at Matho. Some of the biggest festivals are the Hemis festival in June and the Naropa festival in September. As guests of the royal family you may be granted special access and get the chance to have a more intimate experience at these festivals.

Do not hesitate to reach out to us for help in planning out your holiday in Ladakh around some of the festivals.

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Wildlife of Ladakh

The flora and fauna of Ladakh was first studied by Ferdinand Stoliczka, an Austrian-Czech palaeontologist, who carried out a massive expedition in the region in the 1870s. The fauna of Ladakh have much in common with that of Central Asia generally, and especially those of the Tibetan Plateau. An exception to this are the birds, many of which migrate from the warmer parts of India to spend the summer in Ladakh. For such an arid area, Ladakh has a great diversity of birds — a total of 318 species have been recorded (Including 30 species not seen since 1960). Many of these birds reside or breed at high-altitude wetlands such as Tso Moriri.

The snow leopard (shan) once ranged throughout the Himalaya, Tibet, and as far as the Sayan Mountains on the Mongolian-Russian border; and in elevation from 1800 m to 5400 m. They are extremely shy and hard to spot, and as such not well known. It is believed there are about 200 in Ladakh. Other cats in Ladakh are even rarer than the snow leopard: the lynx (ee), numbering only a few individuals, and the Pallas's cat, which looks somewhat like a house cat. The Tibetan wolf (shangku) is the greatest threat to the livestock of the Ladakhis and as such is the most persecuted. There are only about 300 wolves left in Ladakh. There are also a very few brown bears (drenmo / tret) in the Suru valley and the area around Dras. The red fox (watse) is common, and Tibetan sand fox (watse) has recently been discovered in this region.

Explore Ladakh with us!

Regions of Ladakh

INDUS VALLEY

CHANGTHANG

NUBRA VALLEY

ZANSKAR VALLEY

Rural Ladakh

Buddhist Villages

Balti Villages

Aryan Villages

STOK PALACE HERITAGE

Festivals of Ladakh

Plan your journey around a festival

STOK PALACE HERITAGE

Wildlife of Ladakh

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