|
|
|
 
           
 

    Ladakh

 
Read Aero
Our Company
Aero
Company Profile
Aero
Why Travel With us
Aero
Our Team
Aero
Contact us
Aero
Tell Your Friend
Aero
Client Reference
 
Read Aero
Ladakh Trekking
Aero
Lamayaru Trek
Aero
The Forbidden trail
Aero
The Rupshu Trek
Aero
Rumtse to Tsomoriri
Aero
Markha Valley Trek
 
 
 
    Place to See In Ladakh

Dras Valley
Dras Valley- Ladakh The Dras Valley is an enchanting valley formed by the DrasRiver which rises in the Machoi glacier near the famous ZozilaPass. The river is joined in its course by many other riversand streams flowing in from snowfields in the nearby mountains.

The river Shigar flowing in from the north drains an adjoiningpart of the Dras Valley. In summer, as the snow in the uplandsmelts, the volume of this river rises considerably. It meetsthe Suru River near Kharul a short distance away from Kargil.The terrain is characterised by rock and stone with theoccasional greenish patch formed by willow and groves.

There is a short summer season in the Dras Valley. It begins inMay, when the snows begin to melt. Crop sowing activities startlate, while harvesting is done early so that the crops arebrought in before the beginning of snowfall.

Barley and other coarse cereals are the main crops grown inthis valley. Agricultural production is hampered due to thepoor and unproductive soil and the short growing season.Moreover, there is a lack of irrigation facilities in manyparts of the Dras Valley.

 

INDUS VALLEY
his is a large valley formed by the main channel of the Indus River as it flows across Ladakh. It includes parts of Indus ValleyLeh district, the Skardu region and the vast cold desert beyond. This valley consists of large stretches of undulating lands interspersed by high mountains across which there are many passes.

The Indus Valley is the soul of Ladakh and is strategically the most important part. Its borders touch those of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and India.

Passing through a vast inhabited wilderness at the very heart of the Himalayas, the Indus valley region comprises of some of the least explored places of Ladakh. A motorable road along the old carvan route through the hills between Likkir and Temisgong, makes a leisurely two-day hike, which takes in three major monastries - Likkir, ,Rizong (also spelt as Rhidzong) and Tamisgang.

 

KARAKORAM RANGE
Karakoram Range- LadakhKarakoram is the second tallest mountain range on Earth. Situated in Southern Asia , it forms part of the western Himalayas and extends from Northern Pakistan through to Kashmir and China . Karakoram means "black rock" in Turkish and is often spelt as ' Karakorum ' in some text books. The range includes K2 , also known as Mount Godwin Austen (8,611 m/28,251 ft), the second highest peak in the world.

The East Karakoram Range is the huge range that forms the geographical divide between India and Central Asia . It includes many high peaks including - Teram Kargri, Saltoro Kangri and Rimo, while the Karakoram Pass was the main trading link between the markets of Leh, Yarkand and Kashgar. At present this region is closed to trekkers, although a few foreign mountaineering groups were permitted to climb there in the last decade.

 

NUBRA VALLEY
The upper Shayok and Nubra rivers drain the east and west sides of the Saser Spur, the eastern most outcrop of the Karakoram. The name Nubra is applied to the district comprising the valley of the Nubra river, and that of the Shayok both above and below their confluence, where they meander in many shifting channels over a broad sandy plain before flowing off to the northwest to join the Indus in Baltistan.

The route from Leh takes the traveler over the Khardung-la, the highest motorable road in the world. The line of the road is different from that of the old pony-trail - longer and actually higher (18,300 feet / 5,578 m). The view from the top of the pass is amazing. One can see all the way south over the Indus valley to the seemingly endless peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north to the giants of the Saser massif. For several kilometers, on each side of the pass, the road covered by deep snow in winter, is rough; for the rest of the way the surface is good.

At the confluence of the two rivers there is no dearth of water, but the sandy soil is not suitable for agriculture, which is confined to the alluvial fans where side streams debouch into the main valley. The valley floor itself is covered with dense thickets of seabuckthorn - a thorny shrub- which the villagers use for fuel and for fencing their fields ; though indeed, there is now less need for this than there was in the days of the caravan trade with Central Asia when up to 10,000 horses a year are said to have traversed the district. The villages are large and seem prosperous, and have thick plantations of willow and popular. The altitude is little less than that of Leh, varying between 10,000 feet (3,048 m) at Hundar, and 10,600 feet (3,231 m) at Panamik. Summer temperatures vary between 15 degree celcius and 28 degree celcius.

 

SHYOK VALLEY
The Shyok River receives the waters of the Nubra and Changchenmo rivers. It rises from the Khumdang glacier, which can be approached from Shyok. The Shyok River takes a southerly course after it is joined by the Nubra River. Thereafter the Shyok flows into the Indus at Keris.

The river freezes in winter, thus forming an easy access between the Khaplu and the Nubra valleys. In summer, as the snow melts in the uplands, the river overflows its banks and inundates the surrounding plain for many kilometers, at times creating a vast marsh. During this period, the Shyok River has to be crossed on rafts of inflated skin.

The Shyok Valley is the valley of the Shyok River -- the river of death. This is a Yarkandi (Central Asian) name, probably given by the Central Asian traders who ventured on this treacherous route for centuries and perished. The entire northern area -- the region of the Karakoram -- has names related to death. It is evident that this was a part of the ancient trade route from Yarkand (Central Asia) to Ladakh, where many died and only the hardiest survived. The entire route towards the Karakoram Pass is littered with the bones of these travelers.

 

SALT LAKE VALLEY
The Salt Lake Valley is one of the widest open areas in Rupshu. It can be approached from Leh across the Tanglang La pass. The valley has a length of about 20 km and a maximum width of about 7 km. Its average elevation is 5,000 m.

huggi is the main settlement of the Salt Lake Valley. There are two lakes in this valley -- the fresh water Panluk Lake with an area of about 2 square kilometers and the salt-water Tsokar Lake with an area of about 10 square kilometers. Deposits of impure salt occurring on the northern shore of the Tsokar Lake are collected by the Changpas and used as barter to obtain goods from other parts of Ladakh

 
ZANSKAR VALLEY
About 20 kms. South of Rangdum stands the Pazila watershed across which lies Zanskar, the most isolated of all the trans Himalayan Valleys. The Panzila Top (4401 m) is the picturesque tableland adorned with two small alpine lakes and surrounded by snow covered peaks. As the Zanskar road winds down the steep slopes of the watershed to the head of the Stod Valley, one of Zanskar's main tributary valleys, the majestic "Drang-Drung" glacier looms into full view. A long and winding river of ice and snow, the Drang-Drung" is perhaps the largest glacier in Ladakh, outside the Siachen formation. It is from the cliff-like snout of this extensive glacier that the Stod or Doda River, the main tributary of river Zanskar, rises.

Zanskar comprises a tri-armed valley system lying between the Great Himalayan Range and the Zanskar mountain; The three arms radiate star-like towards the west, north and south from a wide central expanse where the region's two principal drainage's meet to form the main Zanskar River. It is mainly along the course of this valley system that the region's 10,000 strong, mainly Buddhists population lives. Spread over an estimated geographical area of 5000 sq. kms. High rise, mountains and deep gorges surround Zanskar. The area remains inaccessible for nearly 8 months a year due to heavy snowfall resulting in closure of all the access passes, including the Penzi-la. To-day, Zanskar has the distinction of being the least interfered with microcosms of Ladakh, and one of the last few surviving cultural satellites of Tibet. Within the mountain ramparts of this lost Shangrila stand a number of ancient yet active monastic establishments. Some of these religious foundations have evolved around remote meditation caves believed to have been used by a succession of famous Buddhist saints for prolonged meditation in pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment.
 
Fixed Departure
 
Read Aero
Ladakh Traveller Info
Aero
General Information
Aero
Getting to Ladakh
Aero
Facts for the Visitors
Aero
Places to see
Aero
Ladakh Visa
 
Read Aero
Tourism News
We have been providing quality travel services for over a decade. We provide travel-booking services We have been providing quality travel services for over a decade. We provide travel-booking services . More....
 
Read Aero
Client Testimonials
Testimoniasl
|
|
|
|
|
|
© Copyrights 2007. Adarsh Tours & Travels
Site design & maintained by: Able Nepal