Leh Travel Guide
Leh is the capital of Ladhak district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is located in the Indus Valley River. It has an average altitude 3500 m above the sea level. Leh during the historic times was one of the most important stopover place for people traveling from Indus Valley region to Tibet. The wonderful scenic beauty of the place attracts tourists from all over the world.
Leh developed as a trading post and market attracting merchants from all around Kashmir valley, North India and Tibet. Buddhism travelled along the Silk route and the Kashmir and Ladhak feeder, which has also seen the passage of soldiers, explorers and pilgrims. Ladhaki language is the local language spoken here.
Ladhak monasteries held colorful festivals every year in summer. The Hemis Festival which marks the birth of Guru Padmasambhava is celebrated in Jun. People from all over the Kashmir valley comes here to take part in this festival. Losar is an another festival celebrated. Another famous festival is the Ladhaki festival which is organized by the Tourist office here. In this festival people from all the districts of Ladhak come here to take part in it. The festival includes cultural programs, stalls are given by the locals people where handicrafts of the place are sold and displayed for the tourists.
Polo Matches are also played here during the festival. Mountaineering, White-water rafting,kayaking and polo are the famous sports of this place. The snow covered mountains and the scenic beauty all over is a mesmerizing sight to the eyes.
How to Reach Leh
- Air – Kushok Bakula Rimpochee is the only airport in Ladakh and one of the highest airports located at an elevation 3256 m.
- Rail – Since Leh do not have any railway connectivity, train travel is not possible. Jammu is the nearest railway station at a distance of 734 Kms. From Jammu one need to take a bus via Srinagar to reach Leh in 3 days.
- Road – JKSRTC runs bus services between Srinagar and Leh which takes 2 days to cover including a night stay at Kargil. Alternately, you may also reach Leh from Manali which is a two day journey with a night stay at Sarchu or Keylong.
Distance of Leh from Below Places:
| Place | Distance (KM) |
|---|---|
|
Jammu |
734 |
|
Chandigarh |
773 |
|
Srinagar |
434 |
|
Manali |
473 |
Weather
Leh Temperature
- Summer (May to Jun) – Temperatures are mild and range between (2°C) to (19°C). This is when the winter snow starts to melt and the mountain roads are opened for traffic. It is advisable to know the current road conditions before you start your journey
- Monsoon – (Jul to Sep) – The whole of Ladakh being a rain shadow area, the rain fall is very low and that too for small intervals. This is actually the best time to visit Ladakh with the sky remains pristine blue and the temperature is moderate (~ 5 to 20 degree C)
- Winter – (Oct to Apr) – Temperatures are low and remain in sub zero range with few places falling as below as -20 degree C. From late October, fresh sow fall starts and roads get closed for traffic.
- Best Time to Visit – July to September is the best season for tourism
What to See In Leh
Leh Palace is one of the famous attraction of Leh. This palace is described as a miniature version of Lhsa’s Potala Palace. It was built in the mid of 16th century. It was built by King Singe Namgyal and still owned by the royal family. The palace has 9 storeys, sloping buttresses and projecting wooden balconies. The palace looks dazzling in bright daylight and ghostly during darkness. Part of the palace is a Museum which has old thangkas, paintings and arms. There is a central prayer room which has religious writings on the walls.
Shanti Stupa means the Peace Pillar was built by a Japanese Buddhist. Dalai Lama inaugurated the Stupa in the year of 1985. The main purpose of the stupa was to spread Buddhism. The Stupa can be easily reached. The stupa is wonderfully decorated. All over the walls of Stupa,sayings of Buddhism is written.
Stok is locatd 10 km away from Leh. It is the royal palace dating from the 1840. The palace still belongs to the royal family. There is a small Palace Museum is worth visiting. It is a showpiece for the royal thangkas which are 400 years old. Other than these there are some antique jewelry. Every year an archery contest is held every year.
Shey was the royal residence located on the vantage point in the Indus Valley. Kings of Leh were supposed to be born in the monastery, the royal family moved to stok in order to escape advancing Dogra forces from Kashmir who came to exploit Pashmina wool. It is also regarded as an auspicious center for cremation. The palace gompa is 17.5m high with a blue haired Maitreya Buddha. It’s made of copper, brass and studded with precious gems. The large victory stupa is stooped with gold.
Sankar-Gompa was built during the 17th and 18th century of the Yellow Hat sect is one of the few gompas built in the valley bottom. It houses the chief lama of Spituk and 20 others. There are number of gold statues, numerous wall paintings and sculptures including a large 11 headed,1000 armed.
Hemis Monastery is situated 45 km from Leh. The monastery is built on a green hillside surrounded by amazing mountain scenery. It is the biggest and richest among all other monasteries in Leh. It is a must view for tourists. Colorful flags are seen fluttering in the breeze from the four posts against the white walls of the buildings. The monastery has two assembly halls. There is also a large Dukhang which is used for ceremonies. The murals in the verandah area sepicts guardian deities. There is a chapel inside it where ancient bronze and silver Kashmiri chortens are kept.
The monastery has a library attached to it. It has a huge and impressive collection of thangka. The morning prayers in Hemis is a moving experience and must see for the tourists.
Thikse Monastery is located on 25 kms away from Leh on a crag overlooking the flood plain on the banks of Indus River. The 12 storey monastery has 10 temples ,a nunnery , 60 lamas and residence whose houses cling to the hillside below. The complex has numerous stupas,thangkas, wall pantings and a large pillar engraved with Buddha’s teachings. The place is a best place to watch religious ceremonies.
Stakna is another monastery. it is the earliest Drukpa monastery which was built before Hemis. it is also known by the name tiger nose because of the shape of the hill site. It is small monastery but very well decorated and maintained beautifully. At the dark temple in back there are some very wonderful paintings. From here the Indus Valley and the Zanskar range can be viewed. Lamas saying here are very friendly.
Spituk is situated some 8 km from Leh. The monastery is built on a conical hill. it was built in the 11th century. The Gelugpa monks created the precedent in Ladhak of building on mountain tops. This is the seat of the head of the lama of the Yellow Hat Sect. Sculptures and chortens are displayed on the altar. Spituk has a ancient collection of Jelbagh masks, icons and arms including.
Phyang monastery is located about 16 km from Leh. The gompa dominates a side valley with a village close by. It belongs to the Red hat Kagyupa sect. The monastery houses hundreds of statues including some Kashmiri bronze statues belonging to the 14th century. It also have thangkas and manuscripts too. The temple walls have colorful paintings. Every year a festival is held in the month of July which is famous for masked dancing.
Ecological Center
Ecological center was built in the year of 1984. It was built to spread awareness of Ladhaki environmental issue,encouraging self-help and using of solar energy. It also has a handicrafts shop a display of machines and devices. It also has a library with books on Ladhaki culture.
Other Details
What to Do
- There are multiple trekking and hiking routes around Leh
- White-Water rafting in the Indus and the Zaskar river.
- Sindhu Darshan is a festival celebrated on the banks of River Sindhu in the month of June.
Where to Eat
Chopsticks–Street Raku Complex, Fort Rd. This Pan Asian restaurant is famous for their Pan Asian Food menu. Momo, Fries and Thai green curry are something to look forward to.
Penguin Garden—Located in Chulung Lane. The ambience is amazing with the sitting being below apricot trees and a variety of cuisines.
Cafe Jeevan—Located at Booklovers Retreat; Changspa Rd. Come here for Leh’s best Pizzas along with high quality vegetarian meals.
What to Buy
TIbetian Antiques and replicas are a good souvenir option. The other options would be Pashmina Shawls.
Get Around
Tourists can walk around the town and spent their days in the lap of nature, replenishing and rejuvenating themselves.
Top Destinations - Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh
– Gulmarg
– Jammu
– Kargil
– Leh
– Nubra Valley
– Pangong Lake
– Patnitop
– Pahalgam
– Sonamarg
– Srinagar
– Tso Moriri Lake
– Vaishno Devi
Popular Tour Plans - Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh
4-6 Days
1. Srinagar-Pahalgam (5N/6D)
7-10 Days
1. Jammu-Srinagar-Gulmarg-Pahalgam (8N/9D)
2. Jammu-Srinagar-Gulmarg-Sonamarg-Pahalgam (9N/10D)
> 10 Days
1. Jammu-Vaishno Devi-Patnitop-Srinagar-Gulmarg-Sonamarg-Pahalgam (11N/12D)
2. Srinagar-Kargil-Leh-Pangong Lake-Nubra Valley-Tso Moriri Lake-Sarchu-Manali (13N/14D)