Leh Palace – The palace in Leh has a mystery in it and hence it has become an attractive spot in the town. The palace stands in isolation and desertion but the Government has stepped up and there are people working to restore its glory. It is like the Potala palace in Tibet and so its face and structure is something representing the past and tourists find it attractive. The landscape is more exotic and the palace with its surroundings and history makes it a good spot for tourists to come and visit. The palace has nine stories and the upper stories were meant for the Royal family members and the lower stories were for stables and rooms to store goods.
Pangong Tso – This Lake stretches from the border of India to Chinese territory and it is situated at the height of 4250 meter of altitude. The place is beautiful and rocky with the crystal clear water that is the lake. You may feel that this is a serene and idle place at the top of mountains and is a calm and quiet place for tourist to visit. This is in East Ladakh and you my get a tent village of tourists that often visit this place and so it is often full of people from another land coming in to enjoy and spend a lot.
Hemis Gompa – This is the largest Gompa and is said to be built in 1630. This monastery was for the red sect – Brokpa. This lies 45 km out of the Leh town in the southern side. The monastery is intriguing and has got few impressive qualities than the other monasteries. There is an annual festival that is held in June July and it is on the date of the birthday of Guru Padmasambhava and this festival is a big one that fills up the courtyard with people and colorful presence of their things. The dances are held in ethinic dress and these shows the triumph of good over evil.
Drass Valley – It is an enchanting valley that is formed by the Drass river which takes birth from the Machoi glacier that is in the Zozilla pass.The river gets the forces from other rivers that are snow fed by the different mountains. The river Shigar flowing in through the other part of the valley drains another part of the valley. In summer the snow melts and gives volume to the rivers and they flow in greater speed through the terrain and valley that is rocky and is interspersed with green vegetation. The summers are short and the crops are harvested faster to get the crops before the snow comes to destroy the field.
Nubra – The visitors to this flowering glen loves this place that is very near to the nature and houses different flowers clothed in different colors. The summer sees profusion of roses and then in the month of August, the end of roses welcome the light smelling Lavenders and so you can visit it at any time, you will find the flower carpet ready for you. It is a warmer place than most of the other places and you can find crops and fruits grow in abundance here. Diskit is a village in the Nubra valley and you will find Diskit Gompa – largest monastery in Nubra valley.
Siachen Glacier – This is the largest Glacier with 72km in length and covered by boulders on all sides. It looks like a snowfield and lies in the extreme north central side of Jammu and Kashmir. This near the border of India and Tibet and has a way to it through Ladakh – the Skardu. This is located in the Karakoram range and it gives water to the Mutzgah or Shaksgam river, which flows into Tibet. This glacier forms a large part of the mountain and in winter they keep on increasing by the snow feeding from the mountains.
Baltoro Glacier – This glacier is also a field of snow in a wide trough which has precipitous and steep walls. This it stringed by different rocks and it homes moving ice. The moving ice clears the space for lakes and so we find many lakes of ice. The glacier is in the Southern slopes of the range of the Karakorum in the central area and is called Baltistan in Jammu and Kashmir. This can be reached by the Skardu in Ladhak. The glacier is placed covering a huge area and there are complete natural vegetation for the tourists to enjoy.
Alchi and Buddhist murals – This is another pretty village that is small and has got its own beauty. This Himalayan village about 60 km from Leh houses Buddhist murals. There are different murals that suffered in a bad way for they were neglected. The harsh mountain weather was also another reason for the murals to be neglected. They are getting through different process to be restored to its original grandeur. Some will be saved and some will become extinct for the people who would like to see them restored. Just take a day trip to Alchi by road and you will find guesthouses to stay there and restaurants to eat from.
