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Tourism in northern India's Ladakh region is no longer confined to those who are willing to trek across the cold desert on a camel or a yak! There are wonderful places to stay and there is modern transport in which to get from one to another. Made up of two districts, the Ladakh region covers 59,000 square kilometers and has winter's snowfall as its main source of water.
This is one of India's most picturesque areas and was a kingdom for almost a millennium from the middle of the tenth century. Some of the earliest colonizers of Ladakh were Tibetan nomads and the meeting of Buddhist and Islamic cultures makes for a fascinating array of visual images, costumes and lifestyles.
Ladakh Tourism is developing. There are lots of tourists visiting this place every year and Ladakh Tourism is now growing even more. |
Leh, the capital of India’s Ladakh region is geared to town tourism and more than one family has been known to split up for a day, here and there: those who prefer to laze wandering across to the hotel’s pool and the more adventurous striking out on a trek into the unknown! Ladakh Tourism is growing due to this beauty of nature.
The lakes have an ethereal quality and, at the edge of India’s glorious Ladakh region, the Karakoram Range fills the horizon with the grandeur of the snow-filled peaks lacing the distance between K2 and Nanga Parbat.
Because of the high altitudes, most tourists are advised to take it easy on the first day and let their bodies acclimatize to the relative thinness of the air. Tso Moriri (Lake Moriri) is thirty kilometers long and less than eighty kilometers from Chinese Tibet.
As the day progresses, the colors seem to be constantly changing and by the time twilight arrives, the spectacle is breathtaking. Descending into the Indus Valley, one can also see extraordinary geological phenomena such as exposed sulfur deposits and gleaming salt flats. In the Rupsu Valley area, a boiling spring gushes next to a freezing one and a car parked on a magnetic mountain will not roll downhill but, rather, will be pulled uphill by an invisible force.
Although the snow-capped brown and purple peaks and mountain meadows are awe-inspiring, tourism in the Ladakh region of India is about more than just beautiful scenery. The culture of the cheerful people of Ladakh, in the face of one of the most rugged terrains in the world, will appeal to those whose reason for travel is to meet others who are different. The Buddhist legacies of temples and monasteries are a source of endless fascination for anyone interested in religion, architecture or both and are made all the more important by the fact that most of the original examples in Tibet no longer exist.
River rafting, mountain climbing and other adventure sports are all subjects of specialized treks and safaris and, whether in search of action, keen to see rare wildlife or just longing to soak up the natural beauty of the great outdoors, tourism in Ladakh, India's 'Little Tibet', offers something for everyone. |
