By Samar.
Samar journeys through the high Himalayas of Ladakh in addition to presents his eternal jeopardy inward photographs.
There used to live (still is) an adage inward North Republic of Republic of India inward Pre-Independence era – "Jisne Lahore Nahin Dekha, Usne Jeevan me Kuch nahi Dekha", if you lot haven't seen Lahore, you lot haven’t seen anything inward life. If it were upto me, I'd supervene upon Lahore alongside Ladakh.
Ladakh invokes a paradoxical feeling of interplanetary space tranquillity mixed alongside excitement in addition to adventure. Ladakh is, on record, the biggest portion in addition to Leh the biggest district of all of Asia. As a teen raised past times a farmer's family, my mind's landscape was moulded past times the globe in addition to constitute refuge inward Ladakh's pristine beauty. In Ladakh, you lot don't capture beauty; the beauty captures you lot in addition to captures you lot absolutely.
1. Khardung La
This is the world’s highest motorable route at over 18,000 feet. Your experience your start sense of achievement when you lot click yourself at that milestone. Khardung La lone tin terminate easily live done inward a unmarried day.
Proud to ambit Khardung La. |
2. Nubra Valley
After Khardung La comes the beautiful Nubra Vallley, where you lot must pass atleast a night. Double-humped camels inward Republic of Republic of India are constitute here. If you lot start early, you'll induce got enough of fourth dimension to explore Khardung La in addition to ambit Nubra valley by evening.
3. Pangong Lake
Beauty, beauty, beauty. It falls on a dissimilar route than Khardung La, virtually 80km from Leh. Of the 145km long lake, 45km are inward Republic of Republic of India in addition to the residual inward China; that's how unopen you lot are to the Chinese border. Spend a nighttime inward your tent, a nighttime you lot would never induce got experienced earlier inward your life, in addition to you lot would desire to remain at that topographic point for a week. It is such virgin beauty, famed past times Aamir Khan's "Three idiots". The famous vocal "Satrangi Re" from Shahrukh Khan's "Dil Se" was filmed hither in addition to if you lot came to know, Shahrukh would bathe inward the lake everyday!
Golden mountains on the means to Pangong Lake. |
Pangong Lake, a photographer's paradise. |
4. Sindhu Darshan
The Famous Sindhu river passes through Leh, in addition to a especial cultural festival is celebrated on its banks every twelvemonth for tourists. Don’t forget to live utilization of it.
The River Sindhu keeps you lot companionship from Leh to Srinagar. |
5. Magnetic Hill
On the Leh-Sri Nagar highway, you lot tin terminate witness the magical Magnetic Hill, where your vehicle is pulled forrad naturally. Geographically, these hills are at such an incline that a magnetic forcefulness is created. Don’t forget to induce got blessings from the 500 twelvemonth quondam Gurudwara Sri Pathar Sahib. It's difficult to imagine that Guru Nanak tread on such stone oil terrain roughly 500 years back, alongside no infrastructure whatsoever.
May the forcefulness live alongside you, at Magnetic Hill. |
6. Kargil, Tiger Hill, Drass & Amarnath kicking Camp at Sonamarg.
This is where bikers could induce got a stop for a nighttime at Kargil, since it's non possible to reach Srinagar inward a unmarried 24-hour interval from Leh. We camped only exterior the Kargil city. This highway was the target of Pakistani intruders during the Kargil war.
A Ladakhi village. |
7. Drass
The valley of Kashmir is lush light-green in addition to divinely beautiful. It homes a completely dissimilar civilisation than the Ladakh region. Try to communicate alongside the hamlet folk inward the Drass surface area in addition to you'll require heed amazing stories of the Kargil war.
Kashmir Valley. |
Drass. |
8. Srinagar
When you lot finally ambit Sri Nagar, residual for the nighttime in addition to explore the beauty of Dal Lake. You tin terminate caput from from Sri Nagar to Jammu, Pathankot in addition to finally Chandigarh.
When to Go: When the route is declared opened upward afterwards the snowfall is cleared. Keep an oculus on Himachal Pradesh Websites or Leh City Website for data updates. Generally it opens inward the lastly calendar week of May, until the lastly calendar week of September.
Kudos to the guys who brand a watch to Ladakh possible each year. |
Road Route:
Chandigarh - Manali - Leh or Sri Nagar - Leh.
Either way, the entire journeying is 2,500-3,000 km, Chandigarh beingness the starting in addition to terminate point.
Getting There:
There are 3 ways to ambit Ladakh:
By Bike: Advisable for those who intend in addition to believe that they are tough! Mind my words; this route is the grand daddy of tough roads inward the world.
By Four Wheeler: Hiring a driver is a ameliorate selection than driving yourself.
By Flight to Leh: It saves time, but leaves you lot vulnerable to height sickness. From Leh city, you lot tin terminate hire a motorcycle or a iv wheeler to explore the region.
Author Bio: The writer is the founder of Sufis Discovering Republic of Republic of India - a bike jeopardy society to explore India. He besides consults jeopardy cycle trips to Ladakh & is an jeopardy consultant alongside Vagabond International Ltd, New Zealand. He tin terminate live contacted at sufis.discoveringindia@yahoo.com.
For to a greater extent than stories off the beaten path inward India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute invitee posts / photograph essays to this blog, delight transportation your storey ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com.