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 Ladakh is a land
of snow carve peaks. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the karakoram, it lies
athwart two others, the Ladakh range and the Zanskar range. In geological terms, this is a young land, formed only a few million
years ago by the buckling and folding of the earth's crust as the Indian sub-continent pushed with irresistible force against
the immovable mass of Asia. Its basic contours, uplifted by these unimaginable tectonic
movements, have been modified over the millennia by the opposite process of erosion, sculpted into
the form we see today by wind and water.
 Yes, water! Today, a high-altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east
plateau of Rupshui and Chushul - in drainage basins
with evocative names like Tso-morri, Tsokar, and grandest of all, Pangong -tso.
Occasionally, some stray monsoon clouds do find their way over the Himalaya, and lately this seems to be happening with increasing frequency. But the main source of water remains the winter snowfall. Dras, Zankar and the Suru Valley on the Himalaya's northern flank receive heavy snow in winter; this feeds the
glaciers whose melt water, carried down by streams, irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the region, the snow on the peaks is virtually the only source of water, As the crops grow, the villages pray not for
rain, but for sun to melt the glaciers swerved, for the skies are clear and the sun shines for over 300 days in the year.
 Ladakh
lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2,750 m) at kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672 m) at Saser kangri in the Karakoram. Thus summer temperatures rarely exceed about 27 degree C in the shade, while in winter they may plummet to minus 20 degree C even in Leh. Surprisingly, though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes, it is said that
only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time
Season
The best time for a trek in Ladakh is July to September.
Trekking Routes
High grade trek routes(3/4C) converging to Leh via Padam in Zanskar also start from Kishtwar over the Umaila, Udaipur in Lahoul over the Sersank and Poat la and from Zanskar crossing the strenuous Charcharla. Perhaps the most popular pass of all is the Shingola which still servesas an arterial route(19 days/3C) from Lahoul to zankar extending over the Sirsila to Lamyaru(3 C). the route to Kargil over pensila is now partly motorable.
Inner Line Permit
Inner line permit is required for trekking in certain areas of Ledakh which may be obtained from J&K tourism office in Delhi or District Magistrate office in Leh or from Indian Mission overseas.
Motorable Passes
On the north and eastern exits of the Indus valley in Ledakh are two of the world's highest motorable passes: Khardungla at 18,300 feet for Nubra valley and Taglangala at 17,500 feet on manali road. The former is the Karakoram gateway to vast confluence of the Shyok and Nubra rivers, Saser Kangri peak and its associated lofty ranges. Eastwards in the same district, over the Changla at 17,000 feet on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, where the traveler may sight the nomadic herdsmen of the Changthang, the black-necked crane or the elusive snow leopard.
Getting There
By Air: Daily flights from Delhi, Chandigarh, Jammu and Srinagar connect Leh by air.
By Road: Leh can be reached from manali by Road covering a distance of 471 kilometers over some of the highest passes in the world. Alternatively Srinagar is conneted to Leh by the Zojila pass.
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