Manali-Leh Highway : Leh A Land of Monasteries, Peaks, and Lakes

This is the ninth post of the Manali Leh Highway series, in the previous posts of this series you saw Himalayan Shepherds, Life of Changpa Tribe, Himalayan Rickshaw Run, Lahaul Valley, Maure Plains, Tanglang La and Naki La landscapes and more about this colorful land Go. Today in this series we will read about Leh.

It has been 9 days since this series went on. In these 9 days you will see the Trans Himalayan landscapes located between Manjali and Leh and listen to the stories of its people. Starting from Manali, the highway ends at Leh, covering a distance of 460 km, Leh feels like a golden destination for everyone.

I reached Leh for the first time by bicycle in 2014. Then it took me 9 days to cover a distance of 460 km. Since then I liked Leh so much that I have visited Leh about 12 times till now. I have visited Leh in the months of June, August, September and January.

Once I went to Leh in winter to trek on the Zanskar River. The winter season is completely different and calm from the summer season. In -30 degrees, almost the entire Leh sleeps covered with winter sheets. Very few hotels are opened and many people come to the plains from Leh before winter.

It would not be wrong to call Leh a cold desert. The temperature on Siachen Glacier in Ladakh goes down to -50 degrees. Only the Indian Army competes with nature on this glacier. You man can neither reach there nor live in such difficult conditions.

Leh is part of the Trans Himalayas whose altitude has been recorded from 3450 meters to 3650 meters. This valley opened for tourists for the first time in 1974, when only 527 tourists reached Leh, out of which 500 were foreigners and 27 were domestic tourists. Gradually, documentaries were made on Leh and the landscapes of Leh started being shown in films, as a result, Leh was visited by 450,000 tourists as per the figures of 2022. And this number is increasing every day.

Buddhist religion is mainly prevalent in Leh, despite this Hindus and Muslims also live here in a very friendly manner. Talking about big lakes in Leh, there are 10 lakes here of which Pangong Lake is the largest. There are 17 mountain passes in Ladakh, of which the highest mountain pass is Khardungla with a height of 5359 meters. There are mainly 17 small and big monasteries in Ladakh, of which Diskit Monastery is the largest and grandest. Ladakh Due to its pleasant and dry climate and environment, the expansion of population here is less. According to the figures of 2022, 3 lakh people live in Ladakh. There are 24 famous mountain peaks in Ladakh region, in which Saser Kangdi Peak is the highest, the height of this peak is 7742 meters.

Ladakh is a great place to visit, so tourists are reaching here in large numbers every year. To reach Leh, tourists choose the highway from Manali to Leh or reach Leh from Srinagar in Kashmir. Leh cannot be reached by rail as of now, but in future many projects are going on so that Leh can be connected by rail to other world. Leh was connected by air long back. You can come to Leh any time of the year by using the air route. I had taken a flight to Leh during winters and the temperature was -25 degrees as soon as I landed there.

Talking of sightseeing, there are 52 such places all over Ladakh where you can visit and get paid for your trip. Pangong Lake, situated at 4400 m, is the largest lake in Ladakh, spread over a circumference of about 120 km. Khardungla Pass, which is called the highest mountain pass in the world, this pass is located 40 km from Leh. Magnetic Hill where it is said that the cars go up the mountain on their own. Zanskar Valley is situated at a distance of 105 km from Leh, this valley is still not fully connected to the city by road. It is believed that after Nubra Valley, Zanskar Valley is the most beautiful valley of Ladakh.

Stupa built in the memory of the fourteenth Dalai Lama, which is famous by the name of Shanti Stupa. The fort built in 1820, which is 15 km from Leh, is a very famous tourist destination, this fort is known as Stoke Palace. Shocker Lake situated at 4595 m is the third largest lake in Ladakh. The Hall of Fame built in memory of the India-Pakistan war is a place of pride for all Indians. Thikshey Monastery is located 15 km from Leh, this monastery is 15 meters high and is home to about 1000 monks. Sangam, which is 45 km from Leh, is the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers. The 39 feet high fort, which is 25 km from Leh, is an ancient fort. It is known as Shey Palace.

Other places to visit include Hemis Monastery, Rafting, Patthar Sahib Gurdwara, Kargil, Likir Monastery, Alchi Monastery, Spituk Monastery, Camel Ride, Leh Palace, Hemis National Park, Chadar Trek, Hunder Village, Turtuk, Phugtal Monastery, Lamayuru, Changla Pass , Chemre Monastery, Namgyal Monastery, Shankar Gompa, Druk School, Sindhu Darshan, Changthang National Park, Nyoma, Panamik and Shyok Valley are the main attractions here.

I have visited all the tourist places of Leh in winter and summer. Now I will go to Leh next time in June 2024. I hope you have liked this post. Will be waiting for your comment and your smile.

Disclaimer: All photos are clicked by me (himalayanwomb), All photos are clicked with Canon Nokia mobile, Sony point and shoot and 1100d, Photos are edited in Lightroom. This blog has been written in Hindi and translated into English for which the help of Google Translate has been taken. And yes I proudly say this post is AI free.