- Green-trees,Leh Ladakh
Leh Ladakh, Ahhh! The headline defines my experience.There are a very handful of places in India where you feel yourself being away from home. Leh Ladakh is a place which brings your dreams into reality and allows you to be close to the Mother Nature, who bestows on you her beauty and blessings. Yes it simply does! The culture, people, place and even the non-tangible elements of this place are beyond one’s imagination.
Step by step, mile by mile you are blown away with the kind of landscapes you get to see. So how do you plan your trip? When do you go? How do you go and what are the best places to cover? This article is an attempt amongst those thousand articles written in the past. No no, my article is not the bible for your trip to Leh Ladakh, but certainly will make a quick good reference.
How to plan trip to Leh Ladakh
- snowcapped peaks
To begin with, I must admit that you have to plan your trip to Leh Ladakh well in advance, 2months prior to journey day is ideal. You cannot cover all places in one trip unless and until you are at the leisure of deciding your leaves from work. From the health perspective, this barren paradise comes with a few rules and precautions you will have to keep in mind. It is not easy to immediately get acclimatized to the high altitude. People from all walks of life come to explore the natural treasures hidden behind in the Himalayan region. You have to take care of the “Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)” syndrome which is very common here. So, if you are flying to Leh directly from a place which is at a lower altitude, you might face casualties of AMS.
If you are planning a roadtrip from Chandigarh to Jammu &Kargil, then you might breathe easy, as AMS usually suddenly shifting from a lower altitude to higher is where AMS syndrome hits anybody. A very common & easily available medicine “Diamox” helps you combat AMS. It comes in very handy for those who are flying directly to Leh. All you have to do is before you board your flight, just pop in the half tablet of “Diamox” and you are sorted. Yes it is that simple! (I am not a doctor by profession, so cannot comment if there are any side effects that might affect your body). Once you are at Leh airport, and if you still feel dizzy or if you have a headache, the first thing is to do is have some quick snack, take another 1 full tablet of Diamox and sleep on it for 2-3 hours (Note: Similar sickness might occur at higher altitude points like Khardung La. The best thing to do is to descent to a lower altitude immediately).Rest through your first day & you should be well acclimatized to begin small trips to nearby places(Watch out for my section on trip essentials at the end of the article).
If you are planning a roadtrip from Chandigarh to Jammu &Kargil, then you might breathe easy, as AMS usually suddenly shifting from a lower altitude to higher is where AMS syndrome hits anybody. A very common & easily available medicine “Diamox” helps you combat AMS. It comes in very handy for those who are flying directly to Leh. All you have to do is before you board your flight, just pop in the half tablet of “Diamox” and you are sorted. Yes it is that simple! (I am not a doctor by profession, so cannot comment if there are any side effects that might affect your body). Once you are at Leh airport, and if you still feel dizzy or if you have a headache, the first thing is to do is have some quick snack, take another 1 full tablet of Diamox and sleep on it for 2-3 hours (Note: Similar sickness might occur at higher altitude points like Khardung La. The best thing to do is to descent to a lower altitude immediately).Rest through your first day & you should be well acclimatized to begin small trips to nearby places(Watch out for my section on trip essentials at the end of the article).
- Zanskar and Indus-Sangam, Leh Ladakh
Best places to see in Leh Ladakh
Coming to the best places in Leh Ladakh :Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso &Monastries. These places are out of the world.
Nubra Valley
- Nubra-Valley
You have to drive north towards Siachen Glacier (world’s second longest glacier outside the Polar Regions) to reach NubraValley, also fondly called Valley of flowers. It is a beautiful valley with fresh water streams & open mountain landscapes. En-route to Nubra Valley, you will cross Khardung La pass at 5602m (18,379ft), the highest motor able road in the world. This pass or point is heroic. The temperature here can go to -1 degree, making it difficult at times to spend time there. There is an army canteen, which serves awesome black tea, Maggie, pakoda’s and you must not miss it. It tastes unique and the experience of having a black “garam chaai” is different. The route from Leh to Khardung La is also known as “Silk route”(refer to my pic). Moving ahead to Nubra Valley, you will come across some attractions like: DiskitGompa, Panamik Hot water springs,Samstalling Monastery &Hunder sand dunes. Yes, you read it write, Sand dunes of Hunder in Leh. It was a surprise for me as well, but the place is decent which also offers you camel rides. though I did not opt for it!
Article and photographs by Ritesh Shete
About Ritesh Shete
Ritesh Shete is a publicist by profession and photographer by passion. He likes to explore new places, meet people capture moments and write about them. A travel freak and lover of Electronic Dance Music(EDM). Follow and love only 2 religions in life Karma & Cricket!
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