Summer landscapes of Ladakh, India
The greenery in Ladakh, a result of special efforts like water harvesting, makes us forget that it is actually a cold desert. We saw this village on the way to the high altitude mountain lake Tso Moriri. Read about our visit to Tso Moriri at Mystical magical Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh.
Cyclist en route Tso Moriri, Ladakh, India
The stunning landscapes of the Himalayas in Ladakh attract cyclists from all over the world. We saw him on our way to Tso Moriri, a high altitude mountain lake in Ladakh. Read about our visit to Tso Moriri at Mystical magical Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh.
En route Tso Moriri, Ladakh, India
Swinging wooden bridges like this one are a common means of connecting villages to the roads in Ladakh. We saw this bridge on the way to the high altitude mountain lake Tso Moriri. Read about our visit to Tso Moriri at Mystical magical Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh.
Summer scenes in Ladakh, India
Summer months see a lot of construction activity in Ladakh. We saw this scene on our way to Tso Moriri, a mountain lake in Ladakh. They were building a wall to restrict the snow in the winter from getting on the road. Read about our visit to Tso Moriri at Mystical magical Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh.
Market in Leh, the biggest city in Ladakh, India
After the 420 km journey rugged landscapes, from Srinagar to Leh, it is a jolt to urbanisation in Leh, the largest city in Ladakh!
Market in Leh, the biggest city in Ladakh, India
After the 420 km journey rugged landscapes, from Srinagar to Leh, it is a jolt to urbanisation in Leh, the largest city in Ladakh!
The kitchen at our homestay in Lamayuru, Ladakh, India
We stayed at the Temple View Homestay in Lamayuru. We will forever and ever be obliged to all of them for making us feel at home when we were really down. Read stories of warm hospitality in the Himalayas at Friendly families from our travels in Himalayas
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Lamayuru homestay, Ladakh, India
The family who own the Temple View Homestay. We will forever and ever be obliged to all of them for making us feel at home when we were really down. Read stories of warm hospitality in the Himalayas at Friendly families from our travels in Himalayas
Moonlike landscapes at Lamayuru, Ladakh, India
Lamayuru is a small village 100 km before Leh on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Its claim to fame is the moonlike landscape surrounding Lamayuru. So much so, that Lamayuru and moonland have become synonymous. They even have guest houses named Moonland in Lamayuru! The best view of this "moonland"; is from the top of the meditation hill in Lamayuru. As you get to the top and proceed to the edge, a surreal landscape awaits you!
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View from the Lamayuru meditation hill, Ladakh, India
View of Fotu la as we climbed up the meditation hill in Lamayuru. Lamayuru is a small town in Ladakh famous for its moonlike landscapes. Fotu la or Foto la is the last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Moonlike landscapes at Lamayuru, Ladakh, India
Lamayuru is a small village 100 km before Leh on the Srinagar-Leh highway. Its claim to fame is the moonlike landscape surrounding Lamayuru. So much so, that Lamayuru and moonland have become synonymous. They even have guest houses named Moonland in Lamayuru! The best view of this "moonland"; is from the top of the meditation hill in Lamayuru. As you get to the top and proceed to the edge, a surreal landscape awaits you!
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Moonlike landscapes at Lamayuru, Ladakh, India
The best view of this "moonland"; is from the top of the meditation hill in Lamayuru. As you get to the top and proceed to the edge, a surreal landscape awaits you!
Monastery at Lamayuru, Ladakh, India
A view from meditation hill. Lamayuru is a small village 100 km before Leh on the Srinagar-Leh highway. They even have guest houses named Moonland in Lamayuru!
Prayer rocks at Lamayuru meditation hill, Ladakh, India
These stones are an important part of the Buddhist culture, some of them being centuries old. Carved meticulously with the beautiful Tibetan script, these stones are a piece of art. These were strewn on the way to the meditation hill in Lamayuru in the Ladakh region. Their colours represent the colours one sees in the mountains of Ladakh.
View from the Lamayuru meditation hill, Ladakh, India
View of Fotu la as we climbed up the meditation hill in Lamayuru. Lamayuru is a small town in Ladakh famous for its moonlike landscapes. Fotu la or Foto la is the last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Stupa at Lamayuru Monastery, Ladakh, India
These were the most decorated stupas we saw in Ladakh. They are otherwise only plain white in colour, without any embellishments. We saw them on the way to the Lamayuru meditation hill.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
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Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
Tech-break on Fotu la, the highest mountain pass on the Srinagar Leh highway. This is an army setup just at the end of Fotu la near a small town called Lamayuru, famous for its moonlike landscapes. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The last and the highest pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway. The roads are in an excellent condition and it is a pleasure to drive. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The 420 km national highway NH1-D from Srinagar to Leh connects Ladakh, a high altitude cold desert to the rest of India. Brown landscapes of the Greater Himalayas through high mountain passes give you company through this route. Read more about the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Namika la on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
Namika la is a high altitude Himalayan pass on the Srinagar Leh highway. Read more on the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Foto la or Fotu La on Srinagar - Leh highway, Ladakh, India
The 420 km national highway NH1-D from Srinagar to Leh connects Ladakh, a high altitude cold desert to the rest of India. Brown landscapes of the Greater Himalayas through high mountain passes give you company through this route. Read more about the Himalayan Passes at Mountain passes we crossed.
Sunrise at Kargil, India
Kargil is the midway of the Srinagar-Leh highway, NH1-D. It is suggested halt for the night before reaching Leh for altitude aclimatisation. Our bus left Kargil at around 4 AM. Just as we were getting out of Kargil, we were greeted with this sunrise.
Summer landscapes of Kargil, India
Kargil is the biggest town after the Zoji la pass. It gets cut off in winter when the Zoji la gets covered in snow. Summer is a time for all construction activity here. People make their own bricks here from the local mud for their houses. Rows of mud bricks set to dry is a common sight here in the summer. As our bus left for Leh, we saw these bricks bathed in the golden light of the sunrise.
Sunrise at Kargil, India
Kargil is the midway of the 420 km Srinagar-Leh highway, NH1-D. This highway connects Ladakh, a high altitude cold desert to the rest of India. Kargil, at an elevation of just over 2500 meters is a suggested night halt for altitude acclimatization. This is a sunrise at 5AM just out of Kargil on the way to Leh.
Volunteers from Europe on cycling their way to Zanskar
These French cyclists were cycling from Kargil to Padum, a 250km gravel road, in Zanskar valley. In Zanskar, they were going to volunteer as teachers in a school they had helped build earlier.
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Volunteers from Europe on cycling their way to Zanskar
They were cycling from Kargil to Padum, a 250km gravel road, in Zanskar valley. In Zanskar, they were going to volunteer as teachers in a school they had helped build earlier.
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Volunteers from Europe on cycling their way to Zanskar
They were cycling from Kargil to Padum, a 250km gravel road, in Zanskar valley. In Zanskar, they were going to volunteer as teachers in a school they had helped build earlier.
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Landscapes en route Zanskar
Rangdum, Kargil, India
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Landscapes en route Zanskar
Rangdum, Kargil, India
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Dinner at Padum, Zanskar, India
At Mont Blanc, our guest house in Padum, they made chapatis specially for their guests, though it is not a part of the traditional diet of Zanskar. Ceramic bowls like this one are a common feature across kitchens of the Zanskar valley.
Landscape around Bardan Monastery, Zanskar, India
The Bardan monastery is now accessible by a motor-able road. Climbing a few steps on the top take you to inside this monastery. Read full stories on Trek to Phuktal Monastery
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End of the trek to Phuktal monastery, Zanskar, India
Work is on to make a motorable road to Phuktal. Parts of the trekking route are blasted to make way for the road. This makes it risky for the trekkers to cross some patches; but it is no big deal for the locals of Zanskar. Read full story of our visit to Phuktal monastery, the most remote monastery in Zanskar on Trek to Phuktal Monastery
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End of the trek to Phuktal monastery, Zanskar, India
Read full story of our visit to Phuktal monastery, the most remote monastery in Zanskar on Trek to Phuktal Monastery
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Family from Anmu village en route Phuktal monastery, Zanskar, India
Anmu is a village on the way to the Phuktal monastery just after the end of the motor-able road. While crossing through Anmu, a family invited us over for tea. We had some tea, home made bread and the most amazing yogurt. Read more stories of such warm hospitality at Friendly families from our travels in Himalayas
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Family from Anmu village en route Phuktal monastery, Zanskar, India
Anmu is a village on the way to the Phuktal monastery just after the end of the motor-able road. While crossing through Anmu, a family invited us over for tea. We had some tea, home made bread and the most amazing yogurt. Read more stories of such warm hospitality at Friendly families from our travels in Himalayas
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Kitchen of a house in Anmu en route Phuktal
This device, part of every kitchen in Zanskar, is used to make the traditional yak butter tea. Anmu is a village on the way to the Phuktal monastery just after the end of the motor-able road. While crossing through Anmu, a family invited us over for tea. We had some tea, home made bread and the most amazing yogurt. Read more stories of such warm hospitality at Friendly families from our travels in Himalayas
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