Ladakh, meaning "The Land of High Passes", is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, world renowned for its barren natural beauty.
Geographically, it is placed between the Karakoram Range in the North and the Himalayas in the South.
Indian Ladakh includes the districts of Leh and Kargil.
Leh covers more than 50% of the area of Jammu and Kashmir, and is the largest district in India.
Adventure tourism is the main attraction of this popular place.
The Tibetan-Buddhist culture that has been well preserved over the centuries makes this amazing desert even more attractive.
People have affectionately renamed it as "Little Tibet" because its geographically and culturally close to Tibet.
Infact, many Tibetan refugees take shelter in this area.
Ladakh, a region flavored by Buddhism is a semi- autonomous political unit and has the privilege of being India's most remote and least populated region.
This unearthly mesmerizing cold desert, also known by other names such as 'The Last Shangrila' or 'The Moonscape', is a land that never fails to surprise and fill people with awe.
The landscape has multiple-colored mountains that contrast in their texture.
Some are amazingly smooth, while some are equally rough.
Miles and miles of this land, with little green hamlets on the banks of Indus River make Ladakh a truly unique landmass.
This allows for a trekking in Ladakh which various Tour operators in Ladakh can let you experience.
Nowhere else in India can you find such an austre place, with a deadly mix of soaring snow-caped peaks and plunging green valleys.
The rugged mountainous landscape, the beautiful green cultivated valleys, the dry plains with heavenly lakes in the mountains which look like a eye-blindingly bright glassy blue sheet of water, the innumerable awe-inspiring Buddhist monasteries and palaces, the small villages with their friendly inhabitants and quaint little seasonal orchards, all make Ladakh irresistibly attractive.
And the dead silence at night, the bright and clear blue sky set against the dull colored mountainous background, the sun shining for more than 300 days in a year, the brilliant stars which are a dream for every star-gazer make this place completely unforgettable.
Though now a high -altitude desert blocked by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive water drainage system, which dried up due to the blockage of the rain-bearing monsoon clouds.
Parts of the system still exist in the south -east parts in the form of drainage basins or lakes with ingenious names like Tsomoiri, Tsokar, and grandest of all, Pangong-tso.
Occasionally, some monsoon clouds do find their way past the Great Barriers to provide rainfall in Ladakh, but the winter snowfall is the main source of water.
The valleys of Zanskar Drass, and Suru on the northern side of the Himalayas, receive heavy snow in winter which feeds the glaciers.
The water that melts from these glaciers is carried downstream and is used for irrigation purpose.
The snow on the mountain peaks is virtually the only water source in the rest of Ladakh.
There are a lot of great places to stay in Ladakh and there are various hotels in Ladakh and Deluxe Hotel in Ladakh which allow for great stay in Ladakh.