Travel style · Ladakh
Monasteries in Ladakh
Gompas, dzongs and the mornings they keep
Ladakh, Spiti, Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal and the Nepal Himalaya hold some of the oldest Buddhist monasteries still in use. We time visits to morning prayers and festival days, and explain the murals, masks and rules of each house.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · CommonsA monastery visit is best at its own hours. Most gompas hold morning prayers between 6 and 8 am, when lamps are lit and the hall fills with chant. Arrive then and you see a working house rather than a museum.
Ladakh is a high-altitude desert on the Indus, reached by air to Leh (3,500 m) or by road over Zoji La or the Manali highway. Go June to September for open passes. Rest 48 hours in Leh before you climb higher. A saver trip runs ₹2,000–3,500 a day.
Trips
Monasteries trips in Ladakh
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Leh, Nubra and Pangong with a private car
Private Ladakh Taxi Union SUV with driver
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Leh to Zanskar and out to Srinagar by car
Private SUV with driver; local car in Padum where required
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Saver
Leh, Nubra and Pangong by bus and shared jeep
State bus over Khardung La, shared taxis to Nubra and Pangong, local buses in the Indus valley
Photo: Saurabh Lall · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Saver
Srinagar road to Leh and Turtuk on a budget
Shared Sumo taxis, state buses and local shared cars
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Signature
Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri with a guide
Private SUV with driver and a private naturalist guide
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Signature
Thiksey camp, Nimmu House and Nubra in style
Private SUV with driver and a private guide throughout
7 places
Where to go
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Alchi and the Sham Valley
Kashmiri-style murals and apricot orchards on the lower Indus
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hemis
Ladakh's great Drukpa monastery and the snow leopard national park
Photo: Saurabh Lall · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Kargil
Purig's river town between Zoji La and Leh
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Lamayuru
Ladakh's old gompa above the eroded moonland
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Leh
Old caravan town at 3,500 m, and where every Ladakh trip begins
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Nubra Valley
The old caravan valley over Khardung La, with dunes and orchards
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. … · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Zanskar (Padum)
Ladakh's remotest valley, reached over Pensi La
Experiences
Days that fit the style
Photo: Prof Ranga Sai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Alchi's painted temples with a local guide
Visit the Dukhang and Sumtsek at Alchi, whose paintings in a Kashmiri style are among the oldest surviving in Ladakh. W…
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Apricot blossom walk in the Sham valley
In spring, walk between Saspol, Alchi and nearby villages while apricot orchards bloom white and pink against brown cli…
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Likir Monastery and Basgo's royal ruins
Two stops on the way between Leh and Alchi: Likir Monastery, which administers Alchi, with its large outdoor Maitreya, …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Hemis Monastery courtyard and museum
Ladakh's richest monastery, hidden in a gorge above the Indus. See the courtyard where the festival is danced, the pain…
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Snow leopard tracking in Hemis National Park
In late winter, snow leopards follow their prey lower into the valleys of Hemis National Park. Guided trips with local …
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Rumbak village walk and homestay night
A short trek into Hemis National Park from the Zingchen road head to Rumbak village, with a night in a family homestay.…
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Mulbekh's Maitreya and the Shergol cliff gompa
Drive east from Kargil into Buddhist Purig to see the 9 m rock-cut Maitreya at Mulbekh, the cliff-top Mulbekh gompa and…
Photo: Narender9 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
The Suru valley to Panikhar and Nun Kun
Follow the Suru river south from Kargil past Sankoo to Panikhar, where meadows and willow groves face the snow and ice …
Where to sleep
Stays in these places
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Budget
Zostel Leh
Zostel's Leh hostel offers dorm beds and private rooms within walking distance of Main Bazaar, with a common area …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Mid
Stok Palace Heritage Hotel
Rooms inside part of Stok Palace, the home of Ladakh's former royal family since the 19th century, and in the orch…
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Commons
Mid
Hotel Omasila, Leh
A long-running family hotel in Changspa, the quiet green lane below Shanti Stupa, with garden seating and a short …
Photo: Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
The Grand Dragon Ladakh
Leh's largest full-service hotel, open all year, with heated rooms, a restaurant serving Ladakhi and international…
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Luxury
Chamba Camp Thiksey
The Ultimate Travelling Camp's summer camp near Thiksey Monastery, about 19 km up the Indus from Leh. Large furnis…
Photo: Unbiased Contributors · CC BY 4.0 · Commons
Luxury
Nimmu House
A restored early 20th-century manor in Nimmoo village, about 35 km west of Leh near the Indus–Zanskar confluence, …