Ladakh

Lasses from Dha Hanu

Ladakhi women wearing Peraks, Leh

Archery at Leh

The River which named India, Indus seen from Thiksey Gompa.

Bikers from around the world stop for a hot cup of tea and a photo op at Khardung Top, Khardung La, the highest motorable road in India.

A sandbank on the aquamarine waters of Pangong Tso, situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft).

Electric poles stand amidst sand dunes at Hunder, in the Nubra Valley.

The last rays of the sun lights up the Shyok River, Nubra Valley.

Farmlands surround the village of Khardung, the village after which Khardung La is named, the highest motorable mountain pass in India.

The Indus on the left and the Zanskar on the right meets at Nimmu, seen form the highway connecting Leh with Kargil.

Fantastic red scree slopes the along the road between Leh and Kargil.

Tourists take a joyride on Bactrian camels against the backdrop of Diskit Gompa in Hunder, Nubra Valley.

A man is dwarfed in the great scale of the rocky moutains surrounding Leh.

Wind carved natural formations line up along the Lamayuru Gompa.

A series of ancient whitewashed chortens welcome travelers to the Phyang Gompa.

Ladakhi women sell local farm products on the main street in Leh.

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Description

Ladakh is the land of high passes. A separate kingdom for centuries, Ladakh is now a region of Jammu and Kashmir, and the northernmost district of India. It is also India’s largest district and one of its most sparsely populated ones. In the past Ladakh gained importance from its strategic location at the crossroads of important trade routes. After the occupation of Tibet and the Sino-Indian war in 1962, the Chinese authorities closed the borders with Tibet and Central Asia. International trade collapsed and got substituted by tourism with the lifting of restrictions in 1974.