Friday, August 17, 2012

Leh Travel Guide - Enjoy The Land Of Snow

Leh is situated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and is the capital of Ladakh district. This is the second largest district by area in India and is located at a high altitude of about 3524 meters above mean sea level. The NH 1D connects Leh with Srinagar and Leh-Manali Highway connects that with Manali.

Leh has been the paradise of tourists for ages. The blue mountain ranges, the spectacular view of the valleys and the snow covered peaks all add immense beauty to the surroundings. The place has been the stopover destination of the traders who pass the Indus valley to reach the Tibet and China. There are many such trade routes in all directions in Leh.

There is a ruined fort on the Namgyal Peak which is one of the royal residences. There are also many monasteries located here that are worth visiting. The Leh Palace was built by Sengge Namgyal and this has nine stories and the upper floors were used for the accommodation of the royal families and the lower floors have been used as store rooms and as stables. In the middle of the 19th century, the palace was abandoned.

Other places of interest in Leh that a traveler should not miss are Leh Trekking Trails, War Museum, Chamba Temple, Gurdwara Pathar Sahib, Jo Khang Gompa, Stok Palace, The Victory Tower, etc. Leh is visited by local tourists in winter season. The place is visited at that time for the snowfall. The foreign tourists visit the place in summer. So there is traffic of tourists all round the year at this place. In winter the climate drops below freezing point to as much as -14 degree Celsius and in summer it goes up to 25 degree Celsius. The region gets very less rainfall and so it could be rightly said as a cold desert region.

If you want to reach Leh by road then you have to go from Srinagar through Kargil or by Leh-Manali Highway. But the second option is troublesome because of the high passes and plateaus. There is an airport in Leh which is the highest airport in India called Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport. There are regular flights to Delhi operated by Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Go Air.