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Some of the places near Ladakh that you can visit are Leh, Nubra Valley, Khardung-La, Panamik, and Zanskar among others.
Leh is a large town that once was an important stopover for laden caravan travelling the Central Asian Silk Route. It is situated at a height of 3417m amidst high mountain ranges. It is pretty, picturesque place with old monasteries, temples or gompas and stupas, palaces of the ruling family and traditional houses. In recent times, Leh has become a popular destination and so tends to be more crowded and commercial than before. However, being well connected to other parts of India, most tourists prefer to use it as a base for forays into the less travelled parts of the province.
Ldomra, the valley of flowers is the Ladakhi name given to the Nubra Valley. Nubra (10,000ft) lies in the north of Ladakh and includes the valley of the Rivers Nubra and Shyok. The approach to the valley involves crossing the world’s highest motorable mountain pass, the famous Khardung-la (18,383 ft).
The valley of the Nubra and Shyok Rivers lies surrounded by massifs and peaks of the mighty Himalayas and present impressive vistas – glaciers, snow clad mountain peaks contrast with pretty valleys and charming villages. Nubra’s other attractions are its sulphur springs, monasteries and gompas. Despite the high altitude, the valleys are sheltered enough to grow plenty of fruits and the flowering orchards are a visual delight in the summer months.
Sumur and Panamik are two important villages of the Nubra Valley and are located some 60 km from the town of Diskit, just across the Shyok River.
Panamik has an interesting history going back to the days of camel trains wending their way on the ancient Silk Route. It was the last stop for these caravans before they embarked on the hazardous journey through the hostile Karakoram mountain range to reach Central Asia.
Sumur is famous for the Samstanling Monastery. The region is also well known for sulphur hot springs that have therapeutic properties and are very popular with locals.
Drass is a small town to the west of Kargil (60km). Drass lies in the valley that shares its name. Relatively flat, open countryside lined with willow trees forms the charming valley of the River Drass that has it source in the Machoi glacier near Zoji-la.
Drass’s short summer season begins in May - and many avid trekkers find their way here to climb up to the Suru valley. A hot favourite with enthusiasts, the trek entails a demanding three day walk over high passes and across many mountain rivers.
Zanskar is a three-pronged valley lying between the Himalayan and Zanskar mountain ranges and is home to more than 10,000 Buddhists. Overlooking the valley is the awesome mountain range with the mighty Nun-Kun peaks, considered the most tough and challenging mountains in Ladakh by mountaineers. It is the most remote and inaccessible district in Ladakh and has only recently been opened up for tourism. It has the requisite number of Buddhist monasteries, gompas, and old monuments but its attraction lies in its terrain- ideal for trekking, climbing, and white water rafting.
Kargil lies on the banks of the Suru River, frothing and fretting its way down the mountains. A predominantly Muslim town, Kargil was first settled by the Indo-Aryan Mons from across the Himalayas, the nomadic people of Dard from the valleys of the rivers Indus and Gilgit and immigrants from the Tibetan plateau. It enjoys the status of Ladakh’s second most important town and is an interesting place around Ladakh.
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