A lifetime in Ladakh would not be enough
Take a step away from civilization and trek into this spectacular mountain region for a sense of escape
You feel as though you can brush the clouds with your fingertips, as you reach up to the heavens that feel close enough to touch. To trek through Ladakh in India is to scale the top of the world. Altitudes rise to 4,200 metres.
Standing on the barren moonscape which has no sign of human life, you feel you’ve escaped the gathering apocalypse of everyday modern life.
As the cold wind races across your face, the world below you labours on.
Snuggled between Pakistan, Tibet and Xinjiang Province (China), Ladakh is the most sparsely populated region in Jammu and Kashmir. A favourite among trekkers, bikers and cyclists, it caters to those seeking adventure and a break from civilization.
As they roll through mountain valleys, the clouds cast their dancing shadows over pink deserts; white, silvery sand dunes and streaming, clear, turquoise rivers, to reveal new patterns in the soaring landscape.
Jasminder Oberai, founder of JAS fotography, has been leading photo tours to the area for four years and says that the diversity in Ladakh’s landscape is hard to find anywhere else. Cut off from the rest of the country, nomadic tribes here have remained unchanged for centuries. Difficult to access, these remote villages, perched on cliffs, are built entirely out of stone. Visitors can step back in time, Oberai says, and imagine what the Stone Age might have been like.
The Brokpa community resides in five villages.
Tourists are allowed access to two: Dha and Hanu.
“According to popular belief, the Brokpas or Drokpas were part of the army of Alexander the Great and came to the region over 2,000 years ago,” Oberai says.
Owing to its remote location and high altitude, Ladakh is not suited to travellers looking for a quick getaway.
There are two main routes to access the region. For those seeking adventure, driving or motorbiking across the roller-coaster terrain from Manali to Leh will be the ride of their life. The ideal travel time for this journey is two nights and three days to prevent high altitude sickness, Oberai says. Due to the harsh climate, this route is only open from mid-July to mid-September.
For those who don’t have as much time and are wary of the jaw-clenching road journey, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines offer flights between Delhi and Leh, Ladakh’s capital city. This is the only way to access the area during the winter months.
From Leh, there are various trekking routes, but, due to the lack of road signs, visitors are advised to hire a guide.
The Nubra Valley can be reached from Leh. With water so pristine, it looks like glass, the Himalayan mountain ranges are perfectly re- flected in a puddle that sits in the middle of the cold desert’s silvery sand dunes. As the clouds glide along the water’s surface, they cast a spell, rendering it impossible to look away.
Nubra Valley is the only place in India that has Bactrian camels and visitors are encouraged to take a ride on the rare double-humped animals.
Tso Moriri is a stop-over not to be missed. Sitting at 4,600 metres, this is the largest of the high-altitude lakes in the trans-Himalayan region, Oberai says. Lying behind a wetland so vibrantly green, it looks radioactive. The terrain is dotted with tiny yellow wild flowers. The hues in the lake transform with the shifting cloud coverage from turquoise to royal blue, stretching as far as the eye can see.
For visitors who don’t want to haul around their own camping gear, quaint camps, such as the Nomadic Camp in Tso Moriri, provide visitors with beds, hot meals and luxuries, such as hot water.
The harsh, difficult terrain may be exhausting, but, “when you hit your tent in the evening, you say, ‘Wow, I’ve really lived today to its fullest!’ ” Oberai says.
As you leave the quiet mountains that whisper secrets from centuries past, it’s hard not to get emotional. Lured in by the desolate beauty of Ladakh, it’s likely that you will begin planning your return visit before you have departed.