Myself
with other members of our group and our guide (yes he is a monk) at the top of
Khardung La.Home Indian Trips <<Previous Ladakh Next>>
The Land of the High Passes is the literal name of Ladakh, and it is not surprising given the region's position in the Himalayan ranges. The Himalayas though often referred to as one entity actually consist of a number of smaller ranges and together they separate India from the Tibetan Plateau. The valley regions though are also fairly high with the lowest being at around 3000m so while the mountains around are impressive you are already half way up most of them so they do not impose in the same way as in other areas, e.g. around Darjeeling.
The highest motorable pass in the region is the Khardung La (La means pass in Tibetan), claimed by India to be the highest in the world at 5682m though my own and other readings show it to be nearer 5300m. At a similar height is the Chang La, we traveled over both of these passes, and you do notice the lack of oxygen at these heights. The passes are maintained by the Indian Army and though lower portions are tarmaced the top regions tend to be unpaved with lose dirt and gravel (except at the very top). The passes are off strategic importance and close to the Chinese borders, hence the presence of the Army and also a place where we had to show our permits.
The region receives very little rain as it is in the rain-shadow of the Himalayas, so is a high altitude dessert. However the snow melt from the mountains provides many rivers and these are used to create areas of vegetation by people. As we flew in I could see lines of greenery fanning out into the river valleys almost looking like green estuaries. Poplar and willow trees are used to retain the river edges and are common around the villages.
The dryness though means that there is very little vegetation away from the rivers and the landscape looks quiet barren. People who have seen the photos that I took have said that it looks very grim, but driving in the area that is not the impression as there is a subtly changing array of colours that, though muted, when against the bright blue sky provide a rich experience. Also the rock formations change considerably over short distances so there is an ever changing canvas going by all the time. It could of course feel quite different during winter. Though the area is affected by snow not all of it gets covered because of the low precipitation. However many of the passes do get cut off, the road from Manali to Leh (the main route from Delhi) is only open from the end of June until September.
The selection of photos below show some of the variety that is seen in the landscape.
Myself
with other members of our group and our guide (yes he is a monk) at the top of
Khardung La.
A couple of different views showing how the vegetation follows the paths of river and how areas have been terraced for cultivation.
Some
places though were far emptier.
Part of an area referred to locally as having a 'moonscape'
True to the dessert feel, in one area you also get sand dunes.