Mountain deserts are rare to find, and it requires a lot of planning to plan a trip to a cold desert in India like Ladakh. Blessed with mountains, passes, rivers, lakes and other natural wonders, Ladakh offers travellers the perfect gateway to spend the holidays. Travellers visit this beautiful territory throughout the year. Ladakh has two state capitals, namely Leh and Kargil. There is also an airport that connects Leh to major corners of the country. The state capital of Leh remains the focal point for travellers to plan their trip and visit other important destinations within the state. Travellers can reach Ladakh in a time span of 1 hour from New Delhi by aircraft. Travellers prefer summer months as the best time to visit Ladakh to make an adventurous holiday vacation and enjoy the beautiful natural resources the country has to offer.

Travellers can reach Ladakh from Manali or Srinagar by road transport

Travellers prefer the Manali or Srinagar route via road transport to reach Ladakh. The route to reach Ladakh from Manali or Srinagar is amazing, and tourists get to see magnificent views of snow-clad peaks and high rising mountain passes. Summer remains the preferred and the best time to visit Ladakh as the road remains closed most of the year due to landslides and snowfall. Some of the passes that falls in the way are Rohtang Pass, Tang Lang la Pass, Baralacha La Pass and Zozila Pass. Tourists can also reach Ladakh from any corner of the country through aerial route by taking flight to Kushok Bakula Rimpochee airport at Leh. The view from the flight is ecstatic and travelers get to witness some of the high rising peaks and mountains from the plane.

The best time to visit Ladakh is from June to September

Travellers prefer June, July, August and September as favorable months and the best time to visit Ladakh as they get enchanting views of the Trans Himalayas. The exact date of opening of the land route is displayed a few weeks before so that tourists can plan their trip to Ladakh wisely. Sometimes, it becomes a necessity to clear the road which has been blocked due to incessant rains, landslides and snowfall. These four months see a huge influx of tourists from around the globe.

Ladakh is the land of important mountain passes and resembles a cold desert in India

Travel to Ladakh and get to see the most wonderful mountain passes in the country. Get an experience of a lifetime to last for several decades. Khardung La, one of the world’s highest motorable pass is an important destination to reach the land of dunes, Nubra Valley. Nubra valley resembles a cold desert in India covered by white dunes. Travellers can either reach the pass by bike or any motorable vehicle from Leh. The pass remains opened only for a few months because of snow and adverse weather conditions.

Travellers have to traverse Chang La Pass, another important pass to reach the Pangong lake. This pass also remains closed in most of the seasons because of bad climatic conditions and heavy snowfall. It is one of the important gateways from Leh to reach the principal water bodies in the Greater Himalayan region and connects India and Tibet.

TangLang La pass connects the Manali route to Leh and is second-highest motorable pass after Khardung La. This pass is dangerous to traverse considering the road condition, steep ridges and slopes. Drivers need to drive carefully to peregrinate across the region enclosed by this dangerous mountain pass in the country.

Baralacha La Pass, an important pass near Sarchu (one of the coldest places in India) falls in the Himachal district before entering Leh. Additionally, the Suraj Tal lake is located around this mountain pass and remains one of the backpacking destinations by adventurers. They prefer to camp and spend the night to enjoy the endless charms this place has to offer.

Zozila Pass is another important mountain pass that falls between Kashmir and Ladakh. This pass remains one of the most dangerous pass and a difficult one to traverse. The mountain pass connects Srinagar to Leh.

Ladakh is encompassed by dangerous mountain ranges

Ladakh is covered by different mountain ranges. Most of the mountains look alarming and unconquered for decades. Mixed with different colors like brown, black, red and gray, these mountains can be seen throughout the state. The presence of mountains is an important feature due to the growing popularity of the region. The chance of landslides is high and travellers should be cautious before making any travel plans to this important territory.

Water bodies remains an important treasure hunt in this cold mountain desert

One needs to travel to Ladakh to observe and witness the most beautiful water bodies in the planet. Pangong Lake remains the most important and visited lake by travellers in their trip to Ladakh. It is a brackish water lake covered by untarnished mountain ranges. The lake looks quite dazzling and the reflection of the sun creates different forms and colors that one can witness.

Travellers visit Tso Moriri Lake quite often to spend their holiday vacations. It is a salt water lake that is quite bigger in appearance. The road to reach the lake is quite tough and requires articulate driving.

The concussion of the Indus and Zanskar rivers takes place at Nimmu village, Leh. The confluence happens, and the scene looks very impressive and eye catching. There are river rafting opportunities in the region and tourists prefer to take a ride inside the river.

Spotting sand dunes is another accomplishment that tourists can when they travel to Ladakh

Travel to Ladakh or else you miss all the enjoyment and fun. Yes, spotting white dunes is something exemplary that one can see in and around Nubra Valley. Nubra Valley in Ladakh is the best cold desert in India and is unique and incomparable. They are more popularly known as Hunder dunes or Nubra dunes as the village named Hunder is around the valley. There are also camel rides that one can enjoy and witness if they prefer to go deep inside the valley. People can prefer to stay a day or two in the village to feel the essence of staying close to mountains. The dunes envelop these mountains and gives a different color and appearance, which is a striking feature of this region.

Monasteries and stupas can be seen if you travel to Ladakh

If you want to see beautiful monasteries situated in the mountains, then you need to travel to Ladakh and feel the magical difference. Subsequently, travellers can also see and witness Buddhist monasteries around the state, which is a rare sight in the country. These monasteries were built decades ago and serves as a place to practice meditation aligning to Buddhist values and philosophies. Monks living inside these monasteries prefer to live a different lifestyle and dedicate their lives to safeguard these monasteries and spread good human values, love, and brotherhood. Hemis festival is the most important festival in Ladakh and celebrated with vigor and enthusiasm.

Ladakh, popularly known as the land of passes, mountains, lakes, rivers and monasteries remains the most important cold desert in India due to its geographical position. Although situated in the northernmost part of the country and connecting important states like Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, this place has managed to secure one of the best ranks in the travel dictionary. Travel to Ladakh and get a chance to see seasonal variations, different climate, a scenic and picturesque landscape. Therefore, it has stolen the hearts of millions in the world to get a different experience to last for a lifetime.