Geographic Information

Located between Punjab and Tibet, Himachal Pradesh is India's most popular and easily accessible hill state. A land of lowland orchards, sub-tropical forests and maize fields give the trekker a variety of terrains to explore. Speckled with Shikara temples, Buddhist Monasteries & Gompas adding tranquility to the entire trekking experience.

Himachal Pradesh… 'the Land of Gods' is essentially a mountain state. The magic of Himachal is its palpable peace and gentle harmony of nature, they all seem to be made for one another. The mountains and the valleys, the forests and the wildlife, the trees and the birds, the grass and the flowers… all united and blending into each other effortlessly enjoyful exuberance as gods own creation!

Lying to the leeward side of the Himalayan watershed, Zanskar sees a lot more snow. It remains the most stunning and remote corner of Ladakh. With ice fields that rise to heights of over 6000 meters and deep gorges cut by rivers flowing down from the Himalayas, trekking through Himachal and Zanskar is definitely an exhilarating experience.

"Zanskar...'the Land of White Copper' ...is a land where fairies congregate. A land of black wolves, and blue poppies, ibex and snow leopards, glaciers and tundra, of howling winds and freezing cold. A land populated by spirits and monks, maidens and archers, a land with cave monasteries and fast streams in which gold and that famous white copper which gave the place it's name, are found.

Ladakh, bounded by awe-inspiring Himalayas and the Karakoram, lies noth of Himachal Pradesh. A high-altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalayas, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateau of Rupshu and Chushul - in drainage basins with evocative names like Tso-moriri, Tsokar, and grandest of all, Pangong-tso.

Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m) at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Summer temperatures rarely exceed about 27 degree celcius, while in winter they may plummet to minus 20 degree celcius even in Leh. Surprisingly, though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes.

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Zanskar

About 20 kms south-east of Rangdum stands the Panzila axis, across which lies Zanskar, the most isolated of all the trans-Himalayan valleys. The Penzila pass (4,401m) is a picturesque tableland surrounded by snow-covered peaks.

As the Zanskar road winds down the steep slopes of Penzi-la to the head of the Stod valley, the majestic " Drang-Drung" glacier looms into full view. A long and winding river of ice and snow, "Drang-Drung" is perhaps the largest glacier in Ladakh, outside the Siachen formation. It is from the cliff-like snout of this extensive glacier that the Stod or Doda tributary of the Zanskar River rises.

Zanskar is a tri-armed valley system situated between the Great Himalayan Range and the Zanskar mountains, the three arms radiating star-like towards the west, north and south from a wide central expanse. Here the Zanskar River comes into being by the confluence of its two Himalayan tributaries, the Stod/Doda and the Lingti-Tsarap rivers. It is mainly along the course of this valley system that the region’s approximately 14,000 strong, mainly Buddhist population, live.

The Zanskar landscape

Spread over an estimated geographical area of 5000 sq kms of mountainous territory, Zanskar is surrounded by high-rise mountains and deep gorges.

It remains inaccessible for nearly 8 months a year due to heavy winter snowfall resulting in closure of all access passes, including the Penzi-la. This geographical isolation and the esoteric nature of Buddhism practised here have enabled its inhabitants to preserve their identity, so that today Zanskar is the least interfered with microcosms of Ladakh. Closer observation of the lifestyle evokes admiration for a people who have learnt to live in perfect harmony with the unique environment.

Within the mountainous ramparts of this ‘Shangri-La’ are a number of ancient yet active monastic establishments. Some of these foundations have evolved around remote mountain caves, which are by legend associated with famous Buddhist saints. These are in fact the main places of attraction for the visitors in the area, in addition to the haunting beauty of the spectacular landscape and the ancient culture.

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Lahaul & Spiti

The rugged awe-inspiring snow clad mountains are standing invitation to the hikers, mountaineers and adventurers. The entire district is full of natural scenery exorting the tourists and visitors to explore and imbibe its hidden grandeur. The customs, myths, beliefs and conventions of the simple people are the unique features of this border highland. Every village or a hamlet has a prayer flag fluttering over the Buddhist monastery. These shrines are the centers of the cultural life of the people that have influenced their religious beliefs for centuries.

Geographical Information

The valley of Lahaul is situated to the south of Ladakh. For this very reason this place derived its name "Lho-Yul" meaning "Southern Country". To its south is situated the beautiful valley of Kullu across the Rohtang Pass and the Bara Bangahal (Kangra) across the "Asakh" pass. Its western boundaries touch the Pangi and Churah areas of District Chamba. To its north are situated the valleys of Zanskar and Ladakh across Shingola and Baralacha la respectively. Its eastern and south eastern boundaries coincide with those of Spiti and Western Tibet across the Kunzam Pass.

Approach to Lahaul Valley: Upto Kullu by air (Bhunter Airport) or road then proceed to Manali from where one can easily reach Keylong the Headquarter town of Lahoul valley through Rohtang Pass by Bus/ Jeep. Its a 115 Km journey from Manali which takes 6 hours. Although one can opt for other approaches such as Shimla- Reckong Peo- Kaza – Kunzom – Keylong. Leh- Tanglangla – Baralacha la – Keylong.

Approach to Spiti Valley: Spiti is linked via the Sutlej valley of Kinnaur with motorable road. Upto Shimla by air, rail or road. By road from Shimla to Kaza (The headquarter of Spiti division) the distance is 412 kms. This is via Narkanda, Rampur, Jeori, Wangtu, Karcham, Powari, Jangi, Puh.

Due to closure of Rohtang Pass the road to Lahaul valley remains closed from Nov to May every year and due to closure of Kunzam Pass the road from Lahaul valley to Spiti i.e. Koksar-Batal-Kaza remains closed from Nov to June, however the road to Spiti valley from Kinnaur is almost all-weather road.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Lahaul & Spiti is during summer i.e. from May to mid October, since the district is snowbound area and Lahaul valley remain isolated from rest of the world from October-May due to closure of the Rohtang Pass. Although Spiti is an almost all-weather place.

Museums/Art Galleries, Forts:

KEYLONG MUSUEM
A museum of Tribal Art along with an auditorium is being established at Keylong, the building is under construction and will be completed in about a couple of years. The museum apart from archaeological finds will display Thanka Painting, objects of everyday use as they existed before the achievement of modern mechanised equipments in the District. The museum will also display manuscripts in Bhoti Scripts and Tankri documents. The auditorium will host dramas depicting lifestyle of Lahaul, Spiti and Chamba- Lahaul areas which constitute culturally three separate identities.

At Kyuling (Spiti) the sect of the nono of Spiti ( the ruling Wazir of Spiti area under the nominal British control before Independence) have also established a small museum of artefacts.

Valley National Park, Spiti
It is located in the Pin valley of Spiti at height of 12,000 m above sea level. It is home to endangered species like Snow leopard, the endemic Himalayan Ibex, the mighty Bharal or Blue Sheep and Lynx.

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Ladakh

Ladakh is a land abounding in awesome physical features, set in an enormous and spectacular environment. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south, it is traversed by two other parallel chains, the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range.

In geological terms, this is a young land, formed a few million years ago. Its basic contours, uplifted by tectonic movements, have been modified over the millennia by the process of erosion due to wind and water, sculpted into the form that we see today.

Today a high-altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateau of Rupshu and Chushul, in the drainage basins or lakes of Tso-moriri, Tso-kar and Pangong-tso. But the main source of water is winter snowfall.

Lake below Shey Palace

Dras, Zanskar and the Suru Valley on the Himalaya's northern flanks receive heavy snow in winter, this feeds the glaciers from which melt water, carried down by streams, irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the region, the snow on the peaks is virtually the only source of water. As the crops grow, the villagers pray not for rain, but for sun to melt the glaciers and liberate their water.

Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 ft (2,750 m) at Kargil to 25,170 ft (7,672m) at Saser Kangri, in the Karakoram Range. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 27oC in the shade, while in winter they may at times plummet to minus 20oC even in Leh. Surprisingly though, the thin air makes the heat of the sun even more intense than at lower altitudes. It is said that only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time!

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