Srinagar
Created in the 16th century, then planted with almond (badam) trees in 1876, this quiet orchard garden fell apart during Kashmir's 1990s troubles but has…
Must-see attractions in Kashmir & Ladakh
Kashmir & Ladakh
The Yurbaltak Buddha figure makes an appealing half-day trip from Kargil. It's the smallest and most eroded of the region's Buddha statues but getting…
Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
Amarnath's natural stone lingam becomes opalescently encrusted with ice and is believed to wax and wane with the phases of the moon. Seen as symbolising…
Leh
This mysterious whitewashed cube is the shrine of Leh’s guardian deity. While not much to see in itself, its rocky outcrop setting offers superb 360…
Ladakh
Though best known for its cameo role in the popular Bollywood film 3 Idiots, this school of more than 700 students has an interesting campus of prize…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Around 2km northeast of the main market, Pibiting has the most authentic feel of Padum's surrounding villages. It's easy to spot thanks to a hilltop Guru…
Srinagar
It's worth visiting this richly endowed historical museum for its fine 7th-century Buddhist statues, Mughal paper mache work, 4th-century tiles from the…
Ladakh
Hemis National Park covers the roadless villages of Rumbak and Yurutse, the whole Markha Valley, and the passes and access trails to Stok trekking point…
Ladakh
The region’s only Nyingmapa monastery, Takthog's name means ‘stone roof’, referring to a small but highly revered cave shrine where the great 8th-century…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Started in 1710 and vastly expanded after 1824 under the Dogras, this extensive complex of palace buildings is fascinating for both its scale and its…
Srinagar
For guests, the first-row houseboats can prove noisy and lacking in privacy. However, as an attraction they collectively form Srinagar's signature image.
Srinagar
This stone gateway, directly north of the white-domed Chetipacha Gurdwara, is part of one of the last remnant sections of Srinagar's late 16th-century…
Ladakh
This intriguing little monastery includes troglodyte cell rooms tucked improbably into pillars of unstable-looking composite rocks. It's backed against a…
Leh
This large 9th-century whitewashed stupa rises in concentric serrated layers flanked by numerous chortens. The charming, shady setting retains a…
Srinagar
Crowds throng Asia’s biggest Tulip Garden, just behind the Botanical Garden, during March and April. Its long, straight rows of blooming tulips (60…
Leh
Well off the radar of most visitors, this photogenic knot of traditional houses and minor Buddhist monuments 4km north of central Leh makes for a good…
Srinagar
Built in 1649 by Shah Jahan's son Dara Shikoh for his spiritual mentor, the mosque of Akhund Mullah Shah is only a chunky stone shell set amid plane trees…
Kashmir & Ladakh
When Kishtwar was its own kingdom, there was a palace on the low, flat-topped Qila Hill that lies around 10 minutes' walk west of the bus stand. Apart…
Ladakh
Tso Moriri is a giant high-altitude lake whose crystal-clear waters reflect majestic cloudscapes and snow-topped peaks. The views are best seen from a…
Srinagar
Pari Mahal (literally 'Palace of the Fairies') is a 17th-century former Sufi centre built by the eldest son of Shah Jahan. The terraced lawns and arched…
Leh
Two rooms of this extensive, well-presented museum look at Ladakhi history and culture. But mostly it commemorates the Indian Army's role in Ladakh, from…
Srinagar
Built for Nur Jahan by her husband, Jehangir, Shalimar Bagh is the most famous of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, but it can get very busy. It's 10km beyond…
Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
This partly tree-shaded garden with its series of central fountain pools was said to be the favourite of Mughal Queen Nur Jahan, who commissioned it…
Ladakh
The museum is unmarked and hidden away beneath the monastery restaurant; staff should be able to unlock it. Displays include well-labelled Tantric…
Leh
In the heart of Leh's market area, the first mosque on this site was built in 1666–67, sealing a political agreement between Ladakh's then ruler Deldan…
Ladakh
Around 2km south of the palace, Stok's small monastery has some crumbling old stupas, but the dominant feature, 200m above, is its huge 21m-tall gilded…
Ladakh Rocks & Minerals Museum
Leh
This sweet one-room museum outside Sankar Gompa presents labelled examples of Ladakh's geological curiosities, including a natural lingam (phallic image…
Srinagar
En route to Pari Mahal you'll pass the small Cheshmashahi Garden, folded amid the wooded mountain foothills. Its central feature is a square fountain pool…
Ladakh
Mulbekh's foremost sight is a 1000-year-old Maitreya Buddha relief, carved into an 8m fang of rock. It's right by the roadside, rising through the middle…
Leh
Namgyal Tsemo Gompa consists of two little 15th-century temple buildings directly beneath the Tsemo Fort ruins. One enshrines an 8m-tall gold-faced…
Ladakh
Almost opposite the small SBI Bank (not the ATM, which is 200m further east), a small shop hides the entrance to an unexpectedly impressive trio of 5m…
Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
This vast, hillside shrine complex is devoted to 15th-century sufi holy man, Zainalabddin Wali. The humid main shrine, accessed by 272 steps, is inside a…
Kashmir & Ladakh
The spiritual heart of Bhaderwah for Hindus is this garish temple with its vividly painted shikhara (tower) and a central, octagonal building that looks…
Srinagar
This large, popular Sufi shrine was ravaged by fire in 2012 but the colourful paper mache interior work for which it was renowned has been restored. The…
Ladakh
Although there are numerous places to gaze at the ever-changing lake-scapes, one particular sand spit enclosing a mini-lagoon draws numerous Indian…
Ladakh
Across from Stok Palace, a short alley leads to the 350-year-old Stok Abagon, the decrepit former home of the royal physician, with a few dusty displays…
Leh
This group of ancient stupas is an old town landmark reached from the northeastern corner of the polo ground. Join the pilgrims on a kora (clockwise walk)…
Srinagar
This beautifully proportioned if uncoloured 17th-century shrine was built in Himachal Pradesh style, with alternating layers of wood and brick to…
Leh
Till the 1950s, this temple was Leh's main Buddhist place of public worship. It features internal murals celebrating the pantheon of 1000 Buddhas, of…
Leh
Restored in 2004 but often locked, this 17th-century shrine to Padmasambhava sits on the edge of the Old Town palace ridge, directly below the palace and…
