Ladakh
Spectacularly jagged, arid mountains enfold this magical Buddhist ex-kingdom. Picture-perfect gompas (Tibetan Buddhist monasteries) dramatically crown rocky outcrops next to fluttering prayer flags and whitewashed stupas, while prayer wheels spun clockwise release merit-making mantras. Gompa interiors are a riot of golden Buddhas and intricately colourful murals and home to red-robed monks. It's a little corner of Tibet marooned in the furthest reaches of India.
Though threatened by a rapidly increasing number of visitors, Ladakh has much to teach the West regarding ecological sustainability. Most Ladakhis are cash poor yet their traditional mud-brick homesteads are large and virtually self-sufficient in fuel and dairy products, and barley used to make tsampa (roast barley flour) and chhang (barley beer).
The walls of dramatic mountains that hem in Ladakh make for an unforgettable landscape, but be aware that road access requires crossing tortuous high passes, which close from around October to May.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Ladakh.
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Leh Palace
Bearing a passing similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet), this nine-storey dun-coloured edifice is Leh's dominant structure and architectural icon. It took shape under 17th-century king Singge Namgyal but has been essentially unoccupied since the Ladakhi royals were stripped of power and shuffled off to Stok in 1846. Today the sturdy walls enclose some photo exhibition spaces and a small prayer room, but the most enjoyable part of a visit is venturing to the uppermost rooftops for the view. Interesting structures ranged around the palace’s base include the prominent Namgyal Stupa, the colourfully muralled Chandazik Gompa and Soma Gompa, once home to the monastic printing press. Also nearby is the 1430 Chamba Lhakhang, with its colourful three-storey Buddha and medieval mural fragments. Don't count on any of these being open though.
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Wanla Gompa
Above Wanla village, tiny medieval Wanla Gompa is dramatically perched on a towering knife-edge ridge flanked by two shattered tower remnants of a now-destroyed 14th-century fortress. Its carved porch is reminiscent of Alchi's famous Choskhor Temple and a single, magical chamber contains three large statues backed by stunning murals.
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Leh Old Town
Behind Leh’s central Jamia Masjid, winding alleys and stairways burrow between and beneath a series of old mud-brick Ladakhi houses and eroded chortens. The alleys themselves are a large part of the attraction, but some buildings have been particularly well restored, notably the pair of 17th-century mansions now housing the interesting LAMO arts centre. To get a taste, walk past the Dhyani Buddha–fronted building that houses Lala's Art Cafe, turn hard left on an easily missed passageway beside a rigsum gonbo (represented by a trio of yellow, white and blue mini-stupas) and tunnel under a building past a magenta door marked 'Chamba Gonba' (normally locked). Wind up a rocky slope to LAMO and beyond to the Old Town Cafe and the Leh Palace just above.
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Diskit Gompa
Directly above Old Diskit, a 2km spaghetti of hairpins winds up to this photogenic monastery complex, much of which dates to between the 14th and 17th centuries. At the back far right-hand corner of the medieval gonkhang (guardian spirits' temple), a six-armed white Mahakala statue clasps a withered forearm and a human skull, supposedly body parts of a Mongol warrior. The gigantic (32m) full-colour Chamba statue next to the monastery was formally inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2010 and offers superb valley views. A monastery restaurant here serves up decent food (mains ₹100 to ₹250) and a guesthouse offers comfortable rooms.
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Spituk Gompa
Founded in the late 14th century as See-Thub (Exemplary) Monastery, impressive Spituk Gompa surveys the Sengye Tsangpo (Indus) Valley, with surreal views of jets landing at Leh airport just below (it's a Buddhist plane-spotter's heaven!). It's worth climbing the exterior stairway to the three-tiered latho (spirit shrine) and gonkhang (protector chapel), which holds the monastery's guardian deities (women not allowed). Inside the main monastery complex, the most eye-catching structure is the Skudung Lhakhang, with vaguely Chinese-looking up-turned corners to its gilt roof. The colourful old dukhang (Tibetan prayer hall) contains a distinctively yellow-hatted statue of Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), the founder of Gelukpa Buddhism. In the same room is a Tsepame statue that is said to have originated from Tsongkhapa’s nosebleed. The main upper Jokhang has an ornate golden-crowned statue of Jowo Sakyamuni that was said to have been brought from Lhasa after the Chinese invasion. Overlooking the car park is a tiny canteen serving tea and Ladakhi paba (pea-and-barley meal; ₹40) with tangtur curry. The monastery is around 5km from central Leh. The gompa has a festival in January, on the 26th to 28th of the 11th Ladakhi lunar month.
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Shanti Stupa
Dominating Leh from a high, rocky ridge, this gigantic white spired pudding of a stupa was built between 1983 and 1991 by Japanese monks to promote world peace. The views over Leh are superb. Ideally, make the breathless 15-minute climb up from Changspa when golden afternoon light still illuminates the city but the steps are already bathed in cooling shadow.
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Chemrey Monastery
Spectacularly viewed across barley fields and buckthorn bushes, Chemrey village is dominated by the beautifully proportioned Thekchhok Gompa covering a steep hillock with a maze of pathways and Tibetan buildings. It's one of Ladakh's most impressive sights. Above the appealingly wobbly 17th-century prayer hall, the Lama Lhakhang has dark, partly restored ancient murals and sells officially blessed 'protection talismen' (₹200). On the penultimate floor, the Guru Lhakhang has an ancient 3m-high golden Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) statue encrusted with turquoise. There's a small but excellent museum on the very top. The monastery access lane starts near Km7 on the newly upgraded Karu–Pangong road. From there it's around 1km to the base of the monastery crag, then a steep, sweaty climb if you're walking. Vehicles can drive another 2km around a spiral lane to the main entrance high above.
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Guru Lhakhang
Restored by the army in the late 1990s, this tiny white cube of a temple is said to date back to the time of the 'Great Translator' Ringchen Zangpo (10th to 11th century). It sits on a steep, rocky crag whose higher slopes are dotted with the crumbling ruins of an ancient fortress. Inside, you'll need a torch to pick out the dark, intricate Alchi-era murals. The site is around 1.8km up the eastern side of the vallley road from Phyang Gompa. Call the key-holder, carpenter Tsering Norboo, beforehand or it will be locked (his house is almost directly below the temple). To reach the fortress (40 minutes) and its fine views follow the red Xs up a shoulder of ridge. Eventually you loop around the base of the upper castle clockwise to find a way up that's a bit of a scramble but doesn't require any real climbing.
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LAMO
This arts-media trust occupies an adjoining pair of 17th-century Ladakhi mansions, one of which was the home of the munshi (king's secretary) and thus one of the finest homes of its era. Beautifully restored since 2006, it provides an interesting backdrop to often-fascinating art exhibitions, film screenings and author talks. A series of guided walking tours is being prepared. Personalised 20-minute guided tours point out features you might otherwise miss, such as the window between the two households used to transfer embers when one's fire went out, a fragment of the now-lost city wall (in the colourful Bukhari room) and the false floor panel that covers a 1.5m-deep granary. In years gone by, a small child would be lowered in on a rope to access stored barley.