Gonpa Village

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 bike ride. There is a small gompa above the TV tower and a chorten on the cairn-speckled ridge-top above that. Views are excellent.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Leh attractions

1. Tisseru Stupa

0.62 MILES

Ladakh's largest stupa is unlike anything else in the region – a giant, bulky mud-brick structure that looks like a half-built ziggurat (stepped pyramid).

2. Ladakh Rocks & Minerals Museum

1.1 MILES

This sweet one-room museum outside Sankar Gompa presents labelled examples of Ladakh's geological curiosities, including a natural lingam (phallic image…

3. Sankar Gompa

1.11 MILES

The timeless two-storey Sankar Gompa is Upper Leh's modest main monastery. It's a calming, meditative place, and the walk to reach it from Sankar Lane…

4. Sankar

1.13 MILES

For a charming wander, follow canal streams in the captivating yet relatively accessible area around little Sankar Gompa and the one-room geological…

5. Shanti Stupa

1.36 MILES

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…

6. Gomang Stupa

1.38 MILES

This large 9th-century whitewashed stupa rises in concentric serrated layers flanked by numerous chortens. The charming, shady setting retains a…

7. Tsemo Fort

1.5 MILES

Visible from virtually everywhere in Leh, 16th-century Tsemo (Victory) Fort is a defining landmark that crowns the top of Palace Ridge, though there's…

8. Tsemo Gompa

1.5 MILES

Namgyal Tsemo Gompa consists of two little 15th-century temple buildings directly beneath the Tsemo Fort ruins. One enshrines an 8m-tall gold-faced…