Description
The land of high pass- is including Khardong La at an altitude of 5400m, the trans-Himalayan zone, which marks the boundary between the peaks of the western Himalaya and the vast Tibetan plateau. It is a region that naturally bends itself to exceptional treks, which can still avoid roads for weeks at the time. Since it opened up to tourism in 1974, Ladakh has been known as the "Moonland", "Little Tibet", and even "the last Shangri-La".
Whatever the description, Ladakh is one of the most remote regions of India. For the Ladakhis it consists of rugged and inhospitable terrain, tempered only in the depths of the valleys where the minimal rainfall has been diverted along irrigation canals. Here willow trees contrast with the barren mountain escape. These fertile reaches support human habitation, where whitewashed settlements and monasteries perched on top of Sugarloaf Mountains add the essential character to this incredible landscape.