Places to visit in Leh

Spituk Gompa was founded in the 14th Century and is located at about 5 km from the Leh. On the top of the Gompa is a three-tiered shrine. The statues inside the Gompa are of Buddha and Tsongkhapa.

Gelukpa Shankar Gompa features Kushok Bakula Rinpoche who was the former Lama of Ladhak. Namgyal Tsemo Gompa is located above the palace and is open to the public for two hours from 7 am to 9 am.

Gurdwara Pathar Sahib is situated on the Leh Kargil road. This Gurdwara was built in 1517 when the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak visited this region. Tibetan Buddhists consider Guru Nanak to be a Saint. The name Pathar is a large boulder where Guru Nanak had apparently rested during his visit. The Gurdwara is currently looked after by the Indian army.

This magnificent stupa was built by the Japanese in 1991 to promote World peace and harmony as part of their Peace Pagoda Mission. This grand stupa is located on top of a hill in Chanspa. At the base of the Stupa, some relics of Buddha is buried and the 14th Dalai Lama enshrined the Stupa. The stupa has become a huge attraction for tourists not just for religious reasons but the fantastic view it commands.

Victory Tower is located on top of the Leh Palace and it was built to honor the Ladhaki troop’s victory over Balti Kashmiris.

War Museum in Leh is managed by the Indian Army. This Museum highlights the history of the Armed forces, their activities which include some very fantastic displays of the World’s highest battlefield Siachen. It also highlights the various types of tools and equipment the Army uses. The idea is to spread awareness of the activities of the Armed forces.

Pangong Lake is located at an altitude of 4300 meters on the Indo China border and is around 150 km from Leh. This lake on the Indian Territory is just 1/4th of its size and the rest is inside China. The road from Leh to Pangong takes you through the famous Changla pass situated at 5400 meters. On this route, there is a camp for Yak safari. Near this lake during peak season mid and high-end camp and hotels are available.

Nubra Valley which is located at the base of the Karakoram Range can be reached by car. Here are the famous sand dunes called Hundar. Here one can hire a two-humped camel for rides and during peak season camping on the dunes are possible.

Drogpas areas are a part of the tour packages where five villages have been thrown open to tourists. The villages are Doha, Biama, Darchigs, Garkon, and Batalik. The entire population in these villages are the remnants of the Dards who were said to have been the last of the Aryan race which had stayed back in the Indus valley.

The Community Centre is a place one should visit as it offers insights of traditional Society of Ladakh. On December 22nd and 23rd Ladakh celebrates its New Year and it is called Losar festival. This is perhaps the most important event that the Ladhakis celebrate. A number of traditional and cultural events highlight this festival along with religious prayers by the Buddhist monks to their various deities. In this festival, one can see lots of events including the famous Ibex Deer dances and join the celebrations by dancing and having dinner with friends.

Sindhu Darshan festival was started in 1997 and is held on Guru Purnima that is a full moon in the month of June. This festival is held for 3 days and it is a celebration where River Indus (Sindhu as it is known amongst Indians) which the festival recognizes as the symbol of Unity of India.

Leh Palace is a former royal palace overlooking the Ladakhi Himalayan town of Leh. Modelled on the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, the palace was built by King Sengge Namgyal in the 16th century.

This 16th-century Tsemo (Victory) Fort crowns the top of Palace Ridge. You should not miss out Tsemo Gompa. It has two little 15th-century temple buildings. One of it has an 8m-tall gold-faced Maitreya.