Geography

Ladakh translates to Land of the High Passes, and it certainly merits this name with its multitude of towering mountain ranges, river valleys and high plateaus. The Karakoram Range isolates the northern border and contains the highest peak in Ladakh, Saser Kangri at 7672 meters (25,164 ft). The Himalayan Range along the southern and eastern border contains two 7000-meter peaks, Nun and Kun. Popular trekking peaks are Stok Kangri (6121 m) in the Stok Range and Kang Yatse (6401 m) in the Zanskar Range.

Routes over the high passes of Ladakh were established centuries ago by the caravan traders and by the local people. Some of these routes have been developed into motorable roads. The road from Srinagar to Leh via Kargil crosses the Himalayas over the Zoji La (pass) at 3530 m, and then over the Namika La at 3719 m and the Fotu La at 4094 m before descending by the Lamayuru Monastery and down into the Indus Valley. The road from Manali must cross the Lachlung la at 5060 m and the Taglang La at 5328 m. The world’s highest motorable road from Leh to the Nubra Valley crosses the Kardung La at 5602 m (18,375 ft). The road from Kargil to Padum in the Zanskar Valley must pass over the Fentse La at  4450 m.

Several major river systems flow through Ladakh. The mighty Indus River enters Ladakh in the east, from its origin near Mt. Kailas in Tibet, and flows to the western side into northern Pakistan, where it then flows south to Arabian Sea near Karachi. The Indus forms a broad valley about 10 kilometers wide between the Ladakh and Stok Ranges near Leh. In Zanskar, located between the Zanskar and Himalayan Ranges, the Stod and Tsarap Rivers join to form the Zanskar River, which eventually cuts through deep gorges in the Zanskar Range and flows into the Indus River at Nimoo. The Shyok River flows south from its origin in the disputed area of Aksai Chin (now under Chinese control) and then turns northwest, flowing between the Ladakh and Karakoram Ranges. Its tributary, the Nubra River, originates in the Saichen glacier and gives its name to the valley. The Suru River flows in western Ladakh before joining with the Drass River at Kargil and flowing into Kashmir.

The high plains of eastern Ladakh contain several large brackish lakes. The largest is Pangong Tso (lake), which extends into Tibet. The Rupshu plains to the south contain the lakes of Tso Moriri and Tso Kar.

Climate

The weather and climate of Ladakh display great diversities. On one hand, you can get frostbite because of the extremely cold weather conditions while on the other the blaring sun can give you sunburn, if you're not well protected. The summers in Leh Ladakh experience an average temperature in the range of approximately -3° C to 30° C. Climate of Leh Ladakh experiences extremely cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average temperature in the winter season is somewhere around -20° C to 15° C.

While packing for a trip, you should keep the weather and climate of Ladakh in mind. Some of the things that you should carry are windcheaters, woollen clothing, thick socks, gloves, scarves, a hat or woollen cap, boots or walking shoes, sunscreen, goggles, etc.

Best Time to Visit Ladakh

Planning to visit Ladakh and confused? Don't worry, just go through the following paragraph and learn about things such as "when to visit" Leh Ladakh etc.

Quite unlike other regions in the Indian Himalaya, Ladakh experiences nine months of winter and three months of summer. The best time to visit Ladakh is in the summer - from early June to end September. Beyond that period, temperatures plunge to sub-Arctic levels and the region gets too cold for comfort. By October most of the trekking routes in the higher altitude areas are closed on account of heavy snowfall.

Another good reason to visit Ladakh during the summer months is that this is the time when some of Ladakh's most important Gompas or Budhist monastries host their spectacular annual festivals.

Flora and fauna

Most common animals found here are - Yak (a wild ox), the largest animal found in Ladakh, Nyan, the largest sheep in the world, Bharal, the blue sheep and Urial, the smallest sheep in the world.

The wild yak is to be found only here. The snow leopard is Ladakh's most rare animal. Another one that is unique is the “Kyang” or the wild horse; while at lower altitudes the musk deer too is a rare sight, precious by virtue of its expensive musk. Visitors are likely to spot many marmots, mouse hares, stone martens, red foxes, wolves, ibex, bharal and shapu during the course of their journey but the habitat of the nyan (big horned sheep), chim (Tibetan antelope famed for its fleece-Shahtoosh), goat (Tibetan gazelle), lynx, pallas cat, kyamg (wild horse) and brong dong (wild yak) are still outside the tourists' sphere. The Kyang, or Tibetan Wild Ass, is common in the grasslands of Changthang, numbering about 1,500 individuals.

There are about 200 Snow Leopards in Ladakh, especially in Hemis High Altitude National Park. The Tibetan Wolf, which sometimes preys on the livestock of the Ladakhis. There are also a few brown bears in the Suru valley and the area around Dras. The Tibetan Sand Fox has recently been discovered in this region.