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Ladakh Tribal
The area most frequented by foreign climbers is the Nun-Kun Massif in the Great Himalayan Range. Its easy accessibility from the Kargil-Padum road and the shortest possible approach march to the base camps makes this massif the most attractive climbing destination in the Great Himalaya, necessitating advance booking years ahead. Among its six known peaks accessible from the Suru Valley, Nun (7,135m) and Kun (7,077m ) are the highest summits.

The area nearest to Leh is Stok-kangri Massif in the Zanskar mountains, south of Leh. The base camp for the various peaks of this massif is about two days trek from the village of Stok. Among its known peaks, Stok-kangri (6,150 m) is the highest; it offers a spectacular perspective to the central expanse of the Indus valley which it dominates. Other peaks in the area include Gulap Kangri (5,900 m), Matho West (5,950m) and Kantak (5,275 m). The much higher Konglacha peak (6,700m) lies south-west of Leh and is reached via Rubak on the first leg of the Markha Valley trek from Stok. Many unnamed peaks in the altitude range of 5,500 metres and 6,400 metres are also available for climbing in the same region. This entire area falls well outside the Inner Line, or restricted area.

North of Leh, across the Ladakh Range and the Nubra Valley, lies the Karakoram range. It soars to a number of known peaks which are, however, within the restricted area and so not freely accessible to foreign climbers except with special permission from the Government of India. The most prominent summits in this range which are accessible from various parts of the Nubra Valley include, Saser-I (7,415 m), Saser -II (7,513m ) and Saser III (7,495 m).

The climbing season extends from mid - May to mid -October, the ideal period being from June to September because during this time only Ladakh remains unaffected by the monsoon which holds sway over most of the Himalaya. Foreign climbing expeditions are required to obtain permission from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for climbing all listed peaks. A booking fee, based on the height and popularity of the allotted peak, is charged and a Liasion Officer is assigned to every climbing team. The minimum period required for processing applications is six months. Every authorized expedition is provided with adequate rescue coverage in the events of accidents and illness.

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Festivals in Ladakh
The religious philosophy of Buddhism, however, profound and subtle doesn't preclude an immense joie-de-vivre among its Ladakhi adhe-rents, and even solemn religious enactments are made the occasion for joyous celebration. Many of the annual festivals of the gompas take place in winter, a relatively idle time for the majority of the people. They take the form of dance-dramas in the gompa courtyards. Lamas, robed in colourful garments and wearing often startlingly frightful masks, performs mimes representing various aspects of the religion such as the progress of the individual soul and its purification or the triumph of good over evil. Local people flock from near and far to these events, and the spiritual benefits they get are no doubt heightened by their enjoyment of the party atmosphere, with crowds of women and men, the opportunity to make new friendships and renew old ones, the general bustle and sense of occasion.

The biggest and most famous of the monastic festivals, frequented by tourists and local alike, is that of Hemis, which falls in late June or the first half of July, and is dedicated to Padmasambhava. Every 12 years, the gompa's greatest treasure, a huge thangka - a religious icon painted or embroidered on cloth - is ritually exhibited. The next unveiling is due to take place in A.D. 2004. Other monasteries which have summer festivals are Lamayuru (also early July), Phiyang (late July or early August), Tak-thok (about ten days after Phiyang) and Karsha in Zanskar (11 days after Phiyang). Like Hemis, the Phiyang festival too involves the exhibition of gigantic thangka, though here it is done every year.

Spituk, stok, thikse, chemrey and Matho all have their festivals in winter, between November and March. Likir and Deskit (Nubra) time their festivals to coincide with Dosmoche, the festival of the scapegoat, which is also celebrated with fervour at Leh. Falling in the second half of February, Dosmoche is one of two New Year festivals, the other being Losar. At Dosmoche, a great wooden mast decorated with streamers and religious emblems is et up outside Leh. At the appointed time, offerings of storma, ritual figures moulded out of dough, are brought out and ceremonially cast away into the desert, or burnt. These scapegoats carry away with them the evil spirits of the old year, and thus the town is cleansed and made ready to welcome the new year.

Losar falls about the time of the winter solstice, any time between 8th and 30th December. All Ladakhi Buddhists celebrate it by making offerings to the gods, both in gompas and in their domestic shrines.

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Places of Interest
Zanskar Valley » Markha Valley » Nubra Valley » Tsomoriri Valley » Pangong Lake » Suru Valley

Discover Ladakh
Introduction » Cultural Ladakh » Climbing Peaks » Ladakh Tribal » Ladakh Factfile » Monasteries » Festivals in Ladakh
Wildlife in Ladakh » River Rafting in Ladakh » Weather

Trekking in Ladakh
Ladakh Zanskar Trek » Glimpses of Little Tibet » Lamayuru-Alchi Trek » Multi Aventura Himalaya Ladakh Combinado » Ladakh Culture FIT Program » Ladakh-Markha Valley Trek
Sandakphu Singalila Ridge Trek » Spiti to Ladakh

Ladakh Mountain Biking Tour
A Ride through Little Tibet » The Great Trans- Himalayan Biking Tour » Cycling in the Shadow of the Kanchenjunga Peak

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Leh Jeep Safari » Leh - Pangong Lake Jeep Safari

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