 Pangong Lake
Located at an altitude of 4242m east of Leh, this is the biggest lake in the himalaya which is some 130 kg long and 2 to 6 km wide. Only one-fourth of the lake is in india and the rest is in Tibet.
Tsomoriri Lake
28 km long and 5 to 8 km wide Tsomoirri is about 240 km south-east of leh, Though it is not a salt water lake but its water is not fit for drinking. Almost a circular trek around the lake is a rewarding experience.
Korzok Village
Karzok literally means middle of the mountain or middle of the body. This is the only big village around the lake(Tsomoririr) and an important destination for the visitors ot this lake. The village, containing 45 houses, is perched about 40m above the lake.
Nubra Valley
The name Nubra is applied to the district comprising the valley of the Nubra river, and that of the Shayok both above and below their confluence, where they meander in many shifting channels over a broad sandy plain before flowing off to the northwest to join the Indus in Baltistan.
Shey Palace
Only 15 km from Leh, on the way to Thiksey and Hemis and ranking as the summer palace of the erstwhile Raja of Leh. The Monatsery has a two storey statue of the sitting Buddha wrought with copper and gold of stupendous grandeur.
Alchi Gompa
Both are located near Saspol 60 to 66 km west of Leh. They house many gigantic clay statues of the Buddha in various forms. However the primary attraction is 1000 year old wall paintings which makes a visit most worthwhile.
Leh City
A tiny speck of freshness in a hollow between monotonous grey slopes at a transition from desert to greenery. Leh is a jigsaw of terraced roofs and houses jammed against one another.
Likir Monastery
Located around 52 Kms from Leh, know as Klu-Kkhjil (water spirits) founded in the 11th century AD and was rededicated to another monastic order (the yellow sect) in the 15th century, its earlier gompa was destroyed in fire
Diskit Village
The Diskit Village is located slightly off the little hamlet of Khalsar. Dotted with apricot plantations, Diskit is amongst the larger villages in the region, and home to the 350 year-old Diskit Gompa – the oldest, and the largest monastery in the Nubra Valley.
Thiksey Monastery
On the way to Hemis Gompa, 19km from Leh, this monastery is a most imposing structure providing a panoramic view of the green Indus Valley from its vantage point atop a hill. It has chambers full of statues, stupas and thankhas.
Lamayuru Monastery
Situated 15km east of Fotu La(4094m), Lamayuru is one of the most important and sacred monasteries in ladakh. Approach in 15 min from the main Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway by a small path.
Cave Monastery
The Cave Monastery of Shergole is old and small but has elegant frescoes. A peculiar Buddhist monastery of the region, it juts out of a brown, granite cliff and is frighteningly suspended in the middle of the mountain.
Hemis Monastery
The biggest and the most important monastery in ladakh, 49km south of Leh, a little off the Indus River road. It was built in the 17th century by Chapgon Gyalshas and ever sinec has enjoyed the partronage of the royal family.
Spituk Monastery
10km along the Kargil road from Leh, on the hilltop overlooking the Indus, boasts not only of some prized thankhas but also chamber with enormous status of kali, whose faces are unveiled but once a year. The chamber contain an ancient collection of facemasks as well.
The Samtanling Gompa
The Samtanling Gompa at the relatively bigger Sumur Village is definitely worth a visit, and houses a fine collection of idols, frescos and tangkhas (painted and embroidered scrolls).
Sumur too offers basic holiday accommodations, and a few days spent in this busy little village can be a very pleasant experience.
Hot Water Sulphur Springs
The waters of the hot sulphur springs at the village of Panamik, the last destination travellers are permitted to travel to in Nubra, are believed to have certain medicinal qualities that cure a number of ailments.
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