Jeep safari at the high altitude lake of India is another new attraction that has recently come up in this adventure activity. The high point trip of a trip to Leh is the drive to Pangong Lake. The drive takes round about four hours to Changla Pass. At the first sight of the lake through the 'V' of the ridges of the valley all cameras, digital videos etc. came tumbling out. The azure lake beautifully set off the golden yellow of the mountainside, painted thus by the mellow rays of the evening sun, on a canvas of crisp blue sky. Considered to be the most arduous and at the same time exhilarating is the cross country jeep drive to the Pong valley.
Pangong Tso Lake:
There is little habitation in the Pangong Tso lake region and even less transport. Occasional buses go as far as Tangse, but from there four wheel vehicles are required, which is why the easiest way to get here is on a two or three day Jeep Safari organized by one of the many tour operators based in Leh.
Visitors are restricted by the army from staying at Spangmik for longer than a couple of hours, and the usual itinerary involves camping at Lukung 15-km before the lake. Tour operators provide all the necessary facilities including tents and food and will arrange your permit.
Tso Moriri Lake:
With the absence of any public transport except for the odd truck, the only really feasible way to get to Tso Moriri from Leh is on a Jeep Safari. These usually follow a circular itinerary via Upshi and Chumathang to Mahe Bridge, 144-kms from Leh, before turning towards Pulga and over the Namshang-la on a rough road to Karzok.
To complete the round trip, the tour continues on towards the Manali-Leh highway taking in the lake of Tso Kar and the small village of Thukse on the way. Some taxis travelling from Manali to Leh take this route to avoid the Tanglang la on the highway when it is snowbound
Ladakh: The flight into Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is an unforgettable experience - over the dramatic expanse of the Himalayas - for Ladakh straddles four main ranges - the great Himalayan, Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram. This is the highest inhabited region in India and the River Indus with its tributaries, slice their way through the ranges.
Remote though it is, Ladakh has never been totally isolated. Over the centuries the trade route from India to central Asia passed through this area undeterred by its high passes and desert landscape. Caravans carrying spices, brocades, pearls, carpets and more mundane merchandise like salt and tea took just two months to cover the distance from Amritsar in the Punjab to the central Asian towns of Varkand and Khotan! Leh and Kargil on this ancient route developed then into centres of trade.
Jeep safari To Ladakh Via Road
Travelling into Ladakh by road is exciting. It takes two days from Srinagar to Leh with a mid way halt at Kargil, which gives the visitor a marvellous introduction to this spectacular destination, while easing the acclimatisation process to the high altitude low oxygen atmosphere of Ladakh.
The road leaves behind the verdant beauty of the Kashmir valley at Zoji-la, the pass in the Great Himalayan wall that is the gateway into Ladakh. Densely forested slopes give way to bare mountains in shades of russets and brown as the road descends to the alpine meadows of Minamarg on to Drass, the first village after the pass. It is reputed to be the second coldest habitation in the world after Siberia! The people here are different. They are of Dard origin and believed to be an Aryan people who migrated from the Central Asian steppes.
Onward the road traverses a narrowing gorge on to the little trading town of Kargil, the mid point of the journey. Located on the river Suru, at 9,000 feet, Kargil is the base for visits to the spectacular Suru and Zanskar valleys and for a variety of adventure activities in the region. 40-km ahead of Kargil is Mulbekh noted for its immense figure of Maitreya, the future Buddha, carved in deep relief into a rock face high above the village.
The road climbs its breathless way to more passes Namika la and Fotu la a truly top of the world feeling. It sweeps past the amazing Lamayuru monastery spilling spectacularly over a mountain side down the incredible Langroo loops to meet the river Indus at Khalatse - a descent of 4,000 ft. /1,219 m in about 32-km. A panoramic view of the amazing russets, yellows and greys of the Ladakh range unfolds as the road follows the river. Gompas and forts can be glimpsed in the distance. At the Spituk monastery the visitor gets a first dramatic glimpse of Leh, floating like a mirage in the distance.
