India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (357 page)

In Lamayuru, the best place to stay is the relatively new
Hotel Moonland
(
94-1988-8508,
01982/22-4551, or 01892/22-4576; [email protected]; open May 25–Sept). It’s a pleasant family run affair with simple rooms (most with attached bathrooms and hot showers) in a cluster of small Ladakhi-style buildings arranged around a little vegetable garden a short distance from the main village, but within striking (and viewing) distance of the monastery. Ask for one of the new upstairs rooms (due to open in early 2010), which will have the best view. The owner, Morup Dorje, is a Lamayuru local and can make arrangements for treks out to nearby villages; he charges Rs 1,500 for a double room including all meals (around Rs 800 without food) which feature vegetables that his ancient, traditionally attired mother grows here.

Gompas & Palaces South of Leh

Venturing south of Leh along the same road that goes all the way to Manali, you can take in a number of monasteries, and one or two Ladakhi palaces. Located across from Choglamsar on the opposite side of the Indus,
Stok Palace
(Rs 25; May–Oct daily 8am–7pm) is the only inhabited palace in Ladakh, home to the 74th generation of the Namgyal dynasty. The land-holding rights of Stok were granted to the royal family by General Zorawar Singh in 1834 when he deposed Tshe-spal-Namgyal, the
Gyalpo
(king) of Ladakh. It’s an imposing complex, with around 80 rooms, only a few of which are still used by the current widowed
Gyalmo
(queen), who is sometimes in residence with her immediate family. Several rooms are taken up by the modest museum housed in one section. Museum highlights include a vast
thangka
collection, weapons, jewels, and, of special note, the queen’s
perak,
a turquoise-studded headdress. The ghostly Buddhist shrine is an experience not to be missed.

Fifteen kilometers (9 miles) from Leh,
Shey Palace and Monastery
(May–Oct daily 8am–7pm) is worthwhile for the
gompa,
but the palace is little more than crumbling ruins.
Thikse Gompa
(daily 6am–6pm) located 25km (16 miles) south of Leh, is a striking 12-story edifice with tapering walls that sits atop a craggy peak. From here you get magnificent views of the valley, strewn with whitewashed stupas. Note that 6am morning prayers at Thikse are worth rising early to witness (but it’s quite popular with tourists so don’t expect to see it alone).

Hidden from the world on a remote verdant hillock,
Hemis Gompa
(45km/28 miles from Leh) is considered the wealthiest Ladakhi monastery, its atmospheric prayer and assembly halls rich with ancient relics and ritual symbols. During the summer season in June and July, the monastery comes alive for the annual
Hemis Tsechu,
a (now very commercial) festival commemorating Guru Padmasambhava’s birth. Masked dancing by the lamas and ritual dramas are played out in the courtyard, and the locals sell Ladakhi handicrafts and jewelry; unfortunately, hordes of hawkers also trudge in from all over the country to push their wares, somewhat diminishing the visibility of local people. Every 12 years, a magnificent embroidered silk
thangka
(tantric wall hanging) is displayed to the public; the next such unveiling takes place in June 2016, when the Year of the Monkey comes around again. On your daylong trip into
Hemis National Park,
you may—with luck—come across brown bear, ibex, or (if the stars are truly aligned in your favor) the extremely elusive snow leopard. The popular Markha Valley trek also traverses this park.

The Nubra Valley

Today, a 5-hour jeep drive over the world’s highest motorable pass,
Khardung-La
(5,514m/18,380 ft.), leads you to northern Ladakh’s lush
Nubra Valley
, a fertile region with more incredible
gompas
and some of the most extraordinary mountain scenery in the Himalayas. For centuries, the journey into Nubra was part of the legendary Silk Route used by caravans of traders dealing in gold, silk, hashish, and carpets, carried between the Punjab and various regions within central Asia—the Route breathed its final gasp in the 1930s when communism in China and Partition in India put an end to the traditional silk trade. Deep within the breathtaking Karakoram mountain range, the twin-tiered valley combines terrific desert-scapes and fertile fields watered by the Siachen and Shayok rivers—sand dunes and oases lie side by side. Predictably, the valley is dotted with peaceful, pleasant, sparsely populated villages—while “bucolic,” “idyllic,” and countless other clichéd travel adjectives might describe these hamlets (like most of Ladakh’s villages), there’s a surprising lack of sentimentality, most probably because of the harsh conditions that manifest for most of the year. These are hardier people than most Westerners could imagine and meeting them in this little-explored landscape really adds to the sense of escape; set off on foot or rent a bike and take time to explore. Tourist literature (and out-of-the-loop travel agents) also punt the famed hot sulfur springs (at Panamik) and rides on double-humped camels as reasons to visit, but these are misguided attempts to spoil your vacation. Nubra’s real pleasures are of the untouristy sort. Wander through its humble villages and hike into the looming, craggy mountains to discover shrines and fluttering prayer flags, and the sense of a being in a remote, forgotten world will take your breathe away. To visit, you need to arrange an Inner Line Permit in Leh (do it through any travel agent or through your hotel), and technically you must be traveling in a group of at least four people. Hire a jeep with driver (count on spending Rs 8,000 for 3 days, unless you share the vehicle with others), and set off early in the day. If you have more time and really want to get under the skin of this cut-off region, consider a multiday hike—Banjara offers an 11-day Nubra Valley trek with camping along the way (see “Staying Active,” earlier in this chapter).