The Himalayas harbor an amazing variety of landscapes. The windswept valleys of Ladakh and Nubra, sandwhiched between the Himalayas and the Karakorum, receive only a few visitors. The few that make it have one common reaction. Sheer Awe, at the vastness and myriad colors of hills and valleys stretching for miles under a sky that must be the most penetrating steel blue in the universe. These valleys are great treasure houses of ancient Buddhist art, and visitors often remark that this ancient culture seems far better preserved here than in Tibet..

The geology and culture of the Ladakh and Zanskar valleys is almost identical to the great Tibetan plateau. Situated at apx. 10,000 ft, Ladakh has the lowest density of population in the world (two per sq. mile).Among these barren, multi-hued mountains, a rich and well preserved Tibetan Buddhist culture has flourished. Chortens (prayer walls) dot the hillsides, prayer flags fluttering eternally in the wind. Gompas and palaces cling to sheer rock walls. Monks dressed in red and yellow spin prayer wheels and count beads as they walk past Mani walls. Yaks, goats and ibex graze on the high lands. Women wear large lama hats decorated with turquoise stones and work in small green patches.
 

Nubra s a cheerful and green valley between the Karakoram and Ladakh ranges. It is situated to the north of Leh, at a lower altitude and has a softer climate. This valley was opened to foreign visitors very recently. The caravans of the famous 'Silk Route' passed through it towards Kashgar, Yarkand and Sinkian with trade items like silk, wool, pashmina, pearl, tea and gold. The valley's natural splendor, the simplicity of its inhabitants, their contentment, and their friendly hospitality are unforgettable. The villages along the Shyok and Nubra rivers have a spectacular background of tall willows and poplars, the leaves turning from green to crimson, yellow to gold. Ancient Buddhist art and sculpture dots the valley. An excursion to the Tso Morari Lake will leave us simply wonderstruck.