Travel Guide Leh

Travelers are immediately seduced by Leh's restful atmosphere, its Buddhist monasteries, its religious fervor, the kindness of its inhabitants and their hospitality. The former capital of the kings of Ladakh appears like an oasis in the desert. Below the town, the Indus River irrigates the rocky soil, which has finally become nourishing. A tourist destination in summer, it becomes the kingdom of its people in winter. In the off-season, the city has a population of 31,000, rising to 90,000 during the few summer months. The town has always been at the crossroads of strategic routes: for caravans traveling on the Silk Road, for yaks on their way to Yarkand and today for the Indian army, omnipresent on the Chinese border. But Leh is above all a rallying point for Himalayan enthusiasts. The surrounding peaks exceed 6,000 meters. In summer, the town becomes a melting pot of trekkers, Western backpackers and Indian tourists, Indian and Nepalese workers, Tibetan refugees and Buddhist monks. The best time to visit Leh and the surrounding area is in June or September. The town is relatively quiet and the weather is fine.