Ladakh is a land like no other. Bounded by two of
the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the
Karakoram, it lies athwart two other, the Ladakh range and the Zanskar
range. Ladakh lies at altitudes ranging from about 9,000 feet (2750m)
at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,672m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram.
Leh - Khardung-la Khalsar-Tirit-Tegar-Sumur-Panamik and return
Leh-Khardung-la - Khalsar- Deskit - Hundar and return.
The upper Shayok and Nubra rivers drain the east and west sides of the Saser
Spur, the eastern most outcrop of the Karakoram. 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.
The route from Leh takes the traveler over the Khardung-la, the highest motorable
road in the world. The line of the road is different from that of the old pony-trail
- longer and actually higher (18,300 feet / 5,578 m). The view from the top
of the pass is amazing.
One can see all the way south over the Indus valley to the seemingly endless
peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north to the giants of the Saser
massif. For several kilometres, on each side of the pass, the road covered by
deep snow in winter, is rough; for the rest of the way the surface is good.
At the confluence of the two rivers there is no dearth of water, but the sandy
soil is not suitable for agriculture, which is confined to the alluvial fans
where side streams debouch into the main valley. The valley floor itself is
covered with dense thickets of seabuckthorn - a thorny shrub- which the villagers
use for fuel and for fencing their fields ; though indeed, there is now less
need for this than there was in the days of the caravan trade with Central Asia
when up to 10,000 horses a year are said to have traversed the district.
The villages are large and seem prosperous, and have thick plantations of willow
and popular. The altitude is little less than that of Leh, varying between 10,000
feet (3,048 m) at Hundar, and 10,600 feet (3,231 m) at Panamik. Summer temperatures
vary between 15 degree celcuis and 28 degree celcuis.
The main village is Deskit, which has a regular bazaar consisting of a single
line of shops, and a gompa. This is situated on a rocky spur above the village
with commanding views up and down the valley. From Deskit, the tour circuit
proceeds down the Shayok to Hundar, past an area of rolling sanddunes, their
contours apparently solid, yet liable to shift with every gale.
