india
Indian himalaya
In August 2010 I travelled to the northeast of the Indian hill state of Himachal Pradesh to visit Spiti and Ladakh. The Spiti valley is a remote desert mountain valley that is only accessible during the brief summer months from Manali via the Manali-Leh highway. I joined a trekking group to follow an ancient trade route still used by the nomadic herdsmen of Changtang to trek from Spiti to Ladakh via a high mountain pass.
Dhankar Gompa, Spiti Valley, Northern India
The wide valley of the Pare Chu river, Spiti to Ladakh Trek, Northern India
Kyangdom campsite, 4550m, Tso Moriri lake, Changtang region, Ladakh, Northern India
India Galleries
SPIT TO LADAKH TREK, 2010
The challenging trek starts in the Spiti valley and leads over the Parang La pass (5578m) and the Rupshu plateau to beautiful Tso Moriri, a salt lake nestled in a landscape that is characterized by endless plains, rough high alpine deserts, glacier covered mountains and the deep dark blue of the sky.
SPITI & LADAKH MONASTERIES
Translated Spiti means 'Middle Country', the province between Tibet and India. Isolated in the deep valleys the Buddhist culture of Spiti has developed undisturbed, in a little world that centres around its many gompas. I visited three of the more prominent monasteries in Spiti: Tabo, Dhankar and Ki (Kye).
TAJ MAHAL
The Taj Mahal in Agra is probably the world's most famous mausoleum and Indias greatest tourist attraction. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal (1593 - 1631). In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
tour info
This tour in August 2010 was organized by DAV Summit Club, Germany and led by the German tour guide Arnold Hasenkopf.
highlight
Watching the constantly changing, dramatic, painting-like cloud formations over Tso Moriri lake in Ladakh
PETER BOEKAMP