Saturday 3 August 2013

Ladakh – Where Heaven and Earth meet




Ladakh - A land of extremes, one of the few places on earth where one can get sun burnt and frost bitten on the same day , where sand dunes meet snow capped peaks and the hills defy gravity*.







My journey begins from Leh, home to one of the highest airports in the world.  As the plane approaches Leh the land reaches up to the sky and mountains compete with clouds for space.  Situated at 10,682 ft above MSL, the Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport in Leh is operated by the military and has one of the strictest securities.



Aerial views

View from the room



The first day is spent resting and getting acclimatized to the high altitude and low oxygen.  Altitude sickness – symptoms include nausea, head aches and vomiting - is one of the main worries and hence providing the body time to adjust is important.  Taking acetazolamide tablets like diamox can help combat this.






Thikse monastery



Leh is surrounded by places of cultural interest.  The Hemis monastery, at a distance of 45 km from Leh, is one of the largest monasteries.  Though photography is prohibited within the monastery, the location makes it a place worthy of a visit.  Other places include Thikse monastery, shanti stupa, Leh palace...







The next day I make an early start to Diskit in Nubra valley.  The road to Diskit passes through Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes in world. 

Travelling is a pleasure in these parts as the minerals and ores paint the mountains with unimaginable colours.  Pinks and greens give way to yellow and purple with patches of white scattered in between.  Wildlife encountered during these journeys comprises of Himalayan marmots, pika and blue sheep or bharal.  Sighting the legendary phantom cat of the Himalayas, the snow leopard, is extremely rare during the summer as the cat would have followed its prey to the higher slopes.

Himalayan marmot Bharal Chukar

After crossing South Pullu, the last town before khardung la, the paved road gives way to mud roads where half cleared rock falls are a common sight.  The winding, single lane road with steep precipice on one side and towering mountains on the other will test any driver’s skills. 

As I approach Khardung la, I get my first glimpse of snow.  At the pass, it is common to see hordes of tourists taking pictures of the board which claims Khardung la as the highest motorable road in the world. 

Khardung La


As though to justify the featuring of this road in Discovery as one of the most dangerous roads, a few boulders fell right in front of my car as I was leaving Khardung La.

The journey to Diskit will take between 6 to 7 hours depending on the number of stops in between.




In the evening I head towards the famed sand dunes of Nubra.  Just a few kilometers from Diskit, the sand dunes create a mini desert environment amidst towering mountains, where Bactrian camels ply eager tourists.  This is a place where some unique pictures can be taken as the setting sun illuminates and lends a golden sheen to the sand dunes and the mountains beyond.







The nearby Diskit monastery and Buddha statue are also good places to visit.  The next morning, armed with an 800mm lens, I decided to explore the wilder side of Nubra.  Yellow wagtails, red munias, house sparrows and redstarts are the commonly seen birds, with the surrounding fields attracting the maximum amount of birds.  Since all the fields are surrounded by fences, birding is restricted to walking on the main roads.

Blue rock thrush Fields around Diskit Red start

After Nubra valley it is time to explore the lakes that Ladakh is famous for.  Though Ladakh is thousands of metres above the sea it still abounds with salt lakes.  The first lake that I head to is Tso moriri.

Tso moriri

With a length of 19 km, Tso moriri is designated as a Ramsar site because of the rich bio diversity that it supports.  It is the only known nesting site of bar headed goose in India.  Other aquatic birds like ruddy shelducks, brown headed gulls and greater crested grebes can also be seen.  On the lake shores, horned larks, golden eagles, plovers and other terrestrial birds can be found.

Bar headed goose Ruddy shelduck Horned lark

During the day, even if it is cloudy, the lake waters shine with a brilliant blue colour.  At night, the stars rule the sky, with the Milky Way bifurcating the sky from north to south.  The brilliance of the stars is sufficient to make one forget the biting cold – the temperature can plummet to 3° C even during summer – and the heavy winds.

Tso moriri at night


The next lake that I head to is Tso Kar.  This is a good place to spot the Tibetan wild ass, or kiang, and the critically endangered black necked cranes, which nest in ladakh.

Kiang Vegetation around Tso Kar Black necked crane


After Tso kar, it is back to Leh via the Rohtung pass.

Rohtung pass



My final destination is the renowned Pangong Tso Lake where many films like Three Idiots, Jab Tak Hai Jaan were shot.  As the road approaches Pangong Tso, there is a stretch where it is forbidden to stop the vehicle.  The story behind this is that the marmots here were being fed by tourists.  The marmots got so used to this that they started approaching vehicles.  After 8 – 10 road kills, this stretch of road was made as a no stop zone.


Around 130 kilometres in length, Pangong Tso is shared between India and China.  This lake is quite popular among tourists and the gulls here certainly appreciate this.  Frequently fed, the gulls are quite adjusted to humans and allowed me to approach surprisingly close.

Three Idiots Brown headed gull

After this, it was back to Leh to catch an early return flight.

Thanks to the meticulous planning done by Philip and Sachin of Toehold, the tour was both comfortable and productive.

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Some more photos:

Click on Prev/Next buttons to scroll through the images.



A time lapse video of Ladakh:

 



Notes:

  • It is better to book the flight tickets early as summer is tourist season in Ladakh.
  • For photography a wide angle lens is a must and an ultra wide angle lens coupled with a full frame camera will be a boon.  I was using canon 24-105 f4 L lens for landscapes and a canon 800mm f5.6 for wildlife.  For time lapse and star trails an intervalometer is required for canon cameras.
  • It is necessary to take prior permission to visit the lakes.  Hence a photo Id is necessary.
  • At the lakes, it gets very cold during the night.  Do carry adequate warm clothing.  The accommodation at the lakes is a temporary tent.  This makes it very easy for the guests to become one with the elements as the tents seem to have a liking for the wind and allow it to flow freely within!
  • During the day, the sun is quite harsh.  So, sun glasses, cap and sun screen are essential.
  • While returning it is better to reach the Leh airport early because of the heavy security.


* Around 50 kilometers from Leh, there is a hill known as Magnetic Hill.  Apparently vehicles move uphill without any power here.

5 comments:

  1. can u please share the photo specs. of that star trail shot?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The star trail shot was taken at f4, 20 minute exposure, ISO 320. I had manually focused to infinity. The equipment used was a canon 1d mk 4 camera and a 24-105 f4 lens.

      Delete
  2. Fantastic report as well as pics man...


    Cheers !!
    Amit

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prajwal enjoyed the article and photos. Well done.

    ReplyDelete