Explore the Himalayas

The capital of Ladakh, a historic trading town at 3,500m with ancient palaces, gompas, bazaars and the gateway to all Ladakh adventures.

The summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir, famed for its iconic Dal Lake, Mughal gardens, shikara rides, and traditional houseboats.

A legendary ski resort and summer meadow, home to the world's highest gondola reaching 4,000m on Apharwat Peak with powder skiing and alpine trails.

A spectacular 134km-long high-altitude lake straddling India and Tibet, famous for its surreal colour shifts and the 3 Idiots filming location.

A high-altitude cold desert beyond Khardung La - sand dunes, double-humped Bactrian camels, Diskit monastery and the villages of Hunder & Turtuk.

A serene riverside town on the Lidder River, gateway to the Amarnath Yatra and home to the picture-perfect Betaab Valley and Aru meadows.

The legendary 5,359m pass on the Leh-Nubra road - one of the highest motorable roads on Earth, draped in prayer flags and snow.

A golden meadow at the foot of the Zoji La pass, surrounded by glaciers and alpine lakes, marking the gateway between Kashmir and Ladakh.

A famous stretch of Leh-Srinagar highway where vehicles appear to roll uphill - a gravity hill optical illusion near Gurudwara Pathar Sahib.

A secluded alpine meadow believed by some to be where Jesus once walked, offering serene pine forests, pony trails and a quiet escape from crowds.

A vast emerald meadow where the river runs milky white from glacial foam - a relatively new discovery, pristine and uncrowded.

A vast isolated valley south of Ladakh - ancient monasteries, the Chadar frozen river trek, and some of India's wildest high-altitude landscapes.

A picture-perfect valley on the Lidder River named after the film Betaab - pine forests, green meadows and crystal-clear river confluence.

A pristine 4,522m high-altitude lake in the remote Changthang plateau, surrounded by nomadic changpa camps and snow peaks.

A tranquil alpine village above Pahalgam, the base for treks to Kolahoi Glacier, Tarsar Marsar and the Lidderwat lakes.

A spectacular 15th-century Gelugpa monastery of 12 levels - the most Potala-like in Ladakh - housing a 15m Maitreya Buddha.

Kashmir's iconic lake: houseboat stays, shikara rides at dawn, floating vegetable gardens, and the floating flower market.

A vast 17th-century Drukpa monastery hidden in a gorge, home to the famous Hemis Festival (June-July) and a museum of Buddhist art.

The terraced pleasure gardens built by the Mughals - Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, Chashme Shahi & Pari Mahal - UNESCO-listed Persian chahar bagh masterpieces.

A lush Balti village of apricot orchards in Nubra, just 10km from the LoC - one of India's last northernmost settlements, liberated in 1971.

A remote hamlet in eastern Ladakh home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory - one of the world's best dark-sky stargazing sites at 4,500m.

A botanical garden town famous for its many-shaped springs, trout hatchery and fragrant rose gardens in South Kashmir.

A lower-altitude region west of Leh, ideal for gentle treks, monastery circuits, apricot orchards and the famous Sham (Baby) Trek.

The Mughal-built octagonal spring that is the source of the Jhelum River, with a royal garden and pavilion at the foot of the Pir Panjal.

Kashmir's most powerful waterfall, where the Veshav River plunges down a pine-forested gorge near the majestic Kungwatan meadows.

The legendary 3,528m pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway - the seasonal gateway between the green Kashmir Valley and the high desert of Ladakh.

A tranquil pine-scented meadow and trout-fishing haven on the road to Sinthan Top, in the Breng valley of south Kashmir.

A salt lake surrounded by white salt flats and nomadic camps, part of the Leh-Tso Moriri-Pangong circuit at 4,530m.

A dramatic 3,800m pass with snow even in summer, marking the divide between Kashmir's Breng Valley and Jammu's Chenab region.

An untouched orchard valley in north Kashmir - known for its apples, walnuts, and the legendary lake of Sat Barran.

An enormous twin-basin alpine meadow in north Kashmir, still largely undiscovered - vast grasslands ringed by pine and snow peaks.

A gleaming white marble shrine on the northern shore of Dal Lake, housing a sacred relic believed to be a hair of Prophet Muhammad.

An ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva atop a 1,000ft hill, offering panoramic views over Dal Lake and Srinagar city.

A 17th-century Mughal monument perched above Dal Lake - once an observatory and Sufi school with stunning sunset views.

A 3-day alpine trek connecting two pristine high-altitude lakes - Tarsar and Marsar - set amid meadows and snow peaks above Aru.

A high-altitude sacred lake at the foot of Mount Harmukh - the destination of a famous Hindu pilgrimage and a stunning alpine trek.