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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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