Tuesday, 27 March 2012

ZANSKAR & ZANSKARI


Ladakh is a rugged, arid and terrain land which has artistic with incredible natural beauty and adventure sports facilities. While in Ladakh, Zanskar is positioned as one of the most famous tourist destinations.  As summer season is starting to knock the atmosphere door of the globe, we begin googling for mountain and high land vacations. One can find a lot of Ladakh Tour Packages while surfing the net. Ladakh has a lot to overwhelm to any adventure lover or nature lover with its wonderful landscapes and challenging mountains.

 Zanskar is a mesmerizing destination situated near the beautiful Zanskar River which encourages tourists for River Rafting in it. Zanskar is situated at an altitude of between 3,500 and 7,000 meter above sea level. The breathtaking landscape is perfect destination for trekking enthusiasts. The river provides opportunities for skiing in winter season when it freezes. The river is perfect for River Rafting in summer season with mesmerizing views.

Tourist can enjoy attraction of the biggest glacier of the Himalayan region Drang-Drung Glacier which gives birth of the river Stod. There are many popular religious sites in Zanskar with architectures of the period between 8th to 12th centuries such as: Karsha Monastery with beautiful rock engravings, Bardhan and Phugta etc.
Zhanskar River Rafting

Cultural tours go towards exploring the local traditions and customs of the local people, local temples and monasteries which constitute the mainstay and stabilizing factor in the local people's lives. 

Destination@Doorstep a noted Travelling Agency is trying to give main emphasis on benefiting the locals of that particular area by focusing on no or low impact tourism. They generally attempt to buy local produce and handicrafts and employing local staff and sensitizing their clients to the local traditions and customs. By doing this they not only bring economic gain to the locals but also respect their customs. On all their cultural tours our guides wear the local dress and interact with the locals so that you tourists a real feel and ambience of that particular region.

Zanskar monasteries
Ladakh's entire way of life revolves around the numerous Monasteries in and around Leh and Zanskar. The monasteries around Leh are relatively in close proximity to each other compared to the ancient monasteries in the Zanskar region which are spread out over a vast area and quite isolated and need to be reached by foot.

Zanskar also has its share of ancient monasteries except that unlike Ladakh monasteries which are relatively close to each the Zanskar monasteries are at quite a distance from each other very high up on the cliffs of hills. Some of the more famous monasteries are Zangla, Rangdum Karsha, Bardan and Stongde. The Zangla palace is now in ruins but well worth a visit. After a fruitful 4 day trip tourists can stop over in Zangla to spend the day with a Zanskari family and experience the difference between the Ladakhi and Zanskari way of life.

Plan your vacation now, call us on 1800-103-2228 (toll free in India) or visit our website http://www.destination-doorstep.com/leh

Friday, 23 March 2012

Mountain Lake of Ladakh


Increasing number of tourists in Ladakh is a positive sign for Ladakh Tourism. Ladakh is famous for trekking to marvelous location of geographical importance and adventurous sports.

Ladakh is amazing and wonderful beauty of the precious treasure of India; it is the pride of beautiful Lakes and high mountains with neat and clean environment which provides psychological freshness in tourists’ mind.
Mountain Lake of Ladakh 

Tso Moriri a.k.a.Lake Moriri is one of the marvelous locations of geographical importance of Ladakh. It is one of the most suitable places for Jeep Safari and trekking in Ladakh. The Tso Moriri Lake is situated in the Changthang (northern plains of Ladakh) area at the altitude of 4,595 meter to the southeast of Leh in Eastern Ladakh. It is situated at a distance of 215 kilometer by road from Leh. It is the largest of the High Altitude Lakes in the Trans-Himalayan region, entirely within India.
Tso MoririLake is pinpointed between Ladakh, Tibet and Zanskar in the north, east and west respectively. There was an outlet to the south of the Lake which has slimmed slowly and continuously; and has become land to hem the flow of water. So water changes its quality of saline to brackish. Snow covered mountain peaks of Changthang plateau’s geographical setting is the source of water for the Lake.

This Lake was salty before 1959. In the earlier days, local people had extracted from the Lake to sell in Leh market. Nowadays its water is alkaline.

Summer season (June to September) is an ideal time to visit for tourists because heavy snowfall blocks the trekking route for rest of the months. It is also known as Mountain Lake. It is a beautiful and peaceful place in an amazing site amidst mountain ranges for tourists to relax. Its length is about 25 km from north to south and about 4 km in breadth and its average depth is about 120 feet, but the maximum depth of Tso Moriri goes up to 240 feet.

Tso PangongLake is larger than Tso Moriri Lake. Mountain Lake is more beautiful in some ways due to fact that area surrounding this Lake is a wildlife reserve and one can enjoy wildlife tour in Ladakh,  where tourists can see Tibetan wild ass, (Kiang), marmots, Bharal (blue sheep), hare, voles, red foxes and many species of migratory birds. The Snow Leopard and the Tibetan Grey Wolf are seen in a very few number. Jeep safaris have been known to chase wildlife such as Kiang and approach close to the breeding ground.

There is a regular bus service operated by J&K SRTC from Manali to Korzok. Tourists can hire local taxi from Leh Taxi Union. Enthusiast young bike riders can book bike for themselves from bike rental shops at the Old Post Office Road or ask your hotel management to arrange it.

There are two routes to reach Mountain Lake of Ladakh; but another is rugged and dangerous:
Leh to Tso Moriri :
Leh – Upshi – Chumathang – mahe – Puga – Tso Moriri.

The first half is on tar road and makes for a comfortable drive.  There is a small stretch of road which is rough owing to the rugged terrains of the region. It is advisable to engage local skilled driver for Jeep Safari in this route.

Plan your vacation now, call us on 1800-103-2228 (toll free in India) or visit our website http://www.destination-doorstep.com/leh/