Discover India Travelogue

The Trail to Pangong Tso
Ever since Ladakh was opened to foreigners in 1974-75 they have flocked to Leh. Tourists arrive either by air from Delhi or by road from Manali, which is a 471 kilometre experience, highly recommended.

The azure waters of the Pangong Lake

Believe it or not, an hour from Delhi is all you need to reach the magical heights of Leh in the vast Indus basin.
The early morning flight lifts off at the crack of dawn, covering some of the spectacular mountain country close to the north-western tip of India. With clear weather, a left hand window seat provides close ups of the Kishtwar ranges, the Nun and Kun peaks, the brackish Tso Kar lake and far away Nanga Parbat, while the right hand view stretches across the Sutlej catchment all the way to the twin Leo Pargyai peaks on the lndo-Tibetan crest. En route, the ground below takes on different colours as the aircraft cuts a line directly across the rain shadow to Zanskar where dark brown, orange and numerous other shades are redolent of the flavour of the high altitude desert. The plane then aligns with the Indus and the Karakoram range appears north of the river as the pilot loops high above the Kargil road to prepare for landing. Touching down at 11,500 ft, one is immediately transported into the rarefied environs of one of the prime trade routes of Central Asia. This is Leh.

Poetry in starkness

Naturally, acclimatization is necessary. The rarefied air requires a mandatory period of two or three days enforced rest on arrival in order to ward off headaches and mountain sickness. While superhuman conditioning is not needed, basic physical and respiratory fitness is a must. Just as surely, you don't want to be whisked off to Dr Norbu who specializes in high altitude medicine. Well, if you are a restless person, it's best to pick up books on Ladakh, so that you can spend this time getting a fix on the geography, culture and history

of this remote land. In fact, it is advisable to be cautious and consult a doctor prior to departure.
But Leh town is not the only attraction. There are endless options. The Buddhist monastery circuit is a popular one with culture aficionados visiting the well-known ones, Lamayuru, Alchi, Thiksey and Hemis, where the annual festival is a major event. If you are a mountaineer, you can take off for Stok Kangri or the technically demanding Saser Kangri region. If you are fond of trekking, there are numerous trails which the local tourist office will advise you about. You could even go camping around the Indus basin, not only savouring the atmosphere of the main monasteries but also ratting down the Indus. And if you are adventurous, fit, and in the mood for hectic driving, three wonderful routes offer challenging opportunities.

Perhaps the most spectacular of these is the exciting and daring drive over the 17,000 ft Changla Pass to the Pangong Tso lake which stretches into Tibet. Alternatively, one may drive take a deep breath - over the world's highest motorable road across the Khardung La at 18,300 ft and descend to the isolated Nubra Valley for a first hand view of the few remaining double humped Bactrian camels. Also approachable from Pahgong Tso or by diverting from the Indus is Tso Miriri another lake in this high altitude desert.

Road from Muglib village comes
winding down this stony tract

June till September is the ideal period to visit and travel around Ladakh. The days are warm, the skies are clearer and the high passes more or less clear of snow. When we last visited Ladakh though, in August 1995, there was unprecedented precipitation. This greatly affected the houses and monasteries built of mud and designed for only a modicum of rainfall. It makes sense to take adequate warm clothing with a wind cheater, feather jacket, sleeping bag, balaciava, gloves, good walking shoes and an umbrella. For protecting your eyes from ultra violet glare, dark glasses come in handy.

Vegetable vendors, Leh

After adhering to the mandatory two day horizontal position, and itching to get up and go, Pangong Tso was the choice for the first of our several destinations. But before driving off to what was perhaps the most enthrailing place I have visited, popped into the local tourist office for that necessary piece of equipment - a map of Leh town and Ladakh. Like all Ladakhis, Urgain Loondup was charming and helpful in providing the information required.
We decided to spend another day just exploring the town. Staying at a hotel right in the midst of town, in fact, opposite the vegetable market, provided us with the opportunity of walking around Leh bazaar.

Sonam Gyaltsen of Galden International did a splendid job of attending to his guests' needs and, not surprisingly, busloads of tourists poured into his A-class hotel which was high on efficiency, comfort and service. Walking distance from Gaiden, in the Leh bazaar, visitors from all parts of the world milled around, much as the merchants with their caravans from Central Asia did that long ago. Hundreds of them headed straight for the bazaar, strolling, walking or just sipping coffee at the local 'German Bakeries'. These offered the most delicious apple strudel, chocolate brownies and buns! Leh town has many hotels and guest houses to suit all pockets, some of the other popular ones being, Mandala, Lharimo and Ladakh Sarai which is across the Indus at Stok

From the bazaar, a leisurely walk takes one past Gompa Soma, the Moravian Church and, crossing a stream, towards the Mission School up the winding path to Shanti Stupa. Another pleasant walk goes down the Old Fort road to the Mandala, from where you can get refreshing views of the snow capped Stok range. On this walk, as also on the other, you can step into a bar to buy a glass of beer or have a piping hot cup of coffee or capuccino. The atmospheres distinctly laid back, relaxed with music in the background. You could hire a multiple gear mountain bike and happily go around the town. Quite a few overseas 'yatris' can also be seen on motorcycles which they have driven up from Manali and even Goa! Tour operators and travel agencies do brisk business offering visitors exciting options, with Ladakhi dance and music thrown in to provide that Buddhist flavour.

A lama strikes the gong,
Lamayura

After having had our fill of Leh town, we embarked on the two day road journey to Pangong Tso. There was hard driving to be done through the most amazing landscape. The sheer scale and sweep of the mountains is awesome. Leaving behind civilization as it were, we were to enter the land of the unknown. The valleys are broad, their craggy scale wide and maybe, if you are lucky, a herd of yak in the distance can be seen grazing on a patch of green. Brown and orange, blue and black or purple were the colours we saw around us and for miles there was not a soul to be seen in this moonscape.

Shepherd with his stock in not-so-green pastures

We had to leave Leh at the crack of dawn to ensure that we were across the Changla well before noon. The distance to be covered was 78 kilometres, past fluttering prayer flags and chortens. The weather on the high passes can be unpredictable and it is best not to take any risks as help is not readily available. Venturing into the wild country in a convoy or a backup vehicle is advisable, for you don't want to be stuck with a breakdown at altitude. So racing past Leh town,

upstream along the Indus we turned left at Karu and further on through Sakti in a broad valley. Its large gompa attracts a number of worshippers as we were to discover on our return trip when we stopped for a local fair.
The climb up to the Changla was dry and barren till we spotted snow and stopped on the high pass for customary photographs and a quick tea. As we started the 58 kilometre descent to Tangse, we entered a virtual no man's land, completely alone, driving through desolate landscape. The power of nature suddenly gripped us. A thrilling and heady feeling at times, but scary at others! The hues took on browns and creams, with the surrounding mountains reaching up to touch the sky. We crossed a bus load of British tourists who were returning from their camp at Pangong. Couldn't wait to get there.
One would have thought that on reaching Tangse, where we were to spend the night, we would have taken a break and unwound. But then we weren't normal; the desire to have a glimpse of that elusive aquamarine water body that changed colours with the sun's rays was compelling. Once the safety of the route was checked out, we were off. It was wild country, with only groups of GREFmen working on road construction. Our Maruti Gypsy performed superbly overtrying terrain, negotiating rough roads and climbing over boulders across rushing streams. We could have turned turtle any moment. But all that was secondary for suddenly we saw a purple mountain appear in the distance. Pangong was not far. After Muglib came the check post at Lukung. By then we had the first glimpse of those amazing waters. We had arrived! But even here we could only spot the tip of the lake. And as we drove along and turned right, Pangong lay placidly in front of us for miles. Nestled among mountains, its beauty unfolded as the evening sun's rays played on its waters. Untouched, except for the stray visitor, Pangong Tso is one of the last places on earth where mans' intervention is happily absent.
Declaring the area a biosphere reserve is imperative as a study of the biotic life could reveal much about the area. It still retains its pristine beauty, with a small settlement of nomads at Spangmik, some distance up the lake. Any tourist intervention in the form of construction of a permanent structure would only detract from this timeless beauty that is truly a wonder of the world at 14,000 ft. The attendant problems in the wake of "opening up" areas must be kept in mind as surely mistakes made elsewhere need not to be repeated. Pangong Tso deserves to be left undisturbed. This could be done by restricting visitor ingress, levying an environmental fee which could be used for conservation measures, disallowing vehicles from entering after a certain point to avoid disturbance of bird life and camping sites monitored with strict enforcement of garbage disposal. For all might be lost. The natural check is the remoteness of the area which makes it difficult for the average tourist to visit the place. And if you do go there, respect its purity and beauty - for Pangong Tso is very special.