The very name conjures all that is most untamed, enigmatic and fleeting in the natural world – for this is a creature wrapped not only in the delicate splendor of its own fur but also in the epic drama of the raw, majestic terrain it inhabits. A striking contrast lies between these granite-tough mountain dwellers and the serene, joyful Buddhism they follow. You’ll have the chance to explore their grand monasteries and charming hamlets.

Yet it’s the landscape that leaves the deepest impression – towering, serrated peaks in muted hues cascading into glowing green barley fields, orchards of apple and apricot, and lush water meadows beneath brilliant, cobalt skies. Each bend in the trail, each curve of the mountain road reveals awe-inspiring panoramas of valleys and summits; of fractured cliffs blooming with wild rose and crystal-clear brooks shaded by willow trees.

And it offers remarkable variety – from the elevated steppes of the Changthang where herds of wild yaks, asses and antelope roam alongside wolves and snow leopards, to the saline lakes of Tso Moriri and Tso Kar, and up to sky-high mountain passes like Taglang La and Khardung La. This diversity of terrain shelters an equally rich range of bird and animal life. In a world growing ever more uniform and indistinct, Ladakh endures as a rare remnant of an Earth once shaped by the unique identity of every region.