Amidst the snow capped hills of the Himalayas lies the lovely holiday destination of Leh. This center of Tibeto-Buddhist culture and study is dotted with colorful gompas. These gompas are much visited by the Buddhist devotees from all over the globe. On a holiday the sport and adventure buffs may indulge in activities like hiking, trekking, river rafting (at the Zanskar river), polo and archery. The quieter ones amongst you must try out meditation at the Mahabodhi Meditation center. The must visit list is topped by the Leh Palace which is a miniature version of the Potala in Lhasa. Then there are gompas like the Namgyal Tsemo Gomapa, Soma gompa and the Sankar gompa.

You may climb up the Shanti Stupa to get a better view of the neighboring exotic locales. You may pick up souvenirs of the local handicrafts and traditional clothes from the Ladakh festival or from the bustling bazaar. Let us get moving to the lovely Leh and be in the lap of the Himalayas. The best time to be there is between the months of June and September.

Sindhu Darshan

The Sindhu Darshan or the Sindhu Darshan Festival is celebrated every year at Leh to honour the River Sindhu. Sindhu Yatra offers an opportunity to the people from across the length and breadth of India to come and visit the lovely landscapes of Leh and Ladakh.

Tourists and travelers participating in the Sindhu Yatra offer prayers to River Sindhu (Indus), which originates from the Mansarovar in Tibet. On one hand the celebrations symbolize multi-dimensional cultural identity, communal harmony and peaceful co-existence in India and on the other salute the bravery of Indian soldiers.

Places to see

The lovely land of Leh has several places to see in and around it. There are a number of places around Leh that are renowned for the gompas and the monasteries. You must see the paintings at the Alchi Gompa of the 11th century. The Alchi Gompa is at a distance of around seventy kilometers from Leh. While at Leh you may move around and see the beautiful thangkas at the Matho gompa. Another place worth seeing around Leh is Ladakh. You must see the biggest gompa in Ladakh- Hemis Gompa and even attend the annual Hemis festival. The Palace Monastery of Shey gompa in Ladakh is another must see. The Spituk Gompa and the Mahakal Temple lie on a hillock around Leh. Thikse gompa and Stakna are other places worth visiting around Leh.

Choglamsar is another place around Leh that is of tourist, educational and cultural interest.

In Choglamsar you can see everything reveal the Tibetan Buddhism culture. Trekking is an excellent option to explore the places around Leh. Spituk, Markha Valley, Lamayuru gompa, Chiling village, Likir and Temisgam are some places that are worth seeing and trekked to around Leh. Rafting in the Zanskar River is another adventurous manner of enjoying in the lap of nature around Leh.

Make your holidays at Leh more enjoyable by seeing these nearby places. These places not only enhance tourism potential in Leh but also are worth seeing holiday spots themselves.