Leh Town (3,505 metres above sea level) has many historic monuments to visit,starting with the 9 storey Leh Palace built by King Singe Namgyal in the 17th century.Above the palce are the ruinsof the earliest royal residence and the Tsemo Gompa dating from 15th Century.Below in the bazar, the main sites are the newly built Jo-Khang, and the 17th Century Jamia Mosque.

Leh Bazar,by itself is a sightseeing attraction.Strolling along its lanes and by-lanes,observing the crowd and looking into curio shops is an engaging experience.There is a bargain shopping for semi-precious stones,jewellery, antiques and dazzling arrays of souvenirs.Many handicraft show rooms stock local handmade carpets, woollen shawls, dragon paintings, thangkas, lacquered tea-tables, all ideal as souvenirs.

NUBRA VALLEY
North of Leh is the Nubra Valley (altitude 3,000 metres above sea level) nestling along the foothills of the Great Krakoram range.The road to Nubra run across Khardung-la (5,578 m), the highest motorable road in the world.Prominent places to visit here include capital town of Deskit (150 Km) with its hilltop monastery and,just across the rolling sand dunes, Hundar (157 Km) which has a small population of double-humped Bacterian camels, a legacy from the Central Asian Trade Caravans.

North of Deskit,in the valley of the Nubra River, is Sumur(156 Km) where the hillside monastery of Samstaling is the main attraction.Further up the valley is Panamik (176 Km) famous for its hot springs, which is used as a traditional spa by throngs of local people for curing various ailments.

HIGH ALTITUDE LAKES
Pangong Lake (150 km/4,267m) is about 130 Km long and 5-6 Km wide stradding across the border between India and China.The ochre hills of the Chang-chenmo range surrounding it from the North provide a spectacular backdrop to the blue and green exanse of its brackish waters.

Tso-moriri (240 km/4,572m),set in the desolate landscape of Rupshu, is famous as the breeding ground of the rare bar-headed geese, and home to a number of other Korzok, with its hilltop monastery, is the only habitatio in the area, which is other wise inhabited by the nomadic Chang-pa tribe..