Tso Moriri Lake

Famous for the large herds of kiang, or wild ass, which graze on its shores, the lake of Tso Moriri, 210km southeast of Leh, lies in the sparsely populated region of Rupshu. The area has only recently been opened to foreigners so you need a permit to travel here, which most visitors do via a jeep safari out of Leh

Nestling in a wide valley flanked by some of the highest peaks in Ladakh– Lungser Kangri (6666m) and Chanmser Kangri (6622m) - the twenty –kilometer-long lake is home to flocks of migratory nangpa or bar-headed geese, as well as occasional herds of pashmina goats and champs of nomadic herders. Located on the shores of the lake at an altitude of 4000m, Karzok – the only large village in the area – is a friendly place with a small gompa, but the ill effects of tourism with its accompanying litter are beginning to show. To help protect the fragile ecosystem, a new directive stipulates that no habitation can be built within 700m of the shoreline. Visitors should bring their own food supplies and make sure they take all rubbish away.

Pangong Tso

Pangong Tso, 154km to the southeast of Leh, is one of the largest saltwater lakes in Asia, a long narrow strip of water stretching from Ladakh east into Tibet. Only a quarter of the 130 km-long lakes is in India, army, who experienced bitter losses along its shores in the war against China in 1962, jealously guard their side of the frontier. Until the mid-1990s, it was off limits to visitors, and tourists still need a permit to come here. The lake, at an altitude of 4267m, with the dramatic glacier- clad Pangong Rang to its south and the Changchenmo Range reflected in its deep blue-green waters to the north, measures 4km across at its widest point. The bitter winds blowing over the brackish water make it one of the coldest palace in Ladakh; visitors, who are only allowed as far as the army outpost at spangmik on the shore of the lake and not encouraged to linger too long, are usually glad to see the back of it. Still, the lake provides a tantalizing view of Tibet in the distance, which, along with its proximity to Leh, is the main draw for tourist

Zanskar

Walled in by the Great Himalayan Divide, Zanskar, literally " Land of White Copper" has for decades exrted the allure of Shangri La on visitours to Ladakh.

Zangla

Zangla is the nodal point on the popular Padum Strongdey Zangla Karsha Padum round trip, which covers most of the cultural sites of Zanskar.

Zongkhul

Zongkhul falls on the Padum-Kishtwar trekking trail, just before the ascent of Omasi-la Pass begins

The Suru Valley

Diving two of the world's most formidable mountain ranges, the Suru Valley winds south from Kargil to the desolate Pensi La the main entry point for Zanskar. 

North of Leh : Nubra Valley

Until 1994, the lands north of Leh were off limits to tourists and had been unexplored by outsiders since the nineteenth century.

Drass Valley

Drass (3230 m), 60 km west of Kargil on the road to Srinagar, is a small township lying in the centre of the valley of the same name . 

Shyok Valley

The Shyok River receives the waters of the Nubra and Changchenmo rivers. It rises from the Khumdang glacier, which can be approached from Shyok. 

Salt Valley

The Salt Lake Valley is one of the widest open areas in Rupshu. It can be approached from Leh across the Tanglang La pass.