Medium
A land of mystery and folklore, of Silk Route legends and ancient villages perched high above raging rivers. Ladakh and its remote Zanskar region, scattered amongst the glorious Trans Himalayan expanses, will endlessly engage the visitor with its dramatic natural scenery, its Buddhist gompas with their painted murals and beautiful icons and its wild landscape rich in promise of adventure activities and cultural experiences. With the fall of the great Tibetan empire, the kingdom of Tibet was, in 1020, split up amongst the three brothers of the ruling clan. One of the brothers moved into the southern region of the Tibetan Plateau and occupied the wild expanses of Ladakh. With him he brought the rich cultural elements of Tibetan Buddhism which slowly amalgamated with the local Bon religion. Many of the old local shrines were converted to Buddhist monasteries. Today this harsh but dramatic land, with Leh as its capital, is the base of exciting adventure activities such as trekking, rafting, jeep tours and bird watching. Its monasteries, a repository of ancient art and scriptures, draw culture enthusiasts from around the globe. EXPERIENCES AVAILABLE: Adventure