Tom On day 6 of our India Travels, we headed to Leh after visiting the breath-taking Taj Mahal in Agra. Ladakh is a region in northern India that is known for the scenic mountainous views and Leh was a former capital of the Ladakh region and is now the largest city in the region. At 6:40am, our Jet Airways flight departed from Delhi to Leh…
Breakfast choice from Delhi to Leh aboard Jet Airways was decent, with choice of either a sandwich or an omelette. Choose the omelette 😛
The flight from Delhi to Leh takes about 1 hour 40 minutes and soon we were able to the Himalayan mountain range in the distance…
Views of Himalayan Mountain Range on Flight from Delhi to Leh
Then all of a sudden, passengers on the flight started to move to windows seats. As the flight was not full, almost everyone was able to be seated at a window seat or next to one. This was because we were flying over the Himalayan mountain range! While we were in Alaska, we also did toy with the idea of taking the sea planes to enjoy the mountain views. As it was too expensive, we decided not to. Thankfully, we were able to enjoy these amazing mountain views of the Himalayan mountain range…
The Grand Dragon Ladakh Review
Leh airport is located at 3,500 metres above sea level. Just before arrival, the pilot warned passengers through the PA system that it would be common to experience altitude sickness such as nausea, headache and sleepiness. Upon arrival, we picked up our luggage and exited the airport. Immediately, we experienced 2 sensations. Firstly, it was relatively cold, at about 5 degrees Celsius. Thankfully, we remembered to layer up. Standing in the sun helped. Secondly, we could feel that the air was relatively “thin”. This translated to slight difficulty in breathing…*huff and puff*. We also observed that there were many armed military personnel around, carrying machine guns, patrolling the vicinity. Very safe.
The transport was arranged directly with The Grand Dragon Ladakh via email. We waited for about 20 minutes before our driver picked us up. The return transfer costs 1000rupees ($20SGD) – a little expensive for a 5 minutes ride, but it gave us some form of assurance.
Upon arrival at the Grand Dragon Ladakh, we were ushered to the waiting area of the lobby and given a little sachet. Within, contained camphor, which we were told to smell if we experienced altitude sickness. It helped. ALOT. Throughout our stay in Leh (Ladakh), the camphor never left us 😛
Then, we were led up to our room and were greeted by this amazing view…
Our room faces the Himalayan mountain range! Stok Kangri peak to be exact! We were ecstatic and delighted to have such a view right from our room! Special thanks to the team at the Grand Dragon Ladakh for this arrangement! Here’s the rest of our deluxe room at the Grand Dragon Ladakh…
After the initial staff left, the next staff entered our room this time, with tea and biscuits as welcome refreshments…
We were able to replenish water and tea/biscuits the next day and that was great. After the light snacking, we started to feel the full effects of the altitude sickness. Not only were we tired, the head start to feel heavy and a light headache set in. Hence, we were knocked out for the next couple of hours. By the time we woke up, we realised that we had slept for 3 hours (from 10am to 1pm)! In order catch up on lost time, we headed to the in-house restaurant – Zasgyath, for lunch…
This time, we ordered the mixed curry vegetables (740 rupees – $14.5), lamb punjabi curry (850 rupees – $16), cheese naan (80 rupees – $1.5) and jeera rice (340 rupees – $6.5). The total bill came up to 2400 rupees ($45) and because of the price of the cheese naan, it became our staple for the rest of our stay 🙂
While we waited for our food, we headed outdoors to enjoy this unblocked views of the Himalayan Mountain Range of Stok Kangri!
The meal was SOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo satisfying! Not only were we full, the curries (different taste and textures) complimented both the jeera rice and naan perfectly! Having fueled up, we decided to check out some of the things to do and attractions in Leh. Before the tour, we also took some time to wander around the hotel to check out the facilities of the Grand Dragon Ladakh…
There’s also a pool and billiards table in the Grand Dragon Ladakh. Kept in pretty good conditions as well. Unfortunately, though luxurious as it is, there’s no swimming pool at the Grand Dragon Ladakh Hotel in Leh. Fortunately, there’s carrom. Where, Kate won Tom several times 😅
Leh Attractions and Things to do in Ladakh
We headed over to the concierge to learn about what are some of the tours that we could participate in…
Initially, we had the idea of doing an overnight trip to Pangong Lake – made famous by the Bollywood movie, 3 Idiots. However, due to the long drive (7 hours) and ascend to a higher altitude (4250 metres above sea level, going through passes up to 5,000 metres!), we decided not to go with that option. Especially when we were already feeling the effects of altitude sickness. Really didn’t want to take further risks at higher altitude. This turned out to be a wise choice. If you’re considering a trip to Pangong lake, do cater for a couple of days more (probably 4 to 5 days in total) so as to acclimatise to the high altitudes here. The trip to and back from Pangong lake would have taken 7000 rupees + taxes ($150SGD).
Thankfully, we still had the remaining attractions in Leh to visit, including Tsemo Gompa, Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace and Leh Market. This tour takes about 2 hours and costs 1500 rupees ($30) per person.
Leh Attractions – Shanti Stupa
At our first stop, our breath was taken away – literally. The altitude sickness was REAL! We were literally huffing and puffing as we walked up a slope (slope not steps) towards Shanti Stupa. Thankfully, we were blessed with clear blue skies and this amazing views of Leh town…
As the highest attraction in Leh, the vantage point from Shanti Stupa offered expansive and unblocked views of Leh town. We also managed to catch some local dogs (extra furry ones) lazing around as well as our long shadows…
Leh Attractions – Tsemo Gompa
Next stop, Tsemo Gompa…
There were several flight of stairs that we had to climb to reach Tsemo Gompa. This was when the altitude really hit us. So much so that Kate decided not to climb anymore. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Tom (who wanted to continue climbing), some other visitors shouted out that Tsemo Gompa was closed. Hence, we only climbed halfway and took photos of the structure itself.
Leh Attractions – Leh Palace
Before our “shopping stop” at Leh Market, we stopped by Leh Palace – a former royal palace that overlooks Leh town…
We found out that the entrance to Leh Palace cost 300 rupees ($6SGD) for foreigners but only 25 rupees for locals and visitors from buddhist countries (such as Myanmar and Thailand). The following is a short extract of the Leh Palace description…
“The construction of nine storied Palace on the Tsemo hill was initaited by Tsewang Namgyal, founder of the Namgyal Dynasty (A.D. 1533 – 1834) in A.D. 1553 and completed by Tsewang’s nephew, Senge Namgyal, the most illustrious King of Ladakh. The material used in the construction of the Palace is stone, mud bricks, poplar wood, mud mortar and wood rafter’s. The mud plaster utilised is locally known as Mar-kalak.”
Inside Leh Palace, we saw a mini exhibition that featured all the attractions of India – several of which we’ve visited during this trip, including the Taj Mahal. As Leh Palace was undergoing renovation, some parts of our path up to the top of Leh Palace were rather dark. Nonetheless, Kate was able to take these unbelievably beautiful scenes…
It was the perfect place to catch the sunset over the Himalayan mountain range and a perfect way to round off the visit to the attractions of Leh. Soon, it was time to visit Leh Market!
Leh Attractions – Leh Market
It was indeed an unique experience to walk the main street of Leh Market. There were shops, restaurants and quite a few sweet shops. Definitely not as “lost in time” as we’ve imagined. In fact, we saw a couple of cafes that offered wi-fi as well. We took a walk to the end of the street and turned back, soaking in the atmosphere, before boarding our car back to the Grand Dragon Ladakh Hotel.
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Check out our video coverage of the top things to do and attractions in Leh Ladakh as well!
The scenes of the Himalayan mountain range from Leh were breath-taking and unbelievably beautiful. You’ve got to see it to imagine it. Clear blue skies, snow capped mountains and deep breaths of fresh high altitude air…ah…
That evening, we slept early at 8am but high altitude sickness still hit us and we felt some form of breathlessness during our sleep. The next morning as first light litted up the Stok Kangri Peak (of the Himalayan Mountain Range), we took a photo that shows the snow-capped mountains with night sky filled with twinkling stars. Thank the Lord for this amazing scene!
It was indeed fascinating to visit the attractions of Leh such as Shanti Stupa, Tsemo Gompa, Leh Palace, Leh Market and of course the Himalayan Mountain Ranges (and its snow capped mountain).
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What lovely pictures of Leh from air and on ground. You really refreshed my memories. Shanti Stupa pic was the best.
It was indeed a refreshing and relaxing trip to Leh Ladakh!
Happy Travels!