Shanti Stupa
Shanti Stupa, literally means peace (Shanti) pillar (Stupa) established by a ‘Peace Sect’ of Japanese
Buddhists, is situated above Changspa in Leh District of Jammu and Kashmir. It can be easily reachable from Fort road. The stupa was opened in 1985 by Dalai Lama with an intention of Spreading Buddhist ideology and teaching all through the world. This is a place which tells the world the need for peace and harmony among its population.

The stupa is very attractive with the sides are decorated with gilt panels showing the life stories of Great Buddha. The Stupa is accessible by trekking, jeeps or taxis. The surrounding is worth seeing with the enchanting views snowcapped mountains, spectacular unique styled Ladakhi houses and the towering Namgyal Tsemo Gompa.

Leh Palace
Leh Palace, an imposing and captivating marvelous structure, rises from the edge of a hill overlooking the Leh town, the well-known capital of Ladakh, and stretches out towards the indigo sky. Built in 17th century, this nine-storey monument was a residential place for the King Singge Namgyal.
Situated about 2 km from Leh, the palace is easily reachable by taxi or jeep within 5 mins. It has a museum with some painted or embroidered scrolls and paintings amongst other things. This deserted
edifice has a definite mystical quality about it and tourists are increasingly getting attracted towards it.


Hemis Monastery
Hemis Monastery, located in Hemis town, 45 km southeast of Leh in Jammu & Kashmir was re-established by King Senge Nampar Gyalva in 1672 to enhance the religious education of Mahayoga
Tantra School. During early June, the annual Hemis festival honoring Padmasambhava is held in the monastery.
Built in Tibetan style of architecture, the monastery highlights the Buddhist culture and the Buddhist way of lifestyle. There are several shrines surrounding the monastery and statue of Lord Buddha, made of copper being the main attraction. It is a well worth place to visit.

Stok Palace
Stok Palace 14 from Leh, a major tourist attraction in Leh. Built in 1825 AD by King Tsespal Tondup Namgyal, it is a striking palace where the ancient and modern architectures meet together making the
beautiful home. The palace is reachable by jeeps or through shared taxis. Famous for beautiful gardens and the view of sunrise as well as sunset is amazing from the palace. At
present, the palace is open to visits and presents a collection of royal attires, crown and other royal materials. It will take around 4 to 5 hours to explore the whole palace

Alchi
Alchi village in Leh is famous for the existence of one of the oldes monastery in Ladakh, Alchi Monastery. Located on the banks of Indus River, the monastery is also called as Alchi Choskhor. Great translator Rinchen Zangpo is credited as the founder of the monastery and the monuments preserved here dated back to 12th century. It is only the monastery that has been built on a flat ground.

Thiksey Monastery
Thiksey Monastery, an outstanding specimen of Ladakhi architecture, is a glorious Buddhist monastery
located 18 km east of Leh (about 30-40 mins drive from the Leh city). Standing on the picturesque top a hillock, the monastery encloses encloses numerous stupas, Thangkas, statues, swords, wonderful wall paintings and a large pillar carved with Buddha’s ideas and preaching, all in a mammoth 12 storied building complex.

Shey Monastery
Shey Monastery, an erstwhile Royal residence up to 16th century, is located at a small village Shey near Leh on the banks of Indus River and is managed by Buddhists Monks from Hemis Monastery. Lhachen Palgyigon, the first King of Ladakh built this Monastery. The building is placed on a ridge similar to a knife edge and the approach to the monastery is decorated with many stupas and shrines.
The prime attraction of the monastery is the blue haired Maitreya Buddha of 17.5 m high, which is made with copper and brass and also decorated beautifully with studs of precious stones. Guarding deities, paintings showcasing Buddhist preaching and Tibetan style stone carvings are very attractive.

Best Time to Visit
If you are interested in sightseeing and adventure activities like river rafting, the best time to visit Leh is during summers, that is, between the months of April to October. This is time when a number of festivals are held in the region, and the weather is salubrious with warm days and slightly chilly nights. You can enjoy sightseeing and attend monastery festivals. The monsoon is scarce. The winter months, November to April, make Leh a beauty covered entirely with snow, with snowy roads that cut it off from the rest of the country. The temperatures go below freezing. However, this duration is extremely popular amidst trekking enthusiasts who explore the place for its challenging winter treks.


How to Reach
BY AIR - Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport or Leh airport is connected to important cities of India through regular flights. Leh has direct flights from Delhi, Srinagar and Jammu. While for Delhi, there are regular flights, flight for Srinagar is once a week and it is twice a week for Jammu and Kashmir. You can book flights to Leh, all round the year. From the airport, you can hire a taxi to go to your destination.

BY RAIL - Jammu Tawi railway station is the nearest railway station to Leh. State-run buses and private taxis/jeeps can be hired to reach Manali via Shimla. From here, regular taxi/ jeeps and bus services from Manali to Leh are available.

BY ROAD - Road journey to Leh is one of the most popular road journeys in India. Private taxis or jeeps or SUVs and frequent state-run buses are available for your road journey to Leh. For adventure seekers, the best way to reach Leh is on a motorcycle. From Manali or from Jammu and Kashmir, bus journey to Leh is exhilarating. If you start your road journey from New Delhi, you might take around 4 days to reach Leh. To arrive Leh, there are 2 popular routes, one is from Manali via Sarchu and Dharchu on the Manali-Leh Highway (night halt in Sarchu) and the second one is Srinagar via Kargil on the Srinagar-Leh Highway (night halt in Kargil). These two roads are only open between the months of June and October, when there are clear of the winter snow. Taxis and bus services, both are available.