Ladakh Himalayas

Ladakh Tourism · Pilgrimage in ladakh · Ladakh Trekking · Ladakh Wildlife · Valley of Ladakh · Ladakh Monasteries · Ladakh Himalaya

The Himalayas is one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. Its evolution can be traced to the Jurassic Era (80 million years ago) when the world's landmasses were split into two: Laurasia in the Northern hemisphere, and Gondwanaland in the southern hemisphere. The landmass which is now India broke away from Gondwanaland and floated across the earth's surface until it collided with asia. The hard volcanic rocks of India were thrust against the soft sedimentary crust of Asia, creating the highest mountain range in the world.

The leading Ranges in the Himalayas include Zanskar, East Karokaram, Ladakh Range. Other major ranges include Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar, Shiwalik Hills.

Zanskar Range

The Zanskar range lies to the North of the main Himalaya. It forms the backbone of Ladakh south of the Indus River, stretching from the ridges beyond Lamayuru in the west across the Zanskar region, where it is divided from the main Himalaya by the Stod and Tsarap valleys, the populated districts of the Zanskar valley. The Zanskar range is breached where the Zanskar River flows North, creating awesome gorges until it reaches the Indus River just below Leh.

To the east of the Zanskar region the range continues through Lahaul & Spiti, providing a complex buffer zone between the main Himalaya and the Tibetan plateau. It continues across the North of Kinnaur before extending west across Uttaranchal, where it again forms the intermediary range between the Himalaya and the Tibetan plateau, which includes Kamet, the second highest peak in India. The range finally peters out North east of the Kali River - close to the border between India and Nepal. On the Zanskar range, the Fatu La, on the Leh-Srinagar road, is considered the most easterly pass; while the Singge La, the Cha Cha La and the Rubrang La are the main trekking passes into the Zanskar valley. For the hardy Ladakh trader, the main route in winter between the Zanskar valley and Leh is down the icebound Zanskar River gorges. Further to the east, many of the Zanskar range passes to the North of Spiti and Kinnaur are close to the India-Tibet border, and are closed to Trekkers

Ladakh Range

The ladakh range lies to the North of Leh and is an integral part of the Trans-Himalayan range that merges with the Kailash range in Tibet. The passes include the famous Kardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world, while the Digar La to the North east of Leh is at present the only pass open to trekkers..

Karakoram Range

Karakoram is the second tallest mountain range on Earth. Situated in Southern Asia, it forms part of the western Himalayas and extends from Northern Pakistan through to Kashmir and China. Karakoram means "black rock" in Turkish and is often spelt as 'Karakorum' in some text books. The range includes K2, also known as Mount Godwin Austen (8,611 m/28,251 ft), the second highest peak in the world.

East Korakoram Range

The East Karakoram Range is the huge range that forms the geographical divide between India and Central Asia. It includes many high peaks including - Teram Kargri, Saltoro Kangri and Rimo, while the Karakoram Pass was the main trading link between the markets of Leh, Yarkand and Kashgar. At present this region is closed to trekkers, although a few foreign mountaineering groups were permitted to climb there in the last decade.