250
Central Leh æ Top Sights Leh Palace.............................................. C2 Tsemo Fort..............................................D1
17 Rimo ........................................................A2 18 Shayok Tours & Travels.........................A2 19 Snow Leopard Trails ..............................A2
Splash Adventures....................... (see 45) æ Sights 1 Central Asia Museum............................ B2 2 Chamba Lhakhang ................................ C2 Chandazik Gompa .......................... (see 9) 3 Chowkhang Gompa............................... B3 4 Datun Sahib Sacred Tree...................... B2 5 Guru Lhakhang Shrine .......................... B2 6 Jama Masjid ........................................... B3 Lamo Arts Centre ........................... (see 7) 7 Munshi Mansion .................................... C2 8 Namgyal Stupa ...................................... B2 9 Soma Gompa ......................................... C2 10 Tsemo Gompa ........................................D1
JAMMU & K ASHMIR (INCLUDING L ADAKH) L A DA K H
Ø Activities, Courses & Tours 11 Hemis National Park Guide Service................................................. A2 12 Ladakh Eco Adventure.......................... B3 13 Ladakh Tour Escort............................... A2 14 Ladakhi Women's Travel Company............................................. A3 15 Little Tibet .............................................. B3 16 Open Ladakh.......................................... A2
residential courses (3/10 days ₹3000/7000)
in vipassana meditation at the organisation’s much bigger Meditation Centre, approximately 1km north of Km464.2 in Choglamsar where Sunday ‘introduction-tomeditation’ sessions cost ₹500 including bus transfer from Leh.
Mountain Climbing
MOUNTAINEERING
Stok Kangri (6120m) is the triangular snowcapped peak usually visible straight across the valley from Leh. As a ‘trekking peak’ it’s accessible to those with minimal climbing experience but scaling its uppermost slopes still requires ice axes, crampons, considerable fitness and a guide with groups roped together for safety. Pre-climb acclimatisation is essential as AMS can be a serious worry. Many agencies offer Stok Kangri packages generally taking five days from Stok or Zingchen. Ladakh has over 100 other climbable peaks above 6000m, many rarely, if ever, scaled. Venture Equipment (Map p249) and other Changspa outfits rent climbing gear. Per-person peak fees range from US$50 (trekking peaks) to US$400 according to peak height. Peaks over 7000m require spe-
20 Sri Sonam Wangyal (IMF) .....................A2 21 Summer Holidays ..................................A2 22 Venture Equipment................................A2
ÿ Sleeping 23 Hotel Saser ............................................. A1 24 Hotel Tso-Kar .........................................A3 25 Indus Guest House.................................A3 26 Namgyal Guest House...........................D4 27 New Royal Guest House ........................ B1 28 Old Ladakh Guest House.......................C3 29 Palace View Guest House......................C3 30 Pangong Hotel........................................A4 31 Peace Guest House................................A3 32 Rehela Guest House .............................. B1 33 Travellers' House ................................... A1 ú Eating 34 Chopsticks..............................................A3 35 Dolphin Bakery .......................................A3 36 Dzomsa ...................................................A3 37 Dzomsa ...................................................A3 38 Gesmo.....................................................A3
cial permission from Delhi and thus take months of preparation. However, any others are usually issued in minutes through IMF’s Leh representative, Sri Sonam Wangyal
(Map p249; %252992; www.indmount.org; Changspa Rd) whose house-office is tucked incon-
gruously into the Mentokling Restaurant yard. The youngest man to scale Everest back in 1965, he happily shows off his medals and recounts climbing yarns. You’ll need six copies of your passport and visa plus details of your guide. Agencies can apply on your behalf.
Open Ladakh MEDITATION (Map p249; %9906981026; www.openladakh.com; Hemis Complex, 1st fl, unit 23) Runs one-hour
meditation sessions at 4pm Monday to Thursday, a Wednesday all-day workshop on understanding Buddhism (₹300), weekend vipassana residential retreats in Stok (₹2000) and monthly meditation treks.
Rafting & Kayaking
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
In summer, numerous agencies offer daily rafting excursions through glorious canyon scenery. You can also follow in a kayak for