Ladakh is a region in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India. It is the northernmost region of India with Himalayas being situated to its south and Kunlun Mount range to its north. The people living here are of Indo- Aryan and Tibetan descent. Ladakh share its eastern border with Tibet. Tibetan culture has its strong impression in Ladakh and hence it is also known as ?Little Tibet?. Majority of the people is Buddhist. It also has a good number of Shia Muslim. Ladakh is famous for its mountain beauty and is a major tourist destination. Shyok Valley in the region is famous for its Shyok River. The name of the river means the river of death. The name is probably given by ancient merchants who were using this route of treacherous river for their trading. The river of Shyok freezes in winter. The valley of Padum is also major tourist attraction. It houses many places of interest in and around it. There are rocks carvings on huge boulder near the town and it date back to 8th century. It is one of the evidences that prove that the region was under influence of north Indian Buddhist. Suru Valley is another beautiful region of Ladakh. The valley offers the tourists breathtaking sites of nearby majestic mountains and other beautiful sceneries of surrounding nature. Drass valley in Ladakh is famous for being the second coldest town in the world. Temperature of the valley in the winter comes down to minus 40 degrees. Sanko valley is another picturesque valley in Ladakh region. It is adorned with majestic mountains and many other beautiful natural sites. There is massive plantation of poplars, willows and wild rose which add to the beauty of the region. Leh district in Ladakh is popular tourist spot as it houses many places of interest. Valleys in Ladakh also offer tourists many trekking sites. There are many trekking trails in Ladakh which gives fascinating experience to trekkers. Ladakh is well connected by air to other parts of the country. Leh airport has regular flights from Srinagar and Delhi. It is also connected by road and one can get here from Srinagar via Kargil. The road is open from June to November. Manali to Leh is another road to get there. But the road is troublesome as there are many chances of rock sliding along the road.
