Trekking in India

Ladakh, administered by India as a union territory, is part of the larger Kashmir region, which has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India and China since 1959. Situated between the Tibet Autonomous Region to the east and the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, Ladakh shares borders with the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan to the west, and a portion of Xinjiang in China to the north. From the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram range to the north to the main Great Himalayas to the south, Ladakh spans a diverse geographical terrain. While the eastern end, including the Aksai Chin plains, is claimed by India as part of Ladakh, it remains under Chinese control.

Leh, the largest town, and Kargil, the second-largest, serve as district headquarters. The Leh district encompasses the Indus, Shyok, and Nubra river valleys, while the Kargil district includes the Suru, Dras, and Zanskar river valleys. Inhabited regions mainly concentrate around these river valleys, though pastoral Changpa nomads reside on the mountain slopes. The populace comprises primarily Muslims (predominantly Shia), Buddhists (mostly Tibetan Buddhists), and Hindus, with other religious groups constituting the remaining 2%. Ladakh stands out as one of India’s least densely populated areas, with a cultural and historical heritage closely intertwined with that of Tibet.