Jammu & Kashmir – As we saw it - Day 10 - Leh –Shey -Pangong Tso

I know its been a few months since I updated this blog but I hope you will excuse me for the absence. There were a couple of medical and personal emergencies that needed to be attended to. All is well now and here I am with the next update.

Bus schedule at Leh bus stand

Yesterday we had made inquiries for a taxi to reach Pangong Tso. Though we prefer to travel by bus with the locals, we realized that couldn’t be our preferred mode of transport as the buses are infrequent (Saturday and Sunday returning next day) and on Wednesday’s they go only till Tangste, about 35 kms before the lake. We had arranged for a taxi with an early morning departure so we could visit a few places enroute.

Our first stop was at Shey Monastery and Palace complex. It is located on the left hand side of the Leh Manali road, about 15 kms from Leh. Parking is on the sides of this road. Shey monastery is built on a hillock that overlooks a lake below. As we were climbing up the rays of the morning sun were already on the lake creating golden shimmers in the water. Our taxi driver, a young fella in his early twenties who was mostly aloof started opening up to us and became our guide sharing details of this monastery cum palace complex. We were informed that the monastery is noted for its giant copper with gilded gold statue of a seated Shakyamuni Buddha and this statue is said to the second largest such statue in Ladakh. We entered the prayer hall and I must say it was a blissful experience. 

The 12m seated Sakhyamani buddha inside Shey Monastery

On our exit, we chatted with the residing monks to know about the rituals and festivals that happen here. Every year two key festivals one at the beginning of the sowing season and the other at the harvest season happens here. So if you are visiting here in July/August you should be able to witness one. We were also told that oracle readers visit this place and read out prophecies.

View from Shey Palace/Monastery

We ascended the hill behind the monastery to the palace which is mostly in ruins now. Once above, you can have a panoramic view of Stakna, Stok, Thiksey villages and also Leh. We decided to move on and descended through a different route viewing the rock carvings. Once down, we went to the lake and witnessed the passersby taking a peek into it, seeking blessings. 

Shey Palace complex

Given the morning hours, the village folk were about their chores and kids were on their way to school. There were a couple of schools located around Shey village. Four kilometers ahead lies Thicksey monastery but we had decided to see it on our return. 

Thicksey Monastery at a distance

So, on we proceeded towards Pangong Tso. Our first stop came in the way of breakfast at Karu. It’s almost a Y junction here and the road on the right leads to Hemis monastery while the one going straight takes you to Chang La pass and Pangong Tso.

The road till here is very nice but as we crossed the check post at Karu and proceeded further towards the pass, we had to brace ourselves, as we were up for a bumpy ride. Not only that, from a distance we were bewildered if we were also in the land of the legendary Zorro. Yes, see for yourself the Z shaped roads. 

Is it really the legendary Zorro?

This stretch is treacherous and one needs to be careful driving here. Chang La is the third highest pass in the world, the first being Khardung La. In the local language, “La” means pass. Soon, we were crossing this pass and heading towards a beautiful hamlet called Tangste. Our little friend who was driving us had by now become one amongst us and he was more than happy sharing details about this region. He had asked us to watch out for Marmots which are easily spotted in this side of Ladakh. He was right, we could see a few, closer to the road. A few meters walk from our vehicle we saw their tiny burrows into which they quickly disappeared. Our patient wait led them out and our friendly gestures got them closer to us. We had a great time watching these friendly animals.

As we moved on we could spot wild horses and cattle in the mushy waters. It was just us and them till where our eyes could see. The tall mountain ranges, clear and vast blue sky only added up to the already dramatic scene making us tinier than we have ever felt. 

Wild horses in the mush. Love the shades of blue, green and brow 

We continued driving ahead and unannounced at a turn I saw the majestic indigo blue of Pangong Tso. My utterance “there, there it is” broke the silence in our car and got us all excited. 

The first sighting of the lake, oh what a beauty it is

In less than 15 minutes we reached the lake and headed straight to it. The mesmerizing colors of the lake keep changing from aqua green to indigo blue. The colors depend on the sunlight received and we were thankful for a bright sunny day. It does get very windy and given the cold temperature, we couldn’t stay longer by the lake.

As we had decided to spend a night by the lake, we started exploring around Pangong Tso. There are a variety of accommodations available here starting from swanky swiss tents to home stays. We chose for ourselves a cozy room and spent a comfortable night.







Some useful tips:

1. Food and accommodation is not a problem here if you are visiting from May to mid October. 

2. Home stays, hotels and other accommodations are available to suit every type of budget.

3. There are no ATMs here so please withdraw money from Leh itself 

4. Please keep in mind to not feed marmots as they will then run short of food in the harsh winter months.