The largest and wealthiest gompa in Ladakh, hidden in a gorge, famous for its June masked dance festival and a museum of thangkas.
The Hemis festival falls in June or July depending on the Tibetan calendar and is worth planning a trip around. Combine with Thiksey and Shey on one Indus valley loop.
Must visit
A twelve-storey gompa stacked up a hill in the Indus valley, often compared to the Potala, with a…
The pedestrianised old market below the palace — pashmina, apricots, prayer flags, and cafés where…
A nine-storey 17th-century royal palace above the old town, modelled on the Potala and now partly…
Must visit
A white Japanese-built peace pagoda on a ridge above Leh, reached by 500 steps or a road, with the best…