A pocket friendly trip to Leh Ladakh

Last Updated : March 17, 2017, 12:50 p.m.

Leh-Ladakh is globally renowned as a snow desert. These districts of Jammu and Kashmir are famous for its flora and fauna. Apart from this, they attract a huge number of tourists every year. Famous for ancient monasteries, gompas, wildlife safaris and palaces, it allures people to pay visit again and again.

The place is worth exploring. You can hire a taxi and start your expedition. The major tourist spots in Leh Ladakh are:

• Leh Palace- Built in the 17 ^th century by the ruler, King Sengge Namgyal is a nine storey palace. It is designed on the same lines as the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. One can have an excellent view of the mountain of Stok Kangri in the Zangskar mountain range and Indus valley from the roof of the palace. You can visit there on any day of the week between 7:00am-4:00pm. The entry fee for Indian natives is only Rs.15 per person. Taxi service is available at Leh station.

• Shanti Stupa- It is a white colored dome shaped structure built on completion of 2500 years of Buddhism. It is an exemplar of peace and harmony. This stupa is notorious for its gilt panels depicting the life story of Lord Buddha. The stupa is open on all days of the week from 5:00am.-9:00pm.

• Sankar Monastery- It is an official residence of Kushok Bakola, the Abbot Of Spituk, the senior incarnate lama of Ladakh. The place is open for tourist visit between 7:00 am to 10:00 am and 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, the ideal time when the sun is on its horizon and appears as the golden ball in the sky.

As duration of 1-2 hours is sufficient to look each of these places, you can book a taxi from Leh station and cover Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa and Sankar Monastery in a single day.

• Stok Palace- Built in 1825, the palace is currently a home to royal descendants of King Sengge Namgyal. It is a three storey building, with a number of beautiful gardens and a library. The open terrace cafe, attaches the viewer to the surroundings and adds to its richness. It also has museum rooms that display family treasure. The museum is open for the visitors between 8:00am to 5:00pm and the fee of Rs.50 per person is charged.

• Spituk Gompa- It is a delightful place for all nirvana seekers and history lovers. It was founded by Od de, in the 11 ^th century and is a home to 100 monks . The giant statue of goddess Kali is also there, in this monastery. But, it is shown to the public during the yearly Spituk festival. The entry to the public is open all days a week between 8:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm-6:00pm. The nominal fee of Rs.20 is charged.

• Magnetic Point- Magnetic Hill, popularly, known as “Gravity Hill” is a magical place. The slopes of the hill creates an optical illusion. The downhill road appears as an uphill road. Cars on the hill seem to roll uphill against the gravity,when, actually rolling down. The entry is allowed from 8:00am- 5:00pm. No entry fee is charged.

• Hall of Fame- It is a memorial built by the Indian government to pay tribute to Indian martyrs who lost their lives during the Indo-Pak wars. Hence, also called memorial for the war heroes. It is a 2 floor building. It is a place where you can see the artifacts of various wars and know about the brave soldiers of the country. The entry is Rs.10/-. The entry is permitted on all days between the schedule of 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm – 7:00pm.

Hall of Fame is only a kilometer away from the airport terminal, on the Spituk Kargil Road. If you are near Airport, then it's better to hire a cab and visit all nearby sights on same route. The taxi charges are as follows: