Ladakh, literally the 'land of high passes', separates the peaks of Western Himalaya from the vast Tibetan plateau. Opened up to tourism in 1974, Ladakh is often called 'Little Tibet', due to its similarities in topography and culture with nearby Tibet. This is particularly evident in the Indus Valley with its whitewashed Gompas (Buddhist monasteries) precariously perched on hillsides.
Padum, the capital of more remote Zanskar, shares this Buddhist heritage, as does the Nubra valley, while Kargil and the Suru valley are predominantly Shiite Muslim.

History
Ladakh's earliest inhabitants were Khampa nomads, who grazed their yaks on the high pastures. The first settlements, along the upper Indus, were established by Buddhist pilgrims on their way from India to Mount Kailash in Tibet. The Brokpa (or Dards) who today live in Dha-Hanu are the last Buddhist Indo Aryan people.

In the 9th century, Ladakh's influence extended beyond the Indus Valley and during this time many forts and palaces were constructed. In the late 14th century, Tsongkhapa, a Tibetan pilgrim introduced Gelukpa Buddhist order headed by the first Dalai Lama, into Ladakh. The new order flourished and led to the founding of Gompas at Thiksey, Likir and Spituk.

In the ensuing years, Muslim armies pressed Ladakh from the west, with Ali Mir of Baltistan eventually capturing the province. Fortunes were revived under the rule of Singge Namgyal (1570-1642), who, in addition to making territorial gains, established Leh as the capital, constructing his palace there. During this period, the Ladakhi royal family assisted Brokpa monks in establishing Gompas in Hemis and Stakna.
In 1685, Ladakh was threatened from the North, and only alliance with the Mughals helped repel the Mongol-Tibetan army. Ladakh remained nominally independent but the Mughals exacted a crippling tribute in return.
Ladakh's fortune changed again in the 1830's when a Dogra army under Zorawar Singh invaded Ladakh from Jammu and exiled the king to Stok.

Ladakh became a part of the Dogra state of Kashmir in 1846, and has been ruled from Jammu and Srinagar ever since.

In 1995, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) was formed to answer Ladakhi concerns about being governed from afar. Most Ladakhis see few ties with troubled Kashmir, and have lobbied for Union Territory status for Ladakh. Since 2002, the Ladakh Union Territory Front has carried all before it at elections but with India reluctant to entertain the disassembling of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh will have to wait some time yet for its much-coveted autonomy.

Geography
Ladakh is bound by mountains. To the north the mighty peaks of Rimo I (7385m) and Teram Khangri I (7466m) in the Ladakh range mark the border with China, while in the south the slopes of the Stok range grow in size until they merge with the Zanskar mountains. In the west, the snow-capped peaks of Nun (7135m) and Kun (7087m) are the gatekeepers of the Great Himalaya.

Amid the mountains, life centers on Ladakh's many river valleys. The Indus Valley drains much of the region, joined by the Zanskar and Suru Rivers to the west. In the east of Ladakh there are several lakes, including the huge Pangong Tso, which reaches into Tibet, Tso Kar and Tso Moriri, set in the high-altitude desert characteristic of the Tibetan plateau.
The best way to see this beautiful place in on foot by trekking. Log on to the sites below to get a better idea of what is possible. Happy travels


www.notjusttreks.com

www.responsibleadventures.com

Responsible Adventures are an ecological trekking organization designed to improve, protect and preserve the environment of the Himalayan mountain rangers. An organization for the 21st century, we are leaders in the organization of ecological mountain treks.

Responsible Adventures were created and developed by a group of young environmentally and culturally conscious former Trek leaders with more than 18 years of experience each in leading treks throughout the Himalaya, The Alps, Australia and The Rockies. All of the founding worked for some of the biggest and reputed adventure travel companies throughout their professional careers.

All employees of Responsible Adventures have many years of trekking and mountaineering experience and actively promote the protection and ecological use of the fragile environment of the Himalaya. The Himalaya is home to most of our team and they wish to share its natural beauty and culture with trekkers and other guests. We are striving to instill respect to these sacred mountain ranges, while helping to preserve their historic surroundings, people and culture. We aim to make a difference.


Why Responsible Adventures are different?
Responsible Adventures are among the first trekking companies to design treks in the Himalaya where all refuse resulting from trekking is ecologically disposed of or pact-returned to centers where it can be properly dealt with. Biodegradable rubbish is burned to facilitate quick disintegration. Plastics and other synthetic materials will be returned to base for recycling. We request each trekker to ensure that this practice is strictly observed.


Responsible Adventures are pioneers in the just treatment of all its employees. We actively work on abolishing the mistreatment and ill payment of Trek leaders, local guides and porters. Our employees are assured proper wages, as well as receiving benefits that are among the best in the Himalaya. Sharing bonuses and profits between all employees is one the many important aspects of Responsible Adventures' policies.


Walk in the Spirit:

We invite open-minded and perceptive people to feel the Buddha within whilst trekking from lush tropical forests to the arid high plateaus. Rise above the earthly pleasures and perceive the beauty of nature whilst trekking past steep monastic walls, across high passes and into thin air. Experience the openness and connection between man and nature, which is only available in the lofty heights of the Himalaya.


Responsible Adventures' Mission:

To share the essence of the Himalaya
- its vastness, timelessness, culture and humanity --
and to provide our customers with the highest quality travel experience
available in this extraordinary part of the world.


Responsible Adventures' Commitment:

To enchant our customers and exceed their expectations.


Responsible Adventures' Guarantee:

Responsible Adventures guarantees to provide our customers with a successful and adventurous journey.
If you are unsatisfied with any element that is within our control,
let us know and we'll do everything possible to make it right for you.


Responsible Tourism:

Responsible Adventures is committed to responsible tourism, through its policies and practices which permeate all aspects of its business. The company's policies aim to ensure that Responsible Adventures and its clients act in a way which is socially, environmentally and culturally sound. We feel strongly that all our holidays should benefit the local communities, protect the environment by minimizing pollution, and respect local traditions, religion and heritage. We tread lightly - low volume, low impact trekking/touring is the best way of preserving the beautiful and fragile places we visit.


Responsible Adventures is an adventure travel company with a real difference. We cater for all ages and any group size, ranging from family trekking holidays to school educational trips. We can tailor make your holiday and can take care of everything for you.You can be assured of an upgraded service with the utmost attention to detail. A step above from a normal adventure holiday. Our team has many years experience and are highly trained by our founder Raj Tamang, more about him later! We have such a good reputation in our field that most Sherpa and Porters long to work with us.


Responsible Adventures has four key responsibilities.

1. Customer
2. Employees.
3. Charity
4. Profit


Customer:

That’s you. You are most important to us and we make sure that you get the treatment that you deserve.The smallest detail is given our utmost attention throughout your trip and there may even be a few little surprises along the way to add to your experience.
You can be assured of an exciting and breathtaking holiday.


Employees:

We value our staff highly, after all happy staff makes happy customers.Here at Responsible Adventures we have a committed fair-trade approach .Sometimes porter/sherpa teams can be neglected and so we pay our staff a generous wage to help them make a better life for them and their families.


Charity:

We have been connected with local charities for sometime and a percentage of the tour cost goes towards helping these charities. There may even be a chance to visit the places and see what your contribution has provided.


Profit:

This comes last on the list because we want to share our beautiful country with you and help make a better life for the people in and around Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India.
We are committed to making a difference to this small part of the world.



The man behind the inspiration.

Raj Tamang has been leading treks/tours and adventure holidays since 1988.He specializes in treks through out Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India.He has been involved in local charities for many years and has a great love and passion for his country and his job.In 2003 he became the liaison officer for the Royal Marines expedition of Everest in Tibet and even coordinated a wedding for an officer at base camp.He has lead many high altitude training camps for expedition groups wanting to go that extra mile and loves leading small trekking groups on holiday.He has great respect for the world around him and loves sharing his knowledge and amusing experiences with others.


Raj Tamang was born in Singapore to Nepalese parents. He spent his childhood and was educated there till 1988. His father was with the Singapore Police Gurkhas and upon his retirement in 1988, the family returned to their native land: Nepal. With learning from his family background and the education he received, the return home was an opportunity to put into place his aspirations: to be with his people.


In eighteen years he has built on valuable working experience. From Tour Consultant for World Travels (Nepal), to trek leader for World Expeditions an Australian Company. He has also traveled extensively in Singapore, Malaysia,Thailand, Tibet, India, Bhutan, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, France and Spain. He is multilingual and speaks fluent Nepali, English, Hindi, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Hokkien (a Chinese Dialect) and Thai. He is also capable of getting by with several other languages.


In 1991 he joined International Trekkers (Nepal) as a sirdar. This was one of his most valuable experiences. For the next 5 years he trekked all over the Himalayan regions of Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan learning about his region and coming back to his roots. He learnt how to run treks from small to large teams and prepare for the future.


In 1996 he left International Trekkers to work as a free lance leader until 2000. Since then he has continued to work as an independent trek leader as well as working for Explore Worldwide and later with the Imaginative Traveller, both UK based firms, as a trek leader.


The past eighteen years of hard work have helped him develop a good understanding of international trekkers needs. He is able to offer much of his experience and knowledge not only about trekking but about the whole Himalayan region, its traditions, religious life and the respect it deserves. He is a world class educator.


www.notjusttreks.com

www.responsibleadventures.com