The Sham Valley is generally denoted to as a Baby lake in Ladakh as none of the passes are above 4000 m. It is a great introduction to trekking in Ladakh.Sham Valley includes Alchi, Likir, Basgo, Zanskar and Indus River Confluence at Nimmu, Magnetic Hills, Gurudwara Pather Sahib… Gosh, a long list but they all are very much close to each other and require about 165 km of the drive for the complete tour and back to Leh in a day.
Area | 14,086 km2 (5,439 sq mi) |
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Population | |
Winter Temperature | Below 0°C |
Summer Temperature | 17°C - 30°C |
Best Time To Visit | July to September |
Once you have visited Likhir Monastery, return to Sriangar Leh highway at head towards Saspul once again. Upon reaching Saspul, you will once again leave the highway, turn on the Alchi Bridge and continue for another 7 kilometers until the small village of Alchi. This is another ancient Monastery in Ladakh, built sometime in 10th century. There is a path from the monastery that leads down to the shores of river Indus if you want to take a walk. This is a good place to stay as well in case you want to break the journey. There is a camp site here known by the name of Sumtseg Camps that is run by the monastery itself.
Further ahead from Magnetic hill and a little before Nimmu village is the confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers. Indus river flows in from Tibet, originating in the vicinity of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, while Zanskar river originates in Zanskar valley before both of them merge together here. It presents a beautiful sight worthy enough for a quick photography break. There is also a place near the shores of the confluence where you can spend some time.
Move further towards Kargil on Srinagar Leh Highway. About 5-6 kilometers from Gurudwara Patthar Sahib and about 30 kilometers from Leh is the famous Magnetic Hill of Ladakh. You will not have problem spotting the area as there is a large board put up by Indian Army there. This particular part of the road is believed to have some sort of magnetic part that pulls car up on an ascending road even after their engine is not running. Visit here and experience the phenomenon yourself.
It is a beautiful Gurudwara, built in the memory of Guru Nanak Dev and is located at a distance of about 25 kilometers from Leh. Built at a height of 3,600 meters, this Gurudwara is famous for a huge boulder that is believed to have an imprint of Guru Nanak Dev on it.