Lake Country

The Changthang plateau is home to three beautiful lakes - Tso Kiagar, Tso Moriri and Tso Kar.
This was the most beautiful place in all of Ladakh. These high lakes are at above 4000m. By the time we reached there in early September, the monsoon arrived. Finally there was snowfall everywhere and it was cold, windy and drizzling.
That didn't stop us from roaming around in the freezing cold slush to see as much of these places as possible. The birding was the best in Moriri and Kar. At Kar I finally got to see the Black-necked Crane.

One Ladakh trip should be dedicated just for Changthang.

I'm Blue I'm Di Da Ba Dai

Pangong Tso - probably the most famous tourist location in Ladakh, is breathtaking.

Its waters are in every shade of blue, and the colors keep changing every minute. People call it the 'moods of Pangong'. The visit to Pangong was very special - saw a melt-water being formed and took photos of the Milky Way for the first time.

Nubra Valley

Nubra Valley is North-West of Leh across the Khardung La - arguably the highest motor-able pass in the world at slightly above 5600m. On the other side, we went to Hundar, which is by the side of the Shyok river. This part is a world of contrasts. Huge swathes of sand dunes right next to a river. The dunes even have water filled ponds in them!
Diskit is another small town in this valley with a stunningly located Gompa.
Beyond Hundar, civilian movement is a but restricted, as it is about a 100km from the sensitive Siachen Glacier.
The valley, with lots of water everywhere, white sands and immense mountains all around - none of the photos could capture even a small part of the wonder.

Leh

Most of the Gompas are short day-trips from Leh. Leh itself has a lot to offer - the Leh Palace and Fort, the endless markets and restaurants serving Tibetan delicacies to wood over Pizzas.
We visited the some of the Gompas, and spent a couple of days during the Leh Festival.