Can you really see Northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in Ladakh as many photos being shared on social media have made a buzz ever since IIA Bengaluru shared a timelapse video captured by Hanle Observatory of Ladakh where red clouds can be seen in the skies of Ladakh. While most photos are old, mostly from Norway and Iceland, the IIA Bengaluru stated: “This is a time-lapse of the sky taken by a 360 deg camera from #Hanle on 22/23 April night. You can see the aurora lights due to an intense geomagnetic storm that hit the Earth. It is extremely rare to see aurora at such a low latitude! At 11:42 PM on 21 Apr the Sun launched a coronal mass ejection towards the Earth. This CME (speed of 500-600 km/s) was associated with an M1 class solar flare. The CME arrived at Earth late on April 23 at 10 PM. It further stated that This geoeffective CME led to an excellent night for auroral activity. The aurora came to lower-than-usual latitudes overnight leading to rare sightings from Europe, China & Ladakh in India. Such a severe geomagnetic storm last occurred in 2015. “For predictions of this storm as well as space weather forecasts for other solar events, check out @cessi_iiserkol Centre for Excellence in Space Sciences India at @iiserkolhttp://cessi.in According to news portal The Quint, while the first three images show the Northern Lights in Norway, the fourth one is from Iceland. While aurora-like lights were seen in Ladakh in the night between 22 and 23 April, all these photos predate the event. It further stated that none of the photos being circulated on social media belong to northern lights in Ladakh. Outlook India has written an article on northern lights in ladakh: If you're an avid stargazer, add Ladakh
Can you really see Northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in Ladakh as many photos being shared on social media have made a buzz ever since IIA Bengaluru shared a timelapse video captured by Hanle Observatory of Ladakh where red clouds can be seen in the skies of Ladakh. While most photos are old, mostly from Norway
Turtuk is the northernmost village and gram panchayat of India in Nubra valley of Leh district of Ladakh, about 205km from Leh town and is on the bank of Shyok River. Turtuk opened for tourists in 2009 and it was under control of Pakistan since Independence till 1971. India took control over Turtuk during Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. India and Pakistan had again a war around Turtuk during Kargil War of 1999. Now Turtuk is one of the major tourist destinations (sightseeing places) in Ladakh. Besides Turtuk, Thang (last village near LOC) and Tyakshi have also become tourist attractions. A few memorials built in the memory of soldiers can be seen on the road leading to zero point of India-Pakistan Line of Control (LOC). Many tourists visit Turtuk village between May and October. Turtuk is a Muslim village having population of about 3,500 residents and its residents speak Baltistani, Ladakhi and Urdu languages. Siachen Glacier is also accessible from Turtuk side. Turtuk village offers beautiful views of Shyok valley. Turtuk is said to be the only place in India where one can witness Balti culture. Tourist movement is allowed till Tyakshi, another Balti village beyond Turtuk. However, Thang is the last and northernmost village of India, about 4km from Turtuk just before LOC, but tourists are not allowed to visit the village. Thang is clearly visible from Tyakshi on the other side of Shyok river. Turtuk is basically divided in three sections -- main market (small market of the village) area on the Hunder-Tyakshi road and upper main village area is divided into two by a small nullah, a tributary of Shyok river. A beautiful bridge on the nullah, joining both parts o the village, is a famous tourist point where everyone wants to get clicked. A large number of
Turtuk is the northernmost village and gram panchayat of India in Nubra valley of Leh district of Ladakh, about 205km from Leh town and is on the bank of Shyok River. Turtuk opened for tourists in 2009 and it was under control of Pakistan since Independence till 1971. India took control over Turtuk during Indo-Pakistan
Shinku-La Tunnel or Shinkula Tunnel or Shingo-La Tunnel or Shinkun La is upcoming motorable tunnel under 16,580ft high Shinku-la pass between Himachal’s Lahaul valley and Ladakh’s Zanskar valley in Northern India. The tunnel was given principal approval in 2021 but the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (February 15, 2023) gave a final nod to the project. Ministry of Defence through Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is building Darcha-Shinkula-Padum-Nimu as an alternative road to connect Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh. This will be the third highway connecting Ladakh with mainland after Srinagar-Kargil-Leh and Manali-Sarchu-Leh highways. The Manali-Padum-Nimu road or Darcha-Padum-Nimu road will become all-weather after the completion of the Shinku-la tunnel. This will be the safest and shortest road to reach Leh. As Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, has bypassed 13,050ft high Rohtang pass, Shinkula pass will be the only pass on this new road. Unlike Manali-Sarchu-Leh highway which has many mountain passes, the Darcha-Padum-Nimu road has only one pass -- Shinkula pass. The Defence Ministry is concentrating more on this new road as it will facilitate in military movement even in winter months. Otherwise, both Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh highways get blocked following heavy snowfall for five to seven months a year. Currently, Atal tunnel is the world’s longest highway tunnel above 10,000ft. After completion, Shinku-la tunnel will be the longest high altitude highway tunnel in the world. The work on the 13.5-km-long Shinku-la tunnel is expected to start in 2021. (Please note that as of May 19, 2021, MoD has rejected the proposal of 13.5 km long tunnel and given nod to 4.25 KM long Shinku-la tunnel which was surveyed by BRO long back close to Shingo la pass.) Length of the Darcha-Shinkula pass – Padum-Nimu highway will be 297 KM. Nimu is 35km from Leh and 185km from
Shinku-La Tunnel or Shinkula Tunnel or Shingo-La Tunnel or Shinkun La is upcoming motorable tunnel under 16,580ft high Shinku-la pass between Himachal’s Lahaul valley and Ladakh’s Zanskar valley in Northern India. The tunnel was given principal approval in 2021 but the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (February 15, 2023) gave
What is the best time to visit Leh Ladakh? This is the question that every traveller wants to ask before planning his visit to Ladakh. Ladakh can be visited in all four seasons, 12 months a year, but depending upon the choice and fitness of traveller, one can plan tour based on the seasons. Seasons in Ladakh June to September: Summer season (Peak tourist season/Best time to visit Ladakh with family, children and elderly) (Day temperature: 20 to 25 degrees C, Night temperature: 5 to 10 degrees C) October to November: Light cold (Lean tourist season) (Day temperature: 5 to 20 degrees C, Night Temperature: 5 degrees C to -5 degrees C) December to March: Extreme cold (Leanest season/tourists visit only to experience cold/photography/adventure) (Day temperature: -5 degrees C to 5 degrees C, Night Temperature: -10 degrees C to -30 degrees C (Temperature at some places dip even below minus 30 degrees Celsius. Drass region of Ladakh is the coldest inhabited place in India and second coldest in world after Siberia) April to May: Light cold and sometime warm days but cold nights (Tourists start visiting Ladakh. Temperature starts rising to pleasant after mid-April) (Day temperature: 5 to 15 degrees C, Night temperature: -5 to 10 degrees C) The best time to visit Ladakh depends on your preferences and the activities you plan to engage in. Ladakh is known for its rugged landscapes, high-altitude passes, and unique cultural experiences. However, due to its high altitude and extreme weather conditions, the accessibility and climate vary throughout the year. Here's an overview of the different seasons in Ladakh: Summer (June to September): This is the peak tourist season in Ladakh when the weather is most favorable. The temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C (68°F to 86°F) during the day, and the region
What is the best time to visit Leh Ladakh? This is the question that every traveller wants to ask before planning his visit to Ladakh. Ladakh can be visited in all four seasons, 12 months a year, but depending upon the choice and fitness of traveller, one can plan tour based on the seasons. Seasons
On this page, we shall keep you updated about current temperature, snowfall status and weather in Leh, Kargil, Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake, Tso Moriri lake, Zanskar valley and all the places of Ladakh. January 22, 2023: Heavy snowfall is predicted from January 24 to 27 in most parts of Ladakh including Leh, Kargil and Padum. The Pangong Lake is frozen completely. The Zanskar river's surface has also turned ice at most places, forming a shape of white chadar (sheet) which means chadar treks have begun. Here are the minimum temperatures of major places in Ladakh which were above the normal due to overcast (all figures start with minus): Leh -15.2, Nyoma -17.7, Chuchot Yokma -16.0, Padum (Zanskar) -15.6, Drass -15.3, Upshi -14.3, Kargil -13.8, Tangtse -13.3, Hunder (Nubra) -8.4, Khaltse -7.1, Garkone. -6.9, April 25, 2021: The weather will remain generally dry in the next few days. Good sunshine will result in little rise in the day temperature, bringing some relief from the cold. Some cloudy weather is likely after April 30. Tourists can see snow at Khardungla pass. Leh-Srinagar road will open only for four-wheel drive light vehicles on Monday. Trucks and other heavy vehicles may have to wait for few more days as road is very slippery. The Leh-Manali road is blocked and may take up to one week to open for vehicular traffic. Updated on April 21, 2021 More snowfall in Leh, Kargil (Ladakh) Most parts of Ladakh are witnessing fresh snowfall since last 24 hours. The meteorological department, Leh, has predicted more snowfall in the next 48 hours. Overcast is predicted till april 24 and it will be a mix of sun and clouds from April 25 onwards. While peaks, including Khardungla pass and Changla pass are receiving moderate snow, Zojila pass and parts of Kargil
On this page, we shall keep you updated about current temperature, snowfall status and weather in Leh, Kargil, Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake, Tso Moriri lake, Zanskar valley and all the places of Ladakh. January 22, 2023: Heavy snowfall is predicted from January 24 to 27 in most parts of Ladakh including Leh, Kargil and Padum.
Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (JTN) raised the demands in Parliament for the construction of roads of Paddar-Padum, Udaipur-Padum, and Korzok-Kiato for strengthening the Indian border in the Northern region. Raising his demands under business rule 377 of the Lok Sabha, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal emphasized that India has war experiences of 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971, 1999 and the Galwan conflict of 2020. Unprecedented border tussles usher the nation to develop some alternative routes to connect the border with mainstream land. Despite the commendable works on Nimo-Padum- Darcha Road including the tunnel at Shinku La and Zojila pass there is a need to focus on better, shorter, and economically more feasible roads and tunnels on priority to keep our border well secured. During the ongoing Parliament session, MP Jamyang raised demands for the construction of three major roads to connect Ladakh with the mainstream countryside in Himachal's Lahaul-Spiti district and J&K's Kishtwar for greater interest. He said there are three possibilities for building a shorter road from Kishtwar district of Jammu division to the Zanskar valley of Ladakh which are the construction of 45 km Paddar-Padum Road, Kishtwar-Atholi-Maichil- Soomchan-Zongkhul or 80 km Kishtwar-Atholi-Maichil-Dangail-Potla-Bardan’. This will be the shortest route between Northern Command and Pathankot Airforce/Military station to Ladakh as it will reduce the distance by about 150 km. This route being the shortest was also followed by the legendary Dogra General Zorawar Singh during his conquests of Ladakh and eastern Tibet in the 1830s. Construction of Udaipur-Padum Road from Miyar Valley of Himachal's Lahaul via Khanjar- Zardong-Kesar-Kang La-Padum or Khanjar-Shangkha-Thangso-Kargyak near Shinkunla Zanskar will also reduce the distance. Construction of a 100 km Road from Korzok village at Tso Moriri lake of Ladakh to Kiato in Himachal's Spiti valley will also provide easy access to eastern
Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (JTN) raised the demands in Parliament for the construction of roads of Paddar-Padum, Udaipur-Padum, and Korzok-Kiato for strengthening the Indian border in the Northern region. Raising his demands under business rule 377 of the Lok Sabha, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal emphasized that India has war experiences
Manali-Leh highway, which has average elevation more than 12,000 feet and four major mountain passes with elevation of over 16,000 feet, has been the place for many adventure enthusiasts to set a world record. Not only Ladakh is a popular tourist destination where lakhs of tourists visit every year to enjoy the amazing landscapes, high altitude passes, ancient monasteries, unique culture and lakes, the region is also offering an opportunity to people to attempt for new records. People come here to set world records in many categories including fastest man/woman to cover the distance between Leh and Manali on foot, fastest cycling on this road, fastest car drive etc, motorbiking etc. We shall keep you updated with the latest records and attempts. Pune woman runs Leh to Manali in five days, sets new world record August 14, 2022 Pune based 45-year-old ultra runner-cum-cyclist Preeti Maske, a mother of two, created another world record to become the fastest woman on foot to run from Leh to Manali in just 4 days, 22 hours and 9 minutes. Till now the world record is held by Sufiya Khan who ran from Manali to Leh in six days. Preeti set a Guinness World Record in June this year by becoming the first woman to solo cycle from Leh to Manali in just 55 hours 13 minutes. She also holds many other records in long distance cycling. This time she attempted for Guinness record for the fastest on foot journey from Leh to Manali. With 8,000m elevation gain, runner-cum-cyclist Preeti covered a distance of 80km every day on the first four days and 100km on the last day. She was flagged off by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) from Leh at 6am on August 9 by chief engineer Brig Gaurav Karki. Given the monsoon conditions, she
Manali-Leh highway, which has average elevation more than 12,000 feet and four major mountain passes with elevation of over 16,000 feet, has been the place for many adventure enthusiasts to set a world record. Not only Ladakh is a popular tourist destination where lakhs of tourists visit every year to enjoy the amazing landscapes, high
Synopsis: Keylong-Padum bus service is going to become reality very soon as HRTC has conducted a successful trial on this route. The plan is to run the bus on Rewalsar-Kullu-Manali-Keylong-Darcha-Padum route. Keylong-Padum bus service will help in tourism promotion in the region. Himachal Roads Transport Corporation (HRTC), which operates buses on the country's longest and highest route between Delhi and Leh, will soon start a bus service between Padum in Kargil district's Zanskar valley and Keylong and Manali in Himachal Pradesh. The bus service, depending on demand, will be operated from Rewalsar in Himachal’s Mandi district. HRTC has successfully conducted a trial run of a 29-seater mini bus between Lahaul-Spiti district’s headquarter Keylong and Zanskar’s headquarter Padum. First of its kind, the bus service will start immediately after completing the permit related formalities. Initially the bus may run on Keylong-Padum route but the plan is to run the bus on Rewalsar-Padum route. Anshit Sharma, HRTC regional manager at Keylong, was quoted as saying: “The trial run has been successful. Once we complete all the formalities, the bus service will be launched immediately. Initially we plan to run only one bus, but if passenger load increases, we may increase the buses. The route permit is between Rewalsar and Padum. We are hoping for the success of the bus service.” Zanskar being a Buddhist dominated valley, the residents have cultural and religious relations with Himachal, especially Lahaul-Spiti district and Rewalsar in Mandi district. Earlier, people of Zanskar used to enter Himachal after many days of hard trekking via Shinku-la pass or after three to four days long road journey via Kargil, Leh and Sarchu. Now the journey via 16,580ft high Shinku-la will be completed in just one day. The distance between Padum and Keylong via traditional road through Kargil and Leh is
Synopsis: Keylong-Padum bus service is going to become reality very soon as HRTC has conducted a successful trial on this route. The plan is to run the bus on Rewalsar-Kullu-Manali-Keylong-Darcha-Padum route. Keylong-Padum bus service will help in tourism promotion in the region. Himachal Roads Transport Corporation (HRTC), which operates buses on the country’s longest and
World’s longest highway tunnel above 16,000ft beneath 16,580ft high Shinku-la pass will be ready by 2025 that will provide Zanskar valley of Ladakh an all-weather connectivity, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) chief Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry said at Shinkula top. After attending the Golden Handshake Ceremony on occasion of opening of Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road amidst fresh snowfall, and in the middle of 5 to 6ft high walls of snow, the director general border roads (DGBR) Chaudhary said this new road, which has now opened for traffic movement, will be officially opened for all kinds of vehicles as widening and blacktopping of the highway will be completed in three years along with completion of the 4.25 km-long Shinkula tunnel. He said formation cutting of the remaining stretch between Padum and Nimmu in Ladakh will also be completed soon. He said a new Road Construction Company (RCC) will be established in the area. Chaudhary was quoted as saying: “The Shinkula pass tunnel will be 4.25 kilometer in length at altitude of about 16,000 foot. It will be the highest and longest tunnel at this altitude in the entire world. He said work on construction of the tunnel will start in July or August this year. The exercise to build the Nimmu-Darcha road had started 20 years back but the work faced many technical glitches. This new road is going to prove boon not only to the army but also it will bring positive revolution in the Zanskar valley of Ladakh.” He said it used to take many days to travel from Zanskar to Himachal in the past but now the travel time has been reduced to only a few hours. He said the travel time will further be reduced after widening and blacktopping of the highway. DGBR said the Yojak Project of BRO, which
World’s longest highway tunnel above 16,000ft beneath 16,580ft high Shinku-la pass will be ready by 2025 that will provide Zanskar valley of Ladakh an all-weather connectivity, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) chief Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry said at Shinkula top. After attending the Golden Handshake Ceremony on occasion of opening of Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road amidst fresh snowfall,
February 25, 2022: The tussle between Leh and Manali Bikers' Associations over tourism activities seems to be easing as commercially registered motorbikes from both territories will be allowed to enter each other's territories but only along the national highway. However, restrictions on private bikes will continue as usual. The different tourism-based unions and associations in Ladakh do not allow taxis from other states to ply on its internal routes connecting the popular sightseeing places like Pangong lake, Khardungla pass, Nubra Valley, Tsomoriri, etc. The taxis are allowed to ply on only Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh national highways. Only private cars are allowed to go anywhere in Ladakh. However, both private and commercially registered motorbikes registered outside Ladakh being used for tourism purposes are not allowed on internal roads. After a recent dispute between the bike unions of Leh and Manali, the bikes from Manali side were not being allowed to enter Ladakh, and similarly bikes from Ladakh were not being allowed to enter Himachal. This was hurting the tourism business of both the regions and tourists were being harassed. The talks to resolve the matter remained unsuccessful. The officials of the Manali Bikers Association and Ladakh Biker Cooperative Association had a meeting on the issue in Leh on Friday (February 25, 2022). And it was decided that commercial bikes from both regions will be allowed on the Leh-Manali national highway. It was decided in the meeting that tourists who ride rented private bikes will not be allowed as it is unauthorized. Manali bikers association general secretary Tenzin Bodh said this is for the first time that both the unions have come on the same platform to resolve the issue. “Now it has been decided that movement of bikes will be allowed only on the Leh-Manali national highway. Commercially registered bikes will
February 25, 2022: The tussle between Leh and Manali Bikers’ Associations over tourism activities seems to be easing as commercially registered motorbikes from both territories will be allowed to enter each other’s territories but only along the national highway. However, restrictions on private bikes will continue as usual. The different tourism-based unions and associations in
