Running Thin Air — Inside the Ladakh Marathon 2025 At over 3,500 meters above sea level, every breath counts. Here’s your beautiful, practical guide to the six courses, how to prepare, and one intimate finisher story from the high Himalayas. Why it’s special: Ladakh Marathon is among the world’s highest-altitude road races. Expect crisp mornings, big skies, prayer flags, and climbs that test both legs and lungs. The event typically unfolds across multiple categories over a long weekend centered on Leh. Acclimatization is essential: Arrive in Leh early (5–7 days is common) to help your body adapt. Respect the altitude: Hydrate, protect from sun and wind, pace conservatively, and listen […]
Echoes of Tradition in the High Himalayas — Ladakh Festival 2025 Complete Schedule (Days 1–4) Every time, venue, and highlight — nothing omitted. Use this page to plan your festival days in Leh. 📅 Day 1 — Sunday, 21 September 2025 Do not miss: Cultural Parade, Inaugural Ceremony, “ERA OF ECHOES” Live, Celestial Journey. Time Programme Venue / Notes 11:00 AM From Ruins to Revival — ASI Conservation & Archival Treasures Exhibition Leh Palace 12:00 PM onwards (till 10:00 PM) Exhibition of Handicraft / Handlooms / Cuisines / CHANG-KHANG; Live skills: pottery, basketry, shoe making, etc. Eco Park, Leh 02:30 PM The Ladakh Culture Parade — dignitaries, guests, monks, tourists, […]
Discover the Vibrant Spirit of the Ladakh Zanskar Festival 2025 Step into the timeless world of Zanskar, where culture, heritage, and breathtaking landscapes meet. The Zanskar Festival is more than just an event — it’s a celebration of identity, tradition, and community spirit. Experience two unforgettable days of dances, rituals, and festivities in the heart of Ladakh. 10th Edition of the Ladakh Zanskar Festival 2025 Theme: “Celebrating and Showcasing the Rich Cultural Heritage of Zanskar” Dates: 20th & 21st September 2025 Venue: Sani, Zanskar – Ladakh Time: 10:30 AM onwards The Ladakh Zanskar Festival 2025 is back with its grand 10th edition, promising an unforgettable cultural journey into the heart […]
Living with Ladakhi Families in the High Himalayas By Elena Marlowe Arriving in Leh: The Gateway to Homestay Adventures First Impressions of Leh’s Old Town The airplane descended over a plateau of ochre mountains, their craggy ridges glowing beneath a startling blue sky. When I first stepped off the plane in Leh, the thinness of the air stole my breath. It wasn’t just altitude—it was awe. The town revealed itself in layers: prayer flags strung across alleyways, whitewashed stupas leaning against rocky slopes, and the quiet dignity of the Leh Palace perched high above. Unlike other Himalayan gateways, Leh’s old town felt intimate, almost secretive. Narrow lanes twisted past crumbling […]
Walking the High Roads of Ladakh’s Hidden Valleys By Elena Marlowe Introduction: When the Trails Become the Sky The First Glimpse of Ladakh Arriving in Leh is like stepping into a brighter octave of the world. The air is crystalline, the light almost weightless, and the silence feels purposeful, as if the mountains themselves were holding their breath. From the window of the flight you glimpse a maze of tawny ridges and snow-brushed summits, but it is only when your boots find the ground that Ladakh reveals its true scale. This is where hiking in Ladakh ceases to be a list of trails and becomes a way of listening. The […]
Across Ladakh’s Valleys: A Journey into Village Life By Elena Marlowe Introduction: Valleys of Stories To speak of Ladakh is to speak of valleys — each carved by rivers, guarded by mountains, and inhabited by communities who have shaped beauty out of extremes. Nubra’s green terraces flourish in the embrace of sand dunes; Zanskar’s villages cling to cliffs under skies of piercing blue; Suru Valley nurtures fertile fields beneath the shadow of Himalayan giants; while the Aryan villages of Dha and Hanu preserve heritage older than empires. Chiktan whispers of ruined forts, Changthang stretches toward Tibet with its wild lakes, and Sham Valley shelters orchards that glow golden at harvest. […]
Where Earth Meets Sky: Stories of Ladakh’s Living Architecture By Elena Marlowe Introduction: A Journey Through Ladakh’s Built Spirit The first breath in Ladakh carries both austerity and wonder. Thin air brushes your skin with mountain crispness, and the villages scattered across this high-altitude desert seem to rise directly from the earth. Here, architecture is not just about walls and roofs. It is about survival, identity, and spirit. In a place where temperatures plummet to minus twenty-five in winter and roads remain cut off for months, homes and schools do more than shelter; they embody a philosophy of living in dialogue with nature. Walking through Leh’s winding alleys or arriving […]
Behind the Sacred Walls: Life and Food in a Ladakhi Monastery Kitchen By Elena Marlowe Introduction: Stepping Inside the Monastery Kitchen A First Glimpse of Ladakh’s Monastic Life On a crisp morning in Ladakh, the silence of the monastery is broken not by chanting but by the clatter of pots and the earthy scent of firewood smoke curling from a small kitchen window. For many visitors, monasteries are places of prayer, murals, and meditation halls, yet the beating heart of daily life lies tucked away in a modest kitchen. Stepping inside, one immediately feels the warmth and the rhythm of life that sustains the community of monks. The kitchen is […]
Whispers of Stone and Silence in the Heart of Ladakh By Elena Marlowe Introduction: Meeting the Cairns on Ladakh’s Ancient Trails The First Encounter with Stone Cairns Walking along the wind-swept paths of Ladakh, you soon notice curious clusters of stones—some piled neatly, others precariously balanced on jagged cliffs. These cairns, known locally as silent guides and spiritual markers, are far more than random rock heaps. They stand as guardians of memory, left by travelers, monks, and traders across centuries. To stumble upon one is to enter a dialogue with history itself. Unlike polished monuments, cairns retain a rugged intimacy, whispering that you are not the first to pass here, […]
Life on the High Pastures of Nubra Valley By Elena Marlowe Introduction: A Valley Where Silence Breathes First Impressions of Nubra’s Summer Landscape Arriving in Nubra Valley in summer feels like entering a living silence. The air is thin yet carries warmth, barley fields shimmer beside willow groves, and distant peaks still hold snow even as pastures bloom. Dark figures graze on the slopes—yaks, steady and unhurried, defining the valley’s rhythm. Children help guide calves, herders shoulder ropes, and bells tied around necks echo faintly as the animals move upward. This is not a performance for outsiders but the daily life of families in Diskit and Sumur, a continuity that […]
