Leh, a town located in Jammu and Kashmir is bustling with tourists all around the year. When was the last time you came across a friend’s photograph on Facebook? Not quite a long ago right! Going by the facts, Leh is the second most visited hill-station in India, just after Kashmir. Everyone at least in the country, has Leh on their bucket-list.
It will come to you as a surprise that Leh was once a trading town with immense importance back in British India. Since opening to tourists in 1974, it has become a bustling tourist town, with obviously a large number of Kashmiri traders residing here.
Some want to travel to Leh in the sunny Summers, others find Winters as the best time to visit the place when there is so less to be tagged ‘living’ in the desolate town.
Let’s list down the different shades of weather in Leh so that you can decided for yourself-
December to February
The place undergoes the wrath of the winters during these months. The nights are chilling and temperatures hover around -20°C. Days are still bearable with 2°C as average temperature. January is also the month of maximum snowfall. Majority of highways are closed and Ladakh remains practically inaccessible.
March to April
Temperatures hover close to 6°C during the day and -5°C during night. April is still better than March with temperature going up as high as 12°C. There are chances of occasional snowfall which pulls down the mercury level.
May to August
This is when Ladakh receives most of its tourists. Highways open up in the last week of April or the first week of May. Temperatures are pleasant and remain around 16°C during the day. But during night the temperature drops as low as 3°C.
September to November
This is when the cold sets in once again. Day temperature settle between 20 and 22°C. September sees ample sunshine. But it’s during the months of October and November that Ladakh goes back to its gloomy self. Day temperatures start dropping below 0°C once again.
Places to Visit
Some places to visit here include the iconic Palace of the King of Ladakh, Buddhist temples such as Namgyal Tsemo Gompa, Soma Gompa and Karma Dupgyud Choeling, Shanti Stupa, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, War Museum and the famous Donkey Sanctuary.
You can engage yourself in white-water rafting, camping, trekking to higher peaks, cycling or even carpet workshops. Do try the local eateries there, you will definitely love the food and the hospitality.
Image Credits – Wikimedia Commons
Any information taken from here should be credited to Skymet Weather
