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Lahaul Valley
Lahaul valley is a remote Himalayan Valley located in the Himachal Pradesh state of India along the Indo-Tibet border. Extraordinary, exciting, and primitive are some of the words that can be used to describe the landscape and unparalleled beauty of this valley. Lahaul valley consists of some of the nature’s best rocky escapements and snow clad mountains. Lahaul is marked by a central mass of uniformly high mountains and massive glaciers. The valley lies at a height of 2745 meters. It is the land of rich Buddhist culture centre and has several Buddhist monasteries. These monasteries are considered as rich repositories of ancient murals, thankas, and carvings made of wood. It also houses the golden images of Padmasambhava. The summer season is very pleasant here and this is the time when the place attracts numerous tourists. The relatively less monsoon season helps the trekkers and mountaineers to enjoy an un-interrupted and long period of camps and adventure in the inner Himalayas. Keylong which is located at a distance of 115 Km from Manali (another important hill station in Himachal Pradesh) is the district headquarters for Lahaul.
Tourism
The temperature of the summer season is very pleasant. However, it is not advisable to visit the valley during the winter season as the temperature dips much below the 0 deg C mark. The ideal season to visit is the period between June to September.
Places of Interest in Lahaul Valley
Bharalacha la
It is a mountain pass located in the Zaskar Range connecting Lahaul to Ladakh. The pass serves as a natural divide between the Bhaga and Yunam rivers.
Darcha
Darcha is a village in Lahaul famous for its scenic beauty. The village is an ideal destination to experience the picturesque village life and experience the dry snowy desert beyond it.
Kardang Monastery
It is an ancient Buddhist Monastery of the Drukpa Kagyud order of Buddhism. The monastery stands across the Bhaga River and is located close to the town of Keylong one of the prominent Buddhist places.
Pin Valley National Park
which is located at an altitude of 12, 000 m above sea level is the home for various endangered species like Snow leopard, the endemic Himalayan Ibex, the mighty Bharal and the Lynx.
Keylong Museum
This is a tribal art museum which contains various Thanka paintings and everyday objects which were used prior to the development of modern mechanized items. There are also some manuscripts of the Bhoti scripts and Tankri documents. This is an extremely knowledgeable museum for archeology lovers.
Adventure Sports
River Rafting
Koksar in Lahaul is the gateway for White Water Rafting. Rafters can go up to Tandi Bridge, the point of confluence of Chandra & Bhaga to become Chenab or Chanderbhaga.
Paragliding
Joy rides of para gliding are available at Rohtang and Marhi.
Fishing and Angling
Enthusiasts can enjoy fishing at Sissu and Jaspa.
Camping Sites
There are some majestic camping sites in the Lahaul valley at Darcha, Jispa, Gemur, Tandi, Koksar, and Sissu
How to Reach
By Air
The nearest airport for tourists visiting Lahaul valley is the Kullu Manali airport or the Bhunter Airport. There are regular Air India flights except on Thursdays from Delhi. Several other low fare airlines also operate between Delhi-Bhunter and Chandigarh-Bhunter. Hired taxis can be taken from Bhunter to Keylong the district headquarters of Lahaul. The route which follows via Manali, passing though the Rohtang Pass is 115 Km from Manali. The other air options would be to reach Shimla or Leh and then travel by road.
By Road
Lahaul is well connected with road from all parts of the country. The nearest destination where all the buses from important cities arrive is Manali. Tourists can either opt for local buses or hire taxies to travel from Manali to Keylong the district headquarter of Lahaul through the Rohtang pass. The distance of Keylong is 115 km from Manali. Tourism comes to standstill during the winter season due to the closing of Rohtang pass.
By Train
The nearest broad gauge rail head is Shimla, at a distance of 286 kms. The nearest narrow gauge is located at Joginder Nagar which is located at a distance of 135 Km. Bus and taxi facilities are available from both these railway destinations.
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