Photo taken at the Thukje village.

Sunset is always a magical time in Ladakh with the mountain ranges throwing out various hues of yellow and orange light as the shadows slowly creep up their sides. 

This is a view of one such sunset from the Stok village with the Stok palace in the foreground.

Photo Note: This is a perfect scenario for using a GND filter. But even with a GND (3 stop) the range between the lights and shadows was so great that i had to use 'soft' filters in Lightroom to balance the exposure.

A Bolt from the Blue. Horses grazing in the fertile plains of Hanle.

I love the captivating eyes and the warm smiles (you'll see) of the Ladakhi/Tibetan people.

This photo was taken at a restaurant in the Hymia village where i camped overnight while cycling along the Indus valley. This kid was so fascinated by me, the he(/she) sat observing me the whole time i was at the restaurant. And, I in turn was captivated as well.

The glacial run of stream from the mountain irrigates the grasslands making this spot one of the most beautiful camping spots in Ladakh.

The mountains of the Chang Chemo range on the far side of the Pangong Lake. 

The Change Chemo range of mountains lead to the disputed Aksai Chin plateau. The dispute over the control of the Aksai Chin plateau is the reason for the 1962 war between India and China when India discovered that China was building a road through the Aksai Chin plateau to connect its Xinjiang region with Tibet.

To learn more about the mountain ranges and geography of Ladakh, check out the following Kettik article. 

Getting to know the Mountain ranges of Ladakh

A typical evening scene probably played out at every village in Ladakh everyday. Shepherds guiding their flock home through the fields of their village.

This particular photo was taken at the Hymia village along the Indus valley.

A rainbow was the last thing i expected to see on a sunny October morning in Ladakh. But this magical land is always full of surprises and this was a special one.

I arrived at the banks of the Tsomoriri lake late on the previous evening and unable to find the way to the Korzok village, i camped by the lakeside. At 4400m, the night was slightly cold and windy and i had just a packet of biscuits for dinner. You might think that its a tough situation to be in, but i enjoyed every minute of it.

The next morning i woke up to a beautiful sunny day and spent the morning basking in the warm sunlight. There was nobody around for miles and i felt that i had the lake all to myself. And if that wasn't enough, i spotted the mountains putting on a small welcome show for me with this beautiful subtle little rainbow.

Its days like this that make you feel as if you are the luckiest person alive.

I met this little girl in one of my winter visit in Ladakh, I met her in old market near to mosque in Leh town. It was free day for me and was exploring market to see how local people live and what they do during winter, of course they were much more busy with many things than what people do in villages. It was a true sunny day and she was brisking in sun light and playing with local toy. if you really what to see what this title say about, please see high regulation image on this page and watch out in her eyes and let me know what you can see. High resolution image can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/manisholiday/5541969762/sizes/o/in/set-72157626304460438/ i never come across with such clean and beautiful eyes, since then this visit, i m looking for her but unfortunate part I could not find her.

Dark walk after Hit by An Avalanche.. From Chadar Expedition Archives !! I remember day too it was 26 Jan and we were hit by An avalanche .. Thanks to snow GOD we could escape finally without any injury. I can say it was rebirth ..

Photo taken from the Chemrey village near the Thekchhok monastery.

A yellow road roller parked by the roadside amid the lush fields and gathering clouds over Hanle.

Colorful sunset over the Himalayan Gamma Ray Observatory (HiGRO) at Hanle.

Birds eye view of the Korzok village and of the Korzok Phu (stream) flowing into the Tsomoriri lake.

sunset throwing shadows over the mountain ranges near shey village. Leh, Ladakh.

Birds eye view of the Korzok village and of the Korzok Phu (stream) flowing into the Tsomoriri lake.

I love the captivating eyes and the warm smiles (you'll see) of the Ladakhi/Tibetan people. This photo was taken at a restaurant in the Himya village where i camped overnight while cycling along the Indus valley. This kid was so fascinated by me, the he(/she) sat observing me the whole time i was at the restaurant. And I, in turn was captivated as well.

Prayer flag slung across the courtyard of the Korzok monastery.

Out of Pang the road climbs up a hill and then the landscape opens up into the Morey plains. Situated at about 4500m, it is a dramatic flat stretch of land about 45km long and 20km wide, fringed by low hills. On a clear day with a splattering of a few puffy clouds it can look quite beautiful up there. Occasionally one can spot a Tibetan wild asses, Kiang, grazing the plains here and maybe even a red tailed fox or two.

Out of Pang the road climbs up a hill and then the landscape opens up into the Morey plains. Situated at about 4500m, it is a dramatic flat stretch of land about 45km long and 20km wide, fringed by low hills. On a clear day with a splattering of a few puffy clouds it can look quite beautiful up there. Occasionally one can spot a Tibetan wild asses, Kiang, grazing the plains here and maybe even a red tailed fox or two.

The snowcapped peaks of the Pangong range mountains towering over the Merak village.

After the Gata Loops the road climbs up a steady slope towards the Nakeela pass. On this stretch keep a look out for the mountains on the far (right) side of the road, they'll have steep cliffs with a trail precariously penciled across it. Even from far it looks a scary proposition to tackle that path.

autumn scenery showing the shey and thiksey villages near leh, ladakh.

After Lachulung La the landscape once again changes dramatically. The road snakes its way down through a narrow canyon with the Lachulung Lungpa stream running right beside the road. Eventually the canyon opens up to reveal an even more dramatic landscape. Extraordinary shapes, chiseled by the elements, jut out of the sandy mountain sides. These shapes appear mostly in clusters, some looking like anthills while some other clusters look as if they are pieces from a chess set.

The Stakna monastery perched on a small hill with the snow capped mountains of the Zanskar range towering behind it.

Stakna, the literal meaning of the word is 'tiger's nose' and the monastery is so called because it sits perched on a hill which looks like a tigers nose. 

Sitting on the small hill, the Stankna monastery is one of few monasteries in Ladakh which can be viewed from all angles and this gives rise to a few interesting photo opportunities.