Leh

Ladakh's major city is built into the base of the snow-covered Karakoram Range, at just over 11,500 feet. The two-day drive from Manali to Leh is a legendary ordeal, with rough, narrow, mountain-hugging roads prone to traffic jams and landslides. However, this mode of arrival is incredibly scenic, and a good way to acclimatize yourself to the altitude. The army convoys on the road increase the danger and the time involved, because they have immediate right-of-way over all traffic. The prudent and the less adventurous simply fly from Delhi if they can afford it: flights leave early in the morning, with the sun beginning to rise as you leave the plains and enter the Shivalik Hills. As the first snow-capped mountains appear, the plane seems to skim over the summits, and the ice fields stretch to the horizon before you reach the barren moonscape of the high Tibetan plateau; this is easily one of the most spectacular air journeys you can make in India. The flight attendant may instruct you to lower your window blind as you approach Leh, your first hint of military security, and you may be told not to take any photos from the plane. The 20th century turned Leh into an important Indian military base thanks to its proximity to Kashmir.