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LADAKH The Land of High Passes (La = pass, Dakh = land).
Ladakh is the region bound by the western Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau; it bears many cultural and physical similarities with Tibet. The whole area is bound by the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south; two other parallel chains, the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range traverse it. The Great Himalaya acts as a barrier to the rain-bearing monsoon from the south so the region is essentially a high altitude desert with exceptionally low rainfall – only a few centimetres a year; glaciers feed the many rivers, which include the Indus and the Nubra. The western part of Ladakh is dominated by high mountain ranges with many peaks over 6000 metres; in the east are a number of high altitude lakes, including Tso Kar and Tso Moriri, set in the high altitude desert plateaus. The seasons are pronounced; summer from about July to early September is very pleasant with warm, sunny days and cool evenings. Winters are apparently cold and harsh, although, due to its physical location in a sheltered valley, the city of Leh enjoys relatively mild conditions - it only goes down to –25 degrees C (per Otto Pfister).The Ladakhi people are, on the whole, devout Buddhists - gompas (monasteries) and temples pepper the region. Although I have never been anywhere that people are not generally friendly, the Ladakhis are especially hospitable. The rule is to greet people on the path with "julay", an all-encompassing greeting meaning hello, thank you and goodbye.
Leh & the Indus Valley Any area of suitable habitat around Leh is worth birding but a couple of sites are of particular note. The Shey Marshes on the edges of the Indus have some excellent habitat, although large tracts of shrubland have been fenced off and are no longer accessible. The habitat consists of marshes, grassland, riverine buckthorn scrub as well as stands of willows. Phey, a small village to the west of Leh has some good stands of riparian shrublands with extensive stands of fruiting buckthorn. Another excellent site was the Agling Marshes located at Agling, a "suburb" of Leh. The marshes on the banks of the Indus provide excellent habitat for waterfowl and small passerines. Gupuks are two small lakes set in a park on the outskirts of Leh. In winter, more so than summer, this is a great spot for waterfowl.Markha Valley Hemis High Altitude National Park encompasses the Markha Valley, located to the south west of Leh. The so-called Markha Valley circuit is one of the most popular areas for trekking in Ladakh and fortuitously is a wonderful area for birding and wildlife in general. It is common to walk from Leh to Lato Rumbak where the traversable road ends but the scree habitat holds very few birds with the added disadvantage that it takes a full day. Driving this leg is recommended. It is also possible to start the trek at the other end from Kharu, a physically more demanding prospect. The first part of the trek along the Stok River up to the Rumbak Valley travels through a wide gorge with mixed scrub (5-10m high) of buckthorn, willows, and rose (many of which were in flower) occurring in patches in the relatively moist valley bottom. A side trip up the Rumbak Valley was very worthwhile from a birding point of view, as the habitats are rich and varied. The riverine wood along this stretch of the Stok River shows a similar composition of willow and rose, as well as low, heathy vegetation on the gentle slopes leading up to steeper and rockier slopes at higher altitudes. The composition of the avifauna is very dependent upon the altitude and vegetation. The heathy areas in particular are well populated with small passerines, of which there was a relatively high abundance (see annotated list and Appendix 1). The trekking route then travels over the Ganda La pass into the Markha Valley. From Shingo to Skiu the landscape is marked by dramatically steep gorges with very little vegetation. From Skiu onwards the valley opens out and the Markha River is now wide, rocky and fast flowing. Again, the moist valley floor supports a rather more diverse vegetation dominated by willows and roses. At the lowest part of the valley beyond Cumlun the river is wide and shallow, breaking into many braids. It ’s necessary to wade across in a couple of places here. The glacial water is very close to being unbearably cold necessitating a rapid crossing, for fear of frostbite.The trail gradually climbs up through the village of Markha, past the 6400 metre Kangyangtse Mountain, to the open grazing pastures of Nimaling at 4860 metres. Here the vegetation is dominated by grasses and the fauna by domestic animals – yaks, donkeys, cows, horses and dogs. From Nimaling one crosses the Kongmaru La pass into the wonderfully beautiful Shang Valley, part of the Shang Game Reserve. No high snow-capped mountains here, but truly gorgeous rock formations and gorges, slopes covered with grasses and shrubs, clear flowing rivers and streams, and picturesque waterfalls. The lower part of the Shang Valley near the confluence with the Indus River is relatively more densely populated; here one again encounters scattered farmhouses, orchards, electricity poles and local people. Tso Moriri & Tso Kar, RupshuThe high altitude lakes and the surrounding plains of the Ladakhi plateau known as Rupshu offer different possibilities for birding. A number of interesting species breed in the area, notably Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck and the wonderful Black-necked Crane. It is necessary to obtain an "inner line permit" to travel to the area (some sources claim that you must have four people to apply – this does not seem to be the case any more) and a National Park permit (to be obtained from the Office of the Wildlife Warden in Leh). These are mere formalities and any of the trekking companies can organise them along with a vehicle, driver-guide, camping equipment and importantly, a cook.It is worth spending some time over the drive from Leh to the lakes. The 134km drive took us eight hours! The scenery is breathtaking as one travels first along the Indus River then over a high pass of the Zanskar Range into the plains and marshes of Sumdo in the Puga Valley. Plus there are plenty of opportunities for birding. The lakes form from glacial and snow melts that drain into the huge, shallow basins typical of this area. Tso Moriri has an outflow at it southern end but otherwise there is none from any of the lakes, which as a result of evaporation in the arid desert climate show varying degrees of salinity. Grasses on the plains and reeds and sedges on the lake edges dominate the vegetation in the area. What looks like salt deposits in the wet meadows are in fact deposits of borax (a chalky mineral salt) washed to the surface as the water evaporates. Tso Moriri seems to be very popular with the backpacker crowds who visit for the scenery and the gompa at the village of Korzok. This is the only area where camping is allowed (this might not be strictly true – it would be worth requesting to be located elsewhere). Consequently the camping area is somewhat crowded and polluted (there are no proper toilet facilities and pits are dug much too close to the water by the camping staff). At 28 km long and eight km wide, and 40 m deep, the brackish lake is vast and the birds rather spread out. Driving slowly along the road hugging the water edge is possibly the best method of birding here, although with more time it would certainly be worth hiking around in search of breeding colonies.The much sought-after Black-necked Crane can be found anywhere in this area but the Puga boglands near Sumdo appear to be the most reliable site for this enigmatic creature. Puga and the surrounding area fall under the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. The much smaller, salt water Tso Kar is more picturesque and seems to hold a higher density of waterfowl and open country birds. In summer the shores of the lake are waterlogged and swampy. Citrine Wagtails, Lesser Sandplovers and Common Redshanks in breeding plumage are abundant. This is really a superb location both in terms of birding and landscape. Tso Kar to Jispa & Kullu Travelling from the Rupshu area through the southern region of Ladakh over the Great Himalaya range into Himachal Pradesh is a thrilling and fascinating experience. Thrilling because, as mentioned previously, the roads are narrow and steep, plied by large decrepit buses and trucks. The drop offs, gorges and mountains are really quite awe-inspiring. Fascinating because the change in the physical geography and vegetation as one travels from the high plains of the Ladakhi plateau over the very dry, rugged high passes to the considerably more fertile valleys and mountains of the Great Himalaya is a revelation. From a really harsh, barren landscape one is suddenly confronted with a totally different landscape of forest cloaked mountains topped with glaciers. It was a relief to see trees again! The journey from the lakes to Jispa is approximately 350 km. There were relatively few opportunities for birding due to the heavy and noisy traffic. The drive from Jispa to the Rotang Pass and beyond, on the other hand, offers some good birding from the roadsides.
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