Sham Valley: A mesmerizing place you can't resist being in!

When you come down to Leh, you must be asking this question to yourself as to why you must include Sham Valley in the bucket list for holidays at Leh!!!

5 Reasons why you must visit Sham Valley:

Beautiful Landscape-The typical upper Himalayan landscape is not to be missed.

Nimmu is one of the most beautiful places around Leh and in Sham valley that you will remember. The confluence of a river in gray and other in green is so pleasant to watch.
Magnetic Hill-A driver’s paradise where you see vehicles defy the law of gravity.

The monasteries here are plenty and are located in tranquil places where you’ll get peace of mind.
Hemis Sukpachan-No,you can’t miss on this one.The scenery around is beautiful and you’ll feel lost in an unknown world,Trust me,you’ll love it if you are on a solo trip to Ladakh.

**Nimoo-Conflunce of River Zanskar and River Indus**

Location : Leh is located somewhere on the right side of Kashmir UT (Ladakh UT).It is a junction between Srinagar and Manali which are anywhere around 500 kms away from Leh.Sham Valley is on the left to Leh towards Kargil side(West of Leh)

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

Sham Valley has lot to offer especially when it comes to monasteries and ancient ruins and therefore you shouldn’t miss on this when you are in .Magnetic Hill,Guru Nanak Pathar Sahib,Nimmoo,Rizong gompa ,Alchi , Likir ,Ney Monasteries,Basgo Palace,Hemis Sukpachan are the main attractions in the Sham Valley.

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

You can visit Lamayuru and Drass on the way to Kargil.If you are heading elsewhere,why not try going to Khardungla or Pangong Tso (Lake) or Tso Mrori or Hanle for night sky!!

Hemis Sukpachan-A place you register in your mind as a must visit!

Distance Charts:

How to Reach Leh:

Road Routes:

The possible road routes are:

From Jammu side: Delhi-Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur-Banihal-Verinag-Srinagar-Sonamarg-Dras-Kargil-Lamayuru-Leh

Manali Side : Delhi-Ambala-Shimla-Kullu-Manali-Keylong-Pang-Leh

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

1)Visit hemis sukpachan for sure by paying a bit extra as its not there in taxi rate list and its so beautiful place

2)Pre fill vehicle oil tanks as petrol pumps are less numbered.

3)Snacks and meals are scant outside leh.So have food and water with you.

4)Buses can be opted but its not suggested as many places are located in remote and interior regions.Better book a car through an agent.

RAIL:Unfortunately,to reach Leh-Rail isn’t the option.You can reach Jammu or Chandigarh by rail thereafter which you are all by road transport Only.

AIR:Leh is the nearest airport and from there,only road transport can help you.

ROAD:You can come to Leh easily after month of May through Rohtang Pass from Manali side or from Srinagar side via Zozila Pass.

In case you want to reach from Delhi or Chandigarh,the Shimla-Manali-Leh corridor shall be a better choice in terms of scenery and safety , which will take 3 days with a one day halt at Keylong to acclimatize.Even from Jammu side,it will take 3 days but acclimatize option can be left out pretty easily.

Map:

Sham Valley-Places to visit(MAP)-{Credit:Vargis khan}

Time to Visit:

Mid June to Mid October(There’s no rains in june through September here).

Spend Time With:

Family,Friends,Solo

Food and Lodging:

For hotels prefer staying in Leh .There’s plenty of them but hard to get in peak season(June-July).I mostly do booking on spot whatever happens and hence saves me a bunch.Booking before from various apps like Goibibo or Makemytrip or Yatra might help in peak seasons otherwise go ,bargain,book is my advice.Usually travel agents will you with this trip if you want it quick and hassle free;else private buses are there to help you to reach a few places but do note that the connectivity is not so good.Food is not available everywhere.So keep food and water handy.

Expense:

This was a single day full day trip by pvt car.

Food:INR 250/person/day(3 times a day)X1
Transport:INR 4500 for booking a car for local sight seeing.You can go by bus to a few places but this will take atleast 2 days to cover 60-70 % of the Sham Valley.Will be far cheaper ( max 1000 INR) to/fro Leh.
Lodging:INR 800/day(tends to be 1500INR in peak season)X1 @ Leh
Entry Fees includes various places (varies):INR 100/head

Total: 5650 INR( Can be brought down to 3500 INR by public transport- 2 day food and stay)

Sham Valley: A mesmerizing place you can’t resist being in!

When you come down to Leh, you must be asking this question to yourself as to why you must include Sham Valley in the bucket list for holidays at Leh!!!