The land of many passes, desolate moonscapes, barren rocks, mystical Gompas, spectacular summer festivals, geographical terrains and a unique life-style. Sometimes referred to as "Moon Land" it derives its name from "La Tags" in Tibetan. Enshrined in glorious history and abounding in monasteries, Ladakh is among the most beautiful places in the world and also among the most elevated regions at 3513 Mts. above Sea level. Situated on the western end of the Himalayas, Ladakh has four major mountains ranges - The Great Himalayan, Zanskar, Ladakh and the Karakoram passing through it. A maze of enormously high snow capped peaks and the largest glaciers outside the polar region, dominate the terrain where valley heights range from a meter 2500 Mts. to 4500 Mts. while passes of up to 6000 Mts. and peaks reaching above 7500 Mts can be seen all around. The world's largest glacier 72 kms long, outside the polar region, Siachen is here. Such daunting heights no wonder, determinate the land's temperatures as low as -30 C and Drass -50 C. Three months of sub zero temperatures (Dec-Feb) and the rest of the months facing zero degree temperatures , it is a long and hard winter here. Waterways, waterfalls and lakes freeze, and the water vapour freezes to break into the most intricate and attractive crystal patterns. But on clear sunny days, when the average temperature goes over 20 C, it can be scorching hot in bright sunshine.