hanle village | the hidden gems of ladakh
TRANSCRIPT
Hanle Village | The Hidden Gems of Ladakh
Hanle Village, Changthang Valley – Ladakh
Hanle in Changthang region of Ladakh is one of the most beautiful, enchanting,
calm and soul loosing places in India. Hanle has a lovely Hanle
Monastery offering some great aerial views of whole village that is a home of
about 1000 people. The views from the top of monastery are just breath-taking.
Hanle also houses an Indian Astronomical Observatory which is the world’s
highest observatory in the world at a staggering height of 4500 Mtrs. The Hanle
Observatory is operated by Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
and currently the second highest optical observatory in the world, with an
installed telescope of about 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter.
Hanle Village… An Aerial View…
Hanle Village… The Backdrop View…
Beautiful Colors of Hanle Monastery…
Hanle Observatory @ 4500 Mtrs… Highest in the World…
Hanle Village… Another Aerial View…
Hanle is about 150 KMs from Mahe and the road runs through Nyoma and then Loma, where
you need to pass the bridge on right that takes you to Hanle further 50 KMs ahead of Loma.
Hats off to BRO, that they have created such smooth roads in the cold desert at such high
altitude and harsh conditions. As you move towards Hanle, the size of the mountains starts to
decrease and you start witnessing a series of small mountains clustered together giving a
feeling of a different world altogether. The journey to Nyoma – Loma and up to Hanle is
extremely nice with beautiful vistas all around you and in fact it is one of those journeys which I
can go ever and ever again… I had never been to such a beautiful place ever. Roads could look
like freshly laid but with caution, do not cruise as there are inverted bumps left on the roads so
that the water passes through them. Such bumps can damage your vehicle, so be careful with
the drive :)…
Pristine… The Cold Desert – Changthang…
Leading all the way to Hanle from Nyoma…
Reflections at Loma…
Kiangs… The Tibetan Wild Asses…
Hanle is very near to the Line of Actual Control, so one need to get Inner Line Permit to visit it.
You can get more details on Inner Line Permits at the link: Inner Line Permits for Leh – Ladakh
The place is actually very scenic and feels out of the world. However, in actual reality the place
is extremely harsh and difficult to survive especially in winters. There is only one cemented
accommodation available around the lake and the facilities like electricity, medical aid, hot
running water, western toilets etc. are rare to find. The lack of oxygen makes survival difficult if
your body is not properly acclimatized to its high altitude. Hence, one need to plan his/her
journey extremely carefully to make it acute mountain sickness free vacation.
A Beautiful Morning at Hanle…
Location
Hanle is located about 275 KMs from Leh town of Ladakh district.
Altitude
Hanle village is one of the high altitudes villages in Ladakh at a staggering altitude close to 4300
Meters (not sure about actual)…
Season for Traveling to Hanle – Ladakh
In December to March, Hanle remains mostly frozen, extremely cold conditions with only
options to stay as homestays that may not be as convenient option for you. In April types, it
starts to get a bit warm and one can afford to sleep even in home stays, I did the same :)…
Then, May to September it is a very pleasant season to visit Hanle and a lot of tourist visit this
place now. Come October and November, the tourists starts to reside completely as cold starts
to set in again and you start to again feel a bit uncomfortable at Homestays but it is still
manageable.
The Light Play on the way to Hanle…
How to Reach Hanle – Ladakh
Route from Leh to Hanle
This is the general route to Hanle that most people take to visit this ever beautiful place
in Ladakh. You can reach in about 9 – 10 Hrs depending upon the number of break you
take in between. The route along with distance between the subsequent places is as
follows:
Leh – Karu (36 KMs) – Upshi (13 KMs) – Kumdok (19 KMs) – Kere (53 KMs) –
Chumathang (34 KMs) – Mahe (22 KMs) – Nyoma (25 KMs) – Loma (22 KMs) –
Hanle(51 KMs) = 275 KMs
You can cover Thicksey, Hemis and Shey monasteries while going through this route, if
you haven’t covered them earlier while going to PangongTso. This route provides the
best road conditions among all other routes. So, if you are one of those who prefer
relaxing vacation and do not want to rush through places then, I will suggest make a 3
day trip to Hanle via this route from Leh. Of course, I assume your body has been
acclimatized properly by staying for couple of nights in Leh and spending a night or two
in Nubra Valley as well before attempting to sleep in cold desert of Changthang at
Hanle. If you are short on time then you can also exit towards Manali via Manali – Leh
Highway via Hanle and then to TsoMoriri via this route only but you need to ensure you
have enough fuel to cover about 850 KMs without any fuel pump.
Route from PangongTso Lake to Hanle
There exist a direct route between Hanle / TsoMoriri and PangongTso as well and in
most general cases, you will always be doing it from direct route of PangongTso to
Hanle because you can exit Ladakh from TsoMoriri towards Manali – Leh Highway after
visiting Hanle and TsoMoriri without coming back towards Leh. Secondly, both Hanle
and TsoMoriri is higher than PangongTso so as per acclimatization schedule you should
stay near PangongTso before spending night at Hanle and TsoMoriri. However, all
depends subject to the approval of permits for this route via Chusul. Foreigners anyhow
are not at all allowed to go beyond Man – Merak Villages as permits are not issued to
them for this route.
Spangmik (PangongTso) – Man (9 KMs) – Merak (12 KMs)–Kakstet (4 KMs) –
Chusul (24 KMs) – Tsaga La (33 KMs) – Tsaga Village (20 KMs) – Loma (23 KMs) –
Hanle(51 KMs) = 176 KMs
Route from Hanle to TsoMoriri
After visiting Hanle, you can opt to go towards TsoMoriri from where either you can go
to Ladakh or you can exit towards Manali via ManaliLeh Highway. There exist two
routes to reach TsoMoriri from Hanle, one via Mahebridge and other via Chumur. Below
is the route which you can follow to reach TsoMoriri from Hanle via Mahebridge:
Hanle – Loma (51 KMs) – Nyoma (22 KMs) – Mahe (25 KMs) – Sumdo (10 KMs) –
TsoMoriri / Korzok (53 KMs) = 161 KMs
The other route goes via Chumur whose permits are hard to come by but if you are able
to get them then nothing gets better and adventurous on your Ladakh journey. Below is
the route which you can follow to reach TsoMoriri from Hanle via Chummur village:
Hanle – Salsal La (62 KMs) – Charchagan La (23 KMs) – TsoMoriri / Korzok (60 KMs)
= 145 KMs
You need to make sure you carry fuel for about 700 – 800 KMs because you will be
covering Leh – PangongTso – Nyoma – Loma – Hanle – TsoMoriri – Leh without any
other petrol pump. And if you want to exit Ladakh through Manali – Leh Highway from
TsoMoriri then also carry petrol/diesel for about 900 – 1000 KMs as the next petrol pump
will be available at Tandi. Otherwise, you need to come back to Karu or Upshi, refill and
move back again towards Manali – Leh Highway.
A Lovely Y-Fork at Hanle…
Preferred Vehicles
The higher ground clearance vehicles are preferable and 4×4 ones would definitely be helpful
especially between PangongTso and TsoMoriri via Man – Merak – Chusul – Nyoma
(Changthang) route AND TsoMoriri to Hanle via Chumur. However, for general route via
Chumathang or Mahebridge, quite a few people do it in hatchbacks and sedans as well which
depends upon your skills to drive and road conditions at the time of travel.
Suggested Itinerary for Hanle – Ladakh
Generally, at least two night stay is preferable to truly witness the mesmerizing beauty and
vistas at Hanle including the night sky watch. Of course, one night stay will also help you watch
a star studded night sky, an opportunity to capture some galaxy in your camera. Generally I
prefer like:
Day 1 | Leh – Upshi – Chumathang – Nyoma – Loma – Hanle
Cover Landscapes eroute
Overnight at Hanle
Day 2 | Hanle
Cover Hanle Monastery and Hanle Observatory
A leisure walks in the pasture lands of Hanle
Overnight at Hanle
Day 3 | Hanle – TsoMoriri via Mahe OR Chumur (if permits allowed)
Cover Korzok Monastery
Overnight at TsoMoriri
Day 4 | TsoMoriri – TsoKar – Debring – Taglang La – Rumste – Upshi – Karu – Leh
Cover TsoKar Lake and Taglang La (some part of Manali – Leh Highway)
Overnight at Leh
You can also check the most common and very well balanced itinerary for whole Leh – Ladakh
region covering all major tourist destination including Srinagar – Leh Highway and Manali – Leh
Highway, at the below link: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh
Accommodation Options at Hanle – Ladakh
The homestays at village Khaldo very very close to observatory. One is near the start of the
village and has a landline phone. Ask people about homestay which has phone. The rooms are
decent but the prices are hay-way as the owner is greedy types. There is one more homestay at
the end of this village just before pasture land starts which is run by a lady named Padmadeskit
Homestay (ask for this name). We stayed at this only and found it OK to stay. Do not expect too
much out of a homestay. This one is more loyal to tourists as other one charge too much if he
sees more tourists.
Update 2013: Padma Homestay in Hanle has been converted into a kind of decent guest house
in 2013 and when I visited there in September 2013, there were 4-5 rooms there with one room
having attached bath and others sharing a common bath. A big room for dining. You can read
my review here in the DoW Community link: Padma (Sonam’s) Guest House/Homestay, Hanle |
Review
Contact Details of Padma Homestay Hanle – Ladakh
Contact Person: Mr. SonamDorjay
Attributes: Very good friend of mine, knows DoW and its vision very well, very down to earth
local ready to support & help other locals of the village
Contact Number: 09469224302, 09419834944, 08991922029,
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Location: Hanle, Khaldo
Medical Facilities near Hanle – Ladakh
The nearest basic medical health center may be available at Korzok Village though I am not that
sure about it. You can get basic first aid including Oxygen doses at some of the tents/camps, I
guess.
Food Joints near Hanle – Ladakh
Being a remote place, you will either be eating in the home stay or at Hanle observatory guest
house in which you might be staying overnight if you get the bookings.
Phone Signals at Hanle – Ladakh
You will not find any mobile signals at Hanle Village but there is one and ONLY one satellite
public phone installed at a house in Khaldo Village near Hanle. The home with a phone also
offers homestay accommodation
Petrol Pumps near Hanle – Ladakh
Nearest Petrol Pump is at Karu (about 240 KMs) from Hanle and comes on the way to Hanle
from Leh via Chumathang / Mahe Bridge. I will suggest that you top-up the fuel from Leh / Karu
itself and then drive/ride up to Hanle.
ATMs near Hanle – Ladakh
You will not find any ATMs near Hanle and hence, it is always better to carry cash from Leh (the
only place where you find ATM in Ladakh) itself.
Conclusion
It is one of the most beautiful places in the whole Trans Himalayas, I will say, to visit. Hence, if it
is your may be second or third visit to Ladakh and you are keen of finding some secluded place
with a different feeling and aura then this one surely is not the place you would like to exclude
from your plan. I hope the above information will be useful for your upcoming Leh – Ladakh trip.
Please feel free to post any queries or doubts you might have in planning your trip to Leh –
Ladakh or Hanle, in the comments section below. If you have been to Hanle before, kindly share
your thoughts and other information you might feel will be worth sharing with other fellow
travelers and will prove helpful to them.
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