As you approach Leh for the first time, via the sloping sweep of dust and pebbles that divide it from the floor of the Indus Valley, you'll have little difficulty imagining how the old trans-Himalayan traders must have felt as they plodded in on the caravan routes from Yarkhand and Tibet : a mixture of relief at having crossed the mountains in one piece, and anticipation of a relaxing spell in one of central's Asia most scenic and atmospheric towns. Spilling out of a side valley that tapers north towards eroded snow-capped peaks, the Ladakhi capital sprawls from the foot of a ruined Tibetan-style palace - a maze of mud brick and concrete flanked on one ide by cream coloured desert, and on the other by a swathe of lush irrigated farmland.

Leh only became regional capital in the 17th century, when Sengge Namgyal shifted his court here from Shey, 15km southeast, to be closer to the head of the Khardung La-Karakoram corridor into China. The move paid off : within a generation the town had blossomed into one of the busiest markets on the Silk road. During the 1920s and 1930s, the broad bazaar that still forms its heart received more than a dozen pony - and camel-trains each day. Leh's prosperity managed mainly by the Sunni Muslim merchants whose descendants live in its labyrinthine old quarters, came to an abrupt end with the closure of the Chinese border in the 1950s. Only after the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, when India rediscovered the hitherto forgotten capital's strategic value, did its fortunes begin to look up.
  Undoubtedly the most radical shake-up, however ensued from the Indian government's decision in 1974 to foreign tourists. From the start, Leh bore the brunt of the annual invasion, as busloads of backpackers poured up the road from Srinagar. Twenty or so years on, though the main approach is now via Himachal Pradesh rather than Kashmir, the summer influx shows no sign of abating. Leh has doubled in size and is a far cry from the stroll shoulder to shoulder down its main street, most of whose old-style outfitters and provision stores have been squeezed out by Kashmiri handicraft shops, art emporiums and Tibetan restaurants. A rapid  increase in the number of Kashmiri traders, who have little choice but to seek business outside Kashmir, has in recent years led to unrest in Leh's bazaar, the first communal violence ever seen in normally peaceful Ladakh.

Air  : Indian Air Lines operates regular flight to Leh from Delhi, twice a week between Leh to Jammu and once a week from Srinagar. Jet Airways Operates daily flight between Leh to Delhi.

Road : There are two overland routes the Srinagar to Leh road remains open from early June to November. The Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation operates regular deluxe and ordinary bus services.

Rail : The nearest railhead is Jammu (690 km), which is linked to the rest of the country by express trains.

The Manali - Leh road remains open from mid June to early October. Himachal Pradesh tourism, HRTC and Manali private bus union, operates a daily bus services, which takes two days to reach Leh, after a night halt at Sarchu or Darcha.

Ladakh is open for tourist throughout the year, while the best period for tour and trek is from June to October. Most of the trekking routes are closed after November due to heavy snowfall at high passes except the Liker to Kahltsey (Sham) trek. The best period for Chadar trek is from January to Mid-March.