Among India’s most exotic topographies, a trip to Ladakh was an eye opener on how the locals survive in one of the harshest terrains in the world, face the impact of climate change and saw the role of sustainable tourism in boosting the local economy

It was a 4-day work trip. We were in Ladakh to document the homestays and eco-cafes established by Worldwide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India). The organization, with its core principle of conserving eco-regions, had adjudged the conditions of the indigenous communities living in the remote Himalayan region and taken steps to better the lives of the marginalized communities, especially those below the poverty line. This initiative was based on the study conducted by NITI Aayog, Sustainable Development in the Indian Himalayan Region.

Preservation and conservation go hand-in-hand as indigenous people nurture 80 per cent of world’s cultural and biological diversity.

United Nations

I will take you on this journey backwards, from the end, where I saw the unpredictable weather, and then I fully understood the extremity the natives in small and remote villages go through. The sun opens movement, but the snow stops it all.

Caught in a snowstorm

I shivered as the wind raged through the white mountains. The snowflakes kept falling, as the wind gods swished and swirled through the curvy mountain edges. They pushed the snow till it fell on the road, making it impossible to drive through.

A slight skid and the SUV would topple over, into the deep abyss from where extraction would be next to impossible. This was the treacherous Zojila pass, the road from Sonmarg in Kashmir to Ladakh, among the most dangerous roads in the world. Zojila Pass is approx. 3.536m (11,601ft) above sea level.

While the long queue of cars kept a healthy distance from each other, a brave one drove past us, challenging the weather gods, just a fraction of a millimetre from the edge and over the slippery snow. My heart was in my mouth, as I saw the family sitting in the backseat. Thankfully, he made it through. But we waited and prayed, even as the wind penetrated my layers. My hands froze, but I was hellbent on capturing this moment on video.

It was hard to believe that I was actually stuck in this icy terrain in April (2022). Climate change is real. The natives had become even more resilient to the harsh environs with no thought of moving to warmer and easier regions.  

This wasn’t the first time I had seen Nature angry. I had witnessed the floods in Kashmir in 2014. They were the most devastating sight in the world. Luckily, here the weather gods weren’t raging, it was a mild temper, as my taxi driver Aashiq said.

Aashiq lived in Kargil and that’s where the main taxi stand for this part of Ladakh is. He had a fantastic sprawling home, I was told by the WWF-India Programme Officer, who had helped arrange the taxi for us. But nothing in Aashiq’s demeanour showed his well-to-do status, his simplicity and friendliness are the trademark of Ladakh. All the people we met in the Union Territory had a charming way of connecting. The community supported their own. Probably, this is why I wasn’t worried about the snowfall and the perilous situation we were in.

The row of taxis waited for Nature to calm down before they drove slowly around a bend. The wait was for an hour. The taxi drivers were helping all the people on the road, cleaning the road themselves, and giving the cars a push over the slippery area to put them on track. It wasn’t a spot where the authorities could reach in a jiffy; it would need mobilization by the Army.

Over the 4-day stay, Aashiq had begun to enjoy our company. The indifferent, distrustful attitude had given way to a bonhomie that lasted all through our trip, till he dropped us in Srinagar. “A lot of people don’t know Kargil is a city in Ladakh. They think it’s another country. Someone once asked if Kargil was a person. Once I was traveling by flight to Mumbai and a soldier was sitting next to me. He was more scared of the flight than me, and I had to calm him down,” he regaled us with stories of his travels across India. All these were done in the six months when Ladakh was snowbound, September to March.  Drass, the village we stayed in, was even lesser known.

Our flight was at 8 pm and Aashiq had woken us up at 4 am due to the snowfall and the possibility of the pass being closed. Luckily, we made it safe and sound to the Kashmir Valley and spent many hours enjoying the slight drizzle by the Dal Lake before taking the auto to the Srinagar airport for the flight home.

Living with the Balti Community, Ladakh

Flat plains marked with shrubs, and a beautiful blue-green river flowing through the cold desert, Ladakh is as close to paradise as can be, albeit a tough part of paradise. Wild horses, magpies and brown bears live here, along with the Balti community, who are primarily Shia Muslims. It is a fragile ecosystem and very challenging.

Four days weren’t enough to see the work done with the communities, as the villages are spread across the mountainous region. However, we did get an idea of the change that had slowly come. Along with their donors, the organization has been creating sources of livelihood for the indigenous communities. After all, the communities are the custodians of Nature.

This initiative has a two-fold benefit—it makes the communities self-sufficient and gives the tourists an eco-friendly, culturally immersive and affordable experience. “It is important that tourists become aware of the fragile ecosystems and the need for preservation of these systems for posterity,” recounted the Programme Officer from WWF-India. The organization has trained homestay owners in Drass and Sankoo. The selection process is in sync with the village panchayats. The team visits the village and takes a consensus on who needs the training the most. A native is always involved in the core work, who has a rapport with them and sensitises them of the benefits. Trust is an important part of making the people move out of the ways that don’t yield results.

Besides, training and equipping them for year-round earning, they also equipped them with livelihoods that even their family members and children could continue in the future.

We visited two homestays in Drass, the second coldest place on the planet, with temperature dropping to -40°C. For most part of the year, Ladakh is closed to the outside world, as the cold is bone-chilling and only the seasoned can survive it. There is lack of rainfall and vegetation is sparse. The region is the least habited in India and faces many economic and social challenges, bordering Pakistan.  

For the uninitiated, Drass is just an hour’s drive from Kargil. The Kargil War Museum is located in Drass and so is Tiger Hill, where the Kargil War was fought in May–July 1999. This was the hill where the major action had taken place, as most of us saw in the movie Shershah (2021).

I was unprepared for the stunning landscape and children with beautiful smiles. It was a close-knit community.

The bonhomie at the homestay began with a traditional ‘sattu’ (powdered millet) welcome and a meal in the heart of the home–the kitchen.  As we sat on the floor of the homestay run by Nargis Bano, her husband Ahmed Ali and four children, we got to know about their life. Their humble home, made of stone and mud, has lasted over 10 years, withstanding all the tough weather conditions. The low-ceiling native homes remained cozy during the day and manage to keep the cold at bay during the night.

Water is a scarce and precious commodity here. In fact, drinking water needs to be filled daily from an outdoor source in the morning. The houses in this village are scattered all over the erratic hilly terrain. They walk everywhere and there are no defined roads or street lights here.

Ahmed Ali used to be the sole bread earner, working as a daily wager. Nargis Bano told us, “For six months, the area is out of bounds due to a harsh winter. We can’t go out and need to store grains for these months. By the time summer comes, tourism picks up, we find some work, but there is not enough money to save. We grow our own vegetables on the small patch of land. The milk comes from our cow.” It was difficult to imagine the couple in such dire circumstances, for their resilience and acceptance belied their financial hardship.

Water was stored in the many buckets in the house. There was no geyser, but they would heat water in a hamam in the storage room. I would use only half a bucket for my bath.

The training had been done just before Covid-19 and the two-year lockdown had brought more hardship.

The organisation provides a 360°training on all aspects of hospitality such as cleanliness, cooking, housekeeping, service, waste management, bookings, payments, kitchen gardening, compost making, tourist orientation. It fulfils the infrastructure needs also initially such as renovation of the kitchen, bathrooms, giving furniture, heater, mattresses, a dinner and cutlery set, bedsheets. Along with all these, the native owner is also trained as a naturalist, storyteller, historian and guide. A holistic training and stay lead to a more culturally immersive experience. The trainees are also given exposure trips with travel agents and wildlife tourism experts to introduce them to marketing and branding.

A single night with three meals costs Rs 1300-1500. There were three bedrooms which could be let out to guests, primarily suited to backpackers. There was a dish antenna and a TV, but we didn’t see it running. Internet worked well in this region.  

The view from their homestay was surreal—I stargazed daily and even saw a full moon turn the sky a different blue, much like indigo.

The entire family was involved in the running of the homestay. They would sleep in the centre area which was the kitchen-cum-dining and get up early to prepare the food for the guests. There was an indigenous heating system in that area, a metal-covered box was connected to a large duct. The wood was put in this to light up the fire. The heat would travel through the duct to keep the room warm and also warm up the water stored in another area. I did not see many personal belongings, not a lot of clothes either.

As Ladakh is a photographer and conservationist’s paradise, Ahmed Ali led people on eco-trails. Home to the endangered Himalayan brown bear, earning opportunities via this trail were good. “Sometimes photographers’ book for the entire month for bear spotting. I now have a better income and can save for the winter. My children can go to school regularly and there are more opportunities for their progress,” shared Ahmed Ali. 

These are tough trails and need patience. So, we went out in the night to see a brown bear and its cub near the garbage dump, which was a sad sight. This plight too needs to be addressed, as brown bears remain dependent on large natural spaces.

Brown bears are important management indicators for a number of other wildlife species. As predators, they keep other animal populations in check and also act as seed dispersers.

World Wildlife Fund

The homestays were a boon for the children too. They merrily connected to the tourists, learning more about the world beyond their homes, even becoming more aware of the richness of their surroundings and helping the parents in this endeavour towards a better life. Nargis and Ahmed had got married when they were 14, but the children wanted to study and go out into the world well beyond their 20s. They understood Hindi and were learning English as well.

Chai and Momo stop at Matayein

About a 30-minute drive from Drass is the village of Matayein, the first village in Ladakh when entering via Kashmir. On our drive in from Sonmarg, the eco-café owned by Bashir Ahmed was the first pit-stop. Like Bano’s home, this eco-café was also made of stone and mud, blending in perfectly with the rocky environs, with minimal concrete intervention. With the natives telling us about battle of Kargil fought in the perilous mountains, a cup of tea and a plate of hot Momos warmed us up to Ladakh.

Clad in his Kashmiri phiran, 50-year-old Bashir Ahmed said, “I used to have a decript ea stall, but now this cafe with all the facilities is a welcome change. We serve biscuits, namkeen, Momos, samosa, Maggie.” Ahmed’s cuisine was a blend of Ladakhi and Kashmiri. While his Kashmiri was flawless, his Hindi was good too. Ahmed too had been trained on service, food, pricing, e-commerce. He ran the café with his two sons, but the villagers also helped when needed.

There was even a dry toilet at the back, as the region lacks proper water facilities, more so during the winter. He was provided tables, chairs, a counter to cook and keep his food, a water filter, traditional floor seating and mats. More cafes owners have been trained in Mulbekh, Alchi, Tangtse. 

We stayed in Drass for three days and had then gone on to Kargil, hoping to see more of the big city on the last day. But the snow intervened and we had to leave in the morning darkness to take our flight home. However, we did get to go to the border, see a café and some peach trees.

Things to keep in mind when going to Ladakh

1. The main city is Leh from where you can do a tourist circuit of the monasteries and other attractions.
2. Drass and Kargil border Kashmir and life there is very closely linked with the Kashmiri ways, albeit everyone is happy to have a Union Territory. We took a flight to Srinagar and then drove to Drass, which is around a 6-hour drive. If we had taken the route from Leh, then it would have been a 9-hour drive to Drass.
3. There is a lot of Army movement along this road, so you have to check which day you can go up to Drass and which day you can come back to Kashmir.
4. There is a tunnel being built before Zojila pass, which will make the route to Ladakh much easier.
5. The community in Ladakh lives a simple life and they appreciate that you give them the same treatment. Most of them are honest and helpful.
6. We carried mountain sickness and other first aid medicines with us as the health facilities are far and few.
7. Take lots of layers with you, or you could buy from the local shops.
8. You get good peaches here.
9. Drass has a small market and you can finish this walk in 5 minutes.
10. You should keep a taxi with you at all times, as it is difficult to get transport there.
11. Do not venture out alone, you will get lost in the wide, rocky terrain.
12. Do all your bookings in advance for the hotels, taxis and other attractions. You need to be disciplined in Ladakh as there are vast stretches of nothingness.

My takeaways from the trip to Ladakh

1. It is important to be with a supportive community.
2. A little kindness goes a long way. The universe vibrates on the law of attraction—what you give, you get back.
3. Give the man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him daily for the rest of his life. This is what a good skilled livelihood can do for us.
4. Everyone wants to be a better version of themselves.
5. Roots give us hope and stability.

This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Monidipa Dutta.