Ladakh is a mountainous region in Jammu and Kashmir, northwest India and is known as the Trans-Himalaya, (the lands beyond the Himalaya: Tibet, Xinjiang and northern Pakistan). It's slightly smaller than Scotland, the settled population live between 2700 m and 4500 m, and nomadic encampments even higher, and it's the largest and the least populated region of Jammu and Kashmir. The people are a mixture of Buddhist, Muslim and some Christians. Buddhists are the majority in the east close to the Chinese border and a majority overall while Muslims have the majority in the north and west.
In winter the Zanskar river freezes and is called in local langauge Chaddar “white blanket”. For the hardy Zanskaris a trek along the river is their only access to the outside world. You fly over the snow-covered Himalayas to Leh, the main town in Ladakh. This amazing winter trek / expedition starts from Chilling village on the banks of the Zanskar river, you follow the icy gorge through a wild frozen landscape. Spend the days passing towering ice peaks and frozen waterfalls – the scenery is truly spectacular. The nights are spent camping by caves along the way. The goal is the isolated village of Lingshed, where you spend a day meeting the locals and visiting the monastery before heading back to the relative comforts of Leh.