Himalaya

The mountains of western Ladakh rise around the upper Indus, where bare ridges and narrow valleys mark the transition between Kashmir and the Tibetan highlands. South of the Indus, the Zanskar range separates its basin from rivers flowing towards the Jhelum and Chenab. High passes cross a landscape of broken rock, snow and little vegetation. The Fotu La, on the route towards Leh, gives a view of the starkly coloured mountains of this dry country.