Himalaya

Eastern Ladakh is a high, cold country of mountain ranges, broad uplands and lakes. The Indus valley is bordered by the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges, whose summits retain patches of ice and snow. Farther southeast, the Rupshu plateau holds large brackish lakes at elevations of around 4,100 metres. Rainfall is scarce, and the contrast between the rivers and the surrounding dry slopes shapes the appearance of this part of the western Tibetan highlands.