Ladakh, "The Moonlands" is a land of truly high mountains and mysterious hidden valleys which has been opened for tourist since 1974. The people follw Tibetan Budhhism with much emphasis on magic and demons. Ladakh lies to the north west of the India or western Himalaya which serve as a barrier to clouds carrying rain from the south giving Ladakh only a few cm. of rain per year. Ladakh looks like a moonland with a barren gray brown landscape. Zanskar the region between Lamayuru in the north and Manali in the south is an ideal trekking area although the valley is accessible only through high passes. The Ladakh region is extremely arid although the Zanskar valley gets snow for seven months of the year. The people are friendly and immensely colorful.