Leh is the capital of Ladakh which is part of the state of Jammu & Kashmir in the extreme north of the country.  It is the country's most sparsely populated region and is a high-altitude desert between the Karakoram mountains to the west and the Himalayan ranges to the east. These snow-capped mountains with glaciers are cut by the major rivers of the Zanskar and the Indus.  It is often called 'Little Tibet' and is home to many Buddhists and the landscape is dotted with their stupas, monasteries and brightly coloured prayer flags.

The area is largely beyond the reach of the rain-bearing monsoon rains due to a series of mountain ranges to the south which impede the progress of the rain-bearing south westerly winds.  Thus the landscape is arid, but has areas of green where meltwater streams are channelled through irrigation ditches to water crops of barley, garden vegetables etc.  The drive from Leh to the Nubra valley in the north of the region goes over Khardung La reputed to be the highest motorable pass in the world at 5602m.