Dha Hanu

It is located around 163 km, to the southwest of Leh. Owing to the lower altitude, Dha- Hanu is warmer than Leh, which makes it possible to grow crops and a variety of fruits i.e. apricot, apples, walnut and grapes. Although there are numbers of villages located in this region, namely Dha, Beama, Garkon, Darchik and so forth, but only Dha and Beema are open for tourists to visit. While you park your respective vehicles at the side of road, on the one side the mighty Indus River flows on the other side the villages are located. Before visiting the rest you have to seek permit from the DC of Kargil, because Garkon and Darchik are located in Kargil. The Drogpa community is considered as the last race of Aryans. They have been preserving their unique culture and identity from centuries by practicing Polyandry in their small community. They have also preserved this century old traditions with the celebration of harvest and partly through their songs and hymns. The most striking features of Dha-Hanu people is their attire adorned with heavy jewelry and unique styled head wear decorated with colorful flowers and brass coins pasted on it. Regarding their religion, it is similar to ancient pre- Buddhist religion known as Bonchos, Which is different from the practice of Buddhism in rest of Ladakh. While visiting the Dha Village you have to walk for 10 minutes to get the real insight view of the villagers, but you will see the rich vegetation on your path leading to the actual world of unique people. Most of the younger generation in Dha Village is far from home, either for business purposes or to do their further studies. You will get to see and talk to the elders of the village with its purest traditional form. There is no big shopping point as such, but you will see a small tea stall hosted by the army where you can have samosa, Maggie and momos. Right below the village itself you will see two to three tiny shops where snacks are available.