Top Things to Do in the Hemis | Must-See Attractions & Experiences

Plan Your Travel To Hemis

Places To Visit In Hemis

Shopping in Hemis

While at the Hemis Gompa, one might spot the Hemis Museum Shop. Be tempted to go inside and get your hands on the painting, wooden dragon statues, Curios, postcards and much more. One might find a few more similar small shops dotting the area, where one can chance upon a some unique treasures to take back home.

A 45-minute walk away from the world, is a retreat centre above Hemis Gompa is a retreat centre called Gotsang Gompa. Not accessible through car, it is one of the Buddhist centers in the area where one can get a room and spend the night. While the monks are not exactly fluent with the English, it usually does the job of getting you a room and showing you, your way to it.

Hemis Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located 45 kms south of Leh. Built by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal, it is ranked as one of the wealthiest monasteries in India. Hemis Monastery is most visited during the annual Hemis Festival, held every year in early June. Hemis Monastery houses a spectacular copper statue of Lord Buddha along with stupas made of gold and silver, thangkas (a painting on cotton or silk, depicting Buddhist deity) and murals. The vast courtyard and a picturesque verandah are adorned with colourful paintings of Buddhist Kalachakra. Hemis Monastery belongs to the Red sect or Dugpa Kargyupta order of Buddhism. All four sides of the monastery are decorated with the colourful prayer flags which flutter in the breeze and sends out prayers to Lord Buddha. It is also an institution for the teaching of Tantric Vajrayana. Read More

The Hemis National Park is located at an altitude ranging between 3,300 and 6,000 metres above sea level. Home to rare snow leopards, this park is known to be the highest in the world. It is the largest park in South Asia as well. Founded in 1981, the Hemis National Park is also a site to six villages, housing over 1600 residents. Some of which are great camping sites. The park also sites the four-hundred-year-old Hemis Monastery. This national park is also well-known for trekking and hiking options. Read More

In midst the snow peaked mountains and wrinkled terrains of Leh and Ladakh, Shang Gompa is a symbol of composure, tranquility, placidity and spending. The chanting of the monks is almost hypnotizing. The paintings are intricate, colorful, and incredible, depicting deities wearing crowns bedecked in jewels and human skulls, holding swords, or lotus flowers, wearing silken robes and tiger skins.

A small shaky bridge over the Indus, leads one to the Stakna Gompa, on the banks of the river and looking out onto perhaps some of the most panoramic and beautiful views of Hemis. While the structure itself might not be as sprawling and colorful as a lot of other monasteries around the area, the sceneries that it finds itself amongst, more than make up for it. The name literally translates into 'tiger's nose' since the hill that the monastery crowns, is believed to have resembled a tiger's nose. Read More