Temisgam Tourism

Children would enjoy the various views which the village offers. You can find parks and amusement at Leh. One place which children would especially enjoy in Upper Leh is the famous Donkey Sanctuary. 

Located about 27 km from Temisgam on National Highway 1D, this Buddhist temple is one of the few religious places around Temisgam. Besides the above, one can always visit the other gompas in neighbouring villages like Likir, Rizong, Mangue and Alchi. 

This is a small nunnery where the young nuns, called Choslings, are trained and taken care of by older nuns. The young choslings are educated here and perform their daily prayers and worships.

The biggest religious structure in Temisgam is the Temisgam Monastery. Morning prayers are still held in the Gompa and you can attend them if you wish.

This old Monastery was built in 15th century AD by King Drag Pa Bom. The monastery is built like a complex, containing several small gompas. The monastery has an idol of "Avaloketishvar", also known as the Compassionate Buddha. You can also travel north up the valley to see a smaller gompa called Tsekarmo. This unique monastery is located amidst tranquil surroundings and must be visited when you are in Temisgam. There is also the Khatsa Gompa which is rarely visited but worth seeing. To go here you need to travel upstream past the village of Tia.

Temisgam village has shops selling food and essential staples like instant noodles, biscuits, powdered milk and chocolate that are required on treks. But if you want to spend the day shopping, then head out to the Main bazaar in Leh. Here you can buy souvenirs and Tibetan replicas and antiques. There is also a range of restaurants selling Tibetan and Ladakhi food.

Namra Camp is located to the North of village, and offers a variety of Ladakhi and Indian dishes. There are also small family run establishments in the village that serve a limited yet authentic range of Ladakhi and Indian dishes. For restaurants with an extensive range of food, you can go to Ladakh. Once there, you can try the Leh View restaurant, Otsal restaurant and the well-known Gesmo restaurant. There are also bakeries that you should visit. The Pumpernickel German Bakery and English Bakery offer tasty confectionery items.

In Temisgam you should try the local Ladakhi food. Two popular dishes are Thukpa and Skyu. Thukpa is noodles in soup with vegetables or meat, and Skyu is a traditional dish of wheat flour dough cut into thumb-sized pieces and cooked in water with meat or vegetables. You should also try the locally made apricot jam which is available here. Other popular dishes are Momos, Thenthuk, Paba and Tangtur.

You can shop at the Tibetan flea market at Leh. The Tibetan Market Main Bazar located off the Old Leh road is a good destination to buy clothes, Moti Market near the old bus stand is a market for pearls, semi-precious stones and pashmina garments.

Temisgam has a few locally run shops where you can buy most of the essential consumer products. But if you are looking for general stores and departmental store you need to head to Leh. A few well know stores in Leh are Sethi General Store, Chospa General Store, Trilok Chand & Sons, Boto General Store and Aggarwal General Store.

Meditating at the monasteries in Temisgam is an excellent way to unwind and relax. 

Temisgam offers excellent opportunities for trekking even if you are not very experienced. You need to go to Likir from where you can trek to Temisgam in 4 days. The total distance is 35 km and the trail rarely rises above 4,000 m. The journey is easy and even novice trekkers should not have too much trouble making the trek.

The Temisgam Palace is situated in the middle of the village and was home to Gyalpo Tagspa Bom, who chose Temisgam as a capital of his kingdom Ladakh in the 15th century. This lovely temple adds to the charm of the village, and is one of the most prominent tourist attractions of Temisgam.

From Temisgam you can go to Ang and make a climb up the mountains that would take you to a glacier lake where you can see some wildlife.

There are some minor government office besides the Palace and the monastery which are prominent landmarks. The Tekchen Chosling Nunnery and the Lotsava School are the other major landmarks in Temisgam. While in the village you may ask for the other landmarks like local shops and community centers etc. or consult your guide.

You can have a feel of the cultural heritage of Temisgam by and attending the morning prayers at the Gompa. In Leh, there’s a cultural show held every evening outside the Soma Gompa. The show features songs and dances from the Ladakh area. Also, if you plan your trip in September, you will be treated to the Ladakh Festival which celebrates the region’s culture during the off-season. 

The small village of Temisgam is a natural wonder in its own right. The views from the Gompa are panoramic and absolutely gorgeous, but if you would like to see some greenery then you can try the neighbouring villages. For Instance, the nearby Hemis National Park, also called the Hemis High Altitude National Park, is home to many species of endangered animals like the Snow leopard, Tibetan wolf, Brown Bear and the Red Fox. Though the best time to visit the park is from the middle of June to middle of October, the best time to view snow leopards is in winter. Hemis is approximately a 112 km drive from Temisgam and one of the few natural attractions near Temisgam. 

The entire region around Temisgam is dotted with Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. So if you have interest and time, you may visit some or all of them. You may go to Likir,which is 42 km away from Temisgam and a popular destination for nirvana seekers. Another monastery very close by is the one in Alchiat 31 km. You may also hop down to Rizong, which is only 21 km from Temisgam. Besides the monasteries there are a couple of mountain passes which you may visit for excellent views. The nearest is Fotu La Pass at 49 km. The other one is Namika La near Saraks at 86 km.

The nearest place where you may parks and gardens is Leh. The other option would be visit The Hemis National Park located 112 km away.

You may visit ‘The War Museum’ in nearby Leh, which is run by the Indian Army. It showcases the history of army operations conducted in some of the most hostile terrains in the world. Also on display is an interesting presentation on Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield.