Haneley / Changthang and around Sightseeing
Hanley / Hanle / Anley / Anlay in the Changthang region of Ladakh is one of the most beautiful, enchanting, calm and soul losing places in India. Hanley has a lovely Hanley Monastery offering some great aerial views of the whole village that is a home of about 1000 people. Hanley village is one of the high altitudes villages in Ladakh at a staggering altitude close to 14,764 ft.
The views from the top of the monastery are just breath-taking. Hanley also houses an Indian Astronomical Observatory which is the World’s Highest Observatory at a staggering height of 4500 Mtrs. The Hanley Observatory is operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru and currently The World Second Highest Optical Observatory, with an installed telescope of about 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter.
The Indian Astronomical Observatory stands on Mt. Saraswati, Digpa-ratsa Ri, Hanley in south-eastern Ladakh of Indian Territory of India. Accessing the observatory, located near the Chinese border, requires a ten-hour drive from Leh, the district capital of Ladakh.
In the late 1980s a committee chaired by Prof. B. V. Sreekantan recommended that a national large optical telescope be taken up as a priority project. The search for the site of the observatory was taken up in 1992 under the leadership of Prof. Arvind Bhatnagar. The scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics found the site at Hanley.
The first light was seen by the Observatory 2-metre telescope on the midnight hour between 26 September and 27 September 2000.
The satellite link between the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), Bangalore and Hanley was inaugurated by the then Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah on 2 June 2001. The Observatory was dedicated to the nation on 29 August 2001.
The Hanley site is deemed to be excellent for visible, infrared and sub-millimeter observations throughout the year. Specifically the observation conditions yield about 255 spectroscopic nights per year, approximately 190 photometric nights per year and an annual rain plus snow precipitation of less than 10 cm. In addition, there are low ambient temperatures, low humidity, low concentration of atmospheric aerosols, low atmospheric water vapour, dark nights and low pollution.
- The Himalayan Chandra Telescope, is a 2.01 meters (6.5 feet) diameter optical-infrared telescope named after India-born Nobel laureate Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar. It contains a modified Ritchey-Chretien system with a primary mirror made of ULE ceramic which is designed to withstand low temperatures it experiences. The telescope was manufactured by Electo-Optical System Technologies Inc. at Tucson, Arizona, USA. The telescope is mounted with 3 science instruments called Himalaya Faint Object Spectrograph (HFOSC), the near-IR imager and the optical CCD imager. The telescope is remotely operated via an INSAT-3B satellite link which allows operation even in sub-zero temperatures in winter.
- High Altitude Gamma Ray Telescope (HAGAR), is an atmospheric Cerenkov experiment with 7 telescopes setup in 2008. Each telescope has 7 mirrors with a total area of 4.4 square meters. The telescopes are deployed on the periphery of a circle of radius 50 meters with one telescope at the center. Each telescope has alt-azimuth mounting.
- Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), is situated 35 km to the northeast of Bangalore near Hoskote town. The Center houses the control room for the remote operations of the 2m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanley, and the HCT data archive. The operations are controlled using a remote satellite link.
Umling La Pass, altitude of 19300 ft, is about 107 KMs from Hanley Village. Starting for traveler in 2018, no civilians are allowed to visit Umling La pass. Even anyone visit Hanley village they can’t also. You need to have a special stamp from the DC office or Tourist information center in Leh.
However, just for your knowledge, the route to reach Umling La-
Hanley to Photi La Pass to Photile Village (57 km) and then follow the route from Photile Village to Umlinga La pass (50 km)
You will come across two bridges / water crossings while going to Umlingla Pass from Photile Village. There is another route from Ukdungle village as well, but it is more of a dirt track only except a few km.
Suggested route to explore Hanley
The routes to explore Hanley have many options. The options depends on your nos of days in hand. But the most important thing to visit Ladakh is acclimatized yourself sufficiently for a smooth a memorable vacation. After spent at least two night in Leh, one night in Nubra Valley & one night in Pangong Lake you can move further to explore the beautiful Hanley of Changthang Region. Few options are as follows –
Leh to Hanley
This is the general route to Hanley that most people take to visit this ever beautiful place in Ladakh. Leh to Hanley distance by road using via Upshi – Chumathang – Mahe – Nyoma route is 275 km. You can reach in around 10 hrs (depending upon the number of breaks you take in between the journey).
The route along with the distance between the subsequent places are as follows:
Leh to Karu (36 km) to Upshi (13 km) to Kumdok (19 km) to Kere (53 km) to Chumathang (34 km) to Mahe (22 km) to Nyoma (25 km) to Loma (22 km) to Hanley (51 km)
You can cover Thiksey, Hemis, and Shey monasteries while going through this route if you haven’t covered them earlier while going to Pangong Tso. This route provides the best road conditions for all other routes.
Hanley is about 97 KMs from Mahe village, and the road runs through Nyoma and then Loma, where you need to pass the bridge on the right that takes you to Hanley further 50 KMs ahead of Loma. Hats off to BRO, that they have created such smooth roads in the cold desert at such high altitude and harsh conditions. As you move towards Hanley, the size of the mountains starts to decrease, and you start witnessing a series of small mountains clustered together, giving a feeling of a different world altogether. You can found various color of mountain on the way to hanley, specially one brawn color mountain, locals called Lal Pari.
The journey to Nyoma – Loma and up to Hanley is extremely nice with beautiful vistas all around you and in fact, it is one of those journeys which I can go ever and ever again. I had never been to such a beautiful place ever. Roads could look freshly laid, but with caution, do not cruise as there are inverted bumps left on the roads so that the water passes through them. Such bumps can damage your vehicle, so be careful while driving
Hanley is very near to the Line of Actual Control, so one needs to get Inner Line Permits for Ladakh. There is no option to get Hanley to permit online and you need to get a special stamp from DC office or Tourist Information Center in Leh.
So, if you are one of those who prefer a relaxing vacation and do not want to rush through places then, will suggest making a three day trip to Hanley via this route from Leh. Of course, assuming your body has been properly acclimatized by staying for a couple of nights in Leh and spending a couple of nights in Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake as well before attempting to sleep in the cold desert of Changthang at Hanley.
If you are short on time, then you can also exit towards Manali via Tsomoriri and then towards Manali via Leh-Manali Highway. But you need to ensure you have enough fuel to cover about 850 km without any petrol pump.
Pangong Lake to Hanley
There exist a direct route between Hanley / Tsomoriri and Pangong Tso as well and in most general cases, you will always be doing it from the direct route of Pangong Tso to Hanley because-
Firstly, you can exit Ladakh from Tsomoriri towards Manali – Leh Highway after visiting Hanley and Tsomoriri without coming back towards Leh.
Secondly, both Hanley and Tsomoriri are higher than Pangong Tso, so as per the acclimatization schedule, you should stay near Pangong Tso before spending the night at Hanley and Tsomoriri. However, all depends subject to the approval of permits for this route via Chusul.
Foreigners are not at all allowed to go beyond Man – Merak Villages as permits are not issued to them. The route along with the distance between the subsequent places are as follows:
Spangmik (Pangong Tso) to Man (9 km) to Merak (12 km) to Kakstet (4 km) to Chusul (24 km) to Tsaga La (33 km) to Tsaga Village (20 km) to Loma (23 km) to Hanley (51 km)
Rezang La is a beautiful memorial situated after crossing Chusul.It took us another hour to reach Rezang La Memorial which was created in the remembrance of the brave soldiers of 13 Battalion of Kumaon Regiment, deployed under the leadership of Major Shaitan Singh, during the 1962 Indo-China War.
Tsaga La, is another on the way pass after Rezang La, altitude around 15,207 ft, with China on the left. You would find a lot of army outposts at your left on top of the mountains which are Indian Army check posts.
The road from Rezang La till Tsaga La seemed like an endless journey traveling on loose gravel & stones. If you faced the bad weather then, made it more difficult and monotonous for you too. It is the most scenic beauty route in the entire journey. You can found group of Kiang (wild ass) in this route, they are very dangerous and harmful if you try to disturb them.
Loma, in about an hour we reached Loma where the road to Hanley bifurcates. After Tsaga, you would start finding more greenery. You will now be approaching Loma where you will witness the mighty Indus River which is also the reason for all the greenery in this area. Finally, you find a tarred road between Tsaga and Loma for the first time after Pangong. Loma is another place where permits were re-checked.
Hanley is very near to the Line of Actual Control, so one needs to get Inner Line Permits for Ladakh. There is no option to get Hanley to permit online and you need to get a special stamp from DC office or Tourist Information Center in Leh.
So, if you are one of those who prefer a relaxing vacation and do not want to rush through places then, will suggest making a three day trip to Hanley via this route from Leh. Of course, assuming your body has been properly acclimatized by staying for a couple of nights in Leh and spending a couple of nights in Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake as well before attempting to sleep in the cold desert of Changthang at Hanley.
If you are short on time, then you can also exit towards Manali via Tsomoriri and then towards Manali via Leh-Manali Highway. But you need to ensure you have enough fuel to cover about 850 km without any petrol pump.
The place is very scenic and feels out of the world. However, in actual reality, the place is extremely harsh and difficult to survive, especially in winters. There are only a few accommodations options are available in the village and you have to out of the luxurious facilities like electricity, medical aid, hot running water, western toilets etc.
The lack of oxygen makes survival difficult if your body is not properly acclimatized to this high altitude. Hence, one needs to plan his / her journey extremely carefully to make it an acute mountain sickness free vacation.
Things to remember for explore Hanley / Changthang Region
Phone Signals around Hanley / Changthang Region
BSNL phone tower has been put up in Hanley and at times, the phone connectivity is present in the village. However, do not rely much on it. There is one public satellite phone installed at a house in Hanley village.
Petrol Pumps around Hanley / Changthang Region
Do not forget to refill petrol / diesel at Leh petrol pump. Nearest Petrol Pump is at Karu (around 240 km from Hanley and comes on the way from Leh via Chumathang / Mahe Bridge). Many time the Karu Pump has been out of fuel. So better to full your tank at Leh and move further with few options of more fuel with your hand.
ATMs around Hanley / Changthang Region
You will not find any ATMs near Hanley and nearby area, it is always better to carry sufficient cash from Leh (the only place where you find ATM in Ladakh) itself.
Medical Facilities around Hanley / Changthang Region
You can get basic first aid including Oxygen doses at some of the army settlements in case of emergency but it will be better to carry your own oxygen cylinder from Leh especially in case you are visiting early in your itinerary.
There is a local pharmacy in Hanley village and Rhongo village but do not expect any major assistance.
Preferred Vehicles for exploring Hanley / Changthang Region
The higher ground clearance vehicles are preferable and 4×4 ones would definitely be helpful especially between Pangong Tso to Tsomoriri via Man – Merak – Chusul – Nyoma (Changthang) route to Hanley via Chumur to Tsomoriri.
However, for the general route via Chumathang or Mahe bridge, quite a few people do it in hatchbacks and sedans as well, which depends upon your skills to drive and road conditions at the time of travel. The roads are pretty well paved from Leh to Mahe to Loma to Hanley. Hatchback and Sedan is not suggested vehicle for visiting this lonely planet or Himalayan Destination.
Permit for Hanley / Changthang Region
There are certain areas in Ladakh which are considered inner line (areas close to the border with either China or Pakistan), and Hanley Village is one them. Therefore, Indians will need to obtain an inner line permit for visiting this place.
Foreigners are allowed to visit Hanley Village from Pangong Lake directly via Man – Merak Villages as permits are issued since 2019. Foreigners can visit Hanley from Leh directly with collect / issued protected area permit.
If anyone interest to explore Umling La Pass then need to have a special stamp from the DC office or Tourist information center in Leh.
Night Stay around Hanley / Changthang Region
There are only a few accommodations options like basic home stay available in the village and you have to out of the luxurious facilities like electricity, medical aid, hot running water, western toilets etc. Few home stay arrange own solar panel supply to the rooms.
Best Time to travel to explore Hanley / Changthang Region
In general, the best time to travel to Hanley / Changthnag Region is in the summer months when the Ladakh has in full flow of tourist.
- January to March, Hanley remains mostly frozen, extremely cold conditions with only options to stay as home stays that may not be the as convenient option for you.
- April, Hanley it starts to get a bit warm and one can afford to sleep even in home stays, but it is not easy to stay there in this month also as the home stay qualities are not so good and well maintained.
- May to Mid September, Hanley is a very pleasant season to visit Hanley and a lot of tourists visit this place now. Hence, it is the best time to visit
- Mid September and early October, Hanley the tourists start to reside completely as cold starts to set in again and you start a bit uncomfortable at Home stays but it is still manageable
- Mid October to December, Hanley, snowfalls started and road may close any time. In this situation only options to stay as home stays that may not be the as convenient option for you.
