The entire valley of Ladakh is dotted with monasteries of all kinds, belonging to various orders or schools of Buddhism. Almost all these monasteries are sited at isolated and scenic locations, away from the hustle bustle of the routine life. Three monasteries you will find in the valley are:

Chemrey Gompa of Ladakh dates back to the 17th century and is situated approximately 40 km to the east of the town of Leh. This monastery serves as the residence of approximately 20 monks of the diminishing Drugpa community. The monastery was initially built to serve as a memorial to King Sengge Namgyal. One of the major attractions of the Chemrey Gompa is the one-story high image of Padmasambhava it houses as well as a precious collection of scriptures, having title pages in silver and the text in gold letters.

Hemis Monastery is the biggest and wealthiest monastery of Ladakh. Dating back to the year 1630, it was founded by the first incarnation of Stagsang Raspa Nawang Gyatso. The monastery belongs to the Dugpa Order and boasts of a very rich collection of ancient relics.

Lamayuru Monastery is situated between Bodhkharbu and Kha-la-che, on a steep rock mountain. The monastery belongs to the Red-Hat sect of Buddhism and houses approximately 150 Buddhist monks. The monastery is made up of a number of shrines and also has a very rich collection of thankas and magnificent wall paintings.

The monasteries of Ladakh offer an intriguing glimpse of Buddhist life.