Ladakh is famous for its high altitude mountain passes as some of the highest motorable road are located in the Ladakh region.. The third highest motorable mountain pass in the world, Chang La Pass, situated at an altitude of 5,360 meters above sea level, is named after the Sadhu Changla Baba. The Pass temple was built after him only. The place is famous for its scenic and serene natural beauty which attracts tourists from all around the world. The nearest settlement to this place is the little hamlet of Tangste. It is the main gateway for the Changthang plateau situated in the Himalayas.

These high altitude passes are one of the reson why road trip to Ladakh is a preferred mode of Ladakh trip. Crossing these passes with snow capped peaks, barren landspae and view of undulating valley add to the adveture of Leh Ladakh travel. One must cross Changla Pass to reach famous Pangong Tso Lake, one of the largest high altitude lakes in India. Yak Ride is also available for tourist at Chang La. There is a tea point at the Chang La Pass where the Indian army serves hot tea to the tourists and public convenience is also available unlike many other passes in Ladakh.

The Chang La (el.5,360 m or 17,590 ft) is a high mountain pass in Ladakh, India.It is claimed to be the second highest motorable road in the world (which is either Merisimik La or Mana pass). Chang La is approached from Leh via Kharu and Sekti village by an asphalt road. The climb is very steep and requires a careful drive. The descent from Chang La towards Tangtse or Darbuk is again very steep.

The Chang La is on the route to Pangong Lake from Leh. The name literally means "Pass towards the South" or "Pass in the South" (Chang - south, La - Pass). It is falsely claimed that the pass is named after the supposed sadhu Changla Baba, a myth propagated by the dedication of a temple at the pass to the supposed Changla Baba. If any such sadhu exists or existed, he would have been named for the pass, rather than vice versa (since the name "changla baba" means the "baba of the southern pass". The small town of Tangste is the nearest settlement. The Changla Pass is the main gateway for the Changthang Plateausituated in the Himalayas. The nomadic tribes of the region are collectively known as the Changpa or Chang-pa. The world’s highest research station, established by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is functional in Chang La at a height of 17,500 ft.

The Shey Monastery or Gompa and the Shey Palace complex are structures located on a hillock in Shey, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the south of Leh in Ladakh, northern India on the Leh-Manali road. Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh in the past.[1][2] The palace, mostly in ruins now, was built first in 1655, near Shey village, by the king of Ladakh, Deldan Namgyal, also known as Lhachen Palgyigon. It was used as a summer retreat by the kings of Ladakh

Phugtal Monastery or Phugtal Gompa (often transliterated as Phuktal) is a Buddhist monastery located in the remote Lungnak Valley in south-eastern Zanskar, in the autonomous Himalayan region of Ladakh, in Northern India. It is one of the only Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh that can still be reached on only by foot. Supplies to the monastery are brought on horses, donkeys, and mules in the warmer months, and in the frozen winters, they are transported through the frozen Zanskar River. Stakna Monastery or Stakna Gompa is a Buddhist monastery of the Drugpa sect in Stakna, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 21 or 25 kilometres from Leh on the left bank of the Indus River.[1] It was founded in the late 16th century by a Bhutanese scholar and saint, Chosje Jamyang Palkar. The name, literally meaning 'tiger's nose' was given because it was built on a hill shaped like a tiger's nose.[1] Of note is a sacred Arya Avalokitesvara statue fromKamrup, Assam.[1] Stakna has a residence of approximately 30 monks. Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Lineage, located in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, the monastery was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festival honoring Padmasambhava is held here in early June.