Many travelers find themselves at loss to understand how something so barren can yet be so beautiful.Today, a high -altitude desert, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south -east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul – in drainage basins with evocative names like Tsomoriri, Tsokar, and grandest of all, Pangong-tso. The main source of water remains the winter snowfall.