Hey everyone,

i’m a foreign traveller visiting your beautiful India for the first time this september and will be visiting both Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh as well as Ladakh (with Zanskar).

My question is as follows: what are the main differences between Ladakh (with Zanskar) and Spiti? I’m mostly interested in differences in regards to preservation of local culture and traditional lifestyle, scenery, (intactness of vernacular) architecture, level of commercialization, (lack of) crowds,…? Each and every one is welcome to share their perspective on both places and how they made you feel.

What i’m not looking for is well-intended concerns about altitude, transportation, permits for foreigners, road conditions,… i’m a seasoned traveler with an adventurous spirit and have travelled to high-altitude regions before.

Stumbled across this picture while doing some research into small towns in the Italian province of Lazio. However, the roofs and overall “texture” of the picture make me suspect it’s AI. I would be happy to be wrong though:)