open from June, and the winter pass (half kilometre north-west of summer pass) is open from late April. The Markha Valley trek crosses the pass on the section between Rumbak and Skiu villages, which is usually done over 2 days. The other pass on the trek is the Gongmaru La (Kongmaru La). Gallery In culture The park houses numerous Tibetan gompas and holy chortens within its boundaries. These include the famous 400-year-old Hemis Monastery. Hemis was a destination and via point on the silk routes of Tibet. Over 1,600 people live inside the park presently, with a large number of tourists and pilgrims visiting during the Hemis Tsechu festival. The 400-year-old Hemis Monastery has long been a place of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists. However, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the monastery attracted some attention due to the writings of Nicolas Notovitch, a Russian aristocrat and journalist, who claimed that Jesus had spent the missing years of his life in Tibet and Ladakh, specifically in Hemis. (see Lost years of Jesus) The national park, monastery and the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary were prominently featured in the award-winning documentary Riding Solo to the Top of the World. See also Karakorum Wildlife Sanctuary Changthang Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary References Bibliography Management Plan Hemis High Altitude National Park, Jigmet Takpa IFS and Saleem Ul Haq. Hemis High Altitude National Park-Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Department of Wildlife Protection, Wildlife Division(LAHDC) Leh-Ladakh Chettri, Nakul. 2003. Namgail, T., Fox, J.L. & Bhatnagar, Y.V. (2004). Habitat segregation between sympatric Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni and blue sheep Pseudois nayaur in the Indian Trans-Himalaya. Journal of Zoology (London), 262: 57-63. Ladakh: The Land and the People, By Prem Singh Jina. Published by Indus Publishing, 1996 (), () National parks in Ladakh Protected areas established in 1981 Tourism in Ladakh Geography of Ladakh 1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir