evidence: The Nelong Valley is a rocky desert in the Gangotri National Park at an altitude of 11,400 ft. Long before Tibet was occupied by China, Nelong Valley was an essential trade route between Tibet and India. Experts say that those who have been to Tibet, will be baffled by how similar the terrain of Nelong Valley is to it. [...] Another parallel can be drawn with the famous Himalayan deserts of Lahaul-Spiti and Ladakh. Similar to these valleys, Nelong Valley too has a deeply rich history and culture which is lost in political unrest and border conflicts. The villages which made Nelong Valley were vacated in 1962 during the Indo-China War, since then the historic valley is occupied by endless army camps. The tension on borders is so high that tourists are only allowed till 25 km inside the restricted area. The moment you reach the board of Nelong Valley, the army officials check your permit and stop you. We were the only civilians there but we saw over 30 trucks bringing army personnel inside the valley.