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Rancho School & Thiksey Monastery in Leh trip

The first time I came to know about this magical land – Ladakh was through the movie 3 Idiots. The last scene of the movie was shot at Pangong Tso and therefore, it became the most popular tourist attraction in Ladakh.

Even I was enticed to visit this azure lake and wanted to live that moment. But there was one more place I was excited to visit which was shown in 3 Idiots.

It was the famous Rancho school in Leh. How can we forget the talented school run by Rancho and that ‘Rancho Wall’?

Many tourists skip this school, but I would suggest you visit here. The whole school is not open to tourists but a small section which will remind you of the 3 Idiots movie.

It will just take less than half an hour or so and you can take back a memory. Also, it’s near Thiksey monastery, hence you can plan to visit both places accordingly.

We visited both places while coming back to Leh from Pangong.

1. Rancho School

Druk Padma Karpo School, popularly known as Rancho School in Leh is just 15km far from the Leh city center.

The school rose to fame after the 3 Idiots movie was shot. Aforementioned, only a small area of the school is available for tourists where you can see glimpses of 3 Idiots.

There is a ‘Rancho Café’ and a souvenir shop for visitors. You can buy it as per your wish.

On the boundary, you can see 3 Idiots famous quotes like Farhanitrate Prerajulisation, All is Well, and wall art.

You can also see the famous ‘Rancho Wall’ where Chatur was given an electric shock by school kids, also known as ‘Idiotic Wall’.

If you are a movie lover like me, then don’t miss visiting Rancho school in Leh.

Timings: 8 am-6 pm
Entrance: Free

2. Thiksey Monastery

The Ladakh trip is incomplete without visiting the serene monasteries. I had first seen a Buddhist monastery in Darjeeling and was completely in awe of it.

The Thiksey monastery is located in Thiksey, 19km from Leh city. It is located on a hillock of Indus valley with a magnificent view of the Stok range. The view from the hilltop is breathtaking.

This monastery is famous for its resemblance to the Patola Palace in Tibet and is the largest monastery in central Ladakh.

The Maitreya Buddha statue here is one of the largest statues approx 49ft tall covering two floors and is one of the most popular attractions in the monastery.

Wish I knew it before or had read about it or my co-traveler had told me to visit inside after they had visited, I would have not missed it.