Rupshu

Rupshu is a high elevation plateau valley and an eponymous community development block in southeast Ladakh, India. It is between the Startsapuk Tso and Tso Moriri, and west of Mahe.
The Salt Valley and the Puga Valley to its north are also part of the bigger Rupshu area. The Chumar area disputed by India-China in south-eastern Ladakh lies in Rupshu block, south of the Tso Moriri lake, on the bank of the Parang River, close to Ladakh's border with Tibet.

Geography

describes the Rupshu valley as follows:
Drew states that the valleys of Rupshu continue beyond the Tso Kar lake until the Tso Moriri lake, and also extend to the east to cover the valley of Hanle.
At its narrowest definition, the Rupshu valley ranges from 20 km northwest of Tso Moriri to 50 km northwest. The elevation of that valley is between and. It is inhabited by the Changpa nomads and contains the Tso Kar salt lake.
More widely, the term "Rupshu" is used for a wider area, ranging from the Manali-Leh Highway region to the west to east of Tso Moriri, incorporating some of the Ladakhi portion of the Changthang Plateau area in which Tso Moriri is found.
North of Rupshu area is the Indus River Valley. The subsection of the Indus River Valley from Mahe to Upshi is called the Rong Valley. The Rong Valley section is a deep gorge, and the word 'rong' means 'the gorge' in Ladakhi language. The group of four villages within the Rong Valley with the tourist homestays has the highest concentration of the snow leopard, Liktsey famous for carpet weaving, Tukla famous for monastery and Asiatic ibexibex, Hemya famous for basket-making, and Kesar.

Transport

Rupshu is reachable by road from Mahe and Karzok.
Hanle-Kaza-Tabo Road, being constructed by the BRO under Indo-China Border Roads scheme, will provide additional access to mainland India.