Day 01: Depart Home / Arrive Delhi, Overnight in Hotel
Upon arrival in Delhi, you will be met by our representative in Arrivals at the Airport and then transferred to the Hotel for a short night. Overnight at Hotel Ashok Country Resort .
Day 02: Flight to Leh. Most of the day relax in Hotel, evening walk in Bazar. Dinner & overnight in Hotel
This is an early start day, since most flights from Delhi to Leh fly between 5am to 8am and we need to be at the Airport around 2 hours before the flight departure times. After an impressive 1-hour flight over the high Himalayan peaks, we arrive in Leh 3.500m. We will be transferred to Leh hotel and rest of the morning we will spend by taking rest, allowing our body to acclimatise and notice any changes in our health. If all is going well, we will meet in the afternoon and take a short stroll in the Leh bazaar. This will be a casual walk and should aide us to get accustomed to local atmosphere. Overnight at Hotel Glacier View (B,L,D).
Day 03: Sightseeing of Shey & Theksay Monasteries in the first half of the day – In the afternoon relax in hotel or visit bazaar
We return to Leh in the afternoon and the rest of the day is free to allow our body to get accustomed to the local environment. Overnight at Hotel Glacier View (B,D).
Day 04: Acclimatisation walks in Leh and nearby areas, visiting Shankar Gompa & Shanti Stupa, evening walk to Tsemo Gompa set above the Leh Palace
After spending couple of days in a car and resting, we now grab our walking shoes to have a walking tour of the Leh and surrounding areas. This will provide us with more detailed information that Leh is not just regular a stop for tourists but has plenty of sights to offer. Overnight at Hotel Glacier View (B,D).
Day 05: Morning drive to Nubra Valley by crossing the Khardungla Pass (5.602 m) to reach Hunder – 128 km / 5-6 hrs. drive Today we head to a lower altitude and much greener areas of Ladakh but not before a 33kms drive to Kahardungla, which is the main pass connecting Nubra Valley and eastern Ladakh with Leh and rest of India. It is quite evident that most of the path remains closed for over six months in winters due to snow. We arrive at Hunder which is nearly 150kms from Leh. Here the Shyok River meets the stream formed by Siachin glacier. This river separates the Karakoram from the Ladakh range and the area is also famous for double-humped ‘Bactrian Camel’ and sand dunes. Overnight at Hotel Karma Inn (B,L,D).
Day 06: Visit Diskit Monastery and drive to Sumur – 50 km / 2 hrs. drive
Today we will visit the Diskit monastery, located in the nearby town of Diskit and which is also the headquarters of the Nubra Valley. It is the most popular area of this region. The 32m high statue of Future Buddha is the iconic landmark for the town which comes under the Diskit monastery. The monastery is a 15th century building, belonging to the ‘Yellow Hat’ sect of Buddhism. It is famous for its festival Dosmochey and also houses a statue crowned Budhha and some beautiful frescos. We later proceed to Sumur. Overnight at Hotel (B,L,D).
Day 07: Morning drive to Panamic (Hot Sulphur Springs), return to Hotel for Lunch
Sumur is located along the Shyok River, in the morning we will visit the hot Sulphur springs at Panamic and the secluded Ensa Gompa. Later in the day we will visit the Samstaling monastery . Overnight at Hotel / Home stay (B,L,D).
Day 08: Drive to Sakti crossing Wari La (5.200m). In the afternoon walk around the village and visit the Thag Thog monastery – 130 km / 5 to 6 hrs drive
Today we head back towards Leh crossing another 5.200m pass called Wari La, to reach the serene village of Sakti. We will be visiting the Thag Thog monastery which is also famous for a masked-dance festival with its name. It is a 16th century structure, belonging to Nyingmapa and is home to around 50 monks. Overnight in Hotel / Home stay (B,L,D).
Day 09: Drive to Alchi – 110 km / 3 to 4 hrs drive
We get back on the main Manali-Leh highway and we will follow it northwards to Leh – Srinagar highway. We will make a stop at the Basgo fort ruins and later visit the Alchi monastery – an around a thousand year old monastery, famous for its wall paintings and influence wooden Kashmiri architecture. The rest of evening will be free for individual activities. Overnight at Hotel (B,L,D).
Day 10: Drive to Lamayuru – 60 km / 2 hrs drive, in the evening short village walk
After breakfast we head on the Leh-Srinagar highway and drive towards Lamayuru at 3.500m. En-route we will make a stop at Nimmu (confluence of rivers Zanskar and Indus) and then visit the Likir monastery before re-joining the road to Lamayuru. We will drive across, over the bridge of the river Indus to reach Lamayuru. This is also the starting point of most treks into the Zanskar ranges. The scenery will change dramatically change and you will see a beautiful green village, surrounded by magnificent dry mountains and the “Moon-Land”. We will go for a walk through the village and visit the Lamayuru monastery. It houses some of the biggest Tangkas which are opened during the famous mask dance festival and was built almost a thousand years ago. It houses more than 150 permanent monks. Overnight at a Simple Hotel (B,L,D).
Day 11: Drive to Tingmosgang – 35 km / 1.5 hrs drive, short village walk and pass through dried apricot terraces
We head early towards Tingmosgang village (3.200m). It used to be the headquarters of lower Ladakh and the fort atop the hill would guard the kingdom. What now remains are the ruins from the past, a small monastery which does appear prominent due to its location and bright red and yellow colour. We will do some walks in the village and visit the monastery. This is one of the most prosperous villages in the Ladakh region and plenty of cultivation with apple orchards, apricots being grown. Overnight in Hotel / Fixed Camp (B,L,D).
Day 12: Drive to Leh – 84 km / 3 hrs drive
By now we will be templed-out, so we head back to Leh for a final night. We should arrive in Leh before noon. The rest of the day is free for any last minute souvenir shopping or just soaking in the atmosphere of this land of peculiar colours. Overnight at Hotel Glacier View (B,D).
Day 13: Flight to Delhi – Afternoon sightseeing
Time to leave the ‘Little Tibet’, we have an early morning start as we fly to Delhi. Upon arrival we will have a short sightseeing tour around Central Delhi, visiting some of the buildings of the colonial era, before we head back to the Hotel. Overnight at Hotel Jay Pee Siddharth (B,D).
Day 14: free for individual activities OR Day trip to Agra by train – Evening transfer to Airport for flight to Home
An optional day trip to Agra, we will make a short trip to visit the famous Taj Mahal 17th Century Mausoleum of Mumtaz constructed by her husband and then Mughal king Shah Jehan. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Upon return to Delhi, you will be transferred to the airport after dinner in time for your flight (B,D).
We reserve the right to make program changes due to special events, force majeure, or weather conditions.
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