ASIA TRAVEL DESIGN

Ladakh Explorer

Travel to Ladakh: portrait of Ladakhi woman

 

This  10- trip includes all the highlights of Ladakh. After the necessary acclimatisation in Leh, you will visit the most important monasteries in the Indus Valley (Hemis, Thiksey, Lamayuru). The next stage of the trip crosses the mighty Khardung La (5620m) to the valley of Nubra . The final destination is the deepblue Lake of Tso Moriri. Located at an altitude of more than 4000m this is one of the most scenic lakes in the Indian Himalayas.

During this journey, your personal guide and driver, will introduce you in the local culture, organise some nice hikes and make you familiar with the important Buddhist traditions of Ladakh. 

Suggested Itinerary Ladakh Explorer

This itinerary is just a suggestion. We can easily include a short mountain trek, other cultural highlights, a village homestay or activities like rafting / cycling /....

 

  1. Arrive in Leh from Delhi and transfer to the hotel of your choice for acclimatisation. In the afternoon your guide will brief you about the upcoming trip,
  2. A gentle start today with a visit to some of the most important Buddhist monasteries east of Leh. We visit Hemis and Thiksey and also make a stop at the old palace of in Shey.
  3. Travelling west along the Indus we make a first stop at the Confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers. The first cultural highlight of the day is Alchi, a collection of temples with beautiful murals, declared Unesco World Heritage. From Alchi we continue along the Indus and take the old mountainroad to Lamayuru. The new 'highway' follows the river, but this road swirls itself through the mountains with spectacular views. Finally, we arrive in Lamayuru, the major monastery of the Red Hats in Ladakh. After a visit, we retrace to Ule for overnight, through a beautiful canyon.
  4. From Ule, we visit the small nunnery of Chulican and the big gompa of Rizong with a large monastic school. On the way back to Leh we make a stop in Likir, not only for the gompa, but especially for the setting of the monastery with a background of white mountains. Overnight in Leh.
  5. Drive across the Khardung La (5620m), the highest motorable pass in the world, to the fertile valley of Nubra. This valley is formed by 2 rivers, Shyok and Nubra, and is dotted with terraced fields and orchards. The drive is quite long, but there will be sufficient time for photostops and short walk. Overnight in Nubra.
  6. A full day to explore Nubra. A must see is the famous Diskit Monastery. In the sanddunes of Hunder we could take a camelride on the Bactrian Camels: a strange experience so high up in the Himalayas. Nubra Valley has lot of other options to explore village life, make small hikes or even raft on one of the rivers. Overnight in Nubra.
  7. Return back to Leh. The afternoon in Leh can be spent in the bustling Old Bazaar or with a walk up to the Fort or the Shanti Stupa.
  8. We drive east again to the Changtang Plateau, near the border with China. On the way we pass several seasonal camps of local shepherds untill we reach the deepblue lake of Tso Moriri (4200m). This magical place is a real paradise for photographers. Overnight in a tented camp near the village of Korzok.
  9. A full day to explore the area around the lake, by foot and by car. Every summer semi nomadic Champa-people camp in the pastures around the lake with their cattle. The best Pashmina wool in India comes from their goats. Overnight in tented camp.
  10. Return back to Leh. Arrive in the late afternoon, depending on the stops made on the way.
  11. Transfer to the airport or fly back. There are lots of possibilities to extend your stay in Ladakh or elsewhere in India..

Note:

In Leh there is a wide range of accommodation available from standard hotels / guesthouses  to luxury glamping and boutique properties. On other locations, accommodation options are limited.

Around Leh some special accommodations can be found like Chamba Camp,  Stok Palace  and Nimmu House

This is just a sample itinerary. As we work completely tailormade, feel free to contact us for a longer or shorter itinerary according to your wishes.

Prices depend on the hotelselection, travelperiod, number of persons, exchange rates,... Please ask for a quotation through our quotation form.