Day 01: Arrival in Leh (3520m/11,545 ft)
At
the Leh airport, you will be welcomed by a representative of Alpine
Club of Himalaya. The rest of the day is free and easy, for you to rest,
relax, and explore the nearby streets and bazaars of Delhi, India's
largest and capital city. In the evening, we will take a walking tour to the Leh Market and Shanti Stupa. Overnight in Leh.
Day 02: Leh to Nubra Valley (5,578 m/18,380 feet): 120 km, 4-5 hours
We drive to Nubra Valley via the Khardong La pass, claimed to be the world's highest drivable road at at an elevation of 5,359 m (17,582 ft). Nubra Valley is a high altitude cold desert with the Siachen Glacier to the north, and the Sasser Pass and the famous Karakoram Pass to the northwest. We spend the rest of the day exploring Diskit, the capital of Nubra. Rest of the day we are free to explore Deskit, and its landmark 32 meter Maitreya Buddha statue, Hunder (the land of sand dunes) villages, and get on a camel safari. Overnight in Nubra Valley.
Day 03: Sightseeing in Nubra Valley, Drive back to Leh: 120 km, 4-5 hours
After breakfast, we visit Deskit Monastery, the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in
Nubra Valley, founded in the 14th century. The monastery houses the Maitreya Buddha statue and a number of shrines, and Mongolian and Tibetan
texts. We drive back to Leh via the same route.
Upon arrival at Leh, we visit Shey Monastery and Palace, mostly in ruins now, built in 1655 by the king of Ladakh, near the Shey village. The monastery has a Shakyamuni Buddha statue that is 12 meters (39 ft) in height covering three floors of the monastery. Then
we visit Thikshey Monastery, the largest monastery in Ladakh, with
twelve stories and ten temples, famous for its architecture and location
atop a hill, and Leh Palace, a nine-storey royal palace built in the 17 century and modeled after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.
Overnight in Leh.
Day 04: Leh to Pangong Tso Lake (4420 m/14500 ft) 150 km, 4-5 hours
We take a 5-hour drive to Pangong Tso via a rough mountain road through the Shey and Gya villages, and the Changla pass (17,350 ft), claimed to be the second highest motorable road in the world. The Pangong Tso Lake, Tibetan for "high grassland lake", is situated at a height of about 14,500ft in the Himalaya
s and is the highest salt water lake in the world, shared both by India and China. The road
down from Changla Pass leads through a river called Pagal Naala or "The
Crazy Stream". The spectacular lakeside is open during the tourist
season, from May to September. Overnight at Pangong Tso Lake (Camp).
Day 05: Pangong Tso Lake to Alchi: 200 km, 5-6 hours
We drive to Alchi, a village on the bank of the Indus river, famous for the Alchi Monastery, a monastery complex built, according to local tradition, by the great translator Guru Rinchen Zangpo between 958 and 1055. The artistic and spiritual details of both Buddhism and the Hindu kings of that time in Kashmir are reflected in the wall paintings in the monastery. En-route
we visit places such as the Basgo Palace, Liker Monastery, Gurudwara
Pathar Sahib and Magnetic Hill. Overnight in Alchi.
Day 06: Alchi to Kargil 160 km, 5-6 hours
We
leave for Kargil, a quiet town that once served as an important trade
and transit centre in the Pan-Asian trade network. The second largest
town in Ladakh, Kargil has an average elevation of 2,676m (8,780 feet),
and is situated along the banks of the Suru River. En-route we
visit places such as the Lamayaru Moonland, moonlike landscapes carved
into the Greater Himalayas along the Lamayaru village, the Lamayuru
Monastery, the oldest monastery in Ladakh uniquely built on a rise that
looked more like hardened sand dunes and not at all like a rock, and the
Giant Maitreya Golden Buddha at Mulbekh. Overnight in Kargil.
Day 07: Kargil to Padum: 250 km, 7-8 hours
We drive to Padum, the only town and administrative centre in Zanskar, named after Padmasambhav. En-route we are welcomed by the magnificent view of the Nun Kun Peak, a pair of Himalayan peaks separated by a snowy plateau of about 4 km (2.5 mi) in length, and Drang-Drung Glacier, the largest glacier in Ladakh with a maximum length of 23 kilometres (14 mi) at an average elevation of 4,780 m (15,680 feet). Then we visit the Rangdum Monastery, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated on top of a small but steep sugarloaf hill at an altitude of 4,031 m (13,225 ft) at the head of the Suru Valley. Overnight in Padum.
Day 08: Sightseeing in Padum
We tour places such as Karsha Monastery, the largest monastery in Zanskar that has a number of shrines embellished with exquisite paintings by the Lama Dzadpa Dorje, Stongdey Monastery founded in 1052 by Naropa's disciple, and the Sani Monastery, thought to be the oldest religious site in Ladakh. Overnight in Padum.
Day 09: Padum to Kargil: 250 km, 7-8 hours
Drive back to Kargil via Pensi La Pass, known as the Gateway to Zanskar, at 4,400 m (14,436 ft) above sea level, with a view of the Glacial lake and the Drang-Drung Glacier. Overnight in Kargil.
Day 10: Kargil to Leh: 230 km
Drive back to Leh. Overnight in Leh.
Day 11: Leh to Chumthang to Tso Moriri Lake: 240 km, 7-8 hours
We begin the journey to Tso Moriri Lake and stop along the Chumathang village to visit the hot springs. Arrive at Tso Moriri at 4pm. The Tso Moriri Lake is located on the Changthang Plateau at an altitude of 4,522m (14,836 ft), and is the largest of the high altitude lakes in Ladakh and in India. Overnight at Tso Moriri Lake (Camp).
Day 12: Tsomoriri to Sumdo to Leh: 235 km
We
walk around the lake and drive back to Leh passing places such as the
Puga (Sulphur Mine), Tsokar Lake, Tanglang La Pass (17,585ft) and
Rumtse. On the way, we visit Hemis Monastery, Shey Palace, and Thiksey
Monastery. Overnight in Leh.
Day 13: Light and Easy in Leh
You can spend the day exploring the market places of Leh, or just rest and relax. Overnight in Leh.
Day 14: Leh to Delhi
A representative of Alpine Club of Himalaya will take you to the airport for your flight to Delhi.
Important Note :
Your
safety is of paramount importance to us at Alpine Club of Himalaya. We
have the absolute authority to cancel the trip or change the itinerary,
when deemed necessary or when we have reason to believe your safety is
at stake. Weather conditions, the health condition of a group member,
natural disasters, and such, can contribute to changes in the itinerary
when traveling in remote mountainous regions. In these extreme
situations, we kindly request that you offer your full co-operation to
the trusted leader of the group appointed by Alpine Club of Himalaya.
However, we assure you that we will make every effort to keep to the
above itinerary.