Glimpse of Ladakh

We treat this day as our acclimatization day.. Post late breakfast, we go for sightseeing locally Pathar Sahib Gurudwara, Leh Palace, Hall of fame and head to Shanti Stupa which is a Buddhist white domed stupa on a hilltop in Changspa. We enjoy the panoramic view of the city at sunset. From here we can choose to leave the vehicles and walk down to Leh taking some quite back roads and into the Leh market to wander around at leisure. Overnight at Leh.

This day is for taking in the sights of Leh and to use this as an opportunity to acclimatize further before we head to higher altitude driving excursions. We visit Hemis Monastery, Thiksey Monastery and Stok Palace.

 Hemis stands on the western bank of the Indus River. The monastery also boasts of a very rich collection of ancient relics. The Hemis Monastery also serves as the venue of an annual festival, known as the Hemis Festival. Thiksey houses one of the largest Buddhist statues, the 15 meter tall Champa, the Buddha of Future and located strategically, today;

Thiksey is one of the most frequently visited and most photogenic monasteries in Ladakh. About a hundred monks live here.

The Stok Palace is where the current royal family lives in Stok Palace. The museum at the Stok Palace has an intriguing collection of Buddhist art, weapons, jewelry and artifacts, including thangkas painted with colors derived from crushed precious stones. Also on display are the ceremonial head dresses or 'peraks' of the erstwhile rulers of Ladakh. These headdresses are decorated with turquoise, lapis lazuli and coral and gold, making them an exotic sight.  Overnight at Leh.

Back on the road this time towards Khardungla Pass (5602m / 18380ft), the world’s highest motorable pass. After a photography session and acclimatization break on the pass we cross it and head towards Nubra Valley. Nubra Valley is sandwiched between the Karakoram Mountains to the north and the Ladakh range; to the south lie the Shyok and the Nubra Rivers. The villages of Nubra are scattered along these two valley floors. This is a beautiful region that once formed a part of the Silk route into Afghanistan. Because of the lower altitude a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and grains are grown, creating an impression of abundance. In the evening we visit the beautiful sand dunes of Hundar. We check into our deluxe tented campsite.

After breakfast, the group sets off to visit the white sand dunes and if lucky one can take a ride on the double humped Bactrian camels. We have lunch at Hundar and then head to Diskit Monastery, right on the top behind Diskit Monastery stands a 106 foot tall Buddha statue, the tallest in the Ladakh region. Return back to Leh. Overnight stay in a hotel in Leh.

Early morning, we drive to Pangong the world’s highest brackish water lake – Pangong, 150 km long and 4 km wide spans two countries, India & China (2/3rd of the lake lies in China). The sun paints its various hues on the canvas of the surrounding mountains as we watch spellbound while walking on the shores of the lake. Evening is free for leisure, Overnight at Hotel Leh.

We head towards the Airport to board the flight for onward journey.

Tour Ends…