LADAKH TREKKING TOUR
Destination
Overview
Explore Ladakh with its cold desert, Enjoy the picturesque villages and the monasteries, visit Shey palace, go on a trek in search of snow leopard, explore the mountains in search of the blue sheep or mountain sheep, enjoy the camping at high altitude, trek in search of Tibetan sheep and the Tibetan wolf, enjoy traditional cuisines with the local families, explore Delhi the capital city of India, a mirror image of whole country.
Tour Description
Duration : 10 Nights & 11 Days
Accommodation : Modern / Heritage / Camps/Home stays
Best Time to visit : between November and March
Journey Type : Group Journey
This tour beckons the intense and adventure traveler. Travelers who take this tour to the harsh and difficult terrain are rewarded by the spectacular views and untouched beauty of Ladakh. It is a cold desert and offers stunning views of barren landscapes with monastries and gompas standing precariously on jagged peaks.
Through this tour, we journey into the Himalayas and immerse ourselves in the mystical region of Ladakh, visiting Buddhist monasteries and spending 3 days tracking the elusive snow leopard.
Itinerary
Our travel counselors will meet and assist the guests on arrival in New Delhi and with the hotel transfers.
There will be an early morning transfer to the Delhi domestic airport for the flight to Leh. Our counselors will provide assistance on arrival at the Leh airport and help in the check in process. We'll spend the day at leisure to begin acclimatising to the high altitude.
Ladakh, a term that means 'land of high passes', is a region in Northern India sandwiched between the Karakoram mountain range to the north and the Himalayas to the south, and is situated at the height of 11,400 ft. The Indian portion of Ladakh is composed of the Leh and Kargil districts. The jagged peaks, and the barren and dramatic landscapes in Ladakh are awe inspiring and seem almost supernatural in nature.
We spend the first day morning at leisure and the afternoon exploring Leh town, the capital of the historic kingdom of Ladakh. The beautiful town is a labyrinth of winding narrow streets and bazaars. On both sides of the market we can see long lines of Ladakhi women in their traditional dress and colourful jewellery, selling vegetables and handicrafts. The 16th century Leh Palace looms large above the town. Later we'll visit some
Gompas
, a little over a mile from the market.
The next day we'll take the full day to explore the Leh region. We'll visit the picturesque villages of Shey and Thiksey. Ladakh's most iconic monastery,
Thiksey monastery
is located on a hillock overlooking the Indus valley with a full view of the magnificent Stok range. This is the best place to hear the chanting of the monks in the chapels with beautiful views of the valley below. Located on a hill,Shey Palace
was built in 1665 by the king of Ladakh, and it has the largest golden Buddha statue in Ladakh.Today we commence our journey in search of the elusive snow leopard and drive for 1 hr to a remote place called Latho, far from the bustle of Leh. The next three days will be spent accompanying an expert tracker and spotters into the hills around Ladakh, searching for signs of this high-altitude predator. You'll be scouring the terrain for paw prints in the snow, scent marks left on rocks, carcasses abandoned on trails, and, with any luck, a sighting of this magnificent cat with your very own eyes.
On our way we will also learn about the Himalayan way of life from local villagers and pay a visit to their
gompa
andstupas
. We will trek further for 3 hrs to a small village and stay overnight in tents.On day 6 you will be trekking around
Tarbung Junction
. Your quest for the snow leopard would now have truly begun. We will be looking for the predator of the blue sheep, which are the main source of food for the elusive wild cats. The camp is located at a strategic location from where we can see the junction of the two valleys which makes it a good vantage point for sighting the wild cat. We stay overnight in tents at an altitude of 3700 mts.Start your trek to Yurutse which lies at the base of
Gandala pass
to theWest past Sumdo
. This area serves as an ideal habitat for theTibetan Argali
/ Great Tibetan sheep and also known for sightings of Tibetan wolf (depending on cat movement). An added bonus is that you'll be staying with a local family and sampling traditional cuisine, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the fascinating culture present here at the roof of the world.We'll now start our journey back to Leh. We'll trek back to Tarbung. After lunch we'll trek back and drive to Leh and stay overnight at the hotel
After an early morning breakfast you will be transferred to the Leh airport for the flight back to Delhi.
We spend the next 2 days at leisure to rest or to explore Delhi. It will also be an essential buffer day in case of frequent delays, cancellations encountered in flying out of Leh.
Delhi bustles with remnants of the myriad bygone dynasties juxtaposed with the chaos of modern India.
It offers over a thousand monuments, bustling bazaars, and old capital buildings, including the present seat of the government (Lok Sabha) designed by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. In contrast it has some of India's most luxurious and modern hotels, markets and restaurants. We will spend the day exploring Old Delhi and visit popular sites like Red Fort, Jama Masjid (Asia's largest mosque), and explore the busy streets of Chandni Chowk Bazaars by cycle rickshaw. On the third day, after breakfast, we leave for the airport for the flight to our onward destination.
