Compare Tibet: Ladakh – Festivals, Monasteries and Waters by Myths and Mountains

Day 1: Arrive Delhi

Accommodation: Hotel Eaton Airport Transit Hotel Or Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi

Arriving in Delhi, you will clear customs and immigration. If you want to overnight in the airport, you will stay

at the Eaton Airport Hotel. If you prefer to exit, you can stay at the Radisson.

Day 2: Fly Leh. Explore Town

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Snowview, The Druk Ladakh Or Sera Courtyard

Rising early, you will fly from Delhi to Leh, over the entire Himalayan range - a champagne flight with snowcapped peaks like foam on the top of a narrow glass. Suddenly, the green hills of India and the white peaks are behind as you come down over the barren desert land of Ladakh into the airport near Leh.

Since the altitude in Leh is 11,500 feet, you can expect to find yourself moving somewhat slowly. Looking around, you will see a city caught in a time warp – a mélange of medieval and modern, with a somewhat schizophrenic history. Back in the 3rd century BC, many years before the great saint, Padmasambhava, had converted Tibet to Buddhism, Leh was already an important Buddhist center. Later, in the 15th and 16^th centuries, as trade mushroomed between the West and the Far East, Leh became a major commercial hub on the fabulous Central Asian Silk Route. Today, driven by the practicalities of politics and economics, Leh has become both a strategic military base for the Indians on the Chinese border, as well as a major tourist foreign exchange earner.

Since Leh is so high, it is important not to over exert yourself and to take things easy. Therefore, your time this first day in Leh is mostly free. In the evening, you can take a walk around the town, exploring the bazaar and ambling up and down some of the narrow twisting streets.

Day 3: Visit Shankar, Spitok And Oracle

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Snowview, The Druk Ladakh Or Sera Courtyard

(Note that in September, these days will be adjusted to accommodate the Ladakh Festival)

Moving slowly, you will pay a visit to first to Shankar Gompa, a rather modern monastery that serves most of the Leh Valley and is unique in that it is built on the valley bottom. Monks attend the monastery from Spitok, your next stop.

Spitok is perched high up on an outcropping overlooking Leh airport and is a Gelugpa or Yellow Hat monastery with about 125 monks. The Gelugpas are the sect to which the Dalai Lama belongs. The head lama not only is the head of Shankar Gompa in Leh, but also represents Ladakh in the Indian Parliament. Heading back into town, you can stop at Choklamsar, a village that has become a haven for Tibetan refugees, and now boasts the lovely, two-story, golden-roofed summer palace of the Dalai Lama. Here, at the Tibetan Refugee Center you can visit the school, clinic, and gift shop.

In the afternoon, assuming she is available, you can pay a visit to the local oracle. If you have any ailments or problems, she can conduct a healing. Should you have questions to ask, she can also help.

Day 4: Visit Hemis, Chemre And Dak Thok

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Snowview, The Druk Ladakh Or Sera Courtyard

This morning, you will visit three monasteries – Hemis, Chemre and Dak Thok.

Stagtshang Richen, who was invited to Ladakh by King Singe Namgyal, founded the 350-year-old Hemis Gompa. Ladakh’s wealthiest monastery, Hemis, belongs to the Kagyupa Brugpa sect of Buddhism, the sect dominant in Bhutan. The Rimpoche, or spiritual overlord of the monastery, is considered to be a reincarnation of the monastery’s founder and is heir to the 5-year-old Tibetan child, who was undergoing training in Tibet when the Chinese invaded, and has since not been heard from. The present Rimpoche is in his 30s, and studied in Darjeeling.

Chemre Gompa is located about 25 miles south of Leh in the Chemre Valley. It was founded about 350 years ago by Stagtshang Raspa, a Tibetan lama, who also founded Hemis gompa. To this day, Hemis and Chemre have the same head lama. About 120 lamas of the red-hat sect of Buddhism live at Chemre. The gompa, situated atop a rocky outcropping in the valley, resembles a medieval European castle when seen from the rear. Chemre has a Dukhang, and two temples above it.

Dak Thok is situated about 6 miles farther up from Chemre in the Chemre Valley. The Rimpoche or head lama of Dak Thok is from Tibet and is highly respected by Ladakhis. The gompa houses about 55 lamas of the Nyingma-pa sect of Buddhism, also known as the "Old Order" or the “Red Hats”. Members of this sect are followers of Padmasambhava's teachings and Takthok is the only gompa in Ladakh that follows this order. The name Dak Thok in Ladakhi means "Rock Roof" and refers to the cave chapel found in this unusual gompa.

Late in the day, you will return to Leh and the hotel.

Day 5: Visit Likir, Textile And Crafts People And Bazaar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Snowview, The Druk Ladakh Or Sera Courtyard

(Note that in July, this day will be adjusted to accommodate the Phyang Festival)

Likir Monastery was built during the reign of Lachen Gyalpo more than 500 years ago and housed more than 600 monks. One of the most important Gelugpa monasteries in Ladakh, Likir used to house a set of images and thankas that surpassed those at Alchi. In fact, the monks of Likir were the caretakers of Alchi. The head Lama today is the younger brother of the HH the Dalai Lama, although he is not in residence. Many of the old treasures and much of the old structure was destroyed in a fire, and the present buildings date mainly from the 18^th century. A small, but interesting, museum is opened on request.

In the afternoon, you will visit some of the different craftspeople of Leh, who are responsible for the beautiful rugs and textiles. You can also wander the bazaar.

Day 6: Drive Nubra Valley. Visit Chamba And Deskit. Ride Camels

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Desert Himalaya Camp & Resort

(Note that in July, this day will be adjusted to accommodate the Silk Road Festival)

Heading out of Leh, you will drive north to the Nubra Valley, crossing the Kardong La (La means pass). Thispass, at 18,373 feet, is the highest motorable pass in the world, running along the old Silk Route through the lush, green Nubra Valley. Once, in days gone by, camel caravans transported Chinese goods to exchange for Indian produce along the Yarkhand-Turkmenistan route. Camels are rare now and considered prized possessions. You can occasionally see them on the sand dunes near Nubra. The relatively gentler climate of the area allows crops, such as fruit and nuts, to grow. As such, the area is considered anldumra or “orchard”.

In the afternoon, you can do two things – first, explore the Chamba Monastery in Hunder and Deskit Village, the main town of Nubra. Deskit boasts a small market bustling with activity.

Very important is time to drive to the sand dunes and ride a double-humped Bactrian camel, as well as visit the camel-breeding farm. The ride wanders along the soft, white sandy desert with rolling sand dunes.

Day 7: Explore Valley, Yarab Tso And Samtsaling

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Desert Himalaya Camp & Resort

Today, after breakfast, drive first to Yarab Tso, a beautiful lake tucked between two small hills, and then on to Panamic Village, famous for its thermal hot water springs. Along the way, you will visit some pashmina goat breeding farms.

On the return, you visit Samsthaling Monastery, founded by Lama Tsultims Nima in 1842. This is a small monastery with only about 50 monks. Unlike some of the other gompas, there are some strict rules and regulations – no smoking, no women in the monastery before sunrise and after sunset.

Day 8: Return To Leh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Snowview, The Druk Ladakh Or Sera Courtyard

This morning you will wind your way back to Leh. On the way, you will stop at Hundar Village, where you can spend time with the people and get a sense of the rhythms of their lifestyle.

Day 9: Raft From Phey To Nimmu. Visit Alchi And Perhaps Ridzong

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Ulley Ethnic Resort

Time to hit the water! Leaving Leh, you will drive to Phey, where you will pick up your rafts and crew. Here you will begin rafting to Nimmu. At this point, the Indus River enters an impressive canyon, before it is joined by the Zanskar. The section you will raft is considered class 3 rapids and the area is a very scenic, lush green oasis. All along your way, you will see many brick houses with flat roofs and grass drying on the top to use as winter fodder for the cattle.

At Nimmu, you will disembark, and drive to the monasteries of Ridzong and Alchi.

Note that if you do not want to raft, you can simply drive to Alchi.

Alchi is one of the most famous of Ladakh’s monasteries. Alchi Choskor, to use the full name, is the oldest and largest monastery in Ladakh. Unlike most Ladakhi temples, Rinchen Zangpo, one of the greatest monastery builders in Ladakh and western Tibet, built Alchi on the lowlands, rather than high on a hill. Three, three-story high statues of the Bodhisatvas dominate the monastery and the Kashmiri-Hindu influence in the wooden carvings on the doors, ceiling designs and murals is apparent. There is a legend about Alchi that Rinchen Zangpo left his walking stick embedded in the ground with a promise that if the stick took root, he would return andbuild a gompa on the site. The stick did take root, and the gompa was built. Just before the four chortens in the courtyard on the right-hand side, there is a large remnant of the tree, believed to have grown from the walking stick of Rinchen Zangpo.

After Alchi, you head towards the impressive Ridzong Gompa, reached from the road-head after a 30-minute uphill walk. It’s an impressive monastery well hidden in the lap of the mountains until you’re face to face with it, and situated on the mountainside wedged in between two ends of a ridge. Ridzong is about 100 years old and the name means 'mountain fort' aptly describing this isolated gompa. The Gompa also boasts a nunnery.

Day 10: Visit Lamayuru And Return To Ulley

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Ulley Ethnic Resort

Today is special. You have a hair-raising drive over the mountains on a very narrow road to Lamayuru, one of the most spectacularly located monasteries in Ladakh.

Lamayuru is just below the road below the pass to Kalsi. Legend has it that the monastery was built where once serpents or nagas swam in a crystal-clear lake and where the sage Naropa meditated in the 10th century. The central building dates back to the 10th century and was also constructed by Rinchen Zangpo at the bequest of the King of Ladakh. Yet Lamayuru has a pre-Buddhist, Bon Po history, and is one of the oldest religious sites in Ladakh. Its real name is Yungdrung, signifying swastika. Once the home of more than 400 monks, today the monastery barely supports 20 to 30 monks of the Gelugpa sect. Known as Tharpa Ling or "Place of Freedom," the monastery is a sanctuary even for criminals and is guarded by an 11-headed, 1000-eyed image of Chenrezi, the Buddha of Compassion.

From Lamayuru, you have a spectacular sunset drive to Ulley Topko, where you will again sleep in Ulley Ethnic Resort.

Day 11: Explore Area. Head Near Leh And Overnight With Family

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Home Stay

If you did not overnight in Lamayuru, you will spend today visiting two of the nearby villages, Dah and Bema. If you did overnight, you will simply drive back towards Leh.

Dah and Bema are Drokpa villages. Myth suggests that the Drokpas, who are pure Aryan, were a group of solders from the army of Alexander the Great. More logical is that they were simply part of the Indo-Aryan migration into the area. They speak a very distinct dialect and blend traditional  recepts with animistic practices.

Heading back towards Leh, you will stop at a local home. Here you can spend the night and get a sense of how the people live, farm, and spend their lives.

Day 12: Spend Time With Family. Return To Leh

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hotel Snowview, The Druk Ladakh Or Sera Courtyard

You can spend as much time as you wish with your family learning about their lives and perhaps helping out. When you are ready, you will return to Leh and your hotel.

Day 13: Fly Delhi. Afternoon Free With Car

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hotel Vivanta By Taj – Ambassador

Day 14: Explore Delhi. Transfer To Airport For Homeward Flight

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today, you can explore Delhi, the third largest city in India, located on the west bank of the Yamuna River. There is perhaps no place in India that can compare with Delhi in the number of its monuments, dating from the time of the Imperial Gupta Dynasty 1600 years ago, through the Pathan style Indo-Muslim architecture from 1193 – 1526; and into the Mughal architecture, represented most dramatically by the Red Fort (Lal Qal’ah). Later architecture illustrates first the British period and then the search for a synthesis between the Indian and the western styles. Along the Yamuna River are memorials, set in striking flowering gardens, to India’s 20th century leaders – Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Jawaharlal Nehru.

In the morning, you can take a rickshaw ride down Chandni Chowk, stopping in the market, walking around the Jain temple barefoot with the worshippers, and visiting the main Mosque. Chandni Chowk is like a large outdoor supermarket. Each section is different – one for pots and pans, another for shoes and so forth.

Before lunch, you will also visit Gandhi’s home, where he was assassinated.

In the afternoon, you can visit the Craft Museum, to get a sense of the different crafts in the country. After a farewell dinner, you will transfer to the airport for your flight home.