LEH LADAKH OFFSET

DAY 1 : ARRIVAL DELHI

• Rickshaw ride
• Visit to the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort or Lal Qila

Flight to Delhi. Arrival by plane, welcome and transfer to your hotel (check-in at 2:00 pm).

City tour :

Delhi, India's capital and the country's great gateway, is a bustling metropolis that successfully combines the ancient with the modern. 

• 01 Rickshaw ride 

You'll be immersed in a world of colors and smells on this rickshaw ride through the typical, crowded lanes of the Chandni Chowk market, which means "moonlit meeting point". Chandni Chowk is reminiscent of an oriental bazaar, with its stalls, stalls of all kinds, vendors haranguing the crowds, stalls overflowing with fruit, vegetables, spices, utilitarian objects and more... 

Visit the Jama Masjid, built by Shah Jahan from 1644 to 1658. It is the largest on the Indian subcontinent. Its two 40-metre-high minarets are decorated with vertical bands of red sandstone alternating with white marble. Its courtyard can hold up to 25,000 worshippers. 

Pass in front of the Red Fort or Lal Qila, whose red sandstone wall stretches for 2 kilometers. It was begun by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638 and completed by his son Aurangzeb in 1648 (the latter having incarcerated his father at Agra Fort just after work began).

Overnight at hotel.

DAY 2 : DELHI / LEH (FLIGHT)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Later in the day, departure for Delhi airport for a flight to Leh.

Arrival at Leh Kushok Bakula airport (This has to be one of the most sensational flights in the world. On a clear day, on one side of the plane, you can see the peaks of K2, Nanga Parbat and Gasherbrum in the distance, and on the other side of the plane, so close you feel you can touch it, the Nun Kun massif. A full day of rest and leisure to acclimatize, followed by a welcome tea or coffee at the hotel.

Overnight at hotel.

DAY 3 : LEH / SHAM VALLEY ( 75 KMS -4 HRS)    

• Visit to the Gurudwara Patthar Sahib and Likir monasteries :

After breakfast, you drive down the Indus on the Leh - Kargil road. En route, visit the Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, nestled in the heart of the Himalayas. A further 4 km brings us to Magnetic Hill, which defies the law of gravity. Through a picturesque landscape, we reach the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers.

Just before Saspul, a right-hand road leads to Likir monastery, one of the most active in the region. Likir is one of the most active monasteries in the region. Arriving at the monastery, a colossal golden image of Maitreya, recently installed in the open air, is one of the most impressive sights in Ladakh. We continue to our destination in the Sham valley.

Let's settle into our camp or hotel for the night.

DAY 4 : SHAM VALLEY / KARGIL (172 KMS / 06 HRS)

• Visit to the villages of Dha and Hanu and Batalik

After breakfast, we set off for Kargil, visiting Dha-Hanu (163 km northwest of Leh town). The villages of Dha and Hanu are located where the Indus and Shyok rivers meet in the Kargil region. Reputed to be the "land of the Aryans", these villages are home to Ladakh's Brokpa or Drokpa community.  The Brokpas make their home in five villages, but tourists are only allowed to visit Dha and Hanu.

After visiting Dha Hanu, we continue on to Batalik, which has a different culture and where you'll feel right at home. Batalik is one of the most famous areas of the war front between Indian soldiers and Pakistan in 1999. 

We continue our journey to Kargil and check into our hotel or prearranged camp for the night.

DAY 5 : KARGIL TO LEH (VIA LAMAYURU)

• Visit to Lamayuru en route.

After breakfast, we drive back to Leh, visiting Mulbekh, Lamayuru, which belongs to Dripung Kagyu (Red Hat). We then cross the Indus River to reach Alchi, Ladakh's most beloved monastery. On arrival in Leh, we check into our hotel. In the evening, we visit the Leh Palace, the Shanti Stupa and the Leh market.

Arrive in Leh for dinner and overnight at hotel.

DAY 6 : LEH - CHUMATHANG - TSOMORIRI (240 KMS / 06 - 07 HRS)

• Visit to Shey Palace and Lake Tsomoriri

Morning departure for Lake Tsomoriri. On the way, visit the palace of Shey, the ancient capital of Ladakh, and the Rancho des 3 Idiots school. 5 km further on.

Through picturesque countryside, we reach Thiksey, an impressive complex that rises, floor by floor, on a hill above the village. After visiting the two aforementioned monasteries, we continue on to Chumathang, famous for its hot springs and the people who go there for medical baths. From here, a short drive takes you to Mahey Bridge, the main checkpoint for entering this new region.

On the way, you'll visit the village of Sumdah, and 55 km further on, you'll arrive at Tsomoriri.  Lake Tsomoriri lies at an altitude of 14,000 feet, near the small village of Korzok. Recently opened to foreigners due to its proximity to the Chinese border, Changthang is a land of wilderness and magnificent scenery. Lake Tsomoriri is also a breeding ground for many bird species, including bar-headed geese, great crested grebes, Brahmini ducks and brown-headed gulls. Lake Tsomorir is 8 km wide and 28 km long. 

On arrival, we set up camp for the night. 

DAY 7 : TSOMORIRI

• Free day to discover the beauty of Tsomoriri

Free day to explore the beauty of the lake at your leisure. The magnificent blue colors of this lake and the picturesque landscape that surrounds it give this place an extremely romantic and breathtaking feel.

Dinner and overnight at hotel in Tsomoriri.

DAY 8 : TSOMORIRI - TSOKAR - TANGLANGLA - LEH (240 KMS / 8 HRS)

• Visit to the village of Tsokar and Korzok

After an early breakfast, we leave our camp and visit the village of Korzok with its mirage-like houses and gompa. Korzok's few barley fields must be among the highest in the world. The nomadic Changpa people are the most remarkable feature of this region. They can be seen moving from place to place grazing herds of goats, sheep and yaks. The Changpas spend their days with their animals and move with their herds, their only wealth, from pasture to pasture according to the season. Their herds, yaks and goat hair provide the raw material from which they make ropes, clothes and shoes.

All day long, men and women are busy milking, turning milk into butter, making ropes, weaving mats and other fabrics. These people have been completely isolated from any civilizing influence.  Even at the end of the twenty-first century, they belong to a primitive prehistoric age. The road is picturesque and Tsokar Lake is one of the most beautiful. After spending some time there, we continue our journey to Leh. 

Dinner and overnight at hotel in Leh.

DAY 9 : LEH-NUBRA VALLEY VIA KHARDUNG LA 18,390 FT. (120 KMS / 4 - 5 HRS)

• Visit to the Nubra Valley

After breakfast, we set off for the Nubra Valley. The road from Leh to the Nubra Valley passes over the Khardung La (the highest motorable road in the world) at 5,602 meters / 18,390 feet, about 39 km from Leh. From the pass, you can see across the southern Indus Valley to the seemingly endless peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north to the giants of the Saser massif.

The Nubra Valley is known as Ldumra or Valley of Flowers. It lies in northern Ladakh, between the Karakoram and Ladakh ranges of the Himalayas. The average altitude of the valley is 10,000 feet above sea level.  On arrival in Nubra, we check into our camp/hotel in Hunder for the night. In the evening, you can stroll through the small villages to see how people live in this part of the world. A visit to a Ladakhi house can be arranged. 

Overnight at camp or hotel.

DAY 10 : DISKIT - TURTUK - DISKIT (82 KMS - 3 HRS ONE WAY)

• Turtuk excursion

After an early breakfast, we drive to Turtuk, along with many other small villages, which came under Indian control after the 1971 war, when the Indian army pushed Pakistani soldiers back beyond the mountains that dominate the Nubra valley.

Turtuk lies at the far end of the Indian border, making access difficult. Due to treacherous roads and sensitive army base camps, permits were only issued to Indian civilians at the end of 2010. Although the roads are damaged by landslides and stone-throwing, the three-hour drive from Hunder to Turtuk is nothing short of exceptional. Along the way, we enjoy the company of Shyok, as well as views that define Ladakh's characteristic barrenness. 

After the tour, we return to our camp or hotel in Nubra for the night.

DAY 11 : NUBRA VALLEY - LEH (120 KMS / 4 - 5 HRS)

After an early breakfast, we leave the camp and head for Hunder, where you'll have the opportunity to ride a Bacterian (double-humped) camel through the sand dunes of this high-altitude desert, with snow-capped mountains on the horizon. Between Hunder and Diskit, you'll encounter sand dunes along the way. Seen in isolation, you could well be standing among the sand dunes of Rajasthan's Thar Desert. It's a strange sight indeed, for immediately to the left of the road are the rocky mountains that characterize the Ladakhi landscape, and in the distance you can see snow-capped mountains.

On the way back, stop in Diskit, the main town in the Nubra Valley.  Stroll through the bazaar, observing the stores and locals going about their daily business. Diskit is famous for its 515-year-old Buddhist monastery, magnificently situated on a hilltop overlooking the entire valley.  In the late afternoon, we return to Leh via the summit of Khardungla. On arrival in Leh, check into your hotel. In the afternoon, you can rest and relax. 

In the evening, you can stroll through the market to buy last-minute souvenirs.

DAY 12 : LEH (PANGONG LAKE EXCURSION) - 14,000 FT. (140KMS/4-5HRS ONE WAY)

• Excursion to Pangong Lake

After an early breakfast, we set off for Lake Pangong via the Changla Pass, at 5486 meters above sea level. The long, easy climb takes you up to the Changla Pass on winding roads through the village of Sakti.  Stop at Changla Pass for a quick photo opportunity and descend to the village of Tangtse, where you can relax over a cup of tea.

Leaving Tangtse for Pangong, you pass through a number of small Changthang villages and finally get a sudden view of Pangong Lake at 14,000 ft (4,267 m). This famous brackish-blue Pangong Lake is 5/6 km wide and over 133 km long, with half its length on the other side of the Indochinese border. Rarely do you feel so close to nature and the environment, and the scenery is unforgettable. Following the success of 3, this magnificent natural site has attracted more and more tourists from all over the world. After spending some time in Pangong, we return to Leh in the late afternoon. 

In the evening, you can take a stroll through the market square for some last-minute souvenir shopping. 

Overnight at hotel in Leh

DAY 13 : LEH EXCURSION TO MONASTERIES (50 KMS / 02 HOURS - ONE WAY)

After breakfast, we depart for the monasteries of the Indus Valley, starting with Thiksey Monastery, an impressive complex that rises in tiers on a hill overlooking the village, Shey Palace, the ancient capital of Ladakh, the 3 Idiots Rancho School and the Sindhu Ghat. After visiting these places, we return to Leh. Stok Palace lies to the south of Leh, on the other side of the Tsangspo Monkey River. The castle was built on a hill at the edge of the village around 1825 by King Tsespal Tondup Namgyal. Evening free to explore the city at your leisure. 

Overnight at hotel.

DAY 14 : LEH - DELHI (FLIGHT)

• Visit to the Qutub Minar
• Passage through Delhi's administrative buildings and India Gate
• Visit to Gurudwara Banglas Sahib

After breakfast, transfer to Leh airport for flight to Delhi.

City tour:

Visit the Qutub Minar, a 72-metre-high minaret dating from the 12th century at the dawn of the Muslim era in India. The tower commemorates the victory of Mohammed of Ghor over the last Hindu ruler Prithviraj III in 1192. Two earthquakes in the 14th and 19th centuries severely damaged the Qutub Minar and neighboring buildings. Its five storeys are separated by balconies, the first three in red sandstone and the last two in white marble.

The afternoon will be devoted to discovering New-Delhi, a spacious city with many embassies and administrative buildings. 

Passage through the Royal Way, Rajpath, a wide avenue flanked by decorative basins. Designed by the architect Luytens, it is the scene of the annual Republic Day parade on January 26. 

At either end are the India Gate (triumphal arch) to the east and the Rashtrapati Bhawan to the west, the former residence of the viceroy and now home to the president. 

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib is one of the most famous Sikh Gurudawara (or place of worship) in the Sikh religion and renowned for its association with the eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Krishan. Inside is a swimming pool, commonly known as the "Sarovar". It was originally a Haveli occupied by Mirza Raja Jai Singh, a well-known military leader of the Aurangzeb Emperor. The complex is quite large, housing a community kitchen, a school, a dispensary, a bookshop, a museum and even a parking lot! 

Overnight at hotel.

DAY 15 : DELHI DEPARTURE

On time today morning, transfer to Delhi International Airport to board the flight to the next destination.

End of the Tour