Welcome to the land of chanting lamas and mystic mountains. You witness one of the most spectacular landscapes whether you fly in or drive to Leh. We will receive you at the airport and provide you the transfers.

We recommend that you spend the first day acclimatizing your body as we set you up just outside the Leh town. Warm yourself up with short walks along the Indus river which is also called the cradle to the Indus valley civilization and hot homely food under the starry sky.

Note: We can also set up accommodations, pickup, and transfers from New Delhi on request.

Travel medium: Private car | Difficulty: Easy

We spend the next two days exploring the Sham valley and its many villages such as Alchi, Likir, and Nimmu, and perhaps travel as far as Lamayuru. Your village visits will include experiences with the daily life of the locals. You will also witness the beautiful confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers.

We travel along the Palam hills to visit the Stok, Hemis, and Thiksey monasteries. The experience of visiting a Ladakhi monastery is enhanced if it comes with the storytelling on Buddhism, the wall murals, and the life of the monks.

Option: If you are interested in exploring on foot, this can be done as a complete walking expedition rather than with a car. The number of days may vary.

Travel medium: Private car/ walking | Difficulty: Easy

Over the next few days, we experience driving over the Khardung-La (‘La’ stands for mountain pass) and eventually descending to the Nubra valley. Contrary to the general perception of the Ladakh landscape, Nubra valley is green. In fact, ‘Nubra’ translates to a ‘garden’ in the local language. We travel to the Khardung and Khalsar villages before arriving in Disket at the confluence of the Nubra and Shyok rivers.

We travel to Turtuk where you will experience a culture that is a mix of Muslim, Buddhist and ancient Persian traditions that were brought to this land by travelers along the ancient Silk routes.

Witness the Hunder sand dunes and double-humped Bactrian camels, and complete this part of the journey with a cooking experience at a Ladakhi home.

Travel medium: Private car | Difficulty: Medium

We travel back to Leh for an overnight stay to prepare for the next part of our journey to Changtang.

Option: You can choose to do the Hemis national park here for a few days.

Travel medium: Private car | Difficulty: Medium

Changtang is a high-altitude plateau that stretches from eastern Ladakh to China passing through Tibet. We travel via Debring and arrive at Tso-Kar and Tso-Moriri (‘Tso’ stands for lake). Over the two days, we generally start the day early, explore the lakes and hot springs, and return to our cozy homes while there is still daylight.

This region is home to ‘Kiang’ – the Tibetan wild ass, marmots, and blue sheep, and some of the most beautiful birds such as the black-headed crane and brown-headed gull.

Option: You can do an extended stay in Changtang with the Changpa nomads.

Travel medium: Private car | Difficulty: Medium

We travel back to Leh for an overnight stay and explore the town on your own.

Travel medium: Private car | Difficulty: Medium

After an amazing journey and experiences with the people, we say goodbye to Ladakh for a morning flight back to Delhi.