EXPLORE INDIA - 10
Leh Ladakh (8Days/7Nights)
Day 01
Arrival at Leh
Since its inauguration, Shanti Stupa has become a popular tourist attraction. According to The Hindu it is the "most famous tourist attraction" around Leh, though its architectural style is different from the Ladakhi style. The Shanti Stupa overlooks the city of Leh, providing panoramic views of the city, the village of Changspa, Namgyal Tsemo in the distance and the surrounding mountains. Sunrise and sunset are considered to provide the best views from Shanti Stupa. The stupa is illuminated with lights at night. The stupa is open for tourists between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Overnight in Leh
Day 02
Shey Gompa
The Shey Gompa is a Buddhist monastery located in the She Phoksundo rural municipality of the Dolpa district in Nepal at an elevation of 4200m. Shey Gompa means the Crystal Monastery in Tibetan. It was established in the 11th century. The monastery is the spiritual heart of Upper Dolpa.
The monastery has a two-story building coloured in red and the interior has various Buddhist paintings.
A festival called Shey Mela is organized every twelve years. It is believed that in 1220 BS, the Kagyu tribe came to this place and started this festival as a symbol of winning against the evil spirits, the Rakshyas.
Thiksey Gompa
The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus Valley. It is a twelve-storey complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One of the main points of interest is the Maitreya Temple installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to this monastery in 1970; it contains a 15 metres (49 ft) high statue of Maitreya, the largest such statue in Ladakh, covering two stories of the building.
Hemis Monastery
Hemis Monastery is a Himalayan Buddhist monastery of the Drukpa Lineage, in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, it was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festival honouring Padmasambhava is held there in early June.
Overnight in Leh
Day 03
Nubra valley
The Nubra valley was open for tourists up to Hunder (the land of sand dunes) until 2010. The region beyond Hunder gives way to a greener region of Ladakh because of its lower altitude. The village of Turtuk which was unseen by tourists till 2010 is a virgin destination for people who seek peace and an interaction with a tribal community of Ladakh. The local Muslim tribe, Balti people, follows its age-old customs in their lifestyle and speak a language which is just spoken and not written. For tourists Turtuk offers serene camping sites with environment friendly infrastructure.
Overnight in Leh
Day 04
Diskit Monastery
Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh, northern India.
It belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded by Changzem Tserab Zangpo, a disciple of Tsong Khapa, founder of Gelugpa, in the 14th century. It is a sub-gompa of the Thikse gompa.
Lachung Temple and Hundur Monastery are also located nearby, the latter is below the main road near a bridge.
Overnight in Leh
Day 05
The Changtang
The Changtang is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India with vast highlands and giant lakes. From eastern Ladakh, the Changtang stretches approximately 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) east into Tibet as far as modern Qinghai. The Changtang is home to the Changpa, a nomadic Tibetan people. The two largest settlements within the Tibetan Changtang are Rutog Town the seat of Rutog County and Domar Township the seat of Shuanghu County.
Overnight in here
Day 06
Himalayan marmots
The Himalayan marmot is a marmot species that inhabits alpine grasslands throughout the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau. It is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern because of its wide range and possibly large population. The Himalayan marmot has a dense woolly fur that is rufous grey on the back and rufous yellowish on ears, belly, and limbs. The bridge of its nose and end of tail is dark brown It is one of the largest marmots in the world, being about the size of a large housecat. Average body mass ranges from 4 to 9.2 kg, with weights lowest post-hibernation in spring and highest prior to it in autumn. In the autumn, average weight is reportedly more than 7 kg in both sexes. Total length is about 45 to 67 cm with a tail length of 12 to 15 cm.
Overnight in Leh
Day 07
Magnet Hill
Magnet Hill is a gravity hill located near Leh in Ladakh, India.[1] The layout of the area and surrounding slopes create the optical illusion of a hill. The hill road is actually a downhill road. Objects and cars on the hill road may appear to roll uphill in defiance of gravity when they are, in fact, rolling downhill.[2] It is 7.5 km southeast of Nimmoo and 26.5 km west of Leh on Srinagar-Ladakh road.
Gurudwara Patthar Sahib
Gurdwara Panja Sahib is a famous gurdwara located in Hasan Abdal, Pakistan. The shrine is considered to be particularly important as the handprint of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, is believed to be imprinted on a boulder at the gurdwara.
Spituk Gompa
Spituk Monastery, also known as Spituk Gompa or Pethup Gompa, is a Buddhist monastery in Spituk, Leh district, Ladakh, northern India. 8 kilometres from Leh. The site of Spituk was blessed by the Arhat Nyimagung. It was founded by Od-de, the elder brother of Lha Lama Changchub Od when he came to Maryul in the 11th Century. He introduced the monastic community. When Lotsewa Rinchen Zangpo (Translator) came to that place he said that an exemplary religious community would arise there and so the monastery was called spituk (exemplary). During the time of Dharma raja Gragspa Bum-Ide the monastery was restored by Lama Lhawang Lodos and the stainless order of Tsonkhapa was introduced and it has remained intact as such till present. Founded as a Red Hat institution, the monastery was taken over by the Yellow Hat sect in the 15th century.
Visit Ladakh Hall of Fame
You can see the memorabilia, images, weapons, History about the Ladakh, Culture, Dress code, Fauna, and flora.
Overnight in Leh
Day 08
Move back to Airport