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Nubra Valley
Highlights: On your 8-day active vacation, we will feast on the awe-inspiring natural beauty of this amazing landscape, visit monasteries lost in times, cross the world”s highest motorable pass and walk in the wilderness of Nubra valley, where double humped Bactrian camels roam in the sands of Hunder! The journey will take us further to the largest saline water lake in Asia, which is also the highest lake in Ladakh - Pangong Tso. Participants will stay in the best available hotels in Leh and in beautifully located semi-deluxe campsites in tents near in Nubra Valley. This trip is ideal for those who wish to wander through Ladakh in “comfort and style”, the hallmark of all travel with The Wanderers.
ITINERARY:
EX - LEH AIRPORT Day 01: Arrive Leh: Altitude 11500ft.
Upon arrival in Leh, you will meet our representative at the airport and transferred by car to your Hotel. You are advised to take complete rest for acclimatization, a must at high altitude. Overnight stay in Hotel.
Day 02: Leh: Acclimatisation and a bit of sightseeing.
After lunch, if you are feeling fine, we will go on a 2-hour jeep tour starting with Sankar Gompa. Located on a valley floor it is home to the Lamas who belong to the yellow sect of Buddhism and worship his Holiness - The Dalai Lama. Next, we will visit Shanti Stupa; a Buddhist religious monument built by an Indian based Japanese Monk whose intention was to spread Buddhisim by building such stupas throughout the world. Later we will visit Leh Palace, built in the 17th century and looking to the entire world like a miniature version of the Potala in Lhasa. The rest of the day is free for personal activities. Meals and overnight at Hotel.
Day 03: Drive to Nubra Valley over the world”s highest motorable pass, Khardungla!
The 145kms/ 7 hr journey commences in the morning with a steep and grinding uphill drive to Khardungla (18300ft). In 3 hrs, we climb over 7000ft! For most part of the uphill drive we are able to see the town of Leh becoming smaller and smaller. A brief halt at the Pass, some memorable moments are photographed and then the drive down to Nubra Valley. We make our way to the picturesque campsite for overnight stay. If time permits, we will go for a short hike nearby.
Day 04: Exploring Nubra Valley - A glimpse of Heaven!
The upper Shyok and Nubra rivers drain the east and west sides of the Saser Spur, the easternmost outcrop of the Karakoram. The name Nubra is applied to the district comprising the valleys of the Nubra River, and that of the Shyok both above and below their confluence. The wide valley floor itself is covered with dense thickets of seabuckthorn - a thorny shrub- which is used by the villagers for fencing and fuel. The villages are large and prosperous and have thick plantations of willow and poplar. The average altitude of the valley is 10,000ft and summer temperatures vary between 15-28 deg C. The feeling of vastness is an all pervading and a sense of remoteness lies suspended above you. Today we explore the villages of Diskit and Hunder on the western floor and the villages of Sumur, Tegar and Panamik (with its hot springs) on the eastern floor of the valley. You will visit the gompas in the valley including the famous Shamsteling Gompa at Sumur and Diskit Gompa. Strong walkers may opt for Ensa gompa too. There is a palace atop a solitary hillock near Sumur village, from where Nubra's ancient kings ruled. The hot springs at Panamik (known for curing skin diseases and stomach ulcers), Saharan sand dunes between Diskit and Hunder surrounded by snow capped peaks, an amazing camel safari on the dunes on the double humped bactrian camel (residing in the jungles beyond Hundar) make this day one of the highlights of the tour. Overnight at Nubra Camp. Note: If time permits, we will explore Hunder and Diskit on Day 3 itself, so that we have more time to explore the Eastern area today, including a visit to the “jheel”, a pond in the midst of the rocky hills approached over a sandbank.
Day 5: Nubra to Leh. 7 hrs.
After a leisurely breakfast, we drive to Leh. Overnight at Leh.
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Hemis Monastery | Day 6: At Leh.
Full day excursion to Shey, Thikse, Hemis, and Stok. Today we will visit the southern circuit of Shey, Thikse, Hemis and Stok. Shey (15kms) is the oldest of them all. Perched on top of a huge rock are the royal palace and temples resplendent with brilliantly colored murals and a 7.5 metre gold statue of the Buddha. Stok Palace over the bridge and across the river from Leh is the home of the former royal family. The last king of Ladakh died here in 1974. The palace museum here has a multitude of beautiful royal costumes and jewellery, exquisite thangkas (cloth paintings), porcelain artifacts, weapons and some fine masks. Spectacularly located Thikse monastery (20 kms) has an excellent collection of Tibetan books and is noted for its excellent artwork. From the roof, one can get fabulous views of the valleys and villages. Take a break at the small café in the monastery. Hemis monastery the largest gompa in Ladakh is about 43 kms south of Leh. It is known for its exceptional library and for its grand summer festival that celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. The largest thangka in Ladakh is kept in the precincts of this gompa. It is unfolded only once every 12 years. Meals and overnight at Hotel in Leh.
Day 7: Day trip to Pangong lake & return
Day trip to Pangong Tso lake! 5 hrs one way drive. At 14,000 ft, it is simply awesome! Its blue green waters reflect the entire mountain scape surrounding it. It is the largest saline water lake in Asia. The Lake is virtually an inland sea, 150 km long and 10 km wide. Pangong Tso is the highest lake in Ladakh and is flanked by massive peaks over 6500 m high and extends almost in a straight line, way into Tibet. In fact only a quarter of the lake is in India and rest in China. You will see spectacular views of the mountains of the Changchenmo range to the north, their reflections shimmering in the ever-changing blues and greens of the lake's brackish waters. Above Spangmik are the glaciers and snow-capped peaks of the Pangong range. Spangmik and a scattering of other tiny villages along the lake's southern shore are the summer homes of a scanty population of Chang-pa, the nomadic herds people of Tibet and South east Ladakh. The Pangong Changpa cultivates crops of barley and peas in summer. It is in winter that they unfold their tents (rebo) and take their flocks of sheep and pashmina goats out to distant pastures. Return by late evening. Overnight at Leh.
Day 8: Leh Departure:
Check out from hotel in time to catch your flight back home. Those wanting to take the Leh-Manali highway may do so at extra cost.
End of Tour
At Nubra
Valley the stay is a fixed tent camp. The camp has unattached English
style toilets. Location is fabulous. Nubra Valley is a must see.
Rooms in Leh
and tents at Nubra and other places are not very large. For 2 adults
and 2 children we suggest accommodation in two rooms
Package Price:
INR 21,000/- per person (Minimum 04 persons traveling)
INR 25,900/- per person (Minimum 02 persons traveling)
Package Includes:
• Leh; Stay at Lha Ri Sa (no equivalent) or another ‘A’ Category Hotels with all (Breakfast & Dinner only).
• Nubra Stay: with all meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
• Visit to Pangong lake &back
• All transfers and sightseeing by one non-AC car/gypsy as per programme.
• Restricted area permit for Nubra Valley.
The cost excludes:
1. Airfare & airport tax.
2. Government Service Tax
3. Guide @ Rs.900 per day extra.
4. Monastery entrance fee.
5. Any expenses of personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone / fax calls, insurance.
6. Any expenses caused by reasons beyond our control such as natural calamities (landslides, floods), flight delays, rescheduling or cancellations, any accidents, medical evacuations, riots, strikes, etc.
7. Any tips to drivers, hotel staff, any meals apart from the ones mentioned above.
8. Any other tax or service charge that could be enforced during this period will be extra and need to be borne by you.
Payment terms: 100% payment in advance in favour of " WANDERERS LEISURE TRAVELS PVT LTD", payable in Mumbai by local cheque / demand draft / cash.
Note:
- The Wanderers or its associates are not liable for any kind of natural calamities, strike, Bandh, train & airline delay or cancellation.
- Nature of the tour: This is designed as an ‘active vacation’. The idea being to get people to the heart of nature. The first things that are sacrificed are the ‘normal comforts’ one expects on a ‘sight seeing’ tour. Many are first timers to a trip of this sort and yet have the maximum fun! We advise you not to book this safari if you do not enjoy travelling with others and are not prepared to sacrifice the comforts, which a more ‘deluxe’ holiday to the cities might get you.
- Non-smoking: Being a high altitude trip, smoking and drinking is not advisable.
- What to Carry: One sturdy rucksack or duffel bag, pullover, jacket, hiking/ walking shoes with rubber sole, cap, gloves, woollen balaclava (monkey-cap), torch, general clothing (emphasis on travelling light), sun-glasses, sun screen lotion. In addition, we advise you to also carry shorts and T-shirt, sandals/loafers.
- BAGGAGE RULE: Baggage is entirely at ‘owners risk’. As this trip involves a lot of travelling in mountain areas, we do not wish to over-burden the vehicle, as it is unsafe. Hence, please travel light.
- Climate from June-September: This is without doubt, one of the best times to visit Ladakh. Leh will be cold in the nights and early mornings and during the daytime the weather will fluctuate from being pleasant to chilly. In Nubra Valley, the days can be surprisingly warm one instant and cold the next with sudden winds blowing. In the Himalayas, weather is unpredictable and one should be prepared for drastic weather changes!
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