Best of Ladakh including Hemis Festival

Welcome to India! Upon arrival at the airport in Delhi, our representative will meet you and escort you to the hotel. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure exploring the local area and relaxing in the hotel. Our friendly guide and hotel staff will be on hand should you need restaurant recommendations or general provisions.

We will take an early morning flight to Leh, the spectacular capital of Ladakh. Our flight will pass over multiple Himalayan ranges, which serves as a fantastic photo opportunity. Leh is framed on all sides by the towering Himalayas, with the mighty Indus River roaring in the valley below. After checking into our hotel, we’ll take a walking tour of Leh Bazaar, an important stop on trade routes dating as far back as the third century. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure to rest and acclimatise.

After breakfast, we’ll visit Gompa Soma, a Buddhist temple constructed in 1840 at the base of the towering Leh Palace. Afterwards, we’ll head to Moti Market for an exploration of Leh’s old bazaar, which has a rich history that can be traced back to the Asian spice trade. The afternoon is yours to rest, explore, or sip traditional Tibetan butter tea at your leisure.

Today we’ll attend the Hemis Festival, an annual celebration of the birth of Guru Padmasambhava. After an early breakfast we’ll travel to the Hemis Monastery, the largest and richest monastery in Ladakh. At 9am the celebrations will begin in the courtyard, which will quickly fill up with locals and Buddhist pilgrims.

The festival highlight is the gathering of the lamas around the central flagpole to perform mystical mask dances (Chams) and sacred plays. Dressed in colourful bright brocades with vibrantly decorated and richly adorned papier-mache masks, the dancers will enact an elaborate combat between good spirits and evil demons to the clatter of drums, cymbals and long horns. For other tour dates not including the Hemis Festival: We’ll spend the day exploring Leh with a guided tour, including a visit to the Royal Palace. Constructed in the 17th century, this imposing nine story stone palace is one of the most captivating architectural ruins in the region. Situated in the foothills of a barren landscape, the palace was built as a residence for the King and to mark the reunification of Upper and Lower Ladakh.

After breakfast we’ll take a sightseeing tour of Stok Palace, Shey Palace and Thiksey Monastery. Stok Palace is the home of the present-day royal family. The palace and accompanying museum were built in 1825 by King Tespal Thondup Namgyal. At present the palace has a collection of elaborate royal dresses and crowns on display. Shey Palace was built by Deldan Namgyal at the beginning of the 17th century AD. The main image in the monastery is a three-story statue of Buddha Shakyamuni made of copper gilt made in the memory of Deldan Namgyal’s father Singay Namgyal. The statue is the only one of its kind in the region. Thiksey Gompa belongs to the Gelugpa order of Buddhism and is considered to be the most beautiful of all the monasteries in Ladakh. After our day of sightseeing, we’ll return to Leh in the evening to rest and eat dinner.

After breakfast we’ll travel to the village of Lamayuru, a spectacular 3-hour drive outside of Leh. Our journey will weave through remote mountain passes and deep river valleys that will embed themselves eternally in your heart and mind.

In Lamayuru we’ll visit the local monastery and gompa and then climb to the high point overlooking the town for unrivalled views across this spectacular region. The afternoon is at your leisure to enjoy the lunar-like white stone surroundings. We’ll spend the night in either Lamayuru or the nearby village of Alchi.

We’ll begin our return journey to Leh by way of Alchi, an ancient Buddhist village on the banks of the Indus River. Alchi Gompa is considered one of the oldest Buddhist sites in the region, dating back to the 10th Century. We’ll spend the morning observing the comings and goings of the monastery and browsing for handicrafts. Our afternoon drive back to Leh offers a spectacular setting for final thoughts and reflection on our journey and discoveries.

After breakfast we’ll return to Delhi by plane. After we arrive in Delhi, you can and continue on to your final destination.