India - Ladakh Tour - full itinerary

Day 1:
Arrival in Delhi
We will arrange for you to be picked up from the airport. Nathan runs the optional pre-tour technical and aesthetic workshop from around 1-5pm for those new to travel photography or who feel they would benefit from a refresher course. There will be a pre-tour meet ‘n’ greet with Nathan at the hotel starting at around 6pm.

Day 2:
Delhi — Leh — Alchi
We leave the hotel very early this morning for our flight to Leh. Upon arrival, we drive on the Indus River route to visit the lovely oasis of Alchi in the outer Zanskar region. The journey gets more interesting as we drive past colourful villages and hillside monasteries. 

We spend the afternoon and evening resting to acclimatise to the high altitude. Alchi is 500m lower than Leh, making acclimatisation easier, and has one or two relaxing cafés where you can kick back and watch the world go by.

Day 3:
Alchi — Lamayuru
Early this morning, we embark on a gentle village photo walk around Alchi homes and fields. After breakfast, we drive along the Indus Valley to Lamayuru, about 65 km away, passing en route through the 'moon land', a unique landscape of rock formations. After lunch at Lamayuru we visit the village and the monastery, one of the oldest gompas of Ladakh with more than 400 Buddhist monks undergoing training. We have got to know some of the monks over the years, and they will be happy to have a few photos taken around the monastery. 

We then have time to explore the area. The monastery is located on a sediment rock hill cliff and appears precariously balanced by some strange mystical power unknown to humans. Next to the cliff is a deep gorge where the Lamayaru River meanders like a snake through the valley. The village is located below the monastery close to the river and starts to come to life as the locals return from work in the late afternoon. 

The green fields around the village and the stream flowing through the fields make a refreshing change from the other-worldly environment of Lamayuru.

Day 4:
Lamayuru — Dah
After breakfast, we drive to the Dah Valley, which takes about 4 hours, including a few stops en route at some local villages. Upon arrival, we check into our camp, and later in the afternoon, we visit the Dah Village. Dah is popularly called the last Aryan village in India and is the only place to meet the Aryan tribe. The people here still follow their old traditions and marry within the community, as the people here believe that Aryans can marry only Aryans. We walk around the village and introduce you to some of the elders, still in traditional dress.

Day 5:
Dah — Leh
After breakfast, we retrace our route to Leh, visiting the Phyang Monastery to witness its biggest festival - Phyang Tsesdup. We spend a couple of hours here and enjoy the masked dance. The colourful dancers present fantastic photographic opportunities as they whirl around the monastery's courtyard. We then continue to Leh, where we have time to explore the streets and markets around the hotel after lunch.

Day 6:
Leh
After breakfast, we explore Leh, a bustling town dominated by the elevated Leh Palace. The walk-up is quite steep but undoubtedly worth it for the view from the top. On the way, we explore the winding and dusty streets of the old area, which has many ancient houses and shops, including bakers making naan bread in the traditional tandoor ovens. In the evening, we visit Leh Castle for sunset shots amongst the flutter of colourful prayer flags.

Day 7:
Leh — Nubra
Today we drive up and over the impressive Khardungla Pass, at 5300m above sea level. It is supposedly the highest driveable pass in the world, and as you can imagine, it twists and turns, offering us vista after spectacular vista. But, despite being sparsely populated, we make time for a few landscape shots and comfort stops along the way. 

We then drive along the Shyok River basin from the pass towards the Hunder region in the Nubra Valley. The scenery here is raw, primaeval even, but is constantly changing, and the region is famous for its farms, sand dunes, and Bactrian camels. On arrival, we will settle into the resort before arranging a sunset photo session in the sand dunes with local camel herders. 

Day 8:
Nubra Valley and Around
Early In the morning, we photograph some local archers next to small lakes with beautiful reflections before we visit the picturesque Diskit monastery and photograph Diskit's giant Buddha statue

In the afternoon, we drive to visit another village called Hunder Dok (a drive of about 1 hour each way from the hotel). The village is remote even by Ladakh standards and only has 24 families on the official record, but their old way of life will be well preserved and authentic. Daily life here can be fascinating.

Day 9:
Nubra — Leh  
After breakfast, we begin our long drive back towards Leh, which takes around 4 hours. We never tire of the views, however, and we can stop as often as you like to take photographs. Upon arrival in Leh, we transfer straight to the hotel for a well-deserved rest. We are free this afternoon to explore Leh at oour leisure.

Day 10:
Leh — Tsomoriri
Before breakfast, we visit Thiksey monastery, the largest gompa in central Ladakh. Set on top of a hill around 20km east of Leh, it’s one of the few monasteries that will let us photograph their early morning Puja. 

After a packed breakfast, we start our long drive along the Indus Valley to one of the most spectacular lakes of the Himalayan region, Tsomoriri. The valley narrows, and we pass through some stunning mountain scenery. On the way, we hope to encounter nomads with their herds of yaks and pashmina goats.

The freshwater lake is approximately 40 km long and is situated at an altitude of 4500m, flanked by the Trans Himalayan and the Greater Himalayan ranges. We also explore the local village and its monastery. We have timed this tour to coincide with the Korzok Gustor festival, celebrated by the monks and villagers. We will witness full-dress (except masks) rehearsals this afternoon before the main event tomorrow. We stay overnight in comfortable pre-fab bungalows.

Day 11:
Tsomoriri
Before breakfast, we visit some nomadic sheep herders who will be nearby because of the festival. After breakfast, the rest of the day will be given over to photographing the fully masked Korzok Gustor festival. The performance and the audience provide endless photo opportunities and should be regarded as a real highlight of the whole tour.

Day 12:
Tsomoriri — Leh
After breakfast, we check out from the camps and retrace our journey back to Leh. Catching the light from different angles at different times of day, we hope to make some excellent stops along the way. When we reach Leh, we have free time to shop or grab some last-minute shots before settling down for our farewell dinner.

Day 13:
Depart for Delhi (or optional Agra extension):
Early in the morning, we leave for the airport to catch our flight to Delhi. Those of us joining the extension to Agra will drive from the airport, arriving in the middle of the afternoon.

Agra Extension (optional)
We should arrive in Agra by mid-afternoon and, if time allows, we visit some laundry ghats and an industrial railway station, before ending up taking sunset shots of the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River.


Day 14:
Agra — Delhi
Arguably one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, a World Heritage site, and one of the seven wonders of the world, The Taj Mahal is on our agenda this morning. We will be inside as soon as the sun rises and we can spend as much time here as we like before returning to the hotel by tuk-tuk for breakfast.

Later, we travel back to Delhi arriving at around 4pm (16:00). You may fly out in the evening, or we can arrange for you to stay an additional night (at your expense) and depart the next day.

We hope that you will have had a memorable adventure!