Day 01: Arrive Delhi
Arrive in Delhi. From the airport a short car ride
brings you to the hotel, where we check in, rest for a while and later begin
with a small sightseeing around Delhi. We drive past the Presidential Palace
and The India Gate – a 42 m high arch erected in memory of fallen Indian
soldiers in the world wars. We also explore the Laxminarayan temple – dedicated
to Goddess Laxmi. Evening at leisure. Overnight in hotel.
Day 02: Delhi to Manali: (580 km’s / 11-12 hrs)
A
long day ahead, we begin early and drive across the Kangra valley towards
Manali. We get a fine glimpse of the Dhauladhar range as we traverse to the
Himalayan town. Lunch will be served en-route. After photo clicking and leisure
riding we will arrive in Manali and check in at the hotel. Rest of the evening
at leisure Overnight stay in hotel.
Day 03: In Manali: (Local sightseeing)
Situated at an altitude of (1950 m), on the sidelines of the Beas River valley,
Manali has great significence in Hindu culture as the Seven Sages of a Hindu
legend are said to have made this town their abode. Often refered as the valley
of Gods because of its close proximity with Hinduism, Manali is also known as
the gateway to the great Tibetan plateau. We will explore this quintessential
town and visit some of its architectural monuments. Our first and foremost
visit will be to the Hadimba Temple: Built in 1533 A.D. with a superbly crafted
four tiered pagoda roof, it is famous for its exquisitely carved doorway. We
next visit the Manu Temple: This is
dedicated to the sage Manu situated at old Manali. Our last visit will be to
the hot springs at Vashisth. In Vashisth there are also old temples dedicated
to the sage Vashisth and to Lord Rama. From here on we will visit the Mall for
its mountain markets. Overnight stay in hotel.
Day 04: Manali to Keylong: (115 km’s / 5-6 hrs ride)
We start on our first day of hard riding in the
Himalayas and do some roller coaster rides over the Rohtang-La pass. Rohtang La
pass stand at an altitude of 3978m on the eastern Pir Panjl range of the
Himlayas. The pass connects the Kullu valley with the Spiti valley. After we
cross the Rohtangla we continue riding after a brief stop at the pass and cross
several villages along the Lahaul valley including, Khoksar, Sissu, Gondla and
Tandi as well as the Chandra and Bhaga rivers. We arrive and check in at the
hotel in Keylong. Overnight stay in hotel.
Day 05: Keylong to Sarchu: (107 km’s / 5-6 hrs ride)
We begin our drive towards another pass today. The Pass known as
Baralachala pass is situated at a height of 4890m on the sidelines of the
Zanskar range. We descend down and continue towards Sarchu sitauted on the
state border of Himachal and Ladakh. In Sarchu we will check in at a tented
camp and spend the rest of the day in exploring the plateau. Overnight stay in
Camps.
Day 06: Sarchu to Leh: (255 km’s / 7-8 hrs ride)
Our last leg of journey of stage 01 on the National
highway from Manali to Leh will start right after an early breakfast. We leave
Sarchu and soonafter begin to ascend the Gatta loops. The twenty one loops
gradually take you to an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level. From the top
of the Gatta loops we will ride to the base of Naki La pass (15547 ft) and
onwards to the second pass known as Lachlung-La (16620 ft) above sea level. As
we descend and ride to the Morey plains we crossover a small settlement of
tents at Pang where a routine tea stop will enhance our spirits before
conquering the mighty Tanglang-La. Afterwards we will drive across a vast table-land
known as Morey plains which stretch for around 40 kilometers and are at an
average elevation of 4000 meters. We soon hit the base of Tanglang la and begin
our ascent on to the seocnd highest motorable pass in the world. The Tanglangla
pass is at a height of 5359 m above sea level. From Tanglangla we descend down
into Ladakh and cross the check post at Upshi. An hours drive from here and we
finally reach Leh and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay in hotel.
Day 07: In Leh: (Exploring the Buddhist kingdom)
After
breakfast full day sightseeing to the massive Tibetan Buddhist Gompas of Shey,
Thiksey and Hemis. A few kilometers up the Indus is Shey, the ancient capital,
with its palaces, temples, and vibrantly colored murals, cleaned and restored
in the mid 1980’s. Later we drive to visit the fortress styled monastery of
Thikse. Afterwards, we drive to visit the Hemis monastery. This monastery is
known to be the most famous and rich Buddhist temple in the entire region. The
Murals and frescoes here date back to 17th century. After we explore
the sacred monastery, we drive back to our hotel in Leh. In the evening, we
will spend some time roaming around the markets. Overnight at your hotel.
Day 08: Leh to Nubra: (130 km / 4-5 hrs drive)
We
will drive to Nubra valley in the morning, driving over the highest motored
pass in the world. The exciting journey through serpentine roads leads us to
the Khardungla Pass at an awesome height of 5550 meters. We stop at the pass to
admire and click some photographs of the fantastic view, before driving down
into the Nubra valley. The valley is situated on an old caravan route at the
confluence of the Shyok and the Nubra rivers. We drive to our fixed camp resort
and later drive to visit the charming valley, of Deskit – the tiny capital of
Nubra. The capital is marked by a single file of shops that are put up on the
main road. We will visit the DeskitGompa, perched on a rocky spur above the
village, with a commanding view of the entire valley. From Deskit we will drive
to Hunder past an area of sand dunes and get aquinted with the famous Bactrian
camels. This small population of shaggy double-humped animals, which in the old
days, were used as pack animals on the Central Asian trade routes are now used
as riding animals in the high deserts. In the late afternoon we will drive to
the camp. Overnight in camps.
Day 09: Nubra to Leh: (130 km / 4-5 hrs drive)
We
will drive back to Leh, driving on the same route and crossing the Khardungla
pass yet again. We arrive at Leh in the afternoon en-route visit the famous
Japanese pagoda known as Shanti Stupa and later settle for the day at our
hotel.
Day 10: Departure
After
breakfast drive back to the airport for your flight to any onward destination.