Mystical Ladakh

• Masked cham dances and monastery celebrations at a local tsedup festival
• Morning chanting of Gelug Buddhist monks at Thiksey Monastery
• Nubra Valley’s dramatic high desert landscapes with optional day hikes
• Meetings with local Ladakhi artisans and experts on history and culture
• Elaborate paintings and architecture of important Buddhist monasteries
• Travel with local photographer and well-known trip leader Manoj Sharma

On this trip to Ladakh, you’ll journey into the high Himalaya where dramatic landscapes meet colorful traditions in an annual Buddhist festival. Witness the chanting of maroon-robed monks, explore whitewashed monasteries and royal palaces, and ramble on the edge of a national park at Thiksey. Travel to the remote Nubra Valley with its glistening sand dunes and Bactrian camels, then onward towards the Pakistani border, visiting Balti villages along the way. Drive through spectacular scenery and high mountain passes, stopping to admire intricate Buddhist paintings and inspiring statues at Alchi. Walk among apricot orchards and chortens between Hemis Schukpachen and Ang, and wonder at the ancient complexes and religious artifacts at Phyang and Spituk.