High Passes and Lakes

Morning after breakfast visit Hall of Fame, Spituk Monastery and Kali Mata Temple, Magnetic Hill,  Gurudwara Patthar Sahib and Confluence of Zanskar - Indus rivers. Return to Leh for lunch (on own). Evening free to walk to Leh bazaar from where you can have magnificent view of Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Leh.

LADAKH HALL OF FAME: The Hall of Fame is a glorious museum constructed by the Indian Army. It is worth a visit for every citizen. You can see the memorabilia, eminent defense personalities with biographies, images and  weapons used during the Kargil and other key strategic battles fought in Ladakh.  And belongings of the enemy soldiers found at war site. All the martyr and the gallantry awards. Here’s something that you will be proud of our defense personnel who sacrificed themselves so that we could live in peace.

SPITUK GOMPA: 8 Kms from Leh, it stands prominently on the top of hillock commanding a panoramic view of the Indus Valley for miles. Many icons of Buddha and fine Thankas are to be found in this 15^th century Gompa. The Gompa also houses a collection of ancient masks, antique arms, and an awe-inspiring image of Mahakaal. The face of the Kali image is kept covered and is revealed only at the annual function at January every year.

MAGNETIC HILL : Defying the Law of gravity. This place is close to the Gurdwara Shri Patthar Sahib. It has been noticed that when a vehicle is parked on neutral gear on this metallic road the vehicle slides up-hill that’s the Believe it or not of Ladakh!

GURDWARA SHRI PATTHAR SAHIB:

Situated 25 miles from Leh, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib stands at the place where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion and the first guru, is believed to have vanquished a demon. According to legend, during his sojourn in Ladakh, Guru Nanak was attacked by a demon. The demon threw a large boulder on the guru as he sat at the base of a hill meditating. However, the rock became soft like molten wax and failed to cause any harm to the Sikh guru. The demon was in for a surprise when he found the Sikh guru unscathed. Bristling with fury, the demon tried to crush Guru Nanak by kicking the boulder with all his might. To his surprise, the demon’s foot caused a deep impression in the boulder which had turned soft. Realizing that the man in front of him was no mortal soul, the demon underwent a transformation and stopped harassing the people. The boulder with the imprints of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the foot of daemon still rests there. The gurudwara is maintained today by the Indian Army. It is a tradition for vehicles to stop and pay obeisance at the temple.

Morning after breakfast drive to to Pangong Lake on the Indo China border. Evening back to hotel in Leh for dinner and overnight.

THE PANGONG LAKE : This route takes the visitor past the picturesque villages of Shey and Thiksey, and turns off the Indus valley by the side valley of Chemrey and Sakti. The Ladakh range is crossed by the Chang-la (18,000 feet / 5,475 M) which despite its great elevation is one of the easier passes, remaining open for much of the year even in winter, apart from periods of actual snowfall. Tangse, just beyond the foot of the pass, has an ancient temple.

But the main attraction of this circuit is the Pangong Lake, situated at 14,000 feet (4,267 M). A long narrow basin of inland drainage, hardly six to seven kilometers at its widest point to which foreigners are permitted, is only some seven km along the southern shore from the head of the lake, but it affords spectacular views of the mountains of the Changchenmo range to the north, their reflection shimmering in the ever-changing blues and greens of the lakes brackish water. Above Spangmik are the glacier and snow-capped peaks of the Pangong range. 

After breakfast prepare yourself for the ultimate adventure of your life. We will drive upto the Kardungla Top to have a magnificent view of the surrounding valleys. Return to Leh. In the evening take a stroll to the market for shopping. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Leh.

khardungla pass: The road journey to Nubra valley leads through Khardung La pass (The highest Motorable road in the world) 18,390 ft. around 39 Kms. Away from Leh. There are two checkpoints on the both sides of the pass. Khardong is the first village of Nubra valley at higher altitude than Deskit and other villages.

Morning after breakfast, drive to Thiksey village, visit Thiksey monastery and drive to Shey Village to visit Shey Palace and Gompa. Continue drive to Hemis monastery to visit one of the most famous monasteries of Ladakh. Later on the way back to Leh get down at the Sindhu Ghat for Sindhu Darshan and walk along the river. After spending some time at the river return to Hotel and relax. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Leh.

THIKSEY GOMPA: 19 Kms from Leh, spectacularly sited, Thiksey is one of the largest and architecturally most impressive Gompas. There are several temples in this Gompas, containing images, stupas and wall paintings of Buddha, which are exquisite.

SHEY PALACE AND GOMPA: Situated on a hillock 15 Kms upstream from Leh, it was once the residence of the royal family. According to tradition, it was the seat of power of the pre-Tibetan kinds. A 7.5 mts high copper statue of Buddha, plated with gold and the largest of its kind, is installed here.

HEMIS GOMPA: 40 Kms from Leh, it is the wealthiest, best known and biggest Gompa of Ladakh. Its popularity stems from the major annual festival held here in summer. The festival is in honor of Guru Padma Sambhava’s birth anniversary. It also has the largest Thanka in Ladakh which is unfurled once in 12 years Hemis was built in 1630 during the reign of Singge Namgyal, an illustrious ruler of Ladakh. It flourished under the Namgyal Dynasty for the royalty favored the Drugpa sect, which is managed the monastery. It is divided into two, the assembly hall on the right and the main temple on the left. The hall (Dukhang) is also used as “green room” by the dancers during the festival. The temple is known as Tshogkhang. The verandahs have a surfeit of frescoes, among them the Buddhist “Wheel Of Life” (Kalachakra) and the lords of the four quarters, besides the prayer wheel.

SINDHU GHAT: The Sindhu Ghat at Choglamsar village at the bank of River Indus has been inaugurated on the 1^st of June 2001 by Hon’ble Minister for Home Shri L. K. Advani. Every year Sindhu festival is held on this bank of river, forges bonds of unity between communities. The festival is an ideal opportunity for travelers from all over the country and the world to visit this wonderful region and to savour its rugged beauty and charm.

Leave on time for Leh airport to board your flight to Delhi.

TOUR ENDS - :