Soul of Ladakh
An 8-day journey through the living heart of Ladakhi Buddhism. Visit the great monasteries of the Sham valley (Lamayuru, Alchi and Likir) and the Indus valley (Shey, Thiksey and Hemis), sit with a Ladakhi oracle, then cross the Khardung La to the gompas of Nubra before ending at the high lakes of Pangong and Tso Moriri. The pace is slow, with time to join morning prayers and simply be still.
Transfer from the airport to your hotel and rest for the day to acclimatise to Leh's 3,500m altitude.
Drive west along the Indus to Lamayuru, one of Ladakh's oldest monasteries, set above the eroded 'moonland'. Visit the 11th-century Alchi monastery, famous for its Kashmiri-style murals, and Likir monastery with its giant seated Maitreya Buddha. Return to Leh.
Visit Shey palace and its great copper Buddha, then Thiksey monastery, built in the style of the Potala, and Hemis, Ladakh's largest and wealthiest monastery. In the afternoon, sit in on a session with a Ladakhi oracle (lhamo), a trance healing tradition still practised in the villages around Leh (subject to availability).
Cross the Khardung La (5,359m) into the Nubra valley. Visit Diskit monastery and its 32m Maitreya statue overlooking the valley, then walk the sand dunes at Hunder. Overnight in Nubra.
Visit Samstanling monastery at Sumur and the small Ensa monastery, walk to the sacred lake of Yarab Tso, and soak in the Panamik hot springs. Overnight in Nubra.
Drive along the Shyok river to Pangong Tso, the long blue lake that stretches into Tibet. Quiet evening by the shore. Overnight at Pangong.
Drive south through Changthang to Tso Moriri and visit Korzok monastery, one of the highest in Ladakh, on the lake's western shore. Overnight at Korzok.
Drive back to Leh (about 6 hrs) and rest for the evening.
More soul of ladakh
EasyA gentle walk up the Sang (Shang) valley, a green side valley off the Indus near Hemis. Starting from Martselang, the trail follows the stream through barley fields and poplar groves to the village of Shang, its old gompa perched high above braided irrigation channels, and on to the new Shang monastery and Shang Sumdo. Do it as a day walk, or stay the night with a local family.
EasyA day in Stok, the village of Ladakh's royal family, just 15 km from Leh across the Indus. Explore Stok palace, built in 1820 by King Tsepal Namgyal and still home to the royal family, with a museum of royal costumes, jewellery, coins and thangkas. Visit Stok monastery, then wander through the barley fields and lanes of the village below Stok Kangri.
ModerateA full-day walk between two of the Sham region's most isolated villages. Tar can only be reached on foot, through a dramatic river gorge from Nurla on the Leh–Kargil highway. From Tar a steep zigzag trail climbs to the Hipti La (4,200m), with wide views over the Sham mountains and the Indus, before dropping to the small farming village of Hipti. Keep an eye out for blue sheep on the slopes.
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