The Himalayan Trails
Duration : 19 Nights / 20 Days
Places Covered : Delhi - Amritsar - Dharamshala - Manali - Keylong -
Sarchu - Leh - Alchi - Ulletokpo - Leh - Nubra - Tirith (Deskit) - Teggar -
Leh - Delhi - Agra - Delhi
Day
1 : Arrive Delhi
Arrive Delhi. Meeting and assistance on arrival at Delhi Airport and transfer
to the hotel. On arrival, check in at the hotel.
Delhi - the capital of India, is a fascinating city with complexities and contradictions,
beauty and dynamism, where the past co-exists with the present. Many dynasties
ruled from here and the city is rich in the architecture of its monuments. Delhi
is not only the present metropolis of India but also a Necropolis. Because of
its location, being on the banks of the river Yamuna, many cities have risen
and fallen over the last five millenniums.
Overnight in Delhi.
Day 2 : Delhi
Morning proceed on a city tour visiting the historic Red Fort and the Jama Masjid,
India's largest mosque from the outside. See the colourful bazaar of Chandni
Chowk and take a cycle rickshaw ride through the back streets of Old Delhi to
get a first hand experience of the hustle and bustle of this traditional city.
This ride through the small by-lanes will be most fascinating.
Return to the hotel enroute doing the tour of New Delhi visiting the Qutab Minar,
a tower of victory built in the 12th century and India Gate - the war memorial.
Overnight in Delhi
Day 3 : Delhi - Amritsar
Morning : Transfer to the Railway station to board the train for Amritsar. Meeting
and assistance on arrival at Amritsar Railway station and transfer to the hotel.
The city of Amritsar founded in 1579 means a "Pool of Nectar". It
is constructed at a sacred site gifted by the Mughal Emperor Akbar to Guru Ram
Das, in the 16th century. It is the most holy place of worship for the Sikhs
all over the world.
Afternoon : Proceed on a tour of the city visiting the Golden Temple is also
known as Hari Mandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib and is in the centre of the pool.
It is one of the most interesting temples of the world. The holy book of the
Sikhs, the Granth Sahib is venerated in the Sanctum Sanctorum. The temple has
four entrances, one in each direction, symbolizing that it is open to all peoples
regardless of sex, caste, religion or creed. Inside the Temple one can see and
hear musicians continuously singing the holy songs from the Granth Sahib.
Also visit the Jallianwala Bagh, is a garden where 1,500 Indians were massacred
by the British under the orders of General Dwyer in 1919. This event was one
of the many that triggered the Quit India movement of 1942 of Mahatma Gandhi.
Overnight in Amritsar
Day 4 : Amritsar - Dharamshala
Morning : Proceed on a drive to Dharamshala. This journey initially passes through
the verdant pastures and wheat fields of the Punjab and then over the mountain
regions of Himachal Pradesh. On arrival, check in at the hotel.
Dharamshala is beautifully located on a ridge of the Dhauladhar range. The town
rises in levels up the hill from a height of 1250m to 2000m. The snow line (not
far away) and the dramatic Dhauladhar Peaks rise above the town. Far below are
the misty plains. It is the adopted home of the Dalai Lama and it consists of
Upper and Lower Dharamsala. The Dalai Lama resides at Macleodganj, Upper Dharamsala.
In the colourful Tibetan township are the newly built Gelugpa Monastery and
a school of Tibetan culture with an excellent library. Lord Elgin was buried
in the gardens adjoining St. John's Church. The Institute of Buddhist Learning
and the Dal Lake are other nearby interesting spots.
Rest of the day at leisure for independent activities. Overnight in Dharamshala.
Day 5 : Dharamshala
Morning : Proceed on a city tour visiting Dalai Lama's residence, the market
place and the monastries. If you are fortunate, and the Dalai Lama is not in
prayer, you will perhaps have an opportunity for an audience.
Overnight in Dharamsala.
Day 6 : Dharamshala - Manali
Morning : Drive to Manali enroute visiting Taragarh Palace. On arrival, check
in at the hotel.
Manali - Situated at the northern end of Kulu Valley, in the heart of the fabled
Silver Valley is Manali. It has spectacular views of snow- capped peaks and
wooded slopes. The Beas rushes along its rocky course amid grassy meadows carpeted
with wild flowers. Wagtails hop along from stone to stone along the stream's
edge. Manali offers marvelous walks through dappled orchards and fairy tale
forests of deodar.
Manali is a good starting point for visits to the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys situated
over the 3978 metre high Rohtang Pass. The pass is open for just four months
in the year from June to October when the snow melts. The road from Manali climbs
out of the meadows of the Beas valley on to the winding road that leads up to
the Pass.
Rest of the day at leisure for independent activities. Overnight in Manali.
Day 7 : Manali
Morning : At leisure for independent activities.
Afternoon : Proceed on a city tour visiting the village of Vashisht (3 kms)
for its sulphur springs and the temples of Vashisht Rishi and Lord Rama. Jagatsukh
is 6 kms away in the midst of a picturesque village. There are some very old
temples here, particularly the sikhara-style Shiva temple, the Gayatri and Devi
Sharvali temples.
Also visit the Hadimba Devi temple, built in 1553 AD is dedicated to the Goddess
Hadimba (Hirma Devi) the wife of Bhima. It has a four- tiered pagoda-shaped
roof with a doorway carved with figures and symbols. Visit the Tibetan monastery
famous for its carpet weaving and Tibetan handicrafts.
Overnight in Manali.
Day 8 : Manali - Keylong
Morning : Drive to Keylong via Rohtang Pass. This journey is the beginning of
our exciting and spectacular journey through the mountains into the lap of the
Himalayas. The first of the mountain passes, Rohtang is an experience in itself..
On arrival, check in at the hotel.
Overnight in Keylong.
Day 9 : Keylong - Sarchu
Morning: Drive to Sarchu passing through Darcha and Baralacha-La, among other
passes. The scenery here is spectacular. Overnight in Sarchu.
Day 10 : Sarchu - Leh
Morning: Drive to Leh passing through the very high Lachalang-la, Pang and the
incredibly high pass of Tanglang La. Upon arrival, check in at the hotel.
Leh - is the capital of Ladakh. Sheltered in the North by the Ladakh range and
in the South by the Zanskar mountains, Leh gets very little rainfall. The most
attractive feature of the landscape of Ladakh are the Buddhist gompas (monasteries).
Situated on the highest point of the mountain spurs or majestically sprawling
over cliff-sides, located in the vicinity of villages, these aesthetically leasing,
architecturally interesting gompas provide the focus for the faith of the highly
religious Buddhist people.
Overnight in Leh.
Day 11 : Leh
Full day tour of Shey, Tiksey & Stock Monasteries. These monasteries are
very old and are the strong hold of Tibetan and Lama culture.
Shey - situated on a hillock 15 kms upstream from Leh, was once the residence
of the Royal family. According to tradition Shey was the seat of power of the
pre-Tibetan kings. A 7.5 metre high copper statue of Buddha, plated with gold,
and the largest of its kind, is installed here.
Thikse - 19 kms from Leh, spectacularly sited, is one of the largest and
architecturally most impressive at all the gompas. There are several temples
in this gompa containing exquisite images, stupas and wall painting of Buddha.
Stok - The palace of the banished Royal family, Stok has a museum which
displays fabulous period costumes and jewellery of the royalty along with exquisite
thankas representing the life of Sakya Muni. Interesting historical objects
like coins, seals, armour, weapons, precious jade and porcelain too can be seen
here. Visit the Leh Palace and the local Bazaar with its interesting shops.
Overnight in Leh.
Day 12 : Leh - Alchi - Ulletokpo
Morning : Drive to Ulletokpo enroute visiting Alchi & Likir.
Alchi is a busy village. Alchi Gompa is the only gompa in the Ladakhi region
on the flat ground. The Gompa was founded in the 11th century by The Great Translator,
Ringchen Zangpo. The three storeyed Dharma Wheel Gompa actually run by the gompa
in Likir is noted for its massive Buddha statues. Climb to Ridzong Monastry.
This walk is a good two hours climb up the mountain (easy trek).
Overnight in Ulletokpo.
Day 13 : Ulletokpo
Full
day tour to Lamayuru Monastry - the biggest and most elaborate in Ladakh (2
hrs 30 minutes one way). Carry packed lunches.
Lamayuru - The oldest holy site in Ladakh, it was a Bon shrine prior
to the advent of Buddhism. Also known as Yung Drung (Swastika) it is sited on
a high promontory overlooking the village and valley. Overnight in Ulletokpo.
Day 14 : Ulletokpo - Leh
Morning drive to Leh and on arrival check in at the hotel.
Overnight in Leh.
Day 15 : Leh - Nubra - Tirith (Deskit) - Teggar
Morning : drive to Nubra (Tirith) enroute visiting the monasteries of Hundar
and Deskit. The drive from Leh goes over the Kardong-la, the highest motorable
road in the world. The line of the road is different from that of the old pony-trail
- longer and actually higher. The view from the top of the pass is amazing.
One can see all the way south over the Indus valley to the seemingly endless
peaks and ridges of the Zanskar range, and north to the giants of the Saser
massif.
Hundar - an area of rolling sandunes, their contours apparently solid,
yet liable to shift with every gale. Here there is a small population of Bactrian
camels, shaggy double-humped animals, which in the old days, were used as pack
animals on the Central Asian trade routes. You could take a camel safari out
into the dunes from here.
On arrival, check in at the Tented Camp. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight
in Teggar
Day 16 : Teggar
Full day tour visiting the monsteries and the surrounding in Nubra valley.
Nubra Valley : The upper Shyok and Nubra rivers drain the east and west
sides of the Saser Spur, the easternmost outcrop of the Karakoram. The name
Nubra is applied to the district comprising the valley of the Nubra river, and
that of the Shyok, both above and below their confluence, where they meander
in many shifting channels over a broad sandy plain before flowing off the north-west
to join the Indus in Pakistan.
The main village is Deskit, which has a regular bazaar consisting of a single
line of shops, and a gompa. This is situated on a rocky spur above the village
with commanding views up and down the valley.
Overnight in Teggar.
Day 17 : Teggar - Leh
Morning: Drive back to Leh. On arrival, check in to the hotel. Rest of the day
at leisure for independent activities.
Overnight in Leh.
Day 18 : Leh - Delhi - Agra
Morning : Transfer to the Airport to board the flight for Delhi.
Meeting and assistance on arrival at Delhi airport and straightway transfer
to Agra. On arrival check in at the hotel.
Agra is famous as the home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Taj
Mahal. The architectural splendour of the mausoleums, the fort and the palaces
in Agra is a vivid reminder of the opulence of the legendary Mughal Empire.
Agra was their capital for nearly a hundred years from 1564. A pleasant town,
with a comparatively easy pace, Agra is known for its superb inlay work on marble
and soapstone, by artisans who are hereditary craft persons. The city is also
famous for its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes.
Rest of the day free to relax. Overnight in Agra.
Day 19 : Agra - Delhi
Morning visit the Taj Mahal - the inimitable poem in white marble. Built over
a period of 22 years, by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1630, for his Queen
Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains, it is one of the seven modern wonders
of the World.
Afternoon drive to Delhi. As this is your last day in India, we shall provide
Farewell Dinner at a nice restaurant in the town.
Later transfer to the International airport.
Day 20 : Leave Delhi
Leave Delhi by an International flight.
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