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If you are traveling to the high Himalayas for the first time ever, look no further. Ladakh – the Himalayan realm needs no introduction! Darter’s Mountains and Monasteries Tour is specially designed to maximize photography opportunities and capture the deeper essence of Ladakh. Explore the mountains as you photograph the stark yet beautiful landscapes of Ladakh, capture the beauty of super-blue lakes, see the views from the highest motorable road in the world, watch wildlife that can be seen nowhere else in the country and witness a culture that has kept its traditions alive for almost a millennium.
So, what are you waiting for? Hop on aboard on this dream photography tour! And make a memorable debut in the high Himalayas of mesmerising Ladakh.
Jump to ◆ Itinerary ◆ Tour Highlights ◆ Is this tour for you? ◆ Tour Price ◆ Tour Mentor ◆ Detailed Itinerary ◆ Sign Up
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Darter ‘HIMALAYAN EXPERIENCES‘ are photography holidays in the picturesque Himalayan highlands with rich immersive experiences of landscapes and culture. -
Tour Dates
August 10-17, 2024
Tour Price – ₹79,950/-Max. Participants – 8
Dates & Itinerary
Tour Dates: August 10-17, 2024
Itinerary
Day 01 Rest day in Leh for acclimatization. Tour orientation and overview of photography in Ladakh in the day. Overnight at Leh.
Day 02 Visit the confluence of Indus & Zanskar and Basgo Fort; Shanti Stupa at Leh in the evening. Overnight at Leh.
Day 03 Drive to Nubra Valley crossing over the mighty Khardung La. Evening at Hunder sand dunes. Overnight at Nubra Valley.
Day 04 Explore villages around Nubra Valley. Evening at Diskit Monastery. Overnight at Nubra Valley.
Day 05 Village walk early in the morning. Drive back to Leh. Overnight at Leh.
Day 06 Drive to Pangong Lake, with a visit to Thiksey Monastery on the way. Great scenery and photography along the way and at Pangong Lake. Overnight at Pangong Lake.
Day 07 Morning photography at Pangong Lake. Drive from Pangong Lake to Leh. Overnight at Leh.
Day 08 Depart from Leh after breakfast.
Scroll down to Detailed Itinerary for more details on each day of the tour.
Tour Highlights
Is this tour for you?
This tour is intended for amateur as well as serious photography enthusiasts with an interest to visit and photograph the beauty of Ladakh. No prior expertise or experience in photography is necessary, as our photographers will be there to assist you at every level. You may carry any camera – a simple aim-and-shoot or a DSLR. Travel enthusiasts who are not photographers but keen to experience the multiple facets of Ladakh can also benefit from the tour.
I am not a keen photographer. But I want to visit Ladakh with your group. Can I still join?
Yes, you can. We visit many beautiful places in Ladakh. And having a good time during the trip is as much on the agenda as photography is.
Can I bring my non-photographer partner with me?
Yes. The answer is exactly same as in the case of previous question. We visit many beautiful places in Ladakh and having a good time during the trip is as much on the agenda as photography is. Your partner will enjoy the journey with the group.
Is there a lot of walking/trekking involved? Is this a difficult tour?
Not really. We will be travelling in Ladakh in four wheelers, as all the places we are going to are connected by road. We may do some pleasant walks in the mornings/evenings without straining ourselves. The trip is meant to be easy on your legs. But for those who want to, there are some days in the trip where you can go on long walks on your own in the wide open landscapes of Ladakh.
Ladakh’s high-altitude mountain air is thin and our bodies need to be acclimatised to the environment. We will spend the first day on arrival resting and getting used to it, to ensure that you will not have any difficulties during the tour.
What is the fitness level required for this tour? Are there any age restrictions?
People who are generally fit to manage their day-to-day life independently should normally not have any problems attending this tour. People of any age group can visit as well – visitors over the age of 60 are routinely seen walking around in several places across Ladakh.
However, we suggest that you check with your doctor once, especially if you are suffering any chronic illnesses like asthma, blood pressure or heart ailments.
Also refer to our Tour FAQs for more information.
Tour Price
Tour Price: Rs.79,950/- per person (inclusive of all applicable taxes)
The tour price includes
- Accommodation on double occupancy basis
- Transportation during the tour in non-A/C vehicle with 3 participants per vehicle
- All meals during the tour, except Dinner on Day 5 and Lunch on Day 7
- Inner line permits and all entry fees
- Photography sessions, expert advice and assistance, image reviews and critiques on all days
- All applicable taxes
The tour price does not include
- Travel to Leh and return travel from Leh to your location
- Insurance
- Additional snacks, bottled water or other beverages ordered
- Anything else that is not part of the includes list above
Cancellation policy:
– 20% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee on cancellation at least 45 days before tour starts
– 50% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee on cancellation between 44 to 21 days before tour starts
– 80% of full tour fee is charged as cancellation fee on cancellation between 20 to 7 days before tour starts
– No refunds for cancellation within six days before the start of the tour
Please note:
- The itinerary mentioned in this page is subject to favourable weather and road conditions. In case of bad weather and inaccessibility to a destination, we will do our best to make alternate plans. The cost of the tour or any part of it will not be refunded in the event of unfavourable conditions anytime during the tour days.
- Dinner on Day 5 and Lunch on Day 7 is exempt from the price above. On our previous tours, we’ve seen that some participants would like to have their schedule free at that time to go shopping or just walk around Leh at their own leisure. We wouldn’t like to impose a schedule on you by having fixed dinner and lunch timings on those days.
- All participants would have to sign a Release of Liability, Assumption of Risk & Arbitration Agreement before joining the tour.
Accommodation
Accommodation will be in comfortable hotels on the days we are staying in Leh. At Nubra Valley (Days 03 and 04), we stay in simple but comfortable resorts in the valley. At Pangong Lake (Day 06), we will be camping in Swiss Tents near the lake.
Photography Mentor: Manish Lakhani
Few people can boast of having travelled the high Himalayas like Manish has. For more than 15 years, he has explored these mountains extensively on foot, on bicycles and on two and four wheels, often making his own path. He is a versatile photographer with a history of creating brilliant images of culture, heritage and landscapes.
He is renowned for his unique portrayal of remote cultures and traditions. He has photographed the cultural heritage across all the four corners of India, including the Changpa shepherds of the Himalayan Highlands, the native tribes of Nagaland, the nomads of Kutch and the rich traditions of Kerala.
He is Sony Artisan (Ambassador) in India for mirrorless camera system and Skylum Global Brand Ambassador for Asia. His works have been regularly featured in magazines across the world. He contributes to Adobe, BBC, WWF, CNN, Lonely Planet and many others regularly.
An avid cyclist, he has done an incredible solo bicycling trip of 15,000 kilometers across India. He visited many states of India, meeting different people, experiencing the diverse cultures and making some incredible photographs along the journey. He has since led many expeditions in the high altitude regions of Ladakh.
He has been mentoring photography enthusiasts for several years now and is known for his exuberant personality, in-depth knowledge of the terrain, expedition organization skills and, of course, his keen eye for photography.
You can follow him on Instagram,Facebook and on his website.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 01. Rest Day at Leh. Evenings walks in the town.
You will arrive at Leh in the morning after a flight over snowy mountains. At an altitude of 11,500 feet, the air is rarefied and it takes time for the body to get acclimatized. We’ll spend the day in the hotel so that we get used to the mountains.
This also gives us the time to orient ourselves about Ladakh and the places to where we travel on the tour. Your tour mentor will conduct sessions on landscape and travel photography in the mountains.
Day 02. Visits around Leh to confluence of Indus and Zanskar, Basgo Fort and Shanti Stupa
Early in the morning, we head out to visit the confluence of Indus and Zanskar near Leh. As the waters of the Zanskar merge into the Indus, the landscape is almost magical. From here, we drive on to Basgo Fort, some 40km from Leh. This ancient fort, almost 5 centuries old, holds a complex of buildings that include some gompas. We’ll spend time photographing these monuments and the beautiful villages around them.
From the monastery, we will head back to the hotel for lunch and rest through the afternoon.
In the evening, we visit Shanti Stupa just outside Leh to witness the sunset and see the last rays of sun go over Leh Town and the surrounding mountains. Your mentor will work with you on photographing the majestic landscapes of Ladakh. Overnight at Leh.
Day 03. Drive from Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardung La.
Having gotten used to 10,000+ feet heights, we will now head towards the highest point that we will reach during the tour – Khardung La. Be ready to see the mountainscapes like you have never seen before. As we slowly climb up the mountains, you will see jagged snowy peaks all around. Once on top of Khardung La – the world’s highest motorable pass, you will get to see vistas that you will never forget for the rest of your life.
We will continue driving past Khardung La and descend to Nubra Valley, with its green landscapes, gushing river, gentle streams and shepherds herding their sheep. There is more! White-sand dunes in the mountains come in as a sudden surprise. We explore the sand dunes, looking for interesting perspectives to photograph. It is going to be a pleasant evening today in Nubra, amidst the sand dunes, Bactrian Camels and a beautiful sunset.
Day 04. Nubra Valley.
Today, we drive through Nubra Valley, taking in the changing landscapes of one of India’s remotest regions. We’ll visit the incredibly beautiful Yarma village on the way to Siachen. On the way back, we visit Diskit Monastery in the evening. The huge golden statue of the Buddha here is a sight to behold.
Day 05. Return to Leh from Nubra Valley.
We will start the day with a walk around a small village near the resort.
After breakfast, we make a slow and easy drive back to Leh, stopping whenever we wish to capture the landscapes as we pass via Khardung La. We will be back in Leh by afternoon. You can rest through the evening or walk around Leh’s market area and do some shopping if you wish to.
Day 06. Drive to Pangong Lake, with a visit to Thiksey Monastery enroute.
Early in the morning, we start our journey to Pangong Tso. Our first stop – Thiksey Monastery. Located a short drive away from Leh, the monastery is home to more than a hundred monks and is one of the largest religious centers in the region. The haphazardly spread group of buildings on a crag has a charming beauty and its structure is sometimes compared to giant Potala Palace in Lhasa. On a lucky day, we may be able to see extended prayers by a gathering of monks.
Driving on from Thiksey, the mountainous landscape keeps changing by the hour. After driving upstream Indus River for an hour, we will leave the Indus Valley and head towards the high-altitude plateau of Changthang region. On our way is another formidable mountain pass – Changa La. We get across the pass with our vehicles wading through many icy and clear streams. As we climb up, it is another opportunity to see and photograph a different view of Zanskar Ranges. Soon after we cross Chang La, you will be surprised to see a lot of green grass, unlike the stark slopes we have just left behind. You might see cute and cuddly-looking marmots playing in the slopes.
We will drive through a narrow valley carpeted with rich green grass and streams flowing by. Lookout for colorful flowers along the stream bed. But this is not all; the first view of deep-blue waters of Pangong Lake will force you to halt there and gawk at its beauty forever. At Pangong Lake, be ready for a great evening of fun and photography, with some amazing landscapes, stream-scapes, animal and bird life playing in front of your camera. We will stay by the lake tonight, watching the sun go down the mountains.
Day 07. Drive to Leh from Pangong Lake.
We wake up early to have another go at early morning photography around Pangong Lake. After breakfast, we start our journey back to Leh, stopping on the way for lunch and photography opportunities. In the evening, you are free to explore the bustling town of Leh.
Day 08. Tour ends.
A week in the highlands of Ladakh finally draws to a close. Early in the morning, we fly out of Leh with many memorable views from the airplane window, filled memory cards and lots of memories for a lifetime.
Sign Up
Contact us at the email/numbers below to book the tour. Like all our tours, Mountains and Monasteries tour of Ladakh will have a limited number of participants. We recommend booking early, which also helps you get cheaper flight tickets.
email: photography@darter.in
Tel: +91-97400 83260 (Shreeram)
Alternately, fill in the following form to get in touch with us regarding the tour.