This journey will take us on the ancient silk road, through the Ladakh and the Nubra valleys, a crossroad for commercial activities between India, Tibet and Central Asia. In the ancient kingdom of Sham, we will discover the main Ladakhi monasteries and the wonderful sites surrounding them: Shey, Thiksey, Hemis, Spitok, Phyang, Lamayuru and Alchi… The second valley was an important stage for caravans following the Silk Road, which where swapping their mules for the famous camels of Bactriane. It is only since 1995 that the restricted area of the Nubra opened its doors to foreigners. Lying approximately 400m lower than Leh, Nubra sports a much milder climate, which enables its inhabitants to cultivate more extensively, as compared to their counterparts in the main Indus valley. The highlights of this tour are the crossing of the Khardong La pass (5,400m), on the highest motorable roads in the world and a Bactriane camel safari.

 

North of the Great Himalayan range, amongst a tangled knot of jagged mountains, lies a rugged and fascinating land, the once independent kingdom of Zanskar. Sandwiched between the Indus Valley and the main crest of the Indian Himalaya, this remote and inaccessible setting, well guarded by snowy mountain passes, has kept alive an archaic form of Tibetan Buddhism which flourishes in chain of far-flung monasteries, most of which occupy spectacular fortified locations, high on rocky ridges in isolated valleys. Lovely high meadow camp sites and dry desert land, high passes and snow-capped peaks stunning scenery, Buddhist monasteries and picturesque villages with their irrigated fields of barley and potatoes, and fascinating encounters with the Zanskari people turn a trek in this area into an unforgettable experience.

 

Recently opened to foreigners due to the proximity of the Chinese boarder, the Changthang is a land of wilderness and magnificent landscapes. High arid plains, remote villages, snow-capped peaks and beautiful high altitude azure-blue lakes characterize this region, the largest being Tsomoriri at 4,500m. Truly remote, this area is only accessible for a few months every summer and is inhabited by Changpas - nomadic yak and pashmina goat herders of Tibetan origin, who wander this area crossing over high altitude mountain passes. Our trek will take us across these passes to their summer settlements to witness a unique human culture, far away from the reaches of the modern world. The itinerary then goes south towards Spiti, following the western bank of the lake. The scenery is wild and vast with snow-capped peaks lining the far horizon. The trek ends at Tabo, famous for its monastery

Recently opened to foreigners due to the proximity of the Chinese border, the Changthang is a land of wilderness and magnificent landscapes. This region is characterized by high arid plains, remote villages, snow-capped peaks and beautiful high altitude azure-blue lakes, the largest being Tsomoriri at 4,500m. Truly remote, this area is only accessible for a few months every summer and is inhabited by Changpas - nomadic yak and pashmina goat herders of Tibetan origin, who wander this area crossing over high altitude mountain passes. Our trek will take us across these passes to their summer settlements to witness a unique human culture, far away from the reaches of the modern world.

On this tour, we will discover the Ladakh and the Nubra valleys, which have been a crossroad for commercial activities between India, Tibet and Central Asia. Those two valleys are linked together by the highest motorable roads in the world, passing over the Khardong la pass at a height of 5,400m. In Ladakh, we will discover the ancient kingdom of Sham, the main Ladakhi monasteries and the wonderful sites surrounding them: Shey, Thiksey, Hemis, Spitok, Phyang, Lamayuru and Alchi… The second valley was an important stage for caravans following the Silk Road, which where swapping their mules for the famous camels of Bactriane. It is only since 1995 that the restricted area of the Nubra opened its doors to foreigners. Lying approximately 400m lower than Leh, Nubra sports a much milder climate, which enables its inhabitants to cultivate more extensively, as compared to their counterparts in the main Indus valley. We will continue our journey south, through wild landscapes, high passes (2 above 5,000m) towards Dharamsala, a tiny Tibet perched at hillside.