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Sand Dune Magic
 
Sand Dune Magic
 

Ex Delhi:- Duration: 6 nights in Leh. 7 days in Total from Delhi to Delhi.
Grade: High Altitude (Not recommended for people with heart condition, epilepsy and asthma)
Highlights: Serene Monasteries, Sindhu Darshan, Hall of Fame, Shanti Stupa, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Pangong Lake, Changla Pass & Khardongla Pass (Highest Motor able Road), Nubra Valley

 

DAY 01: Early morning flight to Leh. Arrive in Leh. Transfer to your hotel. Full day rest to acclimatize. Overnight in hotel.

Flights to Leh are always very early in the morning but it is worth all the effort to get up so early as the flights to Leh is a breathtaking experience, flying over the mighty mountain ranges of Himalayas and Zanskar to reach the world’s highest air -field at an altitude of 11500 ft. You would be so overwhelmed by the spectacular panoramic view of snow capped ranges, that you will always wish your flying time to be little more than you had actually ….!! Your landing into Leh will be also very dramatic as it navigates through the high mountains to land on the one way air-strip.

Leh is main Centre of Ladakh, with the inhabitants/population of 50,000; it’s located in small valley just to the north of Indus valley.

As soon as you get out of the aircraft, you are greeted with a whiff of fresh and crisp air that means pure oxygen. The sight outside is very foreign with absolutely barren landscape with patches of green scattered all over in form of thick growth of Willow and Poplar trees.

Julley! (Which means hello, Namaste…), you would be welcomed by our local representative at the airport.

Check-in to your hotel.

Have your breakfast. We would strongly recommend that you have it in room so that it will minimize any kind of exertion. You must rest till late afternoon. Since Leh is a high altitude destination with less oxygen as compared to sea level, our bodies tend to slow down and we feel very exhausted at the slightest movement. Hence rest, relax, enjoy the views and drink plenty of fluids. During the day, our representative would brief you about the next day’s program.

Evening you may explore the local market (at walk-able distance) on your own for leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 02: Leh – Thiksey – Shey- Hemis Monastery, Sindhu Darshan/ Sindhu Ghat, Hall of Fame and evening Shanti Stupa Tour.

Today would be your first day that you will begin to explore this land of little Tibet. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel we would set you off on a journey that will take you to view and experience the phenomenon called Ladakh.

HEMIS MONASTERY: We depart for the Hemis at 09:00 HRS (40Kms/ 1.5 hours). Continue drive on a well mettled broad road traveling upstream along the Indus River to HEMIS GOMPA, crossing over the Indus at the village of Karu, The most famous of Ladakh's monasteries. Hemis or Changchub Samstanling (The love palace of the compassionate person), ages back in the 17th century and was built over a period of 40 years (1602 - 1642 A.D.). Today Hemis is well known for its festival or Hemis Tsechu commemorating the birthday of Guru Padmasambhava. In the year of the Monkey (every 12 years) a giant thangka depicting Guru Padmasambhava is unfurled from the terrace draping the five-storey facade. Delicately wrought in pearls and appliqué, it’s one of the most famous art treasures of Ladakh. The gompa boasts of an excellent library, well preserved frescoes and murals, silver gilt chortens and a Kashmiri lacquered wooden throne. After Hemis Monastery, we will proceed further towards Thiksey monastery.

THISKEY MONASTERY: Thiksey is about 30 min drive from the Hemis, it’s one of the most vibrant and active monasteries in this region. It dates back to the 16th century and is part of the Gelug-pa Sect. It is headed by successive reincarnations of the Khanpo Rimpoche. The monastery is 12 storied and painted in deep shades of red, ochre and white. It has evolved around a central courtyard with buildings surrounding from three sides. At one extreme lies the main dukhang, which houses numerous racks containing religious texts. Behind the main alter lies a small chamber that contains images of revered deities.

After Thiksey Monastery, we will proceed to Shey Monastery.

SHEY MONASTERY: After 10 Mins (5 Km) drive, we reach Shey. It is situated on the top of a hill and houses the largest victory sputa with a golden top. The statues made of copper and glided with gold are worth watching. One can have a beautiful view of Indus Valley from the Gompa; the Wall paintings at Gompa are very interesting.

From here, we drive for RANCHO’S SCHOOL (3 IDIOT FILM) and then drive to Leh, on the way we visit Nimmu – a spectacular site where the mighty Indus River is joined by the Zanskar River.

At Lunch time we reach Leh. After Lunch, rest a while.

At 1530 HRS, we depart for Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame is a place to visit for every citizen. Its glorious museum constructed by Indian army. We can see the memorabilia, eminent defense personalities with biographies, images and weapons used during Kargil war and belongings of enemy soldiers found at war site. Another section of this building is entirely dedicated to Siachen and its heroes. On display are attires, multi layered shoes to keep their feet from frost bites, their daily instruments, their day to day food mainly frozen and packed, which is heated by lighting small balls of Hexamycin tablets, as fire is difficult to ignite at a temperature dipping -30 deg to -50 deg centigrade. It is mentioned on a board that 97% of the casualties in Siachen are caused due to extreme cold and the terrain.

After Hall of Fame, we will head towards the Shanti Stupa. The Stupa is 3 km from Fort Road. The white dome is very impressive. There are very steep set of steps but view from the top is really great, and its sunset point, from top is amazing.

We drive back to hotel & reach at 1900 HRS.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at the Hotel.

Day 03: Breakfast. Alchi Monastery, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Magnetic Hill, Evening return to Leh. Overnight at hotel.

After Lunch, we will proceed for Alchi.

Alchi: We will drive for 30 Mins (20KMs) to reach Alchi. About 1000 years back, Rinchen Zangoo built this Monastery. The central pavilion is 3 m long, 3 m wide & 6 m high. Several clay images have been placed on three walls. On one of its walls thousands of mini-pictures of the Buddha have been painted. Wooden statues have been placed at the gate. On the right side stands the statue of Avalokiteshwar, which has thousand arms. The head of an ibex with four horns, instead of the usual two hangs here. The ibex was shot by a soldier & presented to the Monastery .The Alchi temple has three images as high as three floor of the building & they stand in a very narrow space. They are made of clay & painted with different colors. There are thousands of mini-pictures of Lord Buddha on the walls of the third temple.

Magnetic Hill: The “Magnetic Hill” is located on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik national highway, about 50 km from Leh, at a height of 14,000 feet above sea level, is one of the wonders of the world. A hill near picturesque Leh has magnetic properties which attracts metallic objects, making vehicles move up at a speed of about 20 km per hour with their engines off.

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib: This is a beautiful Gurudwara sahib constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak, about 25 miles away from Leh, on the Leh-Kargil road, 12000 ft above sea level. The Gurudwara was built in 1517 to commemorate the visit of Sri Guru Nanak Devji. Legend says that Sri Guru Nanak Devji reached Leh via Sikkim, Nepal, Tibet and Yarkhand. The place is revered by both the local Lamas and Sikh Sangat

Around 1800 HRS, we reach Leh. Evening free for leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 04: Breakfast. Excursion to famous Pangong Lake. Evening return to Leh. Dinner and overnight in hotel

After breakfast, we will drive for Pangong Lake at 07:30 HRS. We are sure you must have watched the movie 3 idiots and gasped at the views in the last scene. The awesome backdrop is the high altitude lake of Pangong. One cannot have a satisfying experience of Ladakh, unless we visit this lake. The journey to the lake is long as we drive through some amazing landscapes of villages and barren mountains that tower all around you.

We reach the famous Changla Pass (Second Highest Motor able Road) on enroute in 2.5 hours (65 kms). All through the drive after Changla Pass it seems as if we are travelling to moon or may be mars. Such barren but picturesque landscapes with the most intense blue in the sky make use of all your camera memory and film rolls.

In about 2 hours we will glimpse the mighty Pangong Lake (4300 m). This 140km long and 3-5 km wide lake is a wonder in itself and once we arrive at the banks of the lake – we definitely are breathless with its spectacle. We would have never in your life seen so many hues of blue and green in a lake. The size of the lake is best inferred from the probable etymology of its name, Pangong, which means extensive concavity. The mirror-calm water is cold, clear, and extremely salty, holding sufficient quantity of lime to form a calcareous deposit, which cements the pebbles together in patches of concrete on its bank. It is believed that there is a large amount of minerals in the basin of the lake, which result from the melting of the snow. The water sparkles in distinct shades of blue, green, purple, and violet, being transparent to a good depth. With ease, one can pick pebbles from under the water, and if one is lucky enough, a fossil shell in the clay deposits may be a rewarding find. The Crystal clear salty water shines in many shades of blue depending upon its depth. It literally changes shades with sunlight. With a backdrop of mountains of various hues and colors, it is a sight for the Gods.

It is worth all the efforts, to arrive here and spend a good few hours around the lake.

We start drive at 1500 Hrs for Leh and reach around 1900 HRS.

Evening free for leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 05: Breakfast. Drive to Nubra Valley over the highest motor able pass in the world – Khardongla at 5600m. Overnight in hotel

The day will take you deep in to the Ladakh Landscape that has no equal and will surprise you with the most pristine deserts and sand dunes. We know that will surely surprise you.... Sand dunes in Ladakh. Yes and they are so beautiful....we would love that you should describe them ....in total.

Now we are going to Nubra Valley – North of Leh.

Though the pass is just about 40 kms from Leh, the road meanders through beautiful landscapes that look different from the world. It’s higher than the highest peak in Europe. The pass is visible from Leh to the North. It is quite a climb as the pass is over 2.5Km vertically above the height of Leh town. The drive is simply spectacular and the feeling that you are going to go is so high and that too in a cab – it is unbelievable. The pass has a spectacular view all around. It is officially open round the year. The pass is almost permanently covered in snow and fog and bitterly cold. There is a grubby military camp, the highest temple in the world, a tea stall and a souvenir shop.

From the pass you descend into the Nubra Valley and in about 2 hours you are greeted by the mighty Nubra River. As you go deeper into the valley you will be amazed at the beauty of this land as it’s so different and green as compared to Leh. To the right all along the river you will see forests and sand dunes. Nubra is also famous for double humped camels or the Bactrian camels that dwell here. You can take a ride on these through the sand dunes.

Rest a while on your arrival. Enjoy some tea and snacks and then proceed to explore the Sand Dunes & ride on Double Humped Camels.

Evening take a stroll along the River.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 06: Nubra Valley to Leh via K- Top

After a relaxed breakfast, explore the valley further more. Depart at 10:00 HRS for Leh. You will have to retrace the route back over the Khardongla Pass. Arrive in Leh towards the noon. Evening free for leisure & shopping.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

DAY 07: Early morning departure to airport for flight back to Delhi.

Pick up Early morning at 0600 HRS and we will be escorted to the airport for your flight back to Delhi.

Package Inclusion

· Airfare Delhi-Leh-Delhi in Economy Class (Delhi airport - Terminal 3)

· Accommodation on Twin / Triple sharing basis in A category hotel

· Meals as per itinerary

· All transfers & Sightseeing on Share Basis

· Sightseeing in Non AC Innova / Scorpio / Xylo

· Inner-Line Permit Cost

· Travel insurance

· Airport taxes (as on 01Jan2011)

Package Exclusions

· Service Tax @2.58%.

· Porterage at hotels, airports, tips, beverages, telephone calls, laundry & all items of personal nature.

· Any increase in Airlines Taxes (Calculated at 01Jan2011 rates).

· Cost of baggage handling fee charged by the airlines, above check-in luggage allowance.

· Package does not include Guide services; same can be availed at additional cost.

· Package cannot be combined with any other offer.

· Anything not mentioned in the cost inclusion.

· Destination@Doorstep reserves the right to change/modify/terminate offer any time at its own discretion.

· Refund on cancellation strictly depends upon concerned hotel & airline cancellation policy.
 
April – October 2012
 

Package

Rooftop 4N/ 5Days

Trail of 3 idiots 5N/6Days

Sand Dune

6N / 7days

Little Tibet

7N/ 8Days

Moonland

8N/9Days

Hotel

The Ladakh

Thongsal

The Ladakh

Thongsal

The Ladakh

Thongsal

The Ladakh

Thongsal

The Ladakh

Thongsal

Guest

2

29,999

34,999

32,999

38,999

39,499

47,499

44,499

53,499

50,499

60,999

4

25,999

31,499

28,499

34,999

33,499

40,999

37,499

45,999

40,999

51,499

6

24,999

29,999

26,999

33,499

31,499

38,999

34,999

43,999

37,999

48,499

10

24,499

29,999

26,499

32,999

30,999

38,499

34,499

43,499

37,499

47,499