Our "special" yearly feature, which runs a spectacular two weeks covering most of western Ladakh, monasteries, palaces, villages, hikes and travel down three rivers. The trip begins with a flight over the Himalayas into the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We spend a few days in Leh town acclimatizing at 11,000 feet above sea level and visiting the ancient monasteries, palaces and villages around Leh. We drive west of Leh past the town of Kargil and travel south into the valley of Zanskar, one of the coldest inhabited places on earth. Starting the trip on the Doda River, we begin our self-contained multi-day river adventure down the spectacular and scenic Zanskar river gorge. The trip takes you down the extremely desolate, remote and sheer Zanskar gorge with walls rising a few thousand feet out of the river bed, culminating on the mighty Indus river, (which incidentally lends India its name) at the historic monastic conclave at Alchi.

Undoubtedly a classic, this journey to the last truly lost horizon of our
shrinking planet - Zanskar, the "land of white copper is a trip of a
lifetime.

ITINERARY

Day 01: Leave for India from your hometown.

Day 02: Arrive New Delhi in around midnight. You will be met by our representative and transferred by car to hotel Park a 30 min drive from the airport. Relaxed day and you
can choose to relax or take a taxi for a quick tour around the city.

Day 03: Early morning (3:30am) transfer to the domestic airport. Fly Delhi - Leh. An hour's spectacular flight over the Greater Himalayas, with views stretching as far as K2 in the west and the entire Zanskar range and views of Tibet beneath. On arrival at Leh, we drive 15
mins. to our hotel, the Kanglhachhen, a traditional, yet comfortable and clean hotel in town. Rest and acclimatize. Overnight Leh.

Day 04: Leh. Acclimatize and sightseeing. Light activity and short walks till Leh palace and the town's exciting market and outdoor restaurants. For the more energetic a visit to a few monasteries such as Spituk, Thikse and Hemis will be arranged. Overnight Leh.

Day 05: Drive Leh - Kargil (180kms). We drive from Leh to Mulbek / Kargil, through a spectacular moonscape. We drive over the Fotu La (14,000 ft), a high mountain pass, exiting the Indus valley and entering the Suru valley. En route, we visit the Lamayuru monastery, known to be one of the oldest monasteries amongst the 'Red Hat' sect. Overnight Kargil hotel.

Day 06: Drive Kargil - Rangdum (12,000ft). A spectacular drive past Panikar and Parkachik, with magnificent views of the Nun and Kun massifs (7000 meters), hanging glaciers and large meadows. We drive till Rangdum Gompa (12,000 ft). Camp overnight.

Day 07: Drive Rangdum - Remala (6 hrs). We drive to Remala, which is the starting point for the rafting trip on the Doda River, a tributary of the Zanskar River. We drive over the Pensi La (14,500 ft), which enables grand views of the Zanskar peaks at the bottom of which is the Drung Durung glacier that feeds the Zanskar River, 40 km below, into which we flow trip the next day. Overnight-tented camp.

Day 08: Rafting expedition begins at Remala. Raft till Karsha Gompa, near Padum. We raft 30 km in 5 hrs, which includes a break for lunch and hot beverages. We are surrounded by 6000 meter high peaks. River section today includes a Class II section, a good introduction for first timers as well as to the river in general. After settling into camp by afternoon, we take a hike to Karsha Gompa for the evening incantation.

Day 09: After a late morning start, we raft from Karsha up to Pidmu. This stretch is approximately 30 km with Class II and III rapids. After settling into the camp by mid afternoon, we visit the nearby villages of Pidmu and Hanomil.

Day 10: After packing camp, we raft 20 km to Nyerak, a Class III section. The gorge narrows in on the river - this indeed is a Grand Canyon in its own right. We stop for the day to pitch camp in a gorge below Nyerak village.

Day 11: Today's 35 km rafting section takes us from Nyerak to Lamaguru, through the core of the Zanskar A classic white water day with continuous Class III rapids, and a few Class IV rapid where the river squeezes between a gap of about 18ft. We stop for lunch near a huge waterfall at the confluence of Markha River with Zanskar. Rock formations, spires and an amazing palette of colours add to the trip today. Camp at Lamaguru.

Day 12: Day hike to Kaya and Skiu. Return to camp by late afternoon. (4-5hrs). Camp at Lamaguru.

Day 13: We raft 40 kms of Class III/IV white water from Lamaguru to Nimu today. We make camp short of Nimu, the confluence of the Zanskar with the Indus River.

Day 14: Raft approximately 25 km from Nimu to finish the trip at Alchi through Class III / IV rapids. After ending the trip at Alchi, we walk up to the centuries old monastery to view the beautiful frescoes and woodcarvings. Drive back 60 km to Leh and check into hotel.

Day 15: Leh. Reserved day for shopping, sightseeing etc.

Day 16: Early morning transfer to Leh airport. Fly Leh - Delhi. Arrive by noon. Transfer to hotel Park. Overnight Delhi.

Day 17: After an early breakfast, travel 200 kms. to Agra (2- 3hrs). Visit the Taj Mahal during the day and return by evening. (You may choose to take the train to and fro as well). Overnight Delhi at the Park.

Day 18: An early breakfast and depart by 8 amto visit the Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Old Delhi. Late evening departure to the airport for onward destination.

Day 19: Arrive Home.