Ladakh, The Roof of India is a Photographer’s Paradise! Ladakh is a land of lunar-like landscapes, high-altitude lakes & mountain passes (at a mind-blowing elevation of 17,000 feet and above), ancient Buddhist monasteries, cold desert, picture-perfect villages, and an array of other intriguing sights and attractions. If you are a passionate photographer with zeal and lust for capturing one of the most breathtaking places in India, then our specially-crafted ‘7 nights & 8 days’ photography tour to Ladakh is a golden opportunity. The highlight of this tour is the photography journey to Ladakh during the famous Hemis Festival - one of the biggest religious festivals of Ladakh. Rest assured, a dream journey for any photography loving travel enthusiast.
On arrival at Leh Airport, our representative will greet you and assist you in transfer to your hotel in Leh City. Check-in at the hotel and relax and acclimatize. Enjoy lunch, followed by a health check in the evening and briefing about Photo tour, and photography tips.
Note: Acclimatization is essential to get accustomed to such high elevations in Leh and Ladakh, which are located above the altitude of 10,000 feet, and altitude sickness is a common condition for most tourists flying to Leh.
After a leisurely breakfast, we will drive you to Hemis monastery (45 km/ approx 1.5 Hrs. drive from Leh.) where you will experience Hemis Festival. The festival is dedicated to the birth of the spiritual leader Padmasambhava, the founder of Tantric Buddhism. Watch and enjoy Cham, a sacred masked dance performed by the Lamas (monks), which marks the victory of good over bad. Hemis monastery is one of the oldest (built in the 17th century, but its earliest evidence dates back before the 11th century), largest and most popular monasteries in Ladakh. The beautiful Hemis Monastery combined with the alluring enchanting Hemis Festival will give you great photography opportunities. Keep your camera handy, as this by far would be the most fascinating and colourful experience of the trip.
Later, proceed for lunch at Chamba Hotel at Shey Monastery. Next, explore Shey Monastery, which is located within the Shey Palace and has a huge statue of seated Buddha.
After breakfast, check-out and we head for Khardungla Pass (17852 Ft), which is the world’s highest motorable pass. It lies north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. It would take about 6-7 hrs. from Leh crossing over Khardungla to reach Nubra Valley which is a high-altitude desert. We would be taking small breaks along the way for photography. On reaching Nubra, we will explore Diskit Monastery and nearby areas. Diskit Monastery is the largest and oldest monastery in the Nubra Valley.
We will call it a day and head to check-in at Hotel / Luxury Camp and relax for the rest of the evening.
This morning after breakfast, we will take a journey to Turtuk Village (Approx 05 Hrs. Drive One way), which is the last village on the Indian side and very close to the Indo-Pak border. The place is great for street photography, children portraits, amazing landscapes and much more. However, the people here are conservative, especially ladies, so please respect if they may not let you photograph. The culture here is different from the Tibetan Buddhist dominant region of Ladakh, as we will see a sudden shift to a more Islamic community. After exploring the village and lunch, we will continue back to Nubra and then relax at the hotel.
Dinner and Overnight at the hotel in Nubra.
After breakfast in Nubra, we head back to Leh city, but not before experiencing the high altitude cold-desert sand dunes and the double-humped camel rides of the Nubra Valley. Also, get a great opportunity to capture some wonderful pictures of this surreal natural wonder.
We will have lunch on the way and then try to reach Leh by evening, so that you may also experience the local markets and pick some souvenirs.
Arrive at the hotel and relax.
This day we will start our day with an early breakfast, then we head to Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake - the main attraction of the trip. This is a high altitude lake (at 14,000 Ft), which extends from India to China and is 83 miles in length. The road to Pangong Tso is very scenic and we will take many stops to capture some great photographs. En route, we will cross a wildlife reserve and you may be able to sight some rare Himalayan animals. We go over Changla Pass then stop for lunch. Later, we head to Pangong Tso; this is where the most scenic part of the journey starts. We reach the lake in the evening hours, which is the best time for photography, and get ourselves comfortable in our camps on the banks of Pangong Tso. We relax for a while, enjoy dinner and post that we will have Night sky /landscape photography session. Then by 10 pm, we call the night off and get some sleep to wake up to an equally magnificent next day.
Note: Sleeping at Pangong Lake can get difficult for many for its high altitude, strong chilly winds, etc.
Braveheart’s can wake up early morning as morning sunrise could be a great time to go out by the lake for some pictures. Return to the camp for breakfast. After breakfast, we spend some more time taking photographs as you enjoy the breathtaking panorama on the backdrop of this lake. We now drive back to Leh city with more stops on the way for photography and lunch.
We reach Leh by 3:00 to 3:30 pm, and check-in at the hotel where we will relax and later meet up for a short session on Post Processing Images to be followed by dinner, drinks, and music.
Enjoy a hearty breakfast, then our team will transfer you to Leh Airport and from here take a flight to your onward journey/ home. We are sure you’ll have amazing memories to take back from this tour.
| Duration | : | 7 Nights / 8 Days |
| Starting price | : | 935 Per Person |
| Route | : | Leh (Hemis Festival) - Khardungla Pass - Nubra Valley - Turtuk - Nubra Valley - Leh - Pangong Tso Lake - Leh |
