Sponsored Story

The Ladakh Roadtrip

Tripoto
5th Jun 2015
Photo of The Ladakh Roadtrip 1/5 by The Blueberry Trails
Photo of The Ladakh Roadtrip 2/5 by The Blueberry Trails
Photo of The Ladakh Roadtrip 3/5 by The Blueberry Trails
Photo of The Ladakh Roadtrip 4/5 by The Blueberry Trails
Photo of The Ladakh Roadtrip 5/5 by The Blueberry Trails

It’s that time of the year again, when we pack our woolens and get ready to go to the mesmerizing land of Ladakh. We have gone there every year since the year of inception of The Blueberry Trails and still the beauty that surrounds us never ceases to inspire. It takes our breath away, every time. We have designed this trip for you keeping in mind the local nuances and smaller experiences that the land offers. We try to stay away from the mainstream, beyond the usual circuits. We hope you like the plan.

Trip essence:

Roadtrip-local culture-smaller villages-monastaries-white water rafting in the Indus-river side trails-village walks-photo walks-homestays-camel safari

Coverage:

Srinagar-Mulbek-Alchi-Leh-Nubra-Turtuk-Pangong-Leh-Jispa-Manali-Chandigarh

Highlights of the trip:

1.         A road trip in the himalayan desert of Ladakh. Dizzying passes and fertile valleys, snow capped mountains and quaint villages will be your constant companion. Apart from an awesome set of co-travelers.

2.     Offbeat curated stays like campsites in Mulbek, Pangong Tso and Jispa. With incomparable views. Blues of the Pangong or lush green alpine mountain slopes. Sights you cannot forget too easily, even if you try. Alternatively we stay in a hotel in Leh, and a basic homestay at Nubra, Alchi and Turtuk for a more local flavour to the trip.

3.     Adventures like rafting, camel safaris. Village walks, and river side trails. Experiences, experiences, experiences. Many of them are guided and many more will be the ones you find along the way.

4.     A visit to the beautiful village of Turtuk which was a part of Pakistan till about the 70's. It was open for tourism only in 2010. We went there last year, and the year before. And we keep coming back for more. We just cant get enough of this beauty.

5.   Architecture, monastaries, local culture: Whether its a cup of tea shared with locals or a quiet moment spend in a distant monastary watching a monk pray, whether its marveling at the bright colours that adorn these structures or wondering how they keep warm in the -50degree weather. Cusitosity knows no bounds and our drivers will have answers to most of your queries if not all.

6.       Homestay experience in Ladakh. Basic stays the give you an insight into the Ladakhi way of life. Their culture, their food, their culture and how they pass their days. Perhaps you can assist them in their day to day activities or learn their way of life from them.

7. Dizzying passes of Khardungla, Baralachha, Zozilla, Chang La and many more. The passes range from 13000ft above sea level and top it off at 18380ft for Khardungla. Literally on top of the world 

 Day 1. Srinagar (day at leisure)

Land at Srinagar and get a transfer to your homestay. Settle in and soak in the sun in the family lawn. Then head out to explore the city. The old city, the neighboring markets and a quintessential Kashmiri meal is a must! That’s the plan in Srinagar as we gear up for the road trip ahead!

 Stay: Homestay
Meals: Breakfast
 
Day 2: Srinagar-Mulbek
Another eventful day ahead with an early start from Srinagar, will take us to Kargil, Drass(the second coldest inhabited plc in the world), Tiger Hill and then to Shargol village near Mulbek where we are camping now.

Stay: NunKun Camp
Meals: Breakfast | Dinner
 
Day 3: Mulbek to Alchi via Lamayuru and Alchi Monastary

Post breakfast we head out for our roadtrip to Leh. Our first stop is Lamayuru Monastary in Sham Valley and then the oldest monastery of Alchi and our final stop is Alchi.

Alchi is an ancient village located on the banks of the river Indus. It has a small settlement if people and its main claim to fame is the Alchi monastery that it houses. It also has a small beach at the Indus river right below the monastery. Your stay here will also help you acclamatise along the way.  The monastery has some brilliant paintings preserved for centuries. These painting were commissioned by the ruler then and were made by Kashmiris who excelled in paintings and woodwork. The woodwork of the monastery is a gorgeous!

Experience: Local Ladakhi life, Stay in a local’s home, village walk

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Alchi to Leh city via Magnetic Hills

Get to Leh and relax at your stay, allow your body to acclimatize to the sudden change in altitude. In Leh you will be staying in comfortable hotel on Chang Spa Road away from the main market. It is closer to the Shanti Stupa and gives you some great views of snow-clad peaks.

Experiences: Settle into Leh. Do local walks, a great day to acclamatise

Meals: Breakfast | Dinner

Day 5: Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardungla

Head out to the beautiful Nubra Valley. The winding climb of Khardungla, a lemon tea at the canteen there and a downward descend to Nubra, where you will pass the sand dunes of Hunder. Valley, snow, peaks, frozen rivers and desert on one single day. Need we say more? Stay in an organic campsite in Hunder and go to catch the sunset at the dunes of Hunder.

Experience: Pass the Khardungla at 17580 is the highest motorable road in the world, Live in an organic camp in Nubra, go to the sand dunes of Nubra Valley and catch sunset there. We are staying in a traditional homestay in Nubra with basic facilities. The stay experience is provided to give you an insight into Ladakhi life, their food and culture and their way of life. Please do not expect urban comforts.

Meals: Breakfast, Ladakhi Dinner

Day 6: Nubra to Leh

Drive back to Leh via Khardungla. Stop at the Diskit Monastary in the way, to enjoy the spectacular views that it offers.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7: Leh

Enjoy the day in the town. Explore the many cafes, choose curios to bring back home, enjoy the buzz of the local life there. Try various cuisines in the variety of cafes and restaurants and spend this day just going about this vibrant town with no particular agenda in mind.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: Leh to Pangong

A five hour drive and a visit to the monastery of Thiksey you will pass by Chang La Pass to reach the great Pangong Lake. The blues of the lake will leave you stumped, the beauty is legendary and rightfully so. Stay in a campsite on the banks of the Lake. Swiss Tents will welcome you and the views from your room will just be the lake.

Experience: Camping on the banks of the Pangong Lake

Meals: Breakfast| Dinner

Day 9: Pangong Lake to Leh

Return back to Leh, If you haven’t visited any of the monasteries on the way to the Lake, you can do it on your way back.

Experience: Visit Hemis Monastary, visit local cafes for meals, try out different cuisines.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 10 : Leh-Jispa
We start our journey to Manali. We will be covering the dist of 475 km over 2 days. We will be doing this journey via Baralachha Pass (16,500 ft) and Tang La Pass (17,585 ft. We pass by the Gatta Loop, Pang, Sarchu and finally reach Jipsa which is the first town in the Lahaul valley that we encounter.

Stay: Swiss tents in a campsite
Breakfast, Dinner
 
Day 11: Jispa to Manali via Rohtang Pass
Though the distance is just 138kms, the traffic at Rohtang is a regular factor and landslides are quite common. Barring that there shouldn’t be any other delay. We reach our stay at Old Manali and also explore the beauty of this quaint little town higher than the more crowded, more touristy Manali.

Stay at Old Manali. At an inn famous for housing backpackers.

Day 12: Manali-Chandigarh
Leave Manali early to get to Chandigarh by 6 pm to take flights out to Mumbai.

Breakfast

Pictures: http://on.fb.me/13Sc6Kn

Blog: http://bit.ly/1cBFvm3

WHAT: Ladakh Road Trip

WHEN: 5-16th June 2015

WHERE: Srinagar-Mulbek-Alchi-Leh-Nubra-Turtuk-Pangong-Leh-Jispa-Manali-Chandigarh

WHO: info@theblueberrytrails.com || 9820560943

Stay: Homestay Meals: Breakfast
Kargil, Drass(the second coldest inhabited plc in the world), Tiger Hill and then to Shargol village near Mulbek Stay: NunKun Camp Meals: Breakfast | Dinner
Experience: Local Ladakhi life, Stay in a local’s home, village walk Meals: Breakfast
Experiences: Settle into Leh. Do local walks, a great day to acclamatise Meals: Breakfast | Dinner
Experience: Pass the Khardungla at 17580 is the highest motorable road in the world, Live in an organic camp in Nubra, go to the sand dunes of Nubra Valley and catch sunset there. We are staying in a traditional homestay in Nubra with basic facilities. The stay experience is provided to give you an insight into Ladakhi life, their food and culture and their way of life. Please do not expect urban comforts. Meals: Breakfast, Ladakhi Dinner
Meals: Breakfast
Explore the many cafes, choose curios to bring back home, enjoy the buzz of the local life there. Try various cuisines in the variety of cafes and restaurants Meals: Breakfast
Experience: Camping on the banks of the Pangong Lake Meals: Breakfast| Dinner
Experience: Visit Hemis Monastary, visit local cafes for meals, try out different cuisines. Meals: Breakfast
Stay: Swiss tents in a campsite Breakfast, Dinner
Explore the beauty of this quaint little town higher than the more crowded, more touristy Manali. Stay at Old Manali. At an inn famous for housing backpackers.
Leave Manali early to get to Chandigarh by 6 pm to take flights out to Mumbai. Meals: Breakfast