Fluttering flags of color on the backdrop of mountains- Ladakh presents the traveller experiences unbound. The “Land of High Passes” is the zenith of natural beauty, with its barren browns and intimidating passes intermingling with placid high-altitude lakes and far-removed gompas up on rocky ledges. Ladakh inspires one and all to embrace its unique diaspora of man and nature alike- something that very few places do.
The amazing vistas are sure to inspire the landscape photographer in you, with its scintillating mountains and the azure waters, lucid lakes and crashing rivers, the opportunity to experiment with different photography techniques is rife. The night skies open up the city-dweller’s eyes to a new world of astro viewing and astrophotography. The sight of thousands of twinkling celestial bodies against the inky blacks are sure to get you to try your hand at star trails. The gorgeous monasteries and the quaint little villages are wonderful to experience. The Typical Ladakhi people and culture, are visual treats to the eyes (and to the camera).
The tour is designed to maximise photo opportunities, with multiple pit stops as we travel. The sheer variety of photo-opportunities makes Ladakh a photographer’s paradise – there is something for every traveller and photographer.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
- A 8 nights and 9 days exclusive experience with only 3 participants per vehicle
- Itinerary curated to experience the best locations at the best times with exclusive focus on photography as the primary objective
- Wide range of photo opportunities that includes mountains, lakes, rivers, people, culture
- Mentoring and guidance on a wide variety of photography genres – landscapes, night-sky, portraits, time-lapses, panoramas, star trails etc.
- Extensive learning under the guidance of an experienced photography skipper
DEPARTURE
TOUR ITINERARY
Please note:This tour begins and ends at Leh. Participants may choose to reach Leh by either air or road depending on their preference, but such transport is NOT included in the Tour itinerary or cost. Any required assistance can be duly provided.
Situated at an altitude of 11,500 ft, flying into Leh entails a sudden physiological change for the human body. Today we spend time relaxing and acclimatizing to the high altitude, with a discussionin the evening about the tour and photography options and techniques, to set the tone for a great tour!
The rich local culture of Leh city offers some interesting sights, which we shall explore today while we continue to acclimatize.
We will visit one of the monasteries in the morning and spend a couple of hours there to photographing things of interest. Participants can also spend time at the prayer halls and watch the monks go about their routines. It is quite a spiritual experience to just sit in one of the halls of the monasteries and soak it all in.
We will return back to our hotel for lunch and after a short rest, we will proceed to visit the Shanti Stupa. A large Stupa, it is one of the best places to learn time-lapse photography and also try our hands on long exposure photography.
A short brief discussion before dinner about the plan for the next day and we call it a night.
It is time to hit the road and high passes. The 160 km stretch of winding road takes us over Khardung La pass, at an altitude of 17582 feet, and the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys.
Nubra is an enigma- a patch of sandy desert in the midst of rocky barrens. And a great opportunity to click one of the last of the Silk Road trade- the Bactrian camels. Unleash the shutter-happy you as you click these gentle giants on the backdrop of dusty dunes.
The remoteness of Nubra ushers in clear, dark skies, perfect to create beautiful star trails and milky-way renditions.
After breakfast we will visit the Diskit monastery which is also called the Diskit Gompa and it is known to be the oldest monastery in Nubra Valley. There are some interesting things to see in this monastery and it is quite exciting when you can photograph the place particularly after you hear the stories behind it.
After spending time in the monastery, we will spend some time at the 32 metre statue of Maitreya Buddha. A very picturesque statue, one can spend hours trying to photograph the statue or just sit by the statue and admire the view of the valley on one side and the monastery on the other.
We depart for Leh and pass through Khardungla again before we reach our hotel in Leh.
Next stop is to soak in the mesmerizing myriad blues of Pangong Tso, for which we may decide to take either the Shyok route or the Chang La route depending on weather conditions. The beauty of Pangong Tso lies in its changing hues from morning till night- the blue hour drapes the lake in a dusky dress, the clear afternoons make it a brilliant blue, while the setting sun lends it a mysterious multi-hue.
After reaching there and checking in our porperty, we will have hot lunch and then proceed to the lake. We will spend out entire evening by the lake making some unique images. Post dinner, if the sky is clear, we will again walk to the lake and attempt star trails at this place.
After clicking the various moods of Pangong, it is time to head back to Leh, amidst further scenic roads. Pit-stops along the way will get us to capture the offbeat elements, making for some great reel-life moments to take back with us.
We head towards Ladakh’s “mountain lake” in the Changthang Plateau. Tso Moriri is unique- a rich green carpet of wetlands beautifully blends into the blissful blues.
We will explore ample landscape photography opportunities, capturing the reflections of the high mounts in the lake from some vantage points providing panoramic views. We spend time shooting past sunset.
After dinner, we step out for some night photography, to capture the skies and nightscapes.
On the way out, we take a different route back to Leh, with more gorgeous landscapes to shoot and soak in.
We will visit the last lake of our tour, the Tsokar lake. Tsokar is a salt lake situated in Rupshu plateau and is one of the best places to see the Kiang (wild ass) and the black-neck crane. Tsokar is also recognised as India’s 42nd Ramsar site.
After spending enough time at Tsokar lake, we travel towards the Taglang La pass and descend into the valley below towards Leh.
Trip ends with fantastic memories and memory-cards full of special moments frozen for a lifetime!
You will be dropped to Leh airport for your morning flight from Leh to your base location.
COST AND TERMS
- Twin-sharing accommodation in comfortable lodges
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as mentioned in the itinerary
- Guide and Photography Skipper services
- Pickup from the airport and to the airport
- All necessary inner line permits
- Any airfare
- Camera fees if any
- Travel to Leh and back from your respective location.
- Any kind of personal expenses or optional tours, extra meals and beverages ordered
- Insurance, laundry and phone calls
- Bottled water, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
- Vaccination, visa and insurance expenses
- All applicable taxes
- Anything that is not listed under ‘inclusions’
- Tips and gratuities
- 50% as advance for confirmation of participation for the Tour
- Balance to be paid 60 days before the tour.
All figures per person.
- 50% of the Tour fee non refundable
- 100% of the Tour fee within 60 days of tour commencement
Please note: The date of written (email) communication of intent to cancel is the date considered for calculation of the cancellation fees.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Anybody above the age of 18 (unless accompanied by an adult) and interested in nature and wildlife photography will enjoy this Tour thoroughly.
Of course! This Tour is meant for newbies as well as experienced photographers. Beginners will get all the advantages of learning on and off the field from the photography mentors. In fact if you are a fresher, you should jump on this great photography learning opportunity and sign up right away!
Since guests of our Tours travel from different parts of the country by different modes (road, rail and air) as per their preferences, it is convenient for the Tour to start from the destination (Leh). We will arrange your pick up and drop from the Leh airport.
The weather on this tour varies from warm to cold, with a possible max of ~25 degrees C and goes down close to 0 deg celcius in places
Our group will travel in Innova or equivalent cars with just three clients per vehicle, making it a very comfortable journey with a window access for everyone and enough room for luggage.
Since we spend a lot of time travelling between various places, we will have little to no connectivity with sporadic access to the network depending on the operator. The best chance of having mobile signal would be at Leh.
We will have some walking to do in places like the sand dunes in Nubra and walking around in the Monasteries but nothing like one would on a trek. Some general fitness is what is required here.
Absolutely yes! We will be happy to customise this tour for you based on your preferred dates. Kindly write to us and tell us your preferred time of travel and we shall get back to you with a tentative itinerary and quote. This tour can be with or without a photography guide.
BOOK YOUR TOUR
Dates don’t work for you?
In case these dates do not work for you and you would wish to travel on your own at your own convenience dates, then do write to us.
We will customise a tour for you on your preferred dates. This can be with or without a photography guide. We would ensure you have the best drivers, guides and will also suggest properties based on your preference.
We have close to two decades of experience in the wildlife travel sector and will be able to guide you based on our own experience.