Upon your arrival in bustling Delhi, you will be welcomed by a representative from Epic Private Journeys and transferred to the Trident Hotel, Gurgaon.
In the heart of bustling Gurgaon, Delhi NCR, the hotel is low-rise and spread over seven acres. The hotel blends the natural elements and luxury of space, water and light into its design. You will also find influences of Moroccan, Mughal and Rajasthani style in its architecture.
Overnight – The Trident Hotel, Gurgaon – Superior Garden View Room - Bed and breakfast basis
This morning you will be met and transferred to the Delhi airport for you flight to Leh. Upon arrival at Leh Airport you will be met by your expedition leader and transferred to your hotel.
Located in the heart of the ancient city of Leh, The Grand Dragon Hotel, Ladakh is amongst the first luxury hotels in Ladakh. The hotel is decorated magnificently with handmade paintings by Gulam Mustafa (First modern Artist of Ladakh) around every corner, and fixtures that are reminiscent of royalty. The entire hotel is wheelchair accessible, for providing differently abled guests with a comfortable sojourn.
The hotel is also centrally heated and solar powered, not only ensuring warmth but also ensuring that all the services are eco-frien Rest of the day is at leisure to acclimatize to the high altitude and rarefied air. Leh is at 11400 feet and the flight up from the plains means that you have to acclimatize gently without pushing yourself.
The 2 days scheduled here is the minimum required as you will be going to a higher altitude and will be doing a fair amount of walking. At some point over the next few days in Leh, meet with staff from the Snow Leopard Conservancy for a briefing on the history of snow leopard conservation in Ladakh with insight given into the current threats to snow leopards and the strategy’s adopted to combat these threats.
Overnight – The Grand Dragon Hotel, Leh – Premier Room – All meals
Today you set out for an extraordinary drive east heading towards Taglang La and the villages of Gya, Lhato and Meru.
It’s a fantastic drive taking you away from the Valley of the Indus up a subsidiary valley to an extraordinary area even by Ladakhi’s standards that marks the line where the Indian mainland collided with and drove under Asian land mass.
There is some dramatic scenery here and you have a chance of sighting wildlife including Blue sheep, Golden eagles and Bearded vultures. Rafts of Red-billed Choughs perform synchronized aerobatics and in the fallow fields you have the chance of seeing the very beautiful Tibetan Partridge and the more common Chukor partridge.
Overnight – The Grand Dragon Hotel, Leh – Premier Room – All meals
Today you drive west today on the road to Kargil and Srinagar, generally following the Indus River. You pass through the small town of Nimmu – one of the most important in Ladakh, where the Zanskar river meets the Indus. After a little over an hour you head north on a road marked to Likir– one of Ladakh’s famous Buddhist monasteries. This is all snow leopard country. The landscape here is even bigger, more expansive and open, until you turn off onto a dirt road, winding up a narrow valley, following a stream called the Ulley Chhu. Smaller valleys intersect and the guides have their heads craned all the time, scanning the hill sides and the skyline for any silhouette. This is excellent Ibex country and there are few more evocative sights than a magnificently horned male Ibex standing vigil on some impossibly narrow outcropping, a few thousand feet over a plunging cliff.
You will be staying at the Snow Leopard Lodge – The home stay consists of 6 bedrooms, built separately from the main house with a dining room and kitchen – all in the same low stone built building. Add to this the interest of living with a Ladakhi family in the depths of winter and understanding their life-style and you have a very special experience in store - especially sharing the large and warm kitchens that are the heart of a Ladkahi home in winter and resplendent with brass, copper and silver ornaments.
Settle in on arrival and acclimatize to the higher altitude of Ulley. You will be based here over 7 nights. You will explore 3 valleys, which, apart from snow leopards, are great for finding urial, Ibex, wolf and Himalayan fox.
Over the next few days you explore the area on foot and SUV’s with your expert guide. You will be amazed at the sheer dedication and commitment he brings to his trade and the effort he makes to ensure that his guests leave happy. Your guide will interact closely with the local people and use the network of local intelligence to narrow down the likely sites. In the process there will also be plenty of opportunity for you to get insights into local folklore, as well as learn about local customs and traditions.
Overnights - Snow Leopard Lodge - All meals
This morning, after breakfast, you say your goodbyes to your host and drive back to Leh town.
En-route you visit the Alchi monastery. Alchi Gompa is located near the small village of Saspol. It is one of the earliest monasteries built in Ladakh, dating from the 11th century. Because it was built before the invading wars began in the 15th century, Alchi was built on lowlands, rather than on a hilltop as others were, in order to protect them from marauding armies.
After the visit, you carry on your journey to Leh.
Overnight – The Grand Dragon Hotel, Leh – Premier Room – All meals
Today connect to your morning flight to Delhi and check-in for your homeward flight and depart India.
End of Arrangements
