Culture Tours in ladakh zanskar
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Ladakh Cultural Tour - 12 Days
Ladakh is popularly known as ''The land of Numerous Passes', 'The Land of Mystic Lamas', 'The Broken Moon', and 'The Last Shangri-La'. It is a land like no other. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges: the Greater Himalaya and the Karakoram, it lies between two others: the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range. Leh, Ladakh's largest town and administrative centre, is located in the northernmost part of India some seven kilometers from the Indus River and its extensive valley. It is a favourite tourist destination with a wide range of shopping opportunities, including many antique stores. Cradled amidst the snow-covered ridges and peaks of the Great Himalayas, Leh lies at the crossroads of the ancient trading routes between Kashmir, Tibet, Central Asia and the Indian Plains. Moreover, Leh has been a Buddhist centre since at least the 3rd century AD. Since the invasion of Ladakh by Tibet in the 8th century, when much of it became part of Western Tibet, Tibetan ('Mahayana') Buddhism has dominated eastern Ladakh, while Islam has slowly developed in Ladakh's western regions. Ladakh's colourful gompas (Buddhist monasteries) such as Shey, Alchi, Hemis and Lamayuru, have attracted devout Buddhists and interested travelers from all over the globe. It is also a favourite trekking destination, known for some of the most picturesque and challenging treks in northern India. Itinerary -
Zanskar Cultural Tour - 14 Days
South west of Leh, stretches the stark and isolated territory of Zanskar which means white copper in the local dialect. It is a vast land covering over 7000 Sq.Kms. of desolate barren mountains, deep river valleys and deep blue skies. Lying sprawled between the Zanskar and Great Himalayan mountain ranges, Zanskar plays host to two important rivers- the Stod and Tasrup lifelines for this agrarian community. Here stand ancient monasteries high up on craggy barren mountain sides. We take you visiting in the ancient monasteries of Zangla, Rangdum Karsha, Bardan and Stongde all rich in intricate Thanka paintings, enormous gilded statues of the Buddha and his incarnations and tomes of ancient valuable scriptures. Zanskar which lies open for visitors for only four months a year offers the visitor spectacular views of the rugged landscape and a land immersed in monastic traditions that seems to have resisted time. Numerous monasteries stand close to Leh. Most of them are ancient and over 500 years old and house a wealth of statues, fine Thankas and tomes of scriptures. The older monasteries lie sheltered in and around the Zanskar valley some distance away from Leh. Druk International takes you on leisurely visits to these living heritage sites with each day tour taking in three to four monasteries while the ones further away involve a nights stay. Itinerary -
Zanskar Spiti Cultural Tour - 18 Days
Spiti is very similar in its landscape with Ladakh and Zanskar. The same kind of hills and sparse vegetation the same kind of archicture and ancient monasteries are found here. Of the monasteries the Tabo Monastery unlike other monastery is just off the main road on flat ground. The group of temples are a dusty brown but the interiors are something else. Inside the main temple are some of the most exquisite paintings and stucco images found anywhere in the world. Tabo has been declared a world heritage site and after visiting this amazing complex of monasteries we head on towards the dramatically located Dhankar monastery once the fort of the Spiti rulers. Later we visit the ancient Ki monastery known for its exhaustive library of scrolls and religious scriptures. We spend a day with a family in the Pin valley which is just off the main Kaza road to get a look into the Spitian culture. From Kaza we drive down to Manali from where you can access Delhi by bus or air. Itinerary
Handphone: + 91 - 9419178448 / 9906999978 Landline: +91 - 1982 - 251702 Email: drukladakh@gmail.com Web: www.lehladakh.org