By Road Through High Passes

After a hearty breakfast check out from the hotel and head towards Chandigarh – ‘The City Beautiful’. Chandigarh may appear oddly familiar to Western visitors and idiosyncratic to the rest of India. It is a good place to take a break while venturing into the Himalayas. That is why it is also called as Gateway to the Himalayas.

Reach Chandigarh by afternoon. Check-in at the hotel. In the late afternoon head out to visit the famous Rock Garden, a beautiful and huge sculpture garden, founded by Nek Chand, a government official who started the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. It is completely built of industrial and home waste and thrown-away items.

Later visit the beautiful Sukhna Lake that lies in the foothills of the Shivalik range. You can enjoy the cool breeze and the beauty of nature here. Overnight stay will be at the hotel in Chandigarh.

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and head towards Manali, located at 2,050 m (6,726 ft) in the Beas River Valley. Nestled between the snow-capped mountains of the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar ranges, Manali is one of India's most popular hill stations. With jaw-dropping views, lush green forests, sprawling meadows, meandering rivers, and a persistent fragrance of pines and freshness - Manali has been blessed with astounding scenic beauty.

It will be around 7–8 hour journey but a beautiful driving experience through the Himalayas. The closer you get to Manali, the more energetic and ecstatic you will feel. You will be driving on the road running aside the meandering Beas River. On the way, you will also see lots of farms & apple orchards. Reach Manali by evening hours. Check in to the hotel on arrival and relax. The evening will be at your leisure.

Dinner and overnight stay will be at the hotel in Manali.
 

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After the breakfast, set out to explore Manali. Start with a visit to Vashisht. This beautiful village is famous for its sulfurous hot water springs and Vashisht temple, built just next to the springs. The water from this spring is believed to have great healing powers, which can cure many skin diseases and other infections. Then visit “HADIMBA TEMPLE”, built in 1553 with a superbly crafted four-tiered pagoda roof; it is famous for its exquisitely carved doorway and the jungle park in which the temple is built.

After that, visit Old Manali. This quaint little village is very close to the Manali main town, but it is as if you have crossed another world. This hippie land is a strange blend of Indians & foreigners. Old Manali looks like it is out of a retro movie. Perhaps it is because of the fresh air or water, but you feel spiritual energy around you. Later in the evening, visit Mall Road, the heart of the town. Lined with multiple hotels, restaurants, and bars, this busy commercial centre also houses numerous shops and emporiums. You can hang out and shop for local stuff and souvenirs.

Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Manali.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and head towards Jispa via Atal Tunnel. At a length of 9.02 km, it is the longest tunnel above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) in the world. On the way, visit Solang Valley. Solang is not just about adventure activities. Giant slopes of lawn comprise Solang Valley and provide its reputation as a popular ski resort in the winter. You will experience the immediate changing of landscapes after crossing Atal Tunnel and entering Chandra River Valley. The greenery on the southern side of the mountain pass disappears, and the mountain slopes on the leeward side become brown and arid. The highway crosses many small streams of ice-cold water from snow-capped mountains and glacial melts.

Reach Jispa by evening. Check-in at the camps on arrival and relax. Have your dinner and enjoy the night sky. Gazing at the billions of stars will leave you spellbound. Overnight stay will be at the camps in Jispa.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Early morning, check out from the camps and head towards Leh.

Reach Leh by evening. Welcome to Leh! Few places in India are so traveller-friendly yet enchanting and hassle-free as mountain-framed Leh. Dotted with stupas and crumbling mudbrick houses, the old town is dominated by a dagger of steep rocky ridge topped by an imposing Tibetan-style palace and fort.

Check-in at the hotel on arrival. The evening will be at your leisure. Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Leh.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, head out for local sightseeing. Visit Leh Palace built in the 17th century and the roof top of the palace provides spectacular views of the mountain of Stok Kangri and the Ladakh mountain range. Then visit Shey Palace & Monastery, built in 1665 by the King of Ladakh (Deldon Namgyal) as his summer retreat house. The Gompa is known for its colossal copper-gold gilded statue of a seated Shakyamuni Buddha. This statue is reckoned to be the second-largest Buddha statue in Ladakh.

Afterwards, visit Thiksey Monastery, one of the finest examples of Ladakhi architecture. This Monastery is located on the top of the hill in solitude, which lies 20 kilometers away from Leh. It is very famous for its similarity with the Potala Palace of Lhasa. This monastery is famous for pilgrim activities, architectural elements, sightseeing, and exploration.

Reach back at the hotel by evening. Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Leh.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, head out for local sightseeing in Leh. Start with a visit to the Hall of Fame, a museum constructed by the Indian Army in memory of the brave Indian soldiers who laid down their lives defending the motherland in the Indo-Pak wars. It stands as a reminder of the great sacrifices made by our soldiers to ensure the safety and security of our country.

Then, visit Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, a beautiful Sikh Temple built in 1517 to commemorate the visit to the Ladakh region of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder Guru of the Sikh faith. Then stop at Magnetic Hill, a "Cyclops hill" or Gravity hill near Leh. The layout of the area and surrounding slopes create an amazing optic illusion. The hill road is a downhill road. Objects and cars on the hill road may appear to roll uphill in defiance of gravity when rolling downhill.

After that, visit Sangam (the confluence of the Zanskar & Indus rivers), a picturesque site. You could try adventurous rafting on the river. Afterwards, visit Alchi Monastery, built between 958 and 1055 CE. The artistic and spiritual details of both Buddhism and the Hindu kings of that time in Kashmir are reflected in the wall paintings in the monastery complex. The complex also has giant statues of the Buddha and lavish wood carvings and artwork — almost baroque in style.

Return to Leh by evening and visit Shanti Stupa, a Buddhist white-domed stupa on a hilltop in Chanspa. It was built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist Bhikshu Gyomyo Nakamura and was part of the Peace Pagoda mission.

Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Leh.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, drive from Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardung-La Pass (18380ft) – one of the world's highest motorable roads. The valley is located around 159 km from Leh. The route will be Leh – Phyang – Khardung La – Khardung – Khalsar – Diskit – Nubra Valley.

Along the way before and after Khardungla Pass, you will pass by 2 Indian Army check-posts, namely – South Pullu & North Pullu, which are very picturesque sites and flaunt the beauty of nature. On the route, you will pass by some beautiful villages, where you can catch glimpses of locals working on their farms.

Reach Nubra Valley by early evening. This valley is a virgin destination for people who seek peace and interaction with the tribal community of Ladakh. The Sasser Pass and the famous Karakoram Pass of the Silk Route fame lie northwest of the valley and connect Nubra with Xinjiang (China).

Check-in at the hotel on arrival. Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Nubra Valley.
 

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, head out to explore Nubra Valley. Visit Diskit Monastery, the largest and the oldest surviving monastery in Nubra Valley. The prime attraction of the Diskit monastery is 100, the 100-foot-high Maitreya Buddha statue, which the holy Dalai Lama inaugurated.

Afterwards, visit the Hunder dunes. Beyond Ladakh's cultural and monastic side, there are picturesque silver dunes of Hunder in the Nubra Valley. Located at 4,000 meters, Hunder Sand Dunes are beautiful beyond imagination. A serene meandering stream and the beautiful countryside cut across the desert. With such awe-inspiring landscapes against the backdrop of the snow-clad mountains, the Hunder Sand Dune looks nothing less than a dreamland. Try a ride over the rare Bactrian Camel (double-humped camel), which should not be missed. Then, visit Panamic Hot Springs. The hot spring water contains high amounts of sulfur and is believed to possess many medicinal properties.

Reach back at the hotel by evening. Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Nubra Valley.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, drive from Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake. This endorheic Himalayan Lake lies at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and extends from India to China.

Reach Pangong Lake by late afternoon. Check-in at the camps/ cottages, which offer unparalleled views of the surrounding mountain ranges and a fantastic view of Pangong Lake. Its water is salty, crystal clear, and has a lovely shade of blue. It looks its best when the sun is shining bright. The evening will be at your leisure. You can stroll at shores of the lake or indulge in a Yak safari.

Dinner & night stay will be at the camps/ cottages near Pangong Lake.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, drive from Pangong Lake to Leh. On the way, visit Hemis Monastery, revered as the largest monastic institution in Ladakh. It is the wealthiest Buddhist monastery in India and is famous for its rich collection of ancient remnants like the statue of Buddha made of copper and stupas made of gold and silver. The monastery also has sacred Thangkas, murals, and various artefacts.

Reach Leh in the evening and check in at the hotel. The evening will be at your leisure. Dinner & overnight stay will be at the hotel in Leh.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

After breakfast, check out from the hotel. The private car will drop you at Leh airport for your return flight to Delhi.

To all the good things comes an end. Leave with the beautiful memories of this fantastic trip to Leh-Ladakh, worth remembering for a lifetime.

Meals: Breakfast