Advertising tour of the Ladakh and Nubra valleys, the Tsam dance in the DakTok monastery (Tuktuk), Lake Tso Kar.

With the last year's May tour of 2017, the following story happened:
places in the group turned out to be less than those wishing to take part in the trip.
And we repeated the tour in August, expanding the tour program with participation in the Buddhist mystery with the performance of the Dance of Tsam in the DakTok Gonpa monastery.
And it was this summer program that turned out to be ideal - we decided to keep it.

The tour will be interesting first of all to those who want to get acquainted with the culture of Tibetan Buddhism:
there will be monasteries, there will be puja, there will be mountains, there will be roads and we will try to tell as much as possible-to present with what they themselves met here, with what has become our home and refuge.

This 10-day tour of Ladakh will give an opportunity to visit the three most beautiful valleys in a very comfortable weather and in a short time and get acquainted with the most interesting from our point of view the monasteries of Ladakh:
Travel routes are built in such a way that they are radial sorties in different directions from Lech:
- Northwest: The most beautiful valley of the middle course of the Indus. Visiting Buddhist monasteries: Spituk, Alchi and Basgo.
- Southeast: landscapes of the Ladakh valley, the upper course of the Indus. Buddhist monasteries: Tiksey, Shay, DakTok and Chamdei. Lake Tso Car.
- North: Nubra Valley + the world's highest car pass Cardong La 5602m. Hot radon sources. Buddhist monasteries: Discite, Summore and Panamik.

Total, tour accent:
an acquaintance with the culture and nature of Ladakha - the land-haven of living Tibetan Buddhism.

The tour will be of interest to everyone who is interested in the culture of Tibetan Buddhism.
Also, the tour will be interesting for photographers of any level:
for a very short time and a very small budget, photographers will be able to shoot practically throughout Ladakh.
We work with tourists from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Israel, Europe, the world.
We will be glad to see you in Ladakh!

Day 1, July 21: Delhi - Leh (air travel). Acclimatization to height. Walks around the Old Town.
Arrival at New Delhi International Airport from the country of residence.

Transfer from Delhi International Airport to the airport of domestic airlines (performed inside the airport by a free bus), and a flight on the Delhi-Leh route.
This is a common practice on our tours in Ladakh:
The flights to which the participants arrive at Delhi airport usually arrive at the D3 terminal from 2 to 5 am, then the participants immediately move to the shuttle (free shuttle) to Terminal D1 and one of the morning flights fly to Leh.
Flights to Delhi-Leh flights will be taken so that the time reserve between the external and domestic flights is at least 3-4 hours.
The Delhi-Lech air flight among the Himalayan peaks is like a kind of transition from cities to the highlands of Buddhist Ladakh.
Behind the plane's window, the dusty urban landscapes of Delhi and its environs are gradually replaced by scorched deserts, and they will be replaced by foothills, and then you - in almost one moment - you will find yourself among the magnificent peaks of the Himalayas.

The airplane will float as if on the tunnel:
glaciers, narrow blue streams of rivers, and then on the banks of the Indus - Buddhist monastic Gonpes, plowed fields in the Indus valley and road tapes, almost not different from the height in color from the rivers.

We arrive in Ladakh, the plane makes a beautiful turn over the valley (an excellent time for photography) and lands at the only airport in the valley - in the city of Leh.

Transfer to the hotel, breakfast.
Leh is at an altitude of 3600 m.
And on the first day of the photo tour for the participants it is very important to pass the correct altitude acclimatization: we pass the acclimatization training, drink a lot of liquid, the first hours on arrival rest at the hotel.
After acclimatization rest in the hotel we go for a leisurely adaptation walk to the center of Lech, to the Main Market, get acquainted with the main street of Lech.
We'll finish our walk in the Soma Gompa Monastery, in the central part of Old Lech.
In the evening, a lecture on the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism into the culture.
Hotel in Leh.

Days 2-3, July 22-23: Buddhist mystery of DacToc Tsechu, DakTok monastery. Monastery of Chamdey.
These two days we will spend on the Buddhist mystery of DakTok Tsechu in Buddhist monastery DakTok (Tuktuk).
DacTok Gonpa is the only Buddhist monastery of the Nigmapa school in the Ladakh valley.
The very Buddhist mystery with the performance of the Tsam Dance is a strong and unforgettable energy performance.
You can read about Dance of Tsam, see photos and video in the section of our website dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism:
Tibetan Buddhism.

Dance Cham is always a very beautiful event filled with emotions and sensations.
But when the Deer enters the site of the Dak-Tok monastery - Time stops.
However, not only time stops, everything stops:
you stop noticing anyone around, stop breathing, stop feeling the world around you - there's only a deer dancing an unimaginable Something.
And this Something opens its wings above the earth and comes Silence, in which new worlds are born.
And this is impossible to convey in words.
All the conversations on the court stop, everyone is frozen in this Deer Dance, tears flow down the cheeks of people.

One day we will also visit the Buddhist monastery of Chimre (Chamray) Gonpa, also located in the valley of the river Sakti.

And, of course, the other day in the evening, on the way back to Lech, we'll go to the huge Buddhist monastery of Tiksey Gonpa, and then - at the very sunset we'll stop by the White Stupes of Naropa Teacher.

Hotel in Leh.

Day 4, July 24: Ancient Buddhist monastery of Alchi Gonpa.
We go up early in the morning and leave for our first remote car trip along Ladakh, down the Indus River.

Through the magnificent mountain scenery, we will move to the Buddhist monastic complex of Alchi Gonpa.
Alchi is located on the banks of the Indus River at an altitude of 3250 m and 65 km from Lech (to the west).
The rest of the day we will spend in Alchi and adjacent villages to the monastery complex.
Buddhist monastery Alchi Gonpa is a Buddhist complex of temples, whose age exceeds 1000 years.
The monastery is the four temples of different periods surrounding the village of Alchi, Alchi Gompa - the oldest and largest structure.
The monastery of Alchi is now subordinated to the abbot of the Buddhist monastery Likir Gompa.
The monastery of Alchi was built by the great lama (guru) Rinchen Sanpo (958-1055).
The monastic records mention the Tibetan aristocrat Kaldan Sherab, who lived in the middle of the XI century, some researchers consider him the founder of the monastery complex Alchi Gonpa.
The village of Alchi is included in the group of villages that make up the Alchi Monastery complex, in addition to Alchi are adjacent Mangdu and Sundang Chung (now it is the Zanskar district).
The monuments of these villages are unique in style and craftsmanship, and that's where we will go after lunch.
The monastic complex of Alchi is unique: the artistic and spiritual characteristics of Buddhism and Hinduism are intertwined here with ancient Kashmiri traditions, as a result of which the murals of the monastery are especially interesting.
In old Kashmir, Hinduism and Buddhism were equally revered, and Alchi, built by Kashmiris, bears the imprint of this style.
The frescoes of the monastery are the oldest in the Ladakh valley.
In total, only two such monastic complexes have survived on our planet, in which Kashmir frescoes of a thousand years ago have been preserved: in Alchi and in Tabo, and both of them are unique, and are protected by the UNESCO Monuments Fund.
The Buddhist complex of Alchi includes huge Buddha statues, temples decorated with wood carvings of incredible beauty.
Alchi is beautiful, here we will meet completely with another Buddhism - Kashmir Buddhism, which existed more than 1,000 years ago.
By the way, from two monastic complexes - Alchi and Tabo, it is Alchi that is more accessible.

In the complex Alchi three main sanctuaries:
1. Dukkhang or the Assembly Hall is in the center of the monastery, it is in it that rituals and ceremonies are made.
The Assembly Hall is large and ancient, ancient wooden doors have been preserved. Many details remained unchanged from the 12th to the 13th century. The column hall leads to the courtyard, in the fresco pass with 1000 buddhas.
The oldest in Ladakh Bhavachakra (Wheel of Samsara or the Wheel of Life) and Mahakala are depicted on the outer gates.

The walls of Dukkhang, dedicated to the Buddha (Tathagata), depict the six mandalas surrounding Vairochana, Dukhan is dedicated to him.
Among the mandalas are depicted buddhas, bodhisattvas, goddesses, angry deities and defenders of the Dharma, as well as younger deities.

2. Sumces (or Sumtseg): Alchi-Sumets - one of the most interesting structures of the complex.
Sumets / Sumtseg literally means "three-story" and consists of three small halls built of clay and natural stone in the traditional Tibetan style, while lush columns, facades, walls, frescoes of the interior are made by Kashmiri masters.
On the first floor there are three niches, each 4 meters high.
In the niches are the huge figures of the three Bodhisattvas: Matreya, Avalokitesvara and Manjushri, and around them are the younger deities (four in each niche) and two flying goddesses in each niche.
Sutzec was built in the early 13th century and perfectly preserved to our times.
Ancient inscriptions indicate that these images store relics of the speech and mind of the three bodies of the Buddha: Maitreya personifies the body of reality, Avalokiteshvara is the body of bliss and Manjushri is the body of emanation.
If to simplify, then this is Compassion, Hope and Wisdom.

3. Manjushri Temple: Manjushri Temple, is built around four images of Manjushri, back to back, standing on a platform in the middle of the temple.
Image Manjushri several times redone, including recently painted.
The sculpture of Manjushri is very unconventional, because Manjushri is not painted in the usual orange color, but in different colors.
It is surrounded by gods, animals and a complex ornament consisting of the tails of the monster Makara, which adds mystics.

At a late lunch we will go to a small cozy restaurant in Alchi, whose owner is Kashmiri, and we will have the opportunity to enjoy the dishes of real Kashmiri cuisine.
Then walk along the village of Alchi to the ancient gongs and stupas of the monastery complex.
Closer to the evening - we return to Leh.
Hotel in Leh.

Day 5, July 25: Highland Lake Tso Kar.
Today is the most spectacular day of our tour: we will go to the highland lake of Tso Kare.
We will climb the second highest pass in Ladakh - Taglung La (5358 m), and from the height we will see the high-mountainous dusty Rupshu valley.

This lake Tso Kara from a bird's-eye view is in the middle of a dusty high-altitude bowl.

It seems unimpressive?
But it only seems so.
Near it it's completely different:

Lake Tso-Kar - perhaps the most charming of the lakes of Lesser Tibet.
The epithet "beautiful" - here not absolutely that, Tso-Car is especially charming: soft paints, half-tones, closed miniature, water color of paints surrounding mountains of a lake, calmness-rest.
The word "Tso-Car" literally translates as the White Lake. This lake is named because the salt and all its banks are covered with whitish deposits of salt.
Lake Tso Kar - is located 150 km southeast of Lech in the Rupshu Valley at an altitude of 4700 m.
Tso Kar is very capricious and very diverse in all its manifestations:
from the weather, which can change here every half hour to landscapes - here and the smooth water with reflecting mirrors, and colorful solonchaks, and winding channels of the channel connecting the different parts of the lake.
To see the photos taken at Lake Tso-Kar during our travels, click here:
Lake Tso Kar, the Rupshu Valley, Lesser Tibet.

Towards evening we set off on our way back to Lech.
We are waiting for a very interesting and rich in landscapes and panoramas high-altitude road.
Photographing in the dusty Rupshu Valley and the second highest pass in Ladakh Tanglangla La.

Late in the evening we return to Leh.
Hotel in Leh.

Day 6, July 26: Buddhist monasteries Spituck Gonpa and Basgo Gonpa.
Buddhist monastery Spituk Gompa, Spituk Monastery - was founded in the 11th century and its name Spituk - "exemplary" was received from Rinchen Zangpo, admired in an exemplary way of life of local monks.
The Spituk Monastery is built in the form of a fortress on a high cliff.

Originally belonged to the tradition of Kadam-pa, then passed to the Kagyu tradition, from the 15th century belongs to the tradition of Gelugpa.
The rector of the monastery (Rinpoche) is known for his enlightening activities and the creation of the Ladakh education system.
The monastery is decorated with frescoes, sculptures and tanks, some of which are brought here from Tibet after the Chinese invasion, there is a collection of antique weapons.
In the assembly hall (dukhang), a throne is established for the Dalai Lama.
After visiting Spituk Gompa, we descend the high stone staircase of the eastern part of the gong to the village of Spituk.

And the final part of the day we will spend in the magnificent incredible Buddhist monastery Basgo Gonpa, located downstream of the Hindu.

Hotel in Leh.

Day 7, July 27: Leh - the Nuba Valley. Monastery Dikit, Temple Lachung and Gompa Hundur.
After an early breakfast we go to the Nubra valley.
We have to travel about 130 km, we will spend 5-6 hours on the road (the Khardong La Pass is the highest pass in the world).

The valley of Nubra is undoubtedly the most beautiful in Ladakh.
It is located to the north of Lech, between the mountain ridges of Ladak and Karakoram.
High mountains, long glacier tongues, sands, apricot gardens - all this creates a magical reality.
We will enter Nubru during the flowering of apricots and apple trees and the whole valley will appear before us in pink and white flower snow:
this is one of the most beautiful sights in Nubra and this time is a great time for photographing infrared landscape photos in Nubr.
Here (in good weather) we can see the highest peak of Ladakh - Sasser Kangri, the height is 7670 m.
The name Nubra literally means "valley of flowers".
You can enter it by overcoming the Khardong La Pass (5600 m), the highest mountain pass in the world, through which a road is built, entered in the Guinness Book of Records.
The valley was once part of the Central Asian route, known as the Silk Road.
On it passed the road linking Lech with Yarkend and further to Central Asia and Mongolia.
Pilgrims to Mecca and Medina for Hajj also traveled along this path.
Traditional trade was stopped here only in the 1950s, when Tibet was conquered by China.

Upon arrival in the Nubra valley we are located in the guest house and in the afternoon we go to a meeting with the unique Buddhist monastery Diskit Gonpa.

Monastery Dikit is essentially a temple city surrounded by small ethnic villages.
Discit Gompa or Disc Gomap or the monastery Discit is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley.

The monastery Dikit refers to the school of Gelug Tibetan Buddhism.
Gompa was founded by Changzem Cerab Zangpo, a disciple of Tsongkhapa, the founder of Gelug in the 14th century.
The monastery was originally subordinated to Tiksi Gompa.
A huge statue of the Buddha of Matreya - the Buddha of the Future floats-rises above the Nubra valley.

Temple Lachung and Hundur Gompa are located nearby, the latter - lower on the road across the bridge.
In the monastery is the statue of Maitreya in the prayer hall, a huge prayer drum and images of the defenders of the teaching.
The domed dome of the monastery is covered with images of frescoes from Tashilongpo in Tibet.
The monastery complex is the largest and most beautiful.
By the way, it was in these places that Jesus Christ was spending his years before the age of 33.
On this day, a lot of landscape and temple photography of photography is planned.
The monastery carries a lot of interesting stories, rooted in the depths of centuries.

If desired, you can attend the evening puja (service) in the Temple of the Defenders of the Dharma Buddhist Monastery Discit Gonpa.

Hotel in Discit.

Day 8, July 28: Nubra Valley: Spanamik Gonpa Monasteries, Gonpa Sumor, hot springs, high mountain lake.
Early in the morning we go to morning service at the Sumor Monastery (Sumor).
The monastery of Sumor is practically not visited by tourists due to its remoteness.
The monastery is the most beautiful. And it was here that the Kushok Guru Bakula Rinpoche was trained up to 6 years.
Goblet of Guru Bakula Rinpoche 20 was born in the village of Turtuk near this monastery.

Dinner. After lunch we go to the hot springs in Panamik.
Bathing in hot hydrogen sulphide springs in specially built bathing rooms.
After the hot springs - a visit to the evening service in Spanamik Gonpe and a small trekking to the beautiful little lake of the Nuuba Valley, where we will meet the sunset.

Hotel in Discit.

Day 9, July 29: The Valley of Nubra - Leh.
Early in the morning we set off on our way back to Leh.

In the middle of the day - we return to Leh.
In the second half of the day - independent walks around Lehu, shopping, fees on the road.
Hotel in Leh.

Day 10, July 30: Lech-Delhi flight. Homecoming.
In the morning - transfer to the airport and the flight Leh - Delhi.

Depending on the time of departure to the country of residence, you can either spend time at New Delhi International Airport, or book a tour of Delhi with a Russian-speaking guide.
Evening departure from the international airport of Delhi to the Motherland.