Journey to Sacred Tibet: Tsam mystery at the monastery Diskit, Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake.

Travel is marked "EXCLUSIVE": no one but us spend tours to Buddhist mystery Diskit Gustor.

Speaking of this journey in the first place I want to emphasize two points:
1. Sacred Tibet - in this case, is not a metaphor, but the most accurate description of the places and events that we touch on this tour:
Buddhist mystery Diskit Gustor with performance Tsam Dance – Dance of Lamas in Masks of beings of Bardo in remote Nubra Valley.
Mystical, sacred act, very honest and very powerful in its energy.
2. Marker of the tour: EXCLUSIVE.
What does it mean:
- Firstly, nobody organizes tours especially the photo tours to the Nubra valley to the mystery Diskit Gustor, due to the remoteness and secrecy of this Buddhist festival.
-  Secondly, it is not just an exclusive trip, but also it has the budget price.

Adding -the autumn highland Pangong Tso Lake, traveling to Nubra valley - to remote villages near  the Pakistan border, bathing in hot radon springs, visit distant Buddhist monasteries, the tourists simply do not know about this places.
For photographers - a lot of really exclusive ethnographic photography, clear autumn landscapes of Ladakh and Nubra, portrait photography in the mystery and in the villages. 

Most of the photos shown in the description of the photo tour Sacred Tibet clickable to large in size, simply click on the picture and it will open in a new window.

Day 1, October 9: Delhi - Leh (flight). Acclimatization to the altitude. Walking through the Old Town.
The flight from the country of residence to New Delhi.
Transfer from the international airport of New Delhi to the airport of  domestic airlines (carried inside the airport by free shuttle bus) and the flight Delhi-Leh.
It is common practice in our photo tours in Little Tibet: flights, where participants arrive at Delhi airport, usually arrive in the terminal D3 from 2 to 5 am, immediately move by the shuttle-bus to the terminal D1 and by one of the early morning flights depart to Leh.Flights  Delhi- Leh will take so that the margin of time between the external and internal flight was as a minimum - 3-4 hours.
Flight Delhi - Leh, 1 hour, 20 minutes.
By the way, the flight Delhi - Leh - stunningly beautiful sight, as we fly above the Himalayan ranges.
The pictures of the airfare can be found here:
Homecoming. Blog in LiveJournal by Ilona Kryzhanovskaya, We came back to Ladakh! and Flight from Delhi to Leh, Ladakh, April 2015.

Arriving to Ladakh, the plane turning around over the valley and landing in the only airport in the valley - in Leh.

In Leh directly at the exit of the airport the tour guide meets the participants with a sign PhotoTour, then - we go to our cozy, quiet hotel, rest after the flight.
Leh is at an altitude of 3600 m.
And on the first day of photo tour it is important to pass the correct altitude acclimatization for the participants: be instructed on acclimatization, drinking plenty of fluids, the first hours of rest on arrival at the hotel.
After acclimatization rest at the hotel go for a leisurely adaptation walk through the narrow streets of the Old Leh: clay houses, Buddhist stupas and prayer wheels.
Leh Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Monuments Fund.
The walk will finish at the Monastery Gompa Soma, in the central part of the Old Leh.
In the evening is a lecture on the introduction to the culture of Tibetan Buddhism.
The hotel in Leh.

Day 2, October 10: Ladakh. Spituk Monastery. Puja, a blessing for the road to the Nubra valley. Spituk village.
In the morning we go to a Buddhist monastery Spituk Gonpa.
Spituk Gompa is a Buddhist monastery of the Gelug tradition, and it is situated 8 km from Leh.

Spituk Gompa founded by Aud-De, the elder brother of Lha Lama Changchub Oda, in the 11th century.
Aud-De chose a place near the Lech and built three sanctuaries at first, and after - the monastery.
The name "Spituk" - “an exemplary”, given by Rinchen Zangpo (Lotsawa), who visited this gompa and was surprised by his godly community.
At first, the monastery entered the Kadampa school. Dharmaradzha Takspa Boom - Lde Lama Lhavang put a lot of efforts to help the monastery, and he brought it into the Gelugpa school, the teaching of the great Tszonkhapa.
Stok Gompa, Sankal Gompa and Sabu – obey to Spituk.
The monastery statues: Buddha Amitayus, Mahakala.
The images: Tszonkhapa, Takspa Boom Lde. The throne intended for the Dalai Lama installed in dukhang (assembly hall).
There are five rows of seats for Lamas on each side and shelves with Tibetan Buddhist canon in dukhang.
Behind the main hall there is a small room with images of Tsonkhapa, two of his students, Tara and Buddha. The thangkas (some of them are brought from Lhasa after the Chinese occupation), ancient masks, antique arms are stored in this gompa.
Spituk Monastery is one of the most beautiful monasteries of Ladakh valley and if we have a good karma we get here the blessing for a good journey to Pangong Lake from the  Lama of High  Initiation.
Closer to lunch we go down to the village Spituk, attending the school for young lamas at Spituk Gompa, Spituk shooting in the village.
On this day we have planned a lot of landscape and ethnographic photography.

For lunch we go to Leh.
After lunch - free time, which can be used for the genre and ethnographic photography in the Main Bazaar of Leh, or just relax before the journey to the Nubra valley.
The hotel in Leh.

Day 3, October 11: Leh - Khardung La Pass - Nubra Valley, Diskit. 130 km.
After an early breakfast, drive to the valley of Nubra.
We have to drive about 130 km, spend 5-6 hours on the road and go up to the pass Khardong La - the highest road pass in 
This day we will stop on the road a lot for landscape photography.
Depending on how we are lucky with the weather, we can meet a variety of landscapes: from the bright, shimmering shades of blue peaks to golden inflows snaking riverbed of the Nubra river and backwaters reflecting the surrounding mountains.

View from Khardung La pass on the road leading to the valley of Nubra.

On the photo: Dust storm in the Nubra Valley.

Sunset reflected in the golden waters of the river Nubra.

Backwater of Nubra Valley.

Nubra Valley is undoubtedly the most soft-beautiful in the Ladakh.
It is located to the north of Leh, between mountain ranges of Ladakh and the Karakoram.
High mountains, long tongues of glaciers, sand, apricot orchards - all this creates a magical reality.
Here (in good weather) we can see the highest peak of Ladakh - Saser Kangri, the height of 7670 m.
Nubra name literally means "Valley of Flowers".
You can get to it, breaking Khardong La Pass (5600 m), the highest mountain pass in the world, through which the highway is paved, listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
In ancient times the valley was a part of the Central Asian route known as the Silk Road.
According to it, a road connected Leh to Yarkand and went further to Central Asia and Mongolia.
In this way also the pilgrims went to Mecca and Medina for the hajj.
Traditional commerce was stopped here only in the 1950's, when Tibet was invaded by China.

We arrived in Nubra, in the village Diskit stay in the guest house and go for a walk in the evening towards the Buddhist monastery Diskit Gonpa.
Guest house in Diskit.

Days 4 -5, October 12 - 13: Buddhist monastery Diskit Gompa. Festival mystery Diskit Gustor, Cham Dance.
The next two days we spend in a Buddhist monastery Diskit Gonpa, Temple Lachung and Gompa Hundur.
First, a bit about the monastery Diskit Gompa.
Diskit Gompa is essentially a temple town, surrounded by a small ethnic villages.
Diskit Gompa or Diskut Gompa or monastery Diskit  - the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Valley of Nubra.

Monastery Diskit stands on a hill, just above the flood plain of the river Shayoka, on its right bank at an altitude of 3144 meters above sea level.
From the village to the monastery is a road that crosses a stream over the bridge, the road is dusty and hilly, but it is rich with beautiful views of the valley of Nubra.
About 100 monks live in the monastery and there is a school.
The Tibetan children studying at school. There are western sciences started to study at school and the courses for monks were organized, where they learn English and computer handling, in turn, the monks will teach children.
In the school library the  books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, books in English are supplied.

From the height of Diskit Gompa are incredible views of the valley of Nubra and there are many wonderful points for panoramic photography of the valley.

Monastery Diskit Gompa was founded by Chhangzem Tserab Zangpo in the 14th century.
In the mid-18th century, Tsevang Namgyal  handed Diskit Gompa to Rinpoche (teacher) of the Tiksey Gompa and this rule is still in effect: Diskit Gompa is subordinated to one of the largest monasteries in Ladakh - Tiksey Gonpa.
A huge statue of Buddha Maitreyee - Buddha of the Future is floating-towers over the valley of Nubra.

Temple Lachung and Hundur Gompa are close to Diskit Gompa, the last is on the road below the bridge.
There are the statue of Maitreya in the prayer hall, a huge prayer wheel and images of the Protectors of the Teaching in the monastery.
Monastery dome is covered with frescos of images from Tashilhunpo in Tibet.
The monastery complex is huge and beautiful.
By the way, according to the legend Jesus Christ spent here 33 years.
At this day a lot of landscape photography and temple shooting are planned.
The monastery bears a lot of interesting history dating back to the ancient times.

And the main event of our trip to the Nubra valley is a Buddhist mystery Diskit Gustor with performance Tsam Dance – Dance of Lamas of higher initiations in masks.
As the festival takes place around the clock, these two days will be very busy - events, photography, emotions.
For information: The sacred rite of ritual dance Tsam dancing lamas dressed in festive costumes and masks depicting the Dharma Protectors, the entities that govern in the Bardo of Death.
In essence Tsam is a dance meditation, during which the gods come to life in the minds of not only the Lamas, but the pilgrims and are present at the festival with all believers.

These two days will be filled with quite incredible action and fantastic photography from morning till evening.
There will be:
emotional, lively face of Tibetan grandmothers who will come to the mystery in ancient family ornaments and national costumes, puja - with long trumpets, and bass Tibetan drums, children with wide open faces, and Dance Tsam - the purest and honest action of all we've seen on our planet.

In the afternoon, we will travel through the valley of Nubra:
visit the largest in Nubra Mani Wall - alley-wall of stones inscribed with mantras.

Be sure to visit the sacred to radon hot springs and bathe in them and certainly be a lot of night photo-shooting in the valley of the Nubra. 

Guest house in Diskit.

Day 6, October 14: Nubra Valley - Khardung La Pass - Leh.
Early in the morning we go the back way to Leh.
On the way - many stops for landscape photography.
In the middle of the day – come back to Leh.

In the afternoon – separate walks in Leh, shopping, packing for back way home.
Guest House in Leh.

Day 7, October 15: Leh. Old city. Excursion in Old Leh.
On the morning we will go by car to the Royal Palace of Leh, Namgyal Tsemo Monastery.
The  Namgyal Tsemo castle, "the red fortress", was built in the 16th century by King Tashi Namgyal.
The monastery keeps the three-story statue of the Buddha Maitreya. Also, the monastery is famous for its collection of ancient manuscripts and frescoes.
The monastery belongs to the Gelugpa tradition.

On the way back to the hotel we will visit:
Monastery Samkar (Sankar Gompa) - a small ancient monastery of the Gelugpa school, surrounded by tiny monks' chambers.

Ancient stupa Gomang is also located near the monastery Samkar.
We walk on foot from stupa to the hotel- the narrow streets of the Old Leh.
The hotel in Leh.

Day 8, October 16: Leh - Pangong Tso Lake - Leh. 270 km.
We wake up at 4 am, have breakfast and go by car to the lake Pangong Tso.
We are waiting for a stunningly beautiful road up the river Indus.
Near the Buddhist monastery Chamdo Gonpa we turn from the main road to the left and begin the way to the Lake Pangong.
The road climbs to the pass Chang La, 5316 m., which is named to glory Sadhu Baba Changle, who was dedicated to a Hindu temple on the pass.
Here's a view from Chang La pass over the valley of Ladakh. 

Further down the road runs in beautiful plateau to a small village Tangste with the same name Buddhist Gonpa, is perched among the rocks.
Briefly stop near Gonpa to take photos and go on to the Lake Pangong.
5 km to the lake provided a stop in the glade, where there are a lot of pet Marmots - this is Tibetan marmot, you can photograph them at close range.
Marmots absolutely not afraid of people and come for a distance of less than a one meter.

View photos captured on a lake Pangong Tso, Ladakh, Little Tibet.

That's the first time we see the Pangong Tso lake from the road, as a gem in the mountains frame it appears before us.

Lake Pangong Tso with waves: you can sit on the rocks near the water and photograph the rolling waves of  Pangong Lake.

Pangong Tso lake name may be pronounced very differently.
For example, a variation of sounds like Bangong Tso Lake, and is translated as the lake of high meadows or long ocean of divine area.

Pangong Lake is situated at an altitude of about 4250 m and is located near the border with Tibet.
The lake length is 134 km, width - 5 km. The lake belongs at the third part to Ladakh (India) and 2/3 - Tibet (Tibetan territories under the occupation of China).
We spend the whole day on Pangong Lake, drive along the coast, we will stop in many places to take pictures.
In the afternoon - return to Leh by already known road, with numerous stops for landscape photography of valleys of Ladakh, is converted in the evening light.

Arriving late at night in Leh. Recreation.
The hotel in Leh.

Day 9, October 17: Flight Leh - Delhi. Homecoming.
In the morning - transfer to the airport and flight Leh - Delhi.
Again, during the trip will be an opportunity to make great photos of the Himalayan peaks from the height.

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

ATTENTION!
For those who wish to continue their stay in India, we can arrange a tour during a week or two on the beaches of Goa, Kerala, Ayurvedic holidays, tours + rest in Pondicheri.
Individually.
And a very loyal prices.
Refer to the mail:  [email protected]