Hemis Festival Tour

After breakfast, transfer to the airport to board a flight to Leh. On arrival, our representative will escort you to your hotel. Check in & spend the day relaxing and unwinding. In the evening, stroll around the vibrant & colorful Leh Bazaar. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, you will drive to Hemis Monastery (45 kms away from Leh) to enjoy the Hemis Festival. Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Lineage, and existed before the 11th century, with a copper gilded statue of Lord Buddha nestled within. Many other stupas that are said to be made of precious metal like gold and silver can also be seen here. Hemis Monastery becomes alive during the annual Hemis Festival which is celebrated here in early June each year to honor Guru Padamasambhava, founder of Tibet Tantrik Buddhism.

Hemis Festival in Ladakh is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the Tse-Chu, Lunar month of the Tibetan Calendar. The 2-day fiesta marks the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. On this day, Hemis Monastery is adorned beautifully to host the ceremony. The colorful festival showcases the beautiful handicrafts of the area. Natives also dress up in lovely traditional attires and gather in the courtyard of Hemis Monastery, the biggest Buddhist Monastery of Ladakh. Lamas dance around central flagpole to the tunes of drums, cymbals and long horns. The otherwise cold-barren desert comes to life during Hemis Festival.

Evening return to hotel for overnight stay.

After breakfast, you will drive to Hemis Monastery to enjoy festival. The Hemis festival is one of the biggest and the most famous religious festivals of Ladakh and is an attraction for both the tourist and the local people.

The masked dances also known as ‘Chham Dance’ depict the triumph of good over the bad are the highlights of the Hemis Festival of Ladakh. These must-watch dances are also accompanied by sacred plays which keep spectators amused. Vibrant costumes worn by the Lamas also grab the attention. As per traditions, monks are supposed to wear long gowns, elaborate masks and a headgear. Every mask holds a special significance associated with it.

In the end, a sculpture made up of dough and representing the evil powers is destroyed by the head of Black Hat dancers. This implies warding off the evil spirits. The broken pieces are then thrown in four different directions. The ritual indicates purification of soul after death.

Late afternoon you will be driven to Leh to visit Leh Palace & Shanti Stupa. Leh Palace was built during the 17th century by the ruler King Sengge Namgyal. This 9-storey royal edifice has been preserved as a part of Ladakh’s heritage. Return to hotel for overnight stay.

After breakfast, you will leave hotel and drive to Pangong Lake. Pangong Tso , meaning ”high grassland lake” in Tibetan language is also known to as Pangong Lake, is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and extends from India to China. Overnight stay at tent.

After breakfast, you will be drive back to Leh. Arrive at Leh and visit Spituk Spituk Monastery, also known as Spituk Gompa or Pethup Gompa, is a Buddhist monastery. 100 monks reside in this monastery. Monsatry has a giant statue of Kali (Hindu Godess) also which is unveiled during the annual Spitok festival). Evening return to hotel for overnight stay.

After breakfast, you will be drive to Nubra valley en route passing through Khardung La, a high mountain pass, at an elevation of 5,359 m (17,582 feet) above the sea level. Khardong La is historically important as it lies on the major caravan route from Leh to Kashgar in Central Asia.

Later you will visit Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa , the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley. The prayer hall of the monastery consists of 32 meter statue of Maitreya Buddha, various images of other guardian gods as well as a huge drum. Afterwards you will be transferred to Hunder sand dunes about 12,000 ft above sea level, 150 km north of Leh, lies the Nubra Valley, one of the highest deserts in the world where you would enjoy Bactrian Camel ride through the sand dunes. Unlike single-humped camels found in Rajasthan and other parts of India, Bactrian camels in Hunder have two humps and joyride on these camels would is a memorable experience for travelers.

You will transferred to Nubra Valley for overnight stay in tented accommodation.

After breakfast, you will drive to Leh enroute visit Thikse Monastery (19 kms away from Leh) founded 1433 AD. The monastery is located at an altitude of 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) in the Indus Valley. It is a twelve-story complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. Then you will driven to Shey Monastery (15 kms away from Leh). The palace, mostly in ruins now, was built first in 1655, near Shey village under the rule of Deldan Namgyal, also known as Lhachen Palgyigon. It was used as a summer retreat by the kings of Ladakh.. and transferred to hotel for rest and at leisure.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport to board flight for Delhi. Arrive Delhi and proceed to sightseeing tour of Delhi, starting with tour of Raj Ghat – the cremation ground of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation and then drive through President’s Palace, the historical India Gate and visit to a Sikh Temple.

Our representative will meet you and assist you to IGI airport to catch your flight for onwards journey.

BON VOYAGE!