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Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
Eight nights timed for Hemis Tsechu, Ladakh's great summer festival. Four nights at Chamba Camp Thiksey give time to acclimatise and two days at the masked dances, then Nubra over Khardung La, a night at Pangong and a last night in Leh. Runs in June or July only.
Hemis Tsechu honours the birth of Padmasambhava with two days of cham dances in the courtyard of Hemis monastery, and it is the most spectacular of Ladakh's monastery festivals. Because it falls in June or early July, it also coincides with the best weather of the year, when the roads to Nubra and Pangong are open and the high camps are running. Leh fills up, so book early. Plan ahead.
We build the journey around the festival dates, which change every year with the Tibetan calendar. You arrive two days before the dances begin, rest at Chamba Camp Thiksey and visit Thiksey and Shey while you adjust. Then come the two festival days, followed by the classic loop over Khardung La to Nubra, along the Shyok to Pangong and back over Chang La to Leh. Dates are confirmed each spring.
Highlights
Day by day
Your guide meets you at Leh airport and drives you 30 minutes up the Indus to Chamba Camp Thiksey, where your tent looks up at the monastery on its hill. The rest of the day is for rest: lunch at the camp, a long sleep, plenty of water and an early dinner. Your guide will brief you on the festival, the week ahead and how to manage the altitude. Keep the evening quiet.
If you feel well, walk slowly to Thiksey monastery at 6 am for morning prayers, returning to camp for breakfast. Otherwise, sleep in and visit later. In the late morning, drive five minutes to Shey to see its seated Buddha and the ruined palace on the ridge. Afternoon at leisure in the camp. Your guide will collect festival passes or confirm seating arrangements for the next two days. Lunch is at the camp.
Leave at 7 am for Hemis, 40 minutes away, to find good places in the galleries before the dances begin. The courtyard fills with villagers in their finest dress, and monks in brocade and painted masks dance to horns, drums and cymbals. The large thangka of Padmasambhava is usually displayed on the first day. Lunch nearby, then watch more dances or visit the museum before returning to camp. Bring a hat and sunscreen.
Return to Hemis in the morning for the second day of dances, which are often less crowded. Alternatively, spend the morning at Stok Palace museum and a village lunch, and keep the day calmer. In the afternoon, move to The Grand Dragon Ladakh in Leh, which is better placed for the early start to Nubra. A short evening walk in Main Bazaar if you wish. Dinner is at the hotel.
Leave Leh by 8 am for the climb to Khardung La, at 5,359 m. Stop for 15 minutes for photographs among the prayer flags, then descend into the Nubra valley, where the landscape changes to sand, gravel and green villages. Lunch near Khalsar, then cross the Shyok to Sumur and Lchang Nang Retreat, set among trees and fields. Rest in the garden; Nubra is lower than Leh and sleep comes easily.
Morning at Diskit monastery for prayers, then down to the 32 m Maitreya facing the valley. Return to Sumur for lunch and a rest, or visit Samstanling monastery nearby. In the late afternoon, drive to the Hunder dunes for the golden hour, with an optional short ride on a Bactrian camel. Dinner at Lchang Nang. Diskit's prayers begin at about 7 am. After lunch, rest in the garden before the dunes, and keep a warm layer for the evening.
Leave early and follow the Shyok river east through Agham and Shyok village, a wild and narrow valley, to Durbuk, where you join the Pangong road. Lunch in Tangtse, then continue past Lukung to Spangmik and your lake-facing camp. Watch the colours change on the water in the late afternoon. At 4,225 m, take it easy, drink plenty and skip alcohol tonight. Stars after dark. Leave by 7.30 am, before the streams rise.
A dawn walk along the shore with tea, when the lake is still and the peaks turn pink. Breakfast, then drive back over Chang La, at 5,360 m, and down to Karu. Stop at Chemrey or Takthok monastery if time allows, and arrive in Leh mid-afternoon. A farewell dinner at The Grand Dragon or in town. The drive takes about five hours. Stop for lunch in Tangtse or at Karu. In the evening, a hot shower and an unhurried dinner.
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Leh airport for your morning flight to Delhi. If there is time before the flight, a last walk to the old town or a visit to Spituk monastery, above the runway, rounds off the journey. Remember to keep festival photographs backed up before you leave. Morning departures are the norm at Leh because afternoon winds make flying difficult, so we plan an early start and carry a packed breakfast if needed. Keep warm layers and any medicines in your hand luggage.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
Chamba Camp Thiksey is a seasonal luxury tented camp in the fields below Thiksey monastery, about 19 km from Leh. Spacious tents with en-suite bathrooms, attentive …
The Grand Dragon is Leh's most complete hotel: central, centrally heated and open all year, with mountain-view rooms, several restaurants and a staff used to looking …
Lchang Nang, meaning house of trees, is a small retreat in Sumur village in Nubra, set among willows and fields with views of the surrounding peaks. …
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Questions travellers ask
Only for the dates of Hemis Tsechu, which fall on the 10th and 11th days of the fifth Tibetan month, usually in June or early July. We fix the itinerary once the dates are confirmed each year. Check current status before you travel.
Chamba Camp Thiksey is about 40 minutes from Hemis, closer than Leh, and lets you walk to Thiksey for dawn prayers while you acclimatise. It is also quieter than Leh during the festival rush. It books up early, so plan ahead.
No. The first day is the main one, with the thangka display and the fullest programme. Many guests attend only the first day and use the second for Stok or a rest. We keep it flexible. Seats on the second day are easier to find.
Yes, for most healthy travellers. Four nights at 3,300–3,500 m is a good acclimatisation before crossing a 5,359 m pass and sleeping in Nubra, which is lower than Leh. We keep stops at the pass short. Tell your guide about any symptoms before setting off.
Photography is generally allowed in the courtyard, without flash. Do not step into the dancing area or block the view of local spectators. Some rituals may be off-limits. Your guide will advise on the day. Long lenses work best from the galleries.
Yes, for Nubra and Pangong. Foreigners need a Protected Area Permit, and Indian nationals have needed an Inner Line Permit or online registration with fees. We arrange them in Leh. Check current status before you travel. No permit is needed for Hemis itself.
We book the best camp available at Spangmik or Merak, with heated, lake-facing tents and attached bathrooms. It is comfortable but simpler than Chamba Camp. Nights are cold even in July. We request a tent facing the water and add extra blankets for the night.
From ₹3,10,000 per person, twin sharing, including the stays named, private car, guide, permits and the meals listed. Festival dates carry higher hotel rates. Flights are extra. Single travellers, festival dates and peak weeks in July and August cost more, and we confirm the exact price once your dates and rooms are fixed.
Yes. Two more nights, at Tso Moriri and in Leh, can be added after Pangong. It extends the journey to ten nights. Ask us for a combined itinerary. Tso Moriri adds a quiet lake and Changpa nomad culture to the festival days.
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