Ladakh Hemis Festival
Tags:
Adventure; Hiking; Sightseeing; Trekking; Adventure Travel; Sightseeing tour; excursions; India tour; Indian Adventure; Hemishakpatchan; Explore India; Hemis Festival; Temisgam;
On this special departure you will have the opportunity to attend the Hemis Festival, a celebration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, who is believed to have fought off demons to protect the local people. You’ll also enjoy the beautiful artwork and Tibetan books at seven different monasteries, visit ...
Read Full Description- Destination:
- Trip Length:
- 9 days
- Price Range:
- From $2495 per person See what this includes and what this excludes
- Best Time to Go:
-
Jul 01, 2009 to Jul 09, 2009
- Recommended for:
-
15 - 17, 18 - 20, 25 - 30, 31 - 35, 36 - 40, 41 - 50, 51 - 55
Family Trip, Group Retreat, Trip Around the World
Detailed Trip Description
On this special departure you will have the opportunity to attend the Hemis Festival, a celebration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, who is believed to have fought off demons to protect the local people. You’ll also enjoy the beautiful artwork and Tibetan books at seven different monasteries, visit the homes of local people, and camp in an apricot grove beneath an ancient palace. If you want to fully experience the remote villages, spectacular monasteries and unspoiled culture of Ladakh, this is the trip for you.
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 - Leh
Delhi/Leh.
Commercial Flight
Fly from Delhi to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, which is situated among the hills on the north side of the Indus Valley.
Hotel
Upon arrival, you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel to begin your adaptation to the high altitude. You will have an afternoon orientation with your guide.
Day 2 - India
Hemis Festival.
Sightseeing
Today you will witness the spectacular Hemis Festival (and also visit Thiske and Shey, time permitting). The courtyard of Hemis — the biggest Buddhist monastery in Ladakh — is the stage for the famous Hemis festival, which celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambahava, who is believed to have fought with demons for the safety of the local people. Every eight years, the gompa’s greatest treasure, a huge thangka — a religious icon painted or embroidered on cloth — is ritually exhibited.
Sightseeing
The next unveiling is due to take place in the year 2016. Splendid masked dances are performed to the accompaniment of cymbals, drums and long horns. A colorful fair, displaying some beautiful handicrafts, is the special highlight of the festival.
Camping
Overnight in Hemis at either homestay or camping. Meals: Breakfast.
Day 3 - Leh
Thikse/Shey/Leh.
Sightseeing
Visit Thikse Monastery, the largest gompa in Ladakh that is situated on top of a craggy hill.
Arts, Crafts and Antiques
Here you will find an important collection of Tibetan books and some excellent artwork.
Sightseeing
Afterwards, visit the palace at Shey, which sits in a strategic position on a ridge overhang out into the Indus Valley.
Hotel
Return to your hotel in Leh for your overnight. Meals: Breakfast.
Day 4 - India
Temisgam
Private Car Service
Drive to Temisgam (4 hours), one of our favorite villages in Ladakh.
Camping
You will find your camp set up in a beautiful apricot grove beneath an ancient palace and monastery with a cold rushing stream nearby.
Sightseeing
Off the main roads and trails, this village is seldom visited by Westerners and you will have several days to explore the extensive fields and villages. You may even be invited into several houses for tea or local beer called chang.
Sightseeing
The climb to the monastery and old palace, as well as the nights here at 10,000' elevation, will aid in your acclimatization. The trip continues to become more remarkable for the cultural experience that unfolds. You have the sense that your long journey to Asia, over the Himalayas and onto the Tibetan Plateau has taken you to a place so beautiful, remote and pure, that the effort has been worth it.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 5 - India
Temisgam/Lamayuru/Temisgam.
Sightseeing
Make the exciting trip to the ancient Lamayuru Monastery and spend time exploring the extensive buildings of this ancient Buddhist sanctuary. This extraordinary gompa is perched on top of a beautifully eroded crag, complete with rock pinnacles and caves above the Indus.
Camping
Return to Temisgam for your overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 6 - India
Temisgam/Hemishakpatchan.
Sightseeing
After breakfast, drive to Hemishakpatchan,via Saspol Village. This is the home village of many of our staff and they will certainly invite you to visit their families and homes. There is a very interesting monastery and participants on Journeys treks have started a public library at the monastery and built a nunnery as well.
Sightseeing
We also support other ongoing projects through our Earth Preservation Fund, such as the large water-driven prayer wheel restored through the contributions of previous Journeys travelers. There are excellent views of snowy mountains and wild sheep can usually be seen grazing on a nearby slope. As home to your guides, you will have the great experience of visiting some of their relatives' homes.
Camping
Overnight at the camp near the Hemis Library. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 7 - India
Hemishakpatchan/Ridzong/Chulican.
Sightseeing
Drive to Ridzong Monastery, the favorite Buddhist site of many visitors to Ladakh.
You go back in time to an era when Buddhist Canons ruled the affairs of men and religious scholarship was the most important task of society.
Camping
Overnight camp will be at Chulican. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 - Leh
Chulican/Alchi/Leh.
Sightseeing
Today you will drive along the Indus River to the famous monastery at Alchi. This monastery preserves some of the most spectacular Buddhist wall paintings ever created.
Sightseeing
Also visit Likkir Monastery, where the monks are of Gelukpa order and the kushok is the Dalai Lama's younger brother.
Hotel
Return to Leh for your overnight. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 9 - Delhi
Leh/Delhi.
Commercial Flight
Return to Delhi on an early morning flight where Journeys services end.
Sightseeing
We can assist with accommodations and excursions in Delhi, including a visit to the infamous Taj Mahal in Agra. Meals: Breakfast
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- Ladakh Hemis Festival
- On this special departure you will have the opportunity to attend the Hemis Festival, a celebration of the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, who is believed to have fought off demons to protect the local people. You’ll also enjoy the beautiful artwork and Tibetan books at seven different monasteries, visit ...
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Meals as noted, each night in double occupancy accommodations, land transfers between components, English speaking guides, park or site entry fees, surface transport, equipment other than personal gear, government tax, airport transfer assistance, in-country ticket reconfirmation & check-in assistance (where permitted), complete pre-departure packet, toll-free pre-departure phone assistance.
Budget Excludes:Meals not noted as included, gratuities, beverages (except tea or coffee at meals), international or domestic airfare unless specified, airport departure taxes not included with air tickets, visas, itinerary changes after confirmation, any services not included in itinerary, any costs incurred due to canceled or delayed flights, acts of nature or other happenings beyond our control, or other costs as are more fully described in Journeys Terms & Conditions.
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