We are pleased to offer you this tour, which we believe is unique. Arriving in India is in itself quite and elating experience, as you are immediately immersed in a culture very different from the west.

On this tour, we take you even further into the realms of the different and unknown, as we guide you through the rarified atmosphere of the high Himalayan Kingdom of Ladakh and onward, over the highest mountains and passes of the world, and into unashamed luxury on a fabulous houseboat on Kashmir’s Dal Lake –NEI’s very own “Houseboat Neil Armstrong – Lotus Retreat”.

Your first day will be spent in the frantic atmosphere of India’s capital city of Delhi, where you can recover at the hotel from the rigours of your international flight.

The following day, your trip to “wonderland” begins with a flight to Leh, the capital of the Tibetan influenced kingdom of Ladakh, flying over the Himalayas, watching as they increase in size and majesty passing below the wings of the aircraft. Your stay in Ladakh will be in a Ladakhi style hotel on the outskirts of the city, but within easy walking distance of all the main areas of interest.

Here we will spend time acclimatizing and visiting the local bazaar, quite different from those seen in other parts of the sub-continent, with Tibetan traders in colourful local costumes surrounded by their wares; huge white chortens (stupas); massive prayer wheels, turned by passers-by to send prayers to the heavens and further away in the Indus Valley, huge Tibetan Tantric Buddhist gompas (monastries) clinging precariously to the mountain sides. Happy, smiling monks, in their red ochre robes, praying before golden images of the Buddha and other “saints” lit by the light of flickering butter lamps, deep sounding gongs, bells and cymbals creating an atmosphere which has to be experienced to be believed.

During your stay in Ladakh, you will visit Hemis, Thikse and Sankar Gompas – the new Japanese built Shanti Stupa, an enormous white chorten and temple on the hillside above Leh, from which there are wonderful views of the city, the Indus Valley, and Zanskar mountain range – Leh City Palace and Shey Palace.

Bargain with the Tibetan and Kashmiri traders in the bazaar for exotic clothing, wonderful locally made jewellery, or simple pieces of Tibetan tourquoise and red coral, gathered from the high plains of the Tibetan plateau.

And a high point of this tour (which consists of so many!) will be a visit to a local Ladakhi noble family to spend an hour or so in their home, where they will be happy to offer you Tibetan butter tea, “chang” (a “beer” made from fermented barley) and their staple foodstuff, “Tsampa”, which is roasted barley flour mixed with the butter tea.

Already in a heightened state of awareness, we next take you on a two day journey, overland, across the Western Himalayas, to Kashmir, traveling across the desert landscape of Ladakh, on the way, visiting Lamayuru Gompa, hidden in the folds of its surrounding mountains – over the high passes of Fatu La and Namika La in Ladakh and the final great obstacle, the Zoji La, where the road snakes it’s way down into the village of Sonamarg. The green and verdant Vale of Kashmir, looking like an Asian Switzerland, comes as a surprise after the bareness of Ladakh.

Travelling on, we reach Dal Lake in Srinagar, where a shikara waits to paddle you leisurely across the waters, turned golden in the evening sunlight, to the beautiful “Houseboat Neil Armstrong”. With its ornately carved cedar wood walls and ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and wall lights, sparkling and tinkling in the breeze and large overstuffed armchairs, the houseboat is a perfect place to relax and unwind, as you live in pampered luxury.

The houseboat is a place to relax, and, as the Kashmiris say, “enjoy”, but we will take you on a shikara ride around Dal Lake, floating you through lily and lotus beds, their blooms brilliant white, yellow and pink orbs above the waters of the lake. You can sunbathe on the deck of the houseboat, or take short trips to Gulmarg, Pahalgam, the Moghul gardens of Nishat and Shalimar. A visit to the “old city” is another unforgettable experience. And for a panoramic view of the Vale, a ride to the top of Shankaracharya Hill is a must.

Returning to Delhi, we give you the chance to “gear up” again before you fly home.

ITINERARY (KASHMIR)

Day 1 Arrive New Delhi
Day 2 Fly Delhi to Leh
Day 3-5 In Ladakh
Day 6 Overland to Kargil
Day 7 Overland to Srinagar
Day 8 -12 In Srinagar
Day 13 Fly Srinagar to Delhi
Day 14 Fly Delhi to Europe / USA.

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