Today evening you will arrive at Delhi’s International Airport. Following customs, immigration formalities and baggage collection, local representative will meet you as you EXIT the ARRIVALS TERMINAL building and transfer you to your hotel (Standard check in time at Hotel is 1400 Hrs).
India’s capital and a major gateway to the country, contemporary Delhi is a bustling metropolis, which successfully combines in its folds - the ancient with the modern. Amidst the fast spiraling skyscrapers the remnants of a bygone time in the form of its many monuments stand as silent reminders to the region’s ancient legacy. The first impressions for any visitor traveling in from the airport are of a specious, garden city, tree-lined with a number of beautiful parks
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 02 DELHI – LEH BY: FLIGHT
Early morning in time transfer to airport to connect flight for Leh..
Upon arrival, local representative will meet you upon arrival & transfer you to your hotel, where you will proceed for check in.
Leh is in the northernmost part of the country and is lapped in the snow-covered fringes of the Himalayas, Leh has been the center of Tibeto-Buddhist culture since ages. Its colorful gompas have attracted the devout Buddhists from all over the globe.
Afternoon walk in the winding streets and quaint bazaars.
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 03 VISIT LEH & STOKE PALACE
Morning visit Leh Palace, Gompa and the Bazaar. A miniature version of the Potala in Lhasa, the Leh Palace is one of the major attractions. The palace was built in the 17th century and was the home of the royal family until they were exiled to Stok in the 1830s. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb commissioned the mosque at the head of the Leh Bazaar.
Also visit Stoke Palace home to a superb collection of thangkas considered to be the best in the world.
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 04 VISIT HEMIS, SHEY & THIKSE
Full day excursion of Shey, Thiksey and Hemis. Until the 16th century, the Shey gompa was the royal residence. It is located at a distance of 15 km south of Leh. This Palace Monastery has the largest statue of Maitreya Buddha (the Buddha to come) in Ladakh. Erected in the mid-17th century, worked out of gold and gilded copper sheets with blue hair, it stands 17.5 m high. Thikse gompa is an imposing monastery and one of the finest examples of Ladakhi architecture. The 12-story monastery complex contains numerous stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings, swords and a large pillar engraved with the Buddha's teachings. Hemis is one of the biggest gompas in Ladakh. Was built in 1630. It is also known as Chang Chub Sam Ling or 'the lone place of the compassionate person.
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 05 VISIT SPITUK & PHYANG
After breakfast enjoy a visit to spituk Gompa and Phyang monastery belonging to the Red sect of Buddhists.
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 06 VISIT KHARDUNGLA & SABU
Morning leave for Khardungla pass, a memorable drive to see the world’s highest motorable road at 18,338 feet above sea level. Afternoon visit nearby Sabu village famous for Oracles.
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 07 LEH – DELHI BY: FLIGHT
Early morning in time transfer to airport to connect flight for Delhi..
Upon arrival, local representative will meet you upon arrival & transfer you to your hotel, where you will proceed for check in.
Rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight stay at the Hotel
DAY – 08 DELHI
After buffet breakfast in the hotel, Proceed for full day sightseeing tour of Delhi and Old Delhi
Tour starts with visit to Old Delhi - Old Delhi is a world all in its own. As you meander through the bustling streets of this Mughal nerve-centre of old, is difficult to imagine that way back in 1648, Emperor Shah Jahan’s daughter Jahanara built up the area only to pander to her father’s fetish for grandiose processions, Here you will see the Jama Masjid, built in 1650 AD, and one of the largest mosques in India. Drive through the fabled Chandni Chowk (literally, 'Silver Street'), once the most opulent perfume market of India, but now a bustling market, good for hunting down old and new silver and gold from jewellers whose forefathers served the emperors. Tour the Red Fort (closed on Mondays), dating back as far as 1639-48 AD, and built by Emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal. Visit Raj Ghat where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948. Continue visit to India Gate.
Later lunch on your own
Post Lunch continue tour of the New Delhi - New Delhi was planned and built by the British in the 1920s and is characterized by Sir Edwin Lutyen's monumental architecture. You will visit Humayun's Tomb, aptly called the predecessor of the Taj Mahal because of its ornate Mughal style of architecture, later perfected in the Taj Mahal. Continue drive to 12th century Qutab Minar, considered one of the most perfect towers in the world, measuring 72 meters high. Nearby, amidst the ruins of the Quwwat ul Islam Mosque stands the iron pillar, which is over 1500 years old and seemingly immune to rust. Visit India Gate - a 42 meter high gateway, constructed as a memorial in honour of 90,000 soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War I. 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' or the flame of the immortal warrior is burning under it since 1971. The eternal flame reminds the sacrifice of these brave soldiers. These soldiers valiantly sacrificed their lives during the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971. Finally drive past the government buildings, President's House and Parliament House.
Overnight stay at hotel.
DAY – 09 DEPARTURE DELHI BY: INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
In time transfer to International airport to connect flight for onward destination
