ITINERARY - DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1 : NEW DELHI On arrival you will be met by a India Safari & Tours representative and transferred to a city hotel. Later you will be given a guided tour of the main sights of New and Old Delhi. One overnight in a city hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on room only basis.
Day 2 : AMRITSAR Board the train for a six hour run to Amritsar. You will be met on arrival and transferred to a city hotel. In the afternoon you will visit the Wagah border, which is a border crossing point on the Indo-Pakistan border. The Wagah crossing is as fabled as Checkpoint Charlie was in Berlin and the Panmunjom armistice line between North and South Korea. Each day as the sun goes down, the paramilitary guards on either side come nose-to-nose, as noisy, partisan crowds cheer them on in a flag-lowering ceremony. Later you will visit the Golden Temple, spiritual centre of the Sikh faith. One overnight in a city hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on room only basis. Day 3 -4 : DHARAMSALA Your Jeep safari commences with a drive to Dharamsala (200 kms / 6 hrs). Dharamsala is an old British Hill station, which lies on a spur of the Dhauladhar range of the outer Himalayas. The upper part of the hill station known as Mcleodganj houses the Dalai Lama and Tibetan refugees who settled here after fleeing Tibet at the time of the Chinese invasion in 1959. Tibetan influence here is very strong and Mcleodganj is now very much ‘little Lhasa ‘. Activities out here include visiting the Tsuglagkhang Complex which contains the residence of the Dalai Lama (not open to visitors), the Namgyal Monastery, and the important Tsuglagkhang Temple. One would also visit the picturesque Church of St-John-in-the-Wilderness built in 1852, and take a stroll through the local market. Two overnights in a town hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on room only basis. Day 5 -6 : MANALI Today you would be driven down to Manali (240 kms) via Palampur and Baijnath. Palampur, at a height of 1219 meters, is in a beautiful valley surrounded by tea gardens and pine trees. Baijnath is a pilgrimage centres of the Hindus. Here one finds the oldest existing Shiva temple in the country. Manali, (alt. 1,950 m or 6,398 ft) is an important hill station in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, near the northern end of the Kullu Valley. Surrounded by towering peaks, Manali's major asset is its proximity to the snowline. Activities in Manali would include visiting the sacred Hadimba Temple built in 1553, the hot sulphur springs in the village of Vashisht, and Naggar village for seeing the Naggar Castle, Roerich Art Gallery and some famous temples. In the evenings one is free to explore the local markets. Two overnights in a town hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on room only basis. Day 7 : JISPA Today you would be driven over the Rohtang Pass ( 3980 m ) to Jispa ( 146 kms / 6 -7 hrs ) for a mandatory overnight stop on the Manali-Leh road. Jispa is at an altitude of 3142 m. One overnight in a town hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on full board basis. Day 8 : SARCHU
Today you would be driven over the Baralachala Pass (4800 m ) to Sarchu (83kms / 6 hrs )which is the last border point between Himachal and Ladakh. Sarchu is at an altitude of 4253 m. One overnight in a tented camp in twin bedded tents, on full board basis. Day 9 - 11 : LEH Today you would be driven to Leh (236 kms / 10 hrs) capital of Ladakh district. Enroute you negotiate 21 hairpin bends known as the "Gatta Loops" which takes you from an altitude of 4210 M to a height of 4667 m. There would be three passes one would be crossing in today's drive - Nakila Pass (4740 m), the Lachulung La (5019 M) and the second highest motorable pass in the world Tanglang La ( 5200 m ) . Ladakh which means "land of high passes "is the highest altitude plateau region in India (much of it being over 3,000 m), with its capital Leh at an altitude of 3500 m. Activities would include a guided tour of Shey Palace, Thiksey, Hemis monastery, Stok Palace Museum, and an excursion to the world's highest motorable pass - Khardung La (5600 m). Three overnights in a town hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on full board basis. Day 12 : DELHI Today on time transfer to the airport to board a scheduled flight for Delhi. On arrival at Delhi you will be met and transferred to a city hotel. One overnight in a city hotel in a twin bedded room with en suite facilities, on room only basis. Day 13 : DEPART Today you will be transferred to the international airport for your flight back home. Our services end at 12 noon today.
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