Experience plein air painting in the breathtaking landscapes of Ladakh with artist Robert Masla. This immersive journey invites participants to explore Ladakh’s rich artistic and cultural heritage while creating their own work inspired by dramatic Himalayan scenery, ancient monasteries, and vibrant Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Robert will lead demonstrations and plein air painting sessions throughout the journey, while travelers also engage with local communities through visits to temples, palaces, bustling bazaars, and interactions with local painters, weavers, and designers.
As a historical crossroads for Silk Road merchants and traders, Ladakh, India, boasts a rich cultural heritage and vibrant art scene. The region's art is profoundly influenced by its Tibetan Buddhist culture, beautifully expressed in thangka paintings, monastery murals, and statues in sacred sites like Hemis, Thiksey, and Alchi. These works of devotion and artistry, alongside Ladakhi stupas and traditional weaving, reflect the region’s deep spirituality and cultural identity. Beyond religious art, Ladakh's textiles and handicrafts, like pashmina shawls and yak wool items, preserve its heritage amidst modern changes. Ample time will be set aside for you to create your own art, inspired by this unique and enchanting landscape.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS are below, click on ITINERARY to see all the details.
Through Global Family Travels' Learn, Serve & Immerse travel pillars, we have designed a journey of cultural experiences that dive deep into the invites participants to explore Ladakh's artistic legacy while also creating their own art, inspired by stunning landscapes and vibrant culture. Through visits to temples, palaces, and bustling bazaars, travelers will connect with local painters, weavers, and designers, gaining insights into this remarkable cultural heritage.
LEARN
On this trip to Ladakh, you’ll delve deep into the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage. From the historic Leh Palace to the Ladakh Arts and Media Organization (LAMO), you’ll explore the unique blend of Buddhist and Islamic influences that define the local culture. Through visits to sacred monasteries like Thiksey and Hemis, as well as the ancient rock art in Rong Valley, you’ll gain insights into Ladakh’s long-standing artistic traditions and the spiritual significance behind its sacred sites. Engaging with local artisans and attending a pashmina workshop will also offer an understanding of how art and craftsmanship play vital roles in the region’s economy and cultural identity.
SERVE
Through Global Family Travels’ commitment to support local community initiatives, you will have the opportunity to engage with Ladakhis and give back to local organizations doing some amazing work to support quality education and preserve Ladakhi cultural heritage. As part of our visit to the Siddhartha School, a unique educational institution that offers quality education to children regardless of their ability to pay, you will witness firsthand the impact of global citizenry in action. Furthermore, your engagement with the children of the Ngari Institute, which provides education and shelter to underprivileged youth, highlights how small acts of service contribute to empowering future generations. Your visits will not only support the preservation of Ladakh's culture and education for its youth, but also contribute to its sustainable development.
IMMERSE
Immersing yourself in Ladakh’s culture is central to this journey. You'll experience genuine Ladakhi hospitality through traditional meals, participate in local religious practices, and witness the tranquil rhythms of daily life. This experience goes beyond sightseeing — it’s about becoming part of the community, whether painting in Stok’s serene landscapes or joining the celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday. Through meaningful cultural activities and connections with local artists, you'll leave with cherished memories and a profound appreciation of Ladakh’s artistic, spiritual, and communal heritage.
Once at the crossroads of vital trade routes between China and the Middle East, Ladakh is located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and became a new Union territory state of India in 2019. Also called the "Land of High Passes," Ladakh's region of high mountains, valleys, and plateaus is famous for its unrivaled splendor and infinite exploration points, offering plenty of cultural sightseeing and outdoor adventure opportunities.
Ladakh region is ecologically and culturally unique and has a topography that is very different from the rest of India and is home to enormous mineral reserves. The extremely fragile cold desert ecosystem of the region has meant that its inhabitants have a very adaptive lifestyle. The population of around 300,000 is spread sparsely over an area of about 60 thousand square kilometers. Its unique geographical location in one of the northernmost regions in India makes Ladakh rich with extraordinary trekking trails for all expertise levels (if you would like to extend your stay with a trek or visit other areas, we can arrange that for you).
Robert Masla is an award-winning painter with over 45 years of exhibition experience across the United States and Mexico. His work—ranging from landscapes and portraits to murals—appears in public and private collections including galleries, corporations, hospitality spaces, and publications such as The Artist and the American Landscape, The Artists Magazine, and PleinAir Magazine.
A dedicated educator, Robert has taught and lectured internationally in schools, museums, and workshops. As Artist-in-Residence for Springfield, Massachusetts (2002–2005), he founded the Art for Everyone program, bringing arts education to underserved schools. He later co-founded Casa de los Artistas in Mexico, where he has led immersive art workshops for over 20 years.
Deeply inspired by nature, Robert’s work is rooted in a lifelong passion for landscape painting, first sparked by plein air studies with his mentor Alton Tobey. He holds a BFA from Tufts/The Museum School and an MFA from The City College of New York, and has been represented by R. Michelson Galleries for more than three decades.
Mona Pearl Treyball believes that connecting to art and culture elevates our consciousness and spiritual connections to this world. First coming to Ladakh as part of a spiritual journey and connection to Buddhist Monk Khensur Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan and his school for children of Ladakhi and Tibetan heritage, Mona then became a board member of the Siddhartha School Partnership (SSP).
Mona is also an artist in many mediums – watercolor, acrylics, photography, glass, beads, metals, and woods. She likes to explore the dimensions of color and light and find beauty in a moment. A life of service beyond self —Mom, Nurse, Veteran, and Artist, Mona is dedicated to co-creating our world to elevate understanding, reflection, compassion, and wisdom.
Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse” through community-based travel programs. In partnership non-profit organizations and schools, we offer family-friendly and sustainable travel experiences in support of education, gender equality, preservation of local cultures, conservation and economic growth, all of which foster cross-cultural understanding and global citizens.
Our trips include a unique mix of cultural and educational activities, homestays and participation in local service projects aimed at improving the lives of people in the communities we visit.
Expect to expand your family circle when you embark on a Global Family Travels trip! Visit our website for more information: Global Family Travels
The main goal of the Ngari Institute is to empower and enrich monks and lay persons, especially the youth, by providing a balanced learning experience of both modern scientific knowledge and ancient Buddhist wisdom, thus helping them to become efficient and productive citizens.
During our adventure, we will immerse with the monks of Ngari in their new temple and receive Buddhist dharma from them; and also enjoy some playtime and yoga engage with students who live there on Ngari’s campus.
Under the leadership of its current President, Geshe Tsewang Dorje, an eminent Buddhist scholar and practitioner, the Institute has experienced fast-pace growth in the enrollment of underprivileged children from the surrounding Ladakh region.
The Institute currently provides free education, food and shelter for 58 children, with promise to keep educating them until graduation from high school level. In addition to providing education and shelter to under privileged children of Ladakh, the Institute also sponsors programs in Buddhist philosophy for university-level students, who visit Ladakh for summer vacation. Looking to the future, the Institute is planning on providing higher Buddhist philosophical studies to monks and lay practitioners comprised of both local and foreign students.
During part of this trip, we engage and support the good work of the Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO), a public charitable trust established to articulate an alternative vision for the arts and media in Ladakh. The organization set up the LAMO Centre in Leh, the main town of the region, to provide a space for the understanding and development of the arts. The complex on which the Centre is located comprises two historical houses below the 17th-century Lechen Pelkhar (Leh Palace). The houses were restored by LAMO and converted to an art space with galleries, offices, a library and reading room, a screening room, conference room, and an open-air performance site. The Centre is designed to conduct outreach programs, lectures, film screenings, research and documentation projects, workshops, and exhibitions that showcase Ladakh’s material and visual culture, performing arts, and literature. Visit LAMO's website and Instagram page to learn more.
LENA is a company co-founded by two Ladakhi women, Sonam Angmo and Stanzin Minglek who produce the finest pashmina products using sustainable methods and helps the local economy by employing local artisans, especially women. LENA has helped revive traditional methods of spinning, weaving, and using all-natural products to dye their fibers.
More About LENA’s Workshop
The workshop is held in the loving ambience of the home of LENA’s Founders by the banks of river Indus among the poplar trees. You will be immersed in nature, as we wil be using the dye materials directly from our garden to washing the yarns in the running stream to drying it amidst the lush green field. Our home is situated in the heart of Thiksey village below the famous picturesque Thiksey monastery, 17kms from Leh. You can also take a walk by the stream and explore the barley fields and if you are lucky enough you might catch some village field activities.
Alchi Kitchen offers authentic Ladakhi cuisine served by award-winning chef Nilza Wangmo. Learn how she is promoting women’s empowerment and introducing Ladakhi cuisine to visitors.
The Hemis Monastery is one the largest monasteries in Ladakh. Positioned inside a gorge, the monastery was built in the 17th century under the patronage of King Singey Namgyal, and it holds the distinction of being the biggest and wealthiest monastery in Ladakh. Belonging to the Drukpa Order (sometimes called either Drugpa or "Red Hat sect”), it stands on the western bank of the Indus River. The monastery also boasts a very rich collection of ancient relics.
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