Step into the timeless landscape of Ladakh, India—a region nestled in the Himalayas where ancient wisdom, stark natural beauty, and resilient spiritual traditions converge. Join Global Family Travels on a transformative retreat, A Sacred Pilgrimage with Buddhist Nuns, guided by Venerable Tenzin Dasel and in partnership with the Ladakh Nuns Association. More than a journey across space, this is an inner journey—an invitation to witness, reflect, and learn from the lives of Ladakhi nuns who quietly nurture their communities and protect their fragile environment through compassionate action and spiritual discipline.
Learn | Serve | Immerse: A Mindful Exploration of Ladakh
Designed with Global Family Travels’ pillars of Learn, Serve & Immerse, this retreat goes beyond sightseeing. You will:
Interested in Joining This Journey?
We welcome your curiosity and openness. Express your interest, and we will reach out with upcoming retreat dates and program details.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS are below, click on ITINERARY to see all the details.
Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse” through community-based travel programs. In partnership with non-profit organizations and schools, we offer family-friendly and sustainable travel experiences in support of education, gender equality, access to clean water, 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
Tenzin Dasel has vast experience traveling throughout Ladakh, from Leh, to Nubra Valley and the remote region of Zanskar. She has visited, studied, taught and volunteered extensively since 2005 as a trip leader, guest lecturer, environmental project leader, and Buddhist teacher. Over the past six years, she has been primarily based in India since 2016 and has traveled extensively through out the country, having deep knowledge of its culture and rich heritage. Tenzin Dasel has spent most of this time in Ladakh and is well-versed in the people and cultures there. As an ordained Buddhist monastic, she has unique knowledge of the Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist practices, artistic iconography, and monastery systems. It is her pleasure to introduce and share this extraordinary land, culture, spiritual traditions, and the essence of “Jullay” with visitors and locals!
The Ladakh Nuns Association was founded in 1996 Founded by Dr. Tsering Palmo with the aim of reviving and rejuvenating the tradition of nuns in Ladakh. The organization aims to raise the education level of the nuns and to give them a way to study and practice the Dharma.
History of Buddhist Nunneries in Ladakh
Prior to the founding of the Ladakh Nuns Association, nunneries in Ladakh were held in extremely pathetic positions, and the nuns lived in terrible conditions. In the 1990s, Thiksey received a degree of international support and attention when some awareness programs on the stature of nuns were launched in Ladakh.
Also, in 1995, the Sakyadhita Conference of Buddhist Women was held in Leh. It led to the establishment of the Ladakh Nuns Association. The association helped in raising the status of the Buddhist nuns. And also ensured positive developments in their betterment.
Thupsta Choskorling Nunnery
Home to about 70 nuns, the Thupsta Choskorling Nunnery does not exist within or in conjunction with any monastery. It is uniquely independent and is part of the Ladakh Nuns Association. There are two campuses, one in Leh, and a new campus in Saboo, where there is a larger program with schools, a medicine clinic, herbal processing operations to make medicines, a greenhouse, gardens, and a community learning center.
Nunnery at Thiksey Monastery
A Nunnery for the community of nuns is located within the boundaries of the Thiksey monastery and is administered by the Monastery Administration. Thiksey Rinpoche, the chief lama of the Thiksey monastery was an important figure who worked vigorously for the improvement of the nuns in Ladakh. The Thiksey monastery donated land for the nunnery near Thiksey. It is the same place where the first monastery was established by Rinchen Zangpo in the tenth century.
Nowadays, the nunnery is home to 26 nuns who have taken steps to assert their position in society by changing their usual name of “Ani” (aunt) to “Chomos” (female religious practitioners). The Dutch Foundation for Ladakhi Nuns also functions at Thiksey. It provides monetary and individual support to the Buddhist nuns of Ladakh.
Once an independent Buddhist kingdom at the crossroads of vital trade routes between China and the Middle East, Ladakh, often called “Little Tibet” or “Land of the Broken Moon,” is one of the last places in the world where the Buddhist way of life is unrepressed. Its unique geographical location in one of the northernmost regions in India makes Ladakh rich with extraordinary trekking trails for all expertise levels. Ladakh became a new territory state of India in 2019.
At Global Family Travels, we believe that the most powerful way to learn is through first-hand experience. We let the country and its people be your teachers and supplement your experiences with reading lists, informal discussions, and a pre-trip orientation which includes information on the culture and history of your host country, helpful words and phrases, and cultural “do’s and don’ts.”
Learning themes unique to this tour include:
Our guide, Venerable Tenzin Dasel, believes that this journey begins at home before we embark on the trip. She shared this paragraph of wisdom below, which provides a window into the lives of the nuns we will meet and help prepare us for this unique experience:
"Each day in your life is so important. Your entire life is made up of these days, one after another. Therefore, you should organize your life. Then your life becomes useful, and you don't waste time. If you make a program for your life, you'll see clearly how you waste your time…So, make a general program, and within that a more detailed schedule. It's up to you; you can be flexible. But somehow, you should organize every day of your life. It's very useful. When you do this, you should also make sure that you balance your activities: your intellect, your emotions, and your practical applications." - Lama Yeshe, Co-founder of Kopan Monastery
There are many opportunities to serve the nuns we will be visiting, including sponsoring a young nun’s education. As part of the commitment to this trip, we encourage a donation to support the Ladakh Nuns Association, which will help preserve their culture, education, practices, and history. A donation link can be found here. (The cost for a one-year sponsorship is US$300, and can be facilitated through the donation link)
We will both learn from and support the good work of several nunneries in Ladakh, including the Thikse Monastery and Nunnery, and two locations of the Thupstan Choskorling Nunnery, in Leh and in Saboo.
The nunneries we will be visiting have gardens that provide herbs and plants for the medicines they make and the food grown for themselves and the community they serve. The Nuns could use gardening gloves to help protect their hands while gardening, which they also use to help heal patients.
The Thupstan Choskorling Nunnery has made a special request that guests of Global Family Travels bring the following gardening items to donate:
1. Quality gardening gloves for small, medium and large hands.
2. Quality garden hand tools, such as hoes, trowels, forks, weeders, etc.
3. Organic flower and fruit seeds that thrive in Growing Zones 8, 9, 10.
This unique experience provides unique immersive experiences in local nunneries in Ladakh, India. We have worked with our longtime friend and spiritual guide, Venerable Tenzin Dasel, to thoughtfully create immersive experiences with Ladakhi nuns. We will learn firsthand from Buddhist nuns at several nunneries about their journey to become a nun, take Buddhist vows and how they live and contribute to their community and steward the environment. For example, we will work side-by-side in the garden of Thupstan Choskorling Nunnery with the nuns, learning about the herbs and plants used in their medicinal practice. If we choose, the nuns can also take our pulse and share what type of herb and plant-based medicines they would recommend.
We will also have the opportunity to meditate with the nuns and bodhisatvas at their temple. We are asked to be open and curious about the life of nuns, and we will work with you to prepare questions to ask the nuns, as there will be an opportunity to sit with them and learn about their lives as nuns and their Buddhist practice.
The Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation (LAMO), is 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, 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.
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Carbon Removal: According to the State of Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Report by University of Oxford, natural methods of removing carbon from the atmosphere are not enough by themselves due to the amount of pollution currently in the atmosphere. Innovations in removing and permanently storing carbon emissions are needed to conserve nature and reverse the course toward further climate change.
Tomorrow’s Air: Global Family Travels is passionate about encouraging tourism that is not only sustainable but regenerative. To help with our mission, we seek to partner with like-minded brands such as Tomorrow’s Air, which operates within the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Tomorrow’s Air is a collective of carbon removal innovators that work to permanently remove and store carbon from the atmosphere. Travel is a large contributor to global emissions, and we feel it is important to educate and empower travelers to support efforts that combat climate change! Clients can opt-in for a $25 donation to Tomorrow’s Air through the payment page.
Ask us about the options to stay longer and visit Nubra Valley for 2 nights! Price depends on number of guests traveling.
After an early breakfast, we will take a spectacular drive over Khardongla, the world’s highest motorable pass, and enter into the northern frontier of beautiful Nubra Valley with high mountains, great monasteries, and white sand dunes and ride on double-humped camels.
Day 10: Nubra Valley Travel Day & Diskit Monastery (price depends on number of people traveling)
Travel time: Uley to Nubra valley (Uley to Leh 70km/1.5 hr and Leh to Nubra 130 km/5-6 hrs)
Accommodation: Lchangnang Nang / Meals: B, L & D
Day 11: Nubra Valley Day of Exploration!
Today, we continue to explore Nubra Valley, visiting the following:
· Charasa village - once the winter palace of the King Nyima Namgyal of Ladakh and rich in iron ore so the village was an important source iron in olden times to be supplied to the whole of Ladakh. Castle ruin and monastery could be visited.
· Murgi village - the village was originally named mHul-re (The Silver Mountain) and over the years the name transformed into the modern village of Murgi. The main attraction is the largest petroglyph site (a rock art site) found to date, in Ladakh dating back more than 1500 years. The villagers have named the petroglyph site as ‘rdo nag’, literally meaning ‘black rocks’, as it is formed out of boulders covered with a red-brown crust.
· A small tomb wherein you can find a footprint of Guru Dachompa Nyima Gungpa. According to the local tradition, the monk was able to fly by using his garments and wanted to construct the “Lhasa Gonpa” at Ensa (A famous 600-year-old gompa near Murgi village) but was denied by the locals. In anger, he left towards Tibet and left his footmark at Murgi village. As per the historians, no tool or instrument was used to carve the footprint.
· Yarma monastery (optional depending on time in hand) – It is a 13th century monastery mainly known for its self-originated Yeshi Gonbo (Mahakala) on the hillock next adjoining the monastery.
· Panamik – The village is famous for its sulphur hot springs. Considered to have medicinal values.
· Yarab Tso - it is one of the holiest high-altitude lakes in the valley. The lake consists of crystal-clear water, and perfectly reflects its surroundings.
· Return to hotel to relax and have dinner.
Accommodation: Lchangnang Nang / Meals: B, L & D
Day 12: July 22 - Nubra Valley Day of Exploration!
Today, we continue to explore Nubra Valley with following activities:
· Morning village walk – nice leisurely walk in and around the village and to understand how a Ladakhi village life, houses, fields, irrigation, plantation, etc.
· Samstanling monastery - founded 140 years back in 1841 by Lama Tsultim Nima (also head of Rizong monastery in Sham valley).
· Zimskhang House – was built around seven generations before. It is good example of typical Ladakhi vernacular architecture. How the Ladakhi’s built there houses facing southwards to entrap maximum sunlight (to keep house/rooms warm) especially for the long cold winter.
· Return to hotel to relax and have dinner.
Accommodations: Lchangnang Nang / Meals: B, L & D
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