Regenerating Spirit and Nature: A Compassionate Retreat to Ladakh, India with Djazia Belle

Late evening arrivals in Delhi and transfer to Taj Vivanti Hotel by airport. You will each be greeted at the airport upon arrival and transferred to hotel and assisted with check in process. (will get group airfare quote on Emirates Air)

Accomodations: Taj Vivanta

Welcome to India, a country steeped in tradition and where spirituality and religion are part of everyday life. 

After a leisurely breakfast, we make a quick stop at Raj Ghat, Gandhi’s memorial, on the way to enjoy a visit to the textile and cottage emporiums to learn about artisanal and textiles from different India States and Indian Handicrafts.  Afterward, we enjoy a welcome lunch.

We return to the hotel for some rest before going to dinner and an Indian cooking demonstration at the home of Roma and Lokesh Bagga.

Accommodations: Taj Vivanta 

Meals: B, L, D

Early in the morning, we will transfer to the domestic airport in Delhi to board our flight to Leh, the capital of Ladakh.

Upon arrival, we will transfer to Stok, a quaint village nestled in the Himalayan foothills. The rest of the day will be spent resting and acclimatizing to the 11,500-foot elevation at the newly-built Golden Retreat Hotel.

Overnight at Golden Retreat Stok Hotel (B, L, D)
Flight info: TBD (Likely depart Delhi at 8:40 am / 10:00 am arrival)

Today, we explore the beautiful village of Stok, home to the Siddhartha School. 

• Visit Stok Palace
• Enjoy lunch and a visit to Gyab Thao House and Heritage Museum.
• Return to the hotel to relax and continue to acclimatize.
• Enjoy a sunset visit to the 70-foot-tall  Buddha statue and learn about the artwork and history of art and community involvement.

In the evening, we will enjoy an Official Welcome Dinner

Overnight at Golden Retreat Stok Hotel.

Meals: B,L,D

Today is a day of learning about Ladakhi culture and some of the critical issues that Ladakh is facing around water, as well as the old “Choprun” system  (See Wallstreet article here from 2019).

• Morning visit to learn about the local Choprun (water guardian) in Stok
• Later, we will depart for “Leh Town,” an important stop-over route for the trade of salt, grain, cashmere, indigo, and silk between India and China. The Ladakh Arts and Media Organization (LAMO) will share its work to preserve cultural heritage and present an overview of some of the research they have conducted around the region's water issues. We will also enjoy a brief tour of their museum, followed by a guided walk in Leh Town, giving us a brief presentation of the water issues and the work they have been doing and we will also enjoy a brief tour of their museum
• Next, we enjoy a walking tour of Old Town, starting from the Jama Masjid at the foot of the hill and ending at the town center just below Leh Palace.
• After enjoying lunch in Leh, we will enjoy free time to explore the bazaar for shopping and getting acquainted with the ‘town plaza, with a stop at LENA's Pashmina shop.
• In the afternoon, we will visit Ladakhi Ecological Center (LEDG) to hear from them about water issues.
• Return to Stok for dinner. 

Accommodations: Golden Retreat Hotel

We start our day with a visit to Thiksey Monastery, a large gompa in Ladakh belonging to the Gelugpa school (the “yellow hat” sect) of Tibetan Buddhism.  

We will enjoy lunch at Cafe Cloud nearby the monastery.

After lunch, we visit LENA for a Pashmina workshop. LENA is a company co-founded by two Ladakhi women who produce the finest pashmina products using sustainable methods and help the local economy by employing local artisans, especially women. LENA has helped revive traditional spinning and weaving methods while using all-natural products to dye their fibers. Learn about LENA here:

En route back to Stok, we stop for a sunset visit to Shanti Stupa.

We return to Golden Retreat Hotel in Stok Return for a Farewell Dinner as we depart for Nurala tomorrow.

Accommodations: Golden Retreat Hotel  (B, D)

Today, we enjoy a visit to the mystical, beautiful gorge called Rong Valley, in the village of Tarchit, which is known for its hidden “beyuls,” It is alleged this region has the highest density of snow leopards in Ladakh. (See this video about Tarchit village, Ladakh’s best-kept secret.)

En route, we see evidence of rock art dating 3000 years before Christ was born.

Accommodations: Golden Retreat Hotel

Meals: B, L,  D

After breakfast, we visit Hemis Monastery, 45 kilometers from Leh, the largest Monastery in Ladakh. Positioned inside a gorge, the monastery was built in the 17th century under King Singey Namgyal's patronage, and it is 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 vibrant collection of ancient relics.   

We return to Golden Retreat Hotel in Stok Return for a Farewell Dinner. (B, D)

After breakfast, we bid a fond farewell to Stok and we are off to Nurla, stopping at the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers for photos and a rest stop.

Proceed to visit Saspol Caves to view cave paintings of the Buddhist pantheon from the 13th – 15th century.  

Lunch at Alchi Kitchen with traditional Ladakhi food (paid for on your own), and after, we visit Alchi Monastery, built-in 10th century AD by the Guru Rinchen Zangpo. 

Check into our hotel and rest before dinner in Nurla, known for apricot growing. 

Accommodations: Ule Ethnic Resort 

Meals: B, D

We depart Nurla after breakfast and are transferred to the airport in Leh, to take a morning flight to Delhi. 

Upon arrival in Delhi, we are offering an optional visit to Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi’s most prominent Sikh gurdwara, or Sikh house of worship, known for its association with the eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Krishan.

Over a final group lunch in Delhi, we reflect and share this remarkable journey's highlights and personal insights. 

After lunch in Delhi, we return to the hotel for leisure time and time to prepare for our trip home.

Late evening transfer to Delhi Airport international terminal for early morning flights home. 

(Ask us about other options for staying longer in Ladakh or India!)

Hotel: Taj Vivanta

Meals: B, L

At Global Family Travels we believe that the most powerful way to learn is through the 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:

• Ladakhi cultural traditions
•  Environmental and social issues affecting the Ladakh region
• Tibetan Buddhist culture and history
• Northern Indian culture and history

As part of the commitment to this trip, we encourage a donation to support the Siddhartha School Partnership, to help support the education of  Ladakhi youth while preserving their culture and heritage..  A donation link can be found here.
 

We have designed a journey of culturally immersive experiences that dive deep into Ladakhi culture at centuries-old monasteries, heritage homes, traditional markets, and crafts workshops.  Personal connections with Ladakhis are facilitated by the strong relationships with our community hosts, non-profit partners, and local we engage with.  During your time in the Ladakh, you will become familiar with the rhythm of daily life in the peaceful village of Stok and with friends from the Siddhartha School community,  and gain a deep understanding of the Buddhist culture and traditions of this stunning region.

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. 

A cultural anthropologist at heart, Jennifer Spatz is Founder and CEO of  Seattle-area Global Family Travels, a global tour operator whose mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse,” offering community-based travel experiences as a means to foster cross-cultural understanding.   Since she launched Global Family Travels in 2010, Jennifer’s vision has been to unite humanity and inspire travelers to take responsibility for the challenges and opportunities facing our increasingly inter-connected planet through sustainable tourism experiences that support destination stewardship and local communities.   

Since 20210, Jennifer has led several group trips to Ladakh and has helped facilitate cross-cultural school exchanges for SSP and Seattle area schools.   She serves on the advisory council of the SSP board, and she and her family have been long time supporters of the Siddhartha School Partnership, sponsoring the education of several SSP students. 

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 travelled extensively though out the country, having deep knowledge of its culture and rich heritage. Tenzin Dasel has spent the 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 and 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 alike!

About 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 arts space with galleries, offices, a library and reading room, screening room, conference room, and 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.