Tour code: IN011
+44 7986 706254
Booking@adventurousbear.com
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Tour code: IN011
An extraordinary photography experience in the remote Himalayan Highlands! Travelling to faraway places in Zanskar, photographing glacial slopes, snow-filled peaks and starry nights in the mountains of the remotest regions in Indian Himalayas. Zanskar is a remote mountain range, located south of Ladakh, north of Great Himalayan Ranges and to the east of Kashmir Valley. This is one of the colder, higher and rugged valleys in these mountain regions.
Imagine spending the nights under glittering stars, next to a gently flowing stream that originates from glacial slopes. Think about looking up to see a shimmer of moonlight emerging behind the jagged edges of the mountains high in the sky. As you go to sleep in a warm tent, dream about seeing and photographing the next morning’s golden rays warming up the peaks of snow-clad mountains that surround the valley. And next morning, when all that beauty unfolds outside the camp, relish the moment photographing the spectacle with a sense of satisfaction, and then walk back to the camp to enjoy a cup of steaming tea and a heavy breakfast waiting for you!
These are things that dreams are made of even for well-travelled photography enthusiasts. Here is a photography tour that makes such dreams unfold right in front of your eyes. And all this comes without having to do strenuous treks, but enjoying jeep-safaris and comfortable camping experience provided by our highly capable local staff in the mountains!
Leh Ladakh, India
Arrive by afternoon on Day 1
This tour is designed towards photographing some of the greatest spectacles that the Himalayas have to offer: starry nights, glacial streams, high mountains and every possible natural splendour of the Himalayas in Zanskar. This landscape photography focused tour will take you through some of the deepest regions in the Himalayas that can be accessed with motor vehicles.
This tour is a part of our highly commended Himalayan photography tours, designed by mentors with considerable know-how in travelling and photographing in the region. Join us today on this unforgettable and exclusive experience.
The itinerary is designed with a keen focus on landscape photography and photographing the mountain regions, and not centered on seeing well-known sights/places. It allows us to be busy shooting during early morning, evening and early night hours with a lot of free time during the day.
Accommodation will be in comfortable hotels in Leh and Kargil. On all other days, we will be carrying camping equipment with us and camping out in the mountains
We will arrive at Leh this morning and check-in to our comfortable hotel. This is a day for rest and acclimatisation and by an ice-breaker session in the evening.
We leave Leh early in the morning and drive up slowly towards the curious slopes of Lamayuru – one of the very interesting places along this journey. The slopes of Lamayuru are a curious yellow with fascinating shapes formed by a now drained glacial lake. After many stopovers along the way, we reach Kargil in the evening and check-in to our hotel.
We move out of Leh-Srinagar highway today, heading towards Suru Valley in the direction of Zanskar. We are now on a path that has very little habitation. On the days ahead, we camp out in places with brilliant views, in places where you don’t need to go too far to make magnificent images of sunrise and sunset over the mountains. Today, we camp at a place where we get our first views of Nun and Kun peaks – two massifs about 20,000m high and permanently capped in snow. These are the landscapes we have come this far for.
On day-4, We head deeper and higher into the mountains, and naturally the the landscapes become more dramatic. Our second camp, where we are staying today, is just about 15km from Nun-Kun peaks as the crow flies. This camp site also close to a mountain village, in which we will have time wander during the day time. Evening and a few hours night are, of course, dedicated to photographing the mighty landscapes around us.
On day-5, we drive to next camp-site near Rangdum. By now, you would have got accustomed to camping life and would have well-acclimatized to the high altitudes. It’s time to drive further and higher, in search of more amazing landscapes. It’s a day where we camp at another location after we drive towards Zanskar. Tonight, we are camping at a higher ground that has interesting views and plenty of photography opportunities. Day after day, you will enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery and the photography opportunities that come with it.
On the 6th day, our camping location is a beautiful place beyond Rangdum. Today, we would also have crossed Penzila Pass at 14,000 feet , leaving behind Suru Valley and entering the Zanskar Valley. It’s another day for more mountain scenery, snow-bound landscapes and glacial slopes. As you progress through the days in the mountains photographing the landscapes along the way, you will notice a remarkable ease with which you make better landscape images with the help of your mentor. As we end this day (and the night), before you retire to your tent, your memory-cards will be filled with brilliant mountain vistas and star-studded skies… something that will keep appearing in your dreams every night, long after you are back home!
On day-7, we begin the return journey by driving back to our first campsite near Kargil. They say, all good things must come to an end. But not so soon! Even as we retrace our path, we still go along those beautiful landscapes we have passed through earlier. And we have one more night of camping, which means another evening of photographing the mountain sunsets, another night of star-studded skies and another morning ahead that offers you an extraordinary sunrise!
We drive back towards Leh this morning. While you have enjoyed being in the middle of nowhere in amazing landscapes until now at campsites, you will again be relishing the luxury of creature comforts this evening.
By now the group would have bonded so well, if our experiences in the past trips are to go by, we would already be making next travel plans. We spend the evening hours sharing our experiences and pouring over an awesome collection of images over dinner.
End of tour this morning
