Ladakh

Day 1： Arrive in Leh and check into Singge Palace （www.singgepalace. com） located at the Old Fort Road， and relax at the hotel. Use the first half of the day to acclimatise， drink lots of water. In the afternoon， take a taxi to the 17th-century Leh Fort， the towering landmark， and then make your way up to Leh Palace and monastery for breathtaking views of the town. Once back at the main bazaar， take a vehicle to Shanti Stupa for even better views of the town. This sightseeing also serves to speed up the acclimatisation process.

Day 2： Check out of the hotel and set out for Pangong Tso， billed as the highest brackish-water lake in the world， at 4，500m. The 180-km journey takes five hours， but make a stop on the way at Shey Palace， the former home of Leh’s royalty， Chang La， the third highest motorable road in the world （5，360m）， and Tangse monastery. This lake is one that needs to be savoured. So head to Spangmik village and seat yourself at its banks to watch the waters change from blue to gold and grey as the day progresses. Spend the night at a homestay in Spangmik to get a glimpse of traditional Ladakhi life.

Day 3： After watching the sunrise over Pangong-Tso， make your way to Chushul， a beautiful， historic marsh. Nearly 20 km of this 110 km， threehour journey， is along the bank of the lake， and offers unrivalled views. Wildlife is in abundance along the entire route. Common sightings include the partridge， the Tibetan snowcock， the wild ass or Kyang and the red fox. Hundreds of ruddy shelducks and bar-headed geese also make the lake their home during the summer. So don’t forget to keep your binoculars handy. Changpas， nomads of Changthang， make this marshland their summer camp. Spend rest of the day with the nomads and the night at the guesthouse in Chushul.

Day 4： Begin early to catch the sunrise from Tsaga-la， two hours away. It offers unending views of the valley. The villages on the way to Tsaga and Tara offer ideal places to stop， walk around and be invited for tea. Beyond Tara， the road follows the Indus river to Mahe town， 120 km away. At night stay at Chumathang， famous for its hot springs.

Day 5： Soak in the thermal waters of Chumathang before heading back to Leh. Visit Hemis monastery， 45 km before Leh， the richest in Ladakh， and the only one that does not perch on a hilltop， and then go to Thiksey， the prettiest in the Leh region. Visit to find guesthouses or homestays in Ladakh