HIGH HIMALAYAS 2023
UPDATE: SOLD OUT
Date:
September 12 -22, 2023
Cost:
Sold Out
Group size
8
Shooting Locations
Leh, Nubra, Various areas and villages in Ladakh region
Photography Type
Landscape, Culture, Portraiture, Adventure
Guide(s)
Jody MacDonald
The workshop
Last summer I embarked on a solo motorcycle adventure through the High Himalayan region of Ladakh, India along the Tibetan Plateau. My trip was so extraordinary that I decided I would love to share it with like-minded adventurous individuals who are interested in improving their photography skills. So, this September 12, 22, 2023 I will be guiding a 10-day photography/adventure workshop in this incredible region. I am partnering with a local motorcycle company that has specialized only in Himalayan motorcycle tours for the last 25 years. They have an exceptional reputation and have helped me design a custom trip that will allow us to explore and access some of the world’s most stunning landscapes and ancient villages that are rich with Tibetan Buddist culture.
This photo tour is for all photography enthusiasts who have an adventurous spirit and a desire to challenge themselves and learn new skills. We will embark on a photographic adventure to some of the most beautiful places in the Ladakh region. On this journey, you will learn everything related to photographing unique landscapes and cultures while having the bonus adventure of exploring this incredible landscape by motorcycle.
Itinerary
ARRIVAL IN INDIA
Welcome to India! You will fly into the Delhi International airport but the trip won’t start until you arrive in Leh. You will need to book a hotel in Delhi. I recommend staying a night in Delhi before catching a domestic flight to Leh so you can have some time to get some rest. I will be providing some hotel/sightseeing recommendations in a more detailed trip itinerary as the workshop date gets closer.
DAY 1 - DELHI TO LEH
Welcome to the Himalayas! We will pick you up from the Leh airport during the day and then there will be a welcome dinner that evening where you can meet the rest of the riders/photographers on the trip. Leh, the capital and largest town of Ladakh, was once an important junction on the famous Silk Route. Also known as the “Land of High Passes,” the town have a very quaint feel and is blessed with beautiful landscapes and cliff-hanging monasteries. It is inhabited predominantly by Buddhists, whose extraordinary way of life can be witnessed in the many monasteries in and around Leh. The most imposing and major attraction of the town is the Tibetan-style Leh palace, a sturdy fortress that was built in the 17th century.
Try to get here early if you can and spend a day just relaxing and getting used to the higher altitude. There is a lot to see around Leh. Visit the palace and fort or just relax at the main market watching the world go by.
DAY 2 - LEH - LAMAYURU
We will spend the first day on the motorcycles on an easy ride to the village of Lamayuru. This is an incredibly beautiful village and the famous monastery, built in the 10th century once housed over 400 monks. To this day, it remains one of the largest and the most ancient Buddhist convents of Tibetan tradition in India. It is located on the banks of the Indus River amidst the rugged mountains of Ladakh. The monastery’s architecture is unique and renowned for its scenic beauty. The complex consists of several shrines, chortens and monks’ residences. Lamayuru is also famous among Buddhists for its ancient murals and wall paintings and houses a collection of thangkas, statues, scriptures and frescos.
DAY 3 - LAMAYURU TO LEH
We will head back to Leh via a different route that will take us to the remote villages within the Dah Hanu Valley. The Dah Hanu Valley is a beautiful, remote valley located in the Kargil district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It isknown for its breathtaking scenery, with high mountains and lush green meadows. The valley is home to the nomadic Brokpa tribe, who are of Aryan descent and are known for their unique language and culture and beautiful people to photograph.
Itinerary
DAY 4 - LEH TO DEBRING CAMP
We will leave Leh and travel to the plains of Debring where the Changpa nomads live during this time of year. Here, a camp will be set up for us so that we have time to spend time with Changpa people, learn, observe and photograph their unique way of life.
DAY 5 - DEBRING TO TSO MORIRI
From the Debring camp we will make our way to Tso Moriri Lake. Tso Moriri Lake in the Changthang region of Ladakh is the largest high altitude lake in India and is one of the most beautiful, calm and sacred (for ladakhis) high-altitude lakes in the world.
DAY 6 - TSO MORIRI TO PANGONG LAKE
This is a great day of adventure riding and is one of the more desolate but beautiful rides in Ladakh. After breakfast, we will leave the Tso Moriri camp and continue to the highest saltwater lake in the world, Pangong Tso, which is half bordered by India and half by Tibet. It is one of Ladakh’s most visited lakes and for a good reason… its spectacular bluecolor and breathtaking views of the high mountains of the Himalayas leave you speechless. This remote tent camp lies along the water’s edge and will allow us to explore and photograph this incredible landscape.
DAY 7 - PANGONG LAKE TO NUBRA VALLEY
Leaving Pangong lake, we will have an easy ride into Nubra Valley. We pass through the beautiful tiny hamlet of Shyok Village which is one of the old caravan routes connected to the old Silk Road. You can photograph the famous two-humped Bactrian camels and visit the Diskit Monastery.
Itinerary
DAY 8 - NUBRA VALLEY
We will spend a whole day exploring this incredible place. We’ll visit small villages where we can walk around and engage with locals, witness people kneeling before prayer wheels, and explore the unique street photography. We will also visit the Hunder Monastery, where we can photograph Buddhist novices studying.
DAY 9 - NUBRA TO LEH
Today is the final day of our trip and it won’t disappoint. Leaving the valley, we ride up over one of the highest motorable roads in the world, Khardung La 17,582 ft (5,359 m). Have your photo taken at the top and ride above the clouds, looking out over the tips of the Himalayas.
DAY 10 - LEH - DEPARTURE
Today we say goodbye and drop you at Leh airport if you are flying out. The flight out of Leh is one final highlight, as you get to see just how majestic the Himalayas (which you have just ridden on an Enfield motorcycle) are from the air.
Inquire
This workshops is sold out but if you are interested in joining another workshop in the Himalayas, please sign up below. It is likely we will be running another one in the near future. Thank you.
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