Getoff Ur Ass

Day 01:  Leave from Delhi to Manali
We meet at the Chanderlok Building in Janpath to catch the HPTDC Volvo bus upto Manali. The bus leaves at 6.30 p.m sharp so we can be in Manali at about 8.00 a.m next morning. It’s a 13 hour journey, which is quite comfortable in the Volvo. A good time to introduce ourselves and get ready for the 10 day journey ahead!

Day 02: Spend the Day at Naggar (Manali) & Get started with Photography
We check in at the Guest House at Naggar which is about 25 kms away from Manali. We have chosen this so that we don’t have to rub shoulders with many tourists and we find our space to get started with the learning process. We need this day for a classroom session on understanding light( aperture, shutter speed & ISO), so that you are well set to begin clicking on your way up to Leh.
So a few hours in the classroom before we head out to practice what we have learnt. An old Krishna Temple, Naggar castle and the famous Roerich’s Art Gallery can be explored while you learn.
We close the day early for a good rest, as the next day starts the climb up!

Day 03: Naggar to Sarchu
We have specifically chosen to drive from Manali to Leh as it is really one of the prettiest topographies you would have seen. Bare but bizarre landscapes unfold in front of you as you climb to high passes. The journey has to be broken down into 2 days – as you climb higher the air becomes rarer and the body needs to acclimatize well.
We leave Manali and stop for breakfast at the Rohtang Pass (13050 ft). After this, you enter the Lahaul Valley, pass by Koksar, Tandi (where Chandra River Meets Bhaga River). It is time for lunch at Keylong after which we go by the Barlachala Pass (16020 ft) so we can break at Bharatpur for tea and reach Sarchu by early evening. You will be at (13953 ft) and it is advisable to give your body full rest. The journey opens the road to sky, into the trans-Himalayan range where culture, landscape and people change. It’s the gateway to a new region that’s hardly seen. We camp at a hi-altitude camp at Sarchu. There is no room for any photography on this day as the body needs rest and hydration! Lots of black tea to fight the cold!

Day 04: Sarchu to Leh
We leave for Leh early morning with packed lunch and go through the Nakeela & Lachlangla Pass 16,617 ft and reach Pang by afternoon. Enroute there are the More Plains (a plateau that stretches 42 Kms), Tanglang La Pass (2nd Highest Motorable Road in the World at A Height of 17,585ft) & Upshi. From here the road follows the Indus River, passing villages with terraced fields and neat whitewashed houses. The descent into Leh is welcome as you reach by early evening.
After some rest at the Guest House, we can get into the classroom again for a brief module on composition and framing. This will help you tremendously to blend the technical & softer aspects together.

Day 05: In Leh
Andrew Harvey (a religious scholar and a teacher of mystic traditions) wrote “There is nothing whatever to do. That’s is Leh’s charm... nothing to do but slow down, relax, laze, to become one vast transparent eye.”
We spend this day relaxing and doing some local sight-seeing. A mild field exercise is built in to put in use what you learnt the previous day. Local monasteries, Shanti Stupa, the market can be subjects for the day….

Day 06:  Leh to Nubra Valley
The day starts after breakfast onto the old caravan trade route to Central Asia, apparently a “feeder” of the famous Silk Route. We take the world highest Motorable pass – Khardung La (18,380 ft) and stop for some maggi and coffee at the highest café of the world. We start downhill through villages with banks of wild flowers, willow and poplar trees. The valley is beautiful with vast seabuckthorn shrubs & stretches of sand dunes. Nubra is known for the Bactrian camels (double humped), some beautiful monasteries & hot springs. We drive along the Shyok River and reach the village of Diskit by lunch, assuming that there will be a lot of clicking on this route.
At night, we have time for discussions, reviews and photography related movies. While you are enjoying the fantastic landscapes, don’t forget this is a great backdrop for learning as well.

Day 07: In Nubra Valley
Here we stay at an organic camp beside the Shyok River. Spend the next day with more photography exercises and relaxing by the river. The landscape is beautiful and it is sure to tug at your heart as you start back the next day.

Day 08: Nubra Valley to Leh
We head back to Leh for a nights rest before we head to Pangong Tso the next morning.
We visit the Diskit Monastery on the way back.

Day 09:  Leh to Pangong Tso
We leave very early for Pangong Tso Lake as we need to cross river beds which later get filled up as the sun rises and the snow starts melting.  The lake is at 14,500 ft after crossing the 3rd Highest Motorable Road in India at the Changla Pass (17,350 ft). Pangong Tso Lake is the highest salt water lake in the world and 60% of it lies in China. There are no words to describe the beauty of this place – you have to experience this yourself.
We camp here for the night and leave early again to spend the last night at Leh.

Day 10: Pangong Tso to Leh
We reach by noon and rest. You can also visit the market on this day for the last time.
A wrap up session to end the photography tryst and see some fantastic pictures taken by all!

Day 11 –
We head out early to the Hemis Festival which is a couple of hours drive. Spend the day clicking at the festival and spend the last night back in Leh.

Day 12
We drop you to the airport to take your flight home!

Trip ends here!