Detailed Description

About the Activity:
Day 1: Delhi

          Individual arrivals into Delhi. Option to attend a Qawwali Sufi music evening performance. For those of you that know the Sufi mystic Rumi’s poetry, it is with the same poetic beauty that the Qawwali singers perform. Their music is renowned for its ability to bring listeners into a meditative trance.

 

Day 2: Delhi to Leh

          Early morning flight from Delhi to Leh. Acclimatization and trip orientation. Leh is at an altitude of 3524 meters (11,562 ft) so it is essential to take the necessary time for our bodies to adjust so we are fit and healthy for the duration of our trip.

 

Day 3: Leh

          Second day of acclimatization. Spending leisurely time as our bodies adjust to the altitude which is needed due to us flying directly into the locality.

 

Day 4: Leh

          Visit the scenic Leh town & Tsemo-Leh the old heritage town. Together we will hoist Tibetan prayer flags, an act which is believed to blow all fears away. Attend a talk with a local expert on the tradition of oracles.

 

Day 5 & 6: Stok Guru Tsechu festival

          Two local members of Stok village enter into a long hermitage of meditation where they are prepared by monks to receive the spirit of the deities & make offerings to the spiritual guardians. When this is complete the spirits embody them and they assist the local people with predictions of the future and blessings. During the process the monks of Spituk monastery and Stok monastery in Ladakh perform a series of Cham (sacred dances) inside the monasteries. These ceremonies stem from the shamanic tradition Bon which existed in Ladakh before the arrival of Buddhism. We will also have lunch with a Ladakhi family to deepen our experience of this incredible culture.

 

Day 7: Choglamar

          Visit the beautiful residence of the Dalai Lama as seen in this picture. Then onto the Tibetan Children’s Village which was set up to provide children with an authentic Tibetan education that is currently denied to those living in the Chinese occupied Tibet. Attend a shamanic session with a local woman where if you choose to, you too can ask for assistance. We will also have lunch with a Tibetan family to deepen our experience with all the cultural facets of this incredible place.

 

Day 8: Thiksay

          Morning prayers at Thiksay Monestary and a meeting with a Rinpoche for a Green Tara mantra ceremony so every time we recite the mantra of this Tibetan goddess it has more power. Green Tara is known to assist in protection & generating swift action in any area of our lives. She is considered to be the female emanation of Buddha. Join a Tibetan family in the evening for the recitation prayers to Tara where you can chant your new mantra along with them.

 

Day 9: Full day at leisure

          Time to journal, relax, read or go for a long walk up into the rolling hills of Ladakh if you fancy it.

 

DAy 10: Matho Nagrang Festival

          During this festival two oracles from Matho monastery, who have been meditating in isolation for an entire month, make a public appearance and enter into a state of trance. Every three years these oracles are chosen and are considered to be very special. The Rongsten Karmar divinity takes possession of their bodies and they fall into trances as they make religious prophecies and give blessings to remove obstacles. Whilst blindfolded they perform amazing feats such as running over high rise monasteries, executing acrobatic moves and jumping from one balcony to the next. Matho monastery was built in the 16th century and devotees fill it to the brim from far and wide to have their future predicted and problems answered and we will be right there in the thick of it with them!

 

Day 11: Matho Nagrang Festival

          The second day of the festival starts in the late afternoon. Beforehand we will meet with a local Tibetan Yogi who will hold a CHOD session for us. The initial founder of the CHOD practice was a woman and it is the only high level Buddhist practice that originated in Tibet. It is believed to assist in cutting through the ego and self-grasping.

 

Day 12: Leh to Delhi

          Fly back to Delhi and check into our hotel situated in the heart of Old Delhi. This particular date is the Holi festival to celebrate the start of spring. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord Krishna started the trend of playing with colours. He applied colour on his beloved Radha to make her blue like him. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the masses. So people on the streets will be covered in coloured dust. Be prepared to end up looking just like them!

 

Day 13: Here you have a choice.

          Lots of people who travel to India want to see the Taj Mahal so for those of you that do, you can opt for our cultural day trip to see this wonder of the world & other historic sites of Agra. Or you can stay in Delhi with tour host Lisa. There we will attend a morning tour ‘Street Life by Street Children’ where you will be taken into the realities of local Delhi life by its most vulnerable people and in doing so, you will be supporting them. We will take a rickshaw ride to the Tibetan Quarter of Delhi so you can experience the city like a local. Visit a Buddhist temple dedicated to your new friend Green Tara so you get the chance to check in with her just before you head back home. And if we are lucky the monks there might have time to do a Green Tara puja especially for you, to give you a powerful Tibetan send off.

 

Day 14: Exchange contact details with your new global family and then transfers for individual travel arrangements.

 

Inclusions & Exclusions

Cost includes

English speaking host for duration of trip

Lunch & dinner on Day 1, 3 meals per day from Day 2 to Day 13, breakfast & lunch on Day 14

All airport & local transfers for Delhi & Leh

3 nights accommodation in Delhi (sharing unless single room requested)

10 nights accommodation in Leh (sharing unless single room requested)

Return flight from Delhi to Leh

English speaking guides for duration of tour in Leh and for local tours in Dehli

Donations to Shaman, Rinpoche, Tibetan family and Oracle expert

 

Cost excludes

Personal expenses

Visa and passport fees

Travel insurancehere

International flights

Airport transfers, taxes and excess baggage unless specified

Meals other than those specified

Optional day trip to the Taj Mahal – cost £90 which includes transfers, entrance fees, English speaking guide, lunch and dinner (min 3 people)

Tips

Applicable Date:

This tour will start from 6th  March 2014 to 19th March 2014

Pricing Details:

Usual Price: £ 2350 / INR Rs. 199750/- *

(* Prices in INR are suggestive, actual Price will be £ 2350, kindly confirm the exact INR value as per exchange Rate while Booking)

Late Price: £ 2650 / INR Rs. 225250/- *

(* Prices in INR are suggestive, actual Price will be £ 2650, kindly confirm the exact INR value as per exchange Rate while Booking)