You will be met on arrival at Leh airport and transfer to hotel. Leh is situated at an altitude of 3500 M above sea level and need to acclimatize. Suggested to have a complete rest at the hotel.

Evening you will be taken at the top of the hill at Shanti Stupa offers an incredible view of Leh valley. Have some time at this place and retrace back to Leh by visiting Shankar Gompa enroute and Leh market. Overnight at hotel in Leh.

Leh Palace : This nine-storey dun-coloured palace took shape under 17th-century king Sengge Namgyal. Essentially it has been unoccupied since the Ladakhi royals were stripped of power and shuffled off to Stok in 1846. Located at the top of a small hill in main Leh market on walkable distance. Offers a magnificient view of Leh city at the roof top

Shey Palace : Thikse & Hemis monastery : by driving in the east of Leh city must visit Shey Palace and one of the most picturesque monastery called Thiske. Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Drukpa Lineage, Situated 45 km from Leh by crossing Indus river and steep drive to reach at. This monastery was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal.

The road goes past the ancient gompas of Shey and Thiksey, via Karu and Upshi, upstream along the true right bank of the Indus river. The drive to Chumathang is via the villages of Likche, Himya, Gaik, Kiara and Skidmang. This takes about six hours. Another 22 kms from Chumathang leads to Mahe bridge. From here drive along a rough dusty track up to Tso Morari. Overnight camping.

Spend the day exploring the area. Tso Morari or "mountain" lake is situated in the middle of the elevated district of Rupsu. Its name is characteristic of its situation - nestled in the midst of 20,000 foot plus peaks which completely shut the lake in. Legend has it that a woman riding a yak was carried into the lake. At first the yak swam boldly out and the woman (chomo) was delighted. But after a while the animal grew tired and sank deeper in the water. The chomo became frightened and screamed "Ri Ri, Ri Ri" until the yak sank and she drowned. Since then, the lake has been called Chomo-riri.

A kilometer ahead is the picturesque village of Korzok consisting of about a hundred families. Visit the gompa set on top of the village. Belonging to the Gelug-pa sect, it is about 360 years old and has 35 resident monks. The exterior has been renovated but the main prayer room is intact. Camp on the banks of this beautiful lake for the night.

After breakfast a two-hour drive from Tso Morari gets us to Sumdo village (Sumdo means “confluence” in Tibetan). Make camp at the side of the river which is tainted with sulphur from the hot springs nearby.

The birdlife at this junction is quite varied. Besides the occasional lammageir and other raptors, interestingly, at this high altitude, black-headed terns and brown-headed gulls are often sighted. Overnight camping.

Today is an easy walk along the Puga stream though a beautiful wide valley strewn with numerous hot springs and brooks teeming in fish. Cross a wooden cantilever bridge of typical Tibetan or Ladakhi design to Sumdo, a small Changpa village with a delightful little Tibetan Refugee school worth visiting.

The walk from Sumdo goes along the stream up the Puga Valley, through lush grazing grasslands and past numerous hot springs. Although there is a motorable track with the occasional vehicle passing by, this has in no way disturbed the wildlife of the area. Often baral (blue sheep), hare, kyang (wild ass) and footprints of the snow leopard have been sighted. Make camp at a spot marked "Puga Village" on the map, but is in fact only open grassland.

After lunch there is a chance to relax, catch up on your diary, take a walk along the valley floor or a side trip up one of the high ridges (17,000 ft/5,180 m) to the south towards Tso Morari lake. From the ridge you get a spectacular view of the entire Puga Valley and towering snow-clad 6,500-m peaks to the east, within striking distance of the Tibetan border. Overnight camping.

The destination today is the western side of Polokongka La (16,000 ft/4,878 m). The trek up to the pass is long but gradual and not too strenuous and gives you the chance to admire the spectacular rock formations and stark beauty of the region. The pass itself consists of a flat plain, with the glacial run-off which has created grazing lands for the yaks of Sumdo and Karzok villages.

Descend 1,000 feet and make camp beside one of the fresh- water streams running off the mountains. Here we are likely to encounter the wandering Changpa tribes with their distinctive black tents made of yak wool. Overnight camping.

Continue descending down from Polokonga La into the remote Tso Kar valley, crossing the brackish lake of Startsapuk Tso and Tso Kar (salt) where we have a very good chance of spotting the fabled kyang (wild ass). Numerous birds such as the black-necked crane, Brahminy duck, Nangpas (wild geese) all visit this area for breeding and nesting. Many other varieties of wildlife are present in this area and although not that easy to see, they are of great interest to the ornithologist and naturalist. Make camp near a fresh-water stream.

A half day's trek gets you to the roadhead at Hikim where vehicles await you for the 4-hour drive over the Taglang la (17,528 ft/5.343 m) back to Leh and overnight stay .

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport in time to board flight for onward destination