First, 4 nights in Leh
Stok Palace Heritage
Leh · Hotel · Premium★★★★
A handful of antique-furnished rooms in the Ladakhi royal family's 1820 palace at Stok, above the Indus valley. The premium heritage Leh stay.
4 nightsStop 1 of 2
Premium Accommodation6 NightsPremiumHeritage
Ladakh for Seniors — Premium
Chapter Two — Where You'll Stay
2 Real Stays, In Order
Handpicked along your own route — not a hotel chain repeated city to city.
Finally, 2 nights in Sham Valley
The Apricot Tree
Sham Valley · Hotel · Premium★★★★
A heated Ladakhi-style hotel above the Indus at Nurla, between Alchi and Lamayuru. The premium Sham Valley stay.
2 nightsStop 2 of 2
Chapter Three — Activities & Sightseeing
The Real Stops Along the Way
5 of your 7days — the full day-by-day plan follows below.
Day 2 · Leh
Leh — Old Town, Palace and Shanti Stupa
A gentle first full day, still close to the hotel. The morning is Leh's old town: the bazaar, the mosque, and the nine-storey palace above it. The climb through the palace floors is slow but short. In the afternoon, drive up to Shanti Stupa for the view over the valley. Sankar Monastery, a working gompa a short way from the centre, fills any spare time. An early night before tomorrow's monastery run.
Day 3 · Leh
The Indus Valley Monasteries — Thiksey and Hemis
A full day among the great monasteries south-east of Leh. Start early at Thiksey, a twelve-storey monastery on a hill, for the dawn prayers if you are up to it. Then Hemis, the largest and richest in Ladakh, hidden in a side gorge. Shey, the old royal palace with its giant seated Buddha, and Stok are on the way back. It is a lot of driving, but the roads are good and the valley is beautiful. Back in Leh by evening.
Day 4 · Leh → Sham Valley
Leh to the Sham Valley — Basgo, Likir & Alchi
A drive west down the Indus, dropping in altitude the whole way, which helps. First stop is Basgo, a ruined mud-brick fort and its Maitreya temples on a wind-carved ridge. Then Likir, with its huge open-air gilded Buddha and, if you want it, a short turn at a village potter's wheel. The main visit is Alchi, the eleventh-century monastery on the river flats, with wall paintings found nowhere else in Ladakh. You reach your hotel at Nimmu or Nurla by late afternoon.
Day 5 · Sham Valley
The Sham Valley — Lamayuru & the Moonland
A day further west into the oldest corner of Ladakh. The road climbs over the Fotu La pass to Lamayuru, one of the oldest monasteries in the region, set on a crag above pale, folded hills that guides call moonland. There is time to walk the monastery and its old cave rooms. The village below has a teahouse for lunch. On the way back, a stop at Wanla or Rizong, a strict monastery reached on foot up a side valley. Back at the hotel for the night.
Day 6 · Sham Valley → Leh
The Sham Valley back to Leh — Magnetic Hill & the Hall of Fame
An easy drive back up the valley to Leh, with the classic Sham stops on the way. The Indus-Zanskar confluence, where the clear green river meets the grey one. Magnetic Hill, a quick stop where the road plays a trick on the eye. The Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, a Sikh shrine built around a boulder. Closer to town, the Hall of Fame, the army's museum of the region's mountain wars. You are back in Leh, at a higher but now familiar altitude, by early afternoon.
Chapter Four — Day by Day
7 Days, In Full
Every day, start to finish — including the transfers the sightseeing chapter above skipped.
Leh
Arrive in Leh — Rest and Acclimatise
You fly into Leh in the early morning, over the main Himalayan range. The airport sits at 3,500 metres, so the first day is a rest day, and this is not optional. Your guide checks you in and asks you to do very little. Drink water, eat lightly, sleep if you can. A short, slow walk to Leh market in the afternoon is as much as you should do. Giving the body a full day here now prevents altitude sickness later.
Leh
Leh — Old Town, Palace and Shanti Stupa
A gentle first full day, still close to the hotel. The morning is Leh's old town: the bazaar, the mosque, and the nine-storey palace above it. The climb through the palace floors is slow but short. In the afternoon, drive up to Shanti Stupa for the view over the valley. Sankar Monastery, a working gompa a short way from the centre, fills any spare time. An early night before tomorrow's monastery run.
Leh
The Indus Valley Monasteries — Thiksey and Hemis
A full day among the great monasteries south-east of Leh. Start early at Thiksey, a twelve-storey monastery on a hill, for the dawn prayers if you are up to it. Then Hemis, the largest and richest in Ladakh, hidden in a side gorge. Shey, the old royal palace with its giant seated Buddha, and Stok are on the way back. It is a lot of driving, but the roads are good and the valley is beautiful. Back in Leh by evening.
Leh → Sham Valley
Leh to the Sham Valley — Basgo, Likir & Alchi
A drive west down the Indus, dropping in altitude the whole way, which helps. First stop is Basgo, a ruined mud-brick fort and its Maitreya temples on a wind-carved ridge. Then Likir, with its huge open-air gilded Buddha and, if you want it, a short turn at a village potter's wheel. The main visit is Alchi, the eleventh-century monastery on the river flats, with wall paintings found nowhere else in Ladakh. You reach your hotel at Nimmu or Nurla by late afternoon.
Sham Valley
The Sham Valley — Lamayuru & the Moonland
A day further west into the oldest corner of Ladakh. The road climbs over the Fotu La pass to Lamayuru, one of the oldest monasteries in the region, set on a crag above pale, folded hills that guides call moonland. There is time to walk the monastery and its old cave rooms. The village below has a teahouse for lunch. On the way back, a stop at Wanla or Rizong, a strict monastery reached on foot up a side valley. Back at the hotel for the night.
Sham Valley → Leh
The Sham Valley back to Leh — Magnetic Hill & the Hall of Fame
An easy drive back up the valley to Leh, with the classic Sham stops on the way. The Indus-Zanskar confluence, where the clear green river meets the grey one. Magnetic Hill, a quick stop where the road plays a trick on the eye. The Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, a Sikh shrine built around a boulder. Closer to town, the Hall of Fame, the army's museum of the region's mountain wars. You are back in Leh, at a higher but now familiar altitude, by early afternoon.
Leh
Depart Leh
Leh's flights leave early, so this is usually a dawn transfer to the airport. The take-off, back over the Himalayan range, is as good as the flight in. If your flight is later, there is time for a last walk in the market or a visit to the Hall of Fame museum near the airport. Your guide sees you off. Most onward flights connect through Delhi.
Chapter Five — Terms & Conditions
Straightforward, In Writing
Cancellation windows, refund timing, and rescheduling terms for this journey follow our one sitewide policy — nothing package-specific to dig through.
Read the Return & Refund PolicyChapter Six — Similar Journeys
More of Ladakh, Privately
Why Choose Us
The Same Trust, Sized to This Trip
01
Planning, Built Around You
This route was shaped around Ladakh's real places, not lifted from a fixed template.
13 years — Brijesh Sharma, Bespoke Itinerary Specialist
02
Handpicked Hotels
Every stay on this trip was chosen in person, not off a ratings page.
2 real stays, 4★
03
A Private Fleet, Always Yours
One driver, air-conditioned, for the whole route — no shared shuttle.
Premium sedans & SUVs · One driver, the whole trip
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
Get In Touch
Start Planning Your Ladakh for Seniors — Premium Journey
Tell us your travel dates and group size — we'll confirm availability and refine this itinerary around you.