UNIQUE DESTINATIONS
TURTLE TOURS, INC

Toll-Free: (888) 299-1439 Phone: (480)488-3688 Fax: (480)488-3406
Turtle Tours, Inc.
Box 1147, Carefree, AZ 85377
E-Mail: turtletours@earthlink.net

LADAKH "From the very moment I stepped off the plane in Delhi, my every need was taken care of... In Ladakh every door was open to me. Meals with Ladakhies, special sections of monasteries...my special diet needs were all seen to. As a woman traveling alone I was treated as a Maharanee until the time I was put on the plane home. Thanks, Irma!. I mean every word!" Ginny Forsman, July, '96

---

JOURNEY TO LADAKH: TIBETAN PEOPLE AND CULTURE:

CUSTOM ITINERARY:

This is a custom journey to the moonlike mountain terrain of Ladakh, the highest inhabited land on earth, and India's northernmost province. Open only to tourism since the 70's, Ladakh is far more Tibetan in culture than Indian and the predominant religion is Buddhism. This is a journey full of astonishing sights and sounds...visits to monasteries perched precariously on hilltops where prayer flags scatter prayers in the wind and the melodic low chanting of monks welcomes you inside...and unforgettable encounters with the Ladakhi people themselves, famous for their friendliness and color. Your days in Ladakh will be very special. A personalized tour for as few as two, this trip is led by our friends, a Kashmiri family that has been visiting Ladakh since the road opened in 1974. Not only will you visit the bazaars and monasteries that Ladakh is known for, you will visit the people in their homes.

Since the Chinese invaded Tibet, the Ladakhi monasteries adhering to the Lamaist (Lama) tradition are the only places that Tibetan Buddhism is practiced. While other tourists may view monasteries in less than an hour, take their pictures and leave, you will have the luxury to sit and watch the comings and goings of the monks and their students. You will find that your patience is most often rewarded with a private viewing of paintings or sculpture, a prayer service or lunch in the monastery kitchen.

In Alchi, you will stay with one of the grandsons of the former kings of Alchi. From Alchi, a village that tourism has not as yet altered, you will make many side excursions to mountain monasteries and tiny hamlets. In Leh, in addition to monasteries, palaces, local families and villages, you may visit the Tibetan refugee center and school and learn about the life of the Tibetan refugees.

Many of the Ladakhis believe in healers and you will have the opportunity to visit one. You will find the Ladakhis friendly and hospitable, eager to engage you in conversation, even to take you home and become your friend for life.

And timing depending, you'll attend one of the many Buddhist religious festivals, such as the Hemis Festival, celebrated yearly with music and ritual dancing by masked monks and attended by hundreds of Ladakhi pilgrims in their finest traditional garments and ornate turquoise and silver jewelry.

This is a very personalized tour, catering to the interests of the people participating. In addition to the private homes and monasteries, your hosts and guides will gladly include visits to schools, hospitals, courts, handicraft centers...the options are endless. The choice is yours.

Visits to other parts of India can also be included.

15 days: departures June - October; Hemis Festival: July