Ladakh Wellness & Meditation Retreat

Route: Leh airport to the hotel

Your guide and driver meet you at Leh airport. Every flight to Leh lands in the morning, because winds pick up later in the day at an airport about 3,250 m high.

Leh is at 3,500 m, about 1,900 m higher than Delhi. The Ladakh tourism advisory asks new arrivals to rest on the first day and add no more than about 500 m of sleeping height a day after that. Today is for rest, water and an early night. Skip alcohol.

At 5 pm the meditation teacher joins you for tea and a first short sitting of 15 minutes, sitting in a chair if you like. The teacher explains the rhythm of the days listed and answers questions.

Experience of the Day

–  Met at Leh airport by your guide and driver.

–  A full rest day at 3,500 m, as the Ladakh tourism advisory asks of new arrivals.

–  Tea and a first sitting of 15 minutes with the teacher.

Food

Dinner at the hotel; breakfast and lunch depend on your arrival time.

Activities to Do

Rest and one short sitting. No sightseeing is planned on arrival day.

Route: Leh – Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre – Old Town – Shanti Stupa – Leh

The morning begins with a 25-minute sitting at the hotel, then a visit to the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre in Leh. Venerable Bhikkhu Sanghasena founded the centre in 1986 in the Theravada tradition, and it combines meditation with community work. The visit is arranged in advance with the centre, and you sit with the community if the schedule allows.

After lunch comes a walk through Leh's Old Town with LAMO, the Ladakh Arts and Media Organisation, for two to three hours through narrow lanes, past craft workshops and wood-fired bakeries. In 2008 the Old Town was placed on the World Monuments Watch list as an endangered site.

In the evening you drive up to Shanti Stupa, a white-domed Buddhist stupa built in 1991 by Japanese Buddhist monks as a peace monument, for the sunset over the Indus valley. The evening sitting is held at the hotel.

Experience of the Day

–  A morning sitting and a visit to the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre.

–  A two-to-three-hour LAMO heritage walk through Leh's Old Town.

–  Sunset over the Indus valley from Shanti Stupa.

Food

Breakfast and dinner at the hotel; lunch in town.

Activities to Do

A morning and an evening sitting; walking Leh's Old Town lanes and craft workshops.

Shopping

Leh's Old Town has small workshops selling Ladakhi crafts and woodwork, visited as part of the LAMO walk.

Route: Leh – Thiksey (19 km) – Shey (15 km) – Leh

Thiksey monastery stands at about 3,600 m and has twelve storeys. It was founded in the mid-15th century by Palden Zangpo and belongs to the Gelug order. Morning prayers begin around 6:30 to 7 am. You sit at the back of the hall, and the monks chant in unison, with horns and a single drum.

After the prayers, a monk gives a short talk, arranged in advance, on how the monks spend their day and what they mean by practice. Breakfast follows in the open air. A 15 m Maitreya statue, installed for the Dalai Lama's 1970 visit, fills the hall at the top.

Shey was the summer capital of Ladakh. The present palace and monastery were built in 1655 by Deldan Namgyal in memory of his father, Sengge Namgyal. Inside is a 12 m copper Buddha, gilded with about 5 kg of gold. The rest of the afternoon is yours.

Experience of the Day

–  Dawn prayers at Thiksey monastery.

–  A short talk from a monk, arranged in advance.

–  Shey Palace and its 12 m gilded copper Buddha.

Food

An early breakfast at Thiksey after the prayers; lunch on the road or in Leh; dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

Sitting in on the prayer session; an evening sitting at the hotel.

Route: Leh – Basgo – Likir (about 52 km from Leh) – Nurla (about 3,100 m)

The road follows the Indus west. At Basgo, about 40 km from Leh, a hilltop of ruined royal buildings holds several temples dedicated to Maitreya. The visit is short.

Likir monastery was founded in 1065 at the order of King Lhachen Gyalpo, the fifth king of Ladakh, and belongs to the Gelug order today. A gilded Maitreya statue, 23 m tall and completed in 1999, is visible from the roof. A monk gives a short talk after you have sat in the hall, and lunch is at Likir.

You reach Nurla in the afternoon. The altitude drops to about 3,100 m, a good change for sleep. The evening sitting is held in the hotel garden.

Experience of the Day

–  The ruined hilltop temples at Basgo.

–  Likir monastery's 23 m gilded Maitreya, and a monk's talk.

–  The descent to Nurla, about 3,100 m, and an evening sitting in the garden.

Food

Breakfast at the Leh hotel; lunch at Likir; dinner at the Nurla hotel.

Activities to Do

A short visit at Basgo; a talk at Likir; an evening sitting in the garden.

Route: Nurla – Alchi Choskor – Alchi Kitchen – Nurla

After the morning sitting, you visit Alchi Choskor, which stands at about 3,100 m on the south bank of the Indus. It has six temples from the 11th to 13th centuries. Local tradition names the translator Rinchen Zangpo as its founder; wall inscriptions point to a noble called Kaldan Sherab, and scholars still debate which is right.

Inside the Sumtsek, three painted bodhisattvas stand about four metres tall, with tiny painted scenes on their robes still visible after nine centuries. Photography is not allowed inside the temple buildings, because flash harms the old mineral pigments. The guide suggests half an hour of quiet looking, with a notebook if you like.

Lunch is at Alchi Kitchen. The afternoon is free, with the hotel garden, a walk by the river or a relaxation treatment.

Experience of the Day

–  Alchi Choskor's Sumtsek temple and its eleventh-century painted bodhisattvas.

–  Half an hour of quiet looking inside the complex.

–  A free afternoon in the garden or by the river.

Food

Breakfast at the Nurla hotel; lunch at Alchi Kitchen; dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

A guided walk through Alchi's six temples; a relaxation treatment if you like; morning and evening sittings.

Shopping

A small handicraft stall near Alchi's temple complex sells shawls and prayer flags.

The Human Story: Alchi Kitchen

Nilza Wangmo, who grew up in Alchi, opened Alchi Kitchen in 2016 and trained young women from nearby villages to cook and serve. The menu is Ladakhi: skyu, a wheat-pasta stew; chutagi, bow-tie pasta in a local sauce; khambir, a fermented bread; and Tashi Tagye tea, an eight-ingredient blend.

Route: Nurla – Khaltse – Lamayuru (3,510 m) – Nurla

Lamayuru Monastery stands above the Moonland, a landscape of eroded lake sediments. It follows the Drikung Kagyu school and, by tradition, began as a Bon site. The monastic community gathers in the hall for morning prayer, and you can reach it from about 6 am.

A cave in the main hall is said to be where the Indian scholar Naropa meditated. The guide leaves you with half an hour of quiet there. A walk down into the Moonland follows, with a short sitting in the open air.

Lamayuru is at 3,510 m, about the height of Leh, so the day involves no gain in sleeping height. You return to Nurla by late afternoon.

Experience of the Day

–  Lamayuru Monastery above the Moonland.

–  Half an hour of quiet in the cave said to be Naropa's.

–  A sitting in the open air in the Moonland.

Food

An early breakfast at the Nurla hotel; lunch near Lamayuru; dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

A monastery visit; a short walk in the Moonland; an evening sitting at the hotel.

Route: Nurla (no driving)

The day begins with the morning sitting, and silence follows until lunch. You do not speak with the guide or the teacher, and there are no sights to see. A short written note on the table covers needs such as tea or a change to the plan.

After lunch, silence ends. The teacher takes questions in the garden, and the group walks to the river or through the village, at your pace. A relaxation treatment can be taken in the afternoon. The evening sitting is the longest of the days, up to 40 minutes.

Experience of the Day

–  A morning of silence, from the first sitting to lunch.

–  An afternoon walk to the river or through the village.

–  The longest evening sitting of the days, up to 40 minutes.

Food

All meals at the hotel, mostly vegetarian; tea and a note system during the silence.

Activities to Do

Sitting, walking, resting; questions to the teacher after lunch; a relaxation treatment.

Route: Nurla – Rizong – Leh – Spituk – Leh

Rizong, a Gelug monastery founded in 1831 by Lama Tsultim Nima, lies in a quiet side valley north of the Indus. It is known for strict monastic discipline and, locally, as a place for meditation. About 40 monks live there, and a nunnery stands nearby. Women are not allowed to sleep within its boundaries, and visits are arranged in advance.

From Rizong the road returns to the Indus and runs on to Leh. In the late afternoon you visit Spituk, a monastery on a hill near the airport, about 8 km from Leh, with a temple of Vajrabhairava. The evening sitting is held at the hotel.

Leh is at 3,500 m, about 400 m above Nurla, within the advisory's daily step.

Experience of the Day

–  Rizong monastery, a place of strict discipline and quiet.

–  The drive down the Indus to Leh.

–  Spituk monastery on its hill, and an evening sitting.

Food

Breakfast at the Nurla hotel; lunch on the road; dinner at the Leh hotel.

Activities to Do

A quiet visit at Rizong; a short climb at Spituk; an evening sitting at the hotel.

Route: Leh – Hemis (45 km) – Stakna – Leh

Hemis was re-established in 1672 by King Sengge Namgyal and follows the Drukpa lineage. Its courtyard shows paintings of the Eighty-Four Mahasiddhas from the 17th century, made with ground mineral pigments. A monk gives a short talk after you have sat in the hall.

On the way back you stop at Stakna, on the Indus, which follows the Drukpa Kagyu school and stands on a hill shaped like a tiger's nose. Its founding in the late 16th century by a Bhutanese teacher gives it a link with Bhutan.

The farewell sitting is held in the evening at the hotel, with the teacher, followed by dinner. The teacher suggests a short daily practice for home.

Experience of the Day

–  Hemis monastery's courtyard and its 17th-century Mahasiddha paintings.

–  A short talk from a monk.

–  A farewell sitting and dinner with the teacher.

Food

Breakfast at the hotel; lunch at Hemis or on the road; farewell dinner at the hotel.

Activities to Do

A monastery visit; Stakna on the way back; a farewell sitting.

Route: Leh hotel to airport

After a final morning sitting at the hotel, if your flight allows, your guide takes you to the airport for the morning flight to Delhi, which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Flights are not included in the price. If you fly home from Delhi, book an international flight for the evening or later.

Experience of the Day

–  A final morning sitting, flight permitting.

–  Transfer to Leh airport and a morning flight out.

Food

Breakfast at the hotel; meals after that on your flight or in Delhi as you choose.

Activities to Do

None scheduled. The day is kept free to flex around your flight time.