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Festivals

In Ladakh

Life in Ladakh may be harsh but certainly does not lack the zest for life. The numerous festivals and the way they are celebrated are ample proof of this; there is great merry-making, old ties are renewed and new ones forged. Most of the Gompha festivals are winter celebrations and are in the form of dance-dramas in the Gompa courtyards. Colorful robes, masks, mimes symbolizing various aspects of Buddhism are all part of them.

Hemis Festival

Held during June-July, this festival marks the birth anniversary of the Buddhist guru, Padmasambhava. During this time, the Gompa echoes with sacred dances, contradictory explanations and special musical performances for 2 whole days.

Dosmoche Festival

This festival of the scapegoat is one of the 2 New Year festivals celebrated in Ladakh. In the latter half of February every year, a great wooden mast with streamers and religious emblems is set up at Dosmoche. At the auspicious hour, ‘storma’ - ritual dough figures are ceremonially thrown into the desert, or burnt. It is believed that these scapegoats carry away with the evil spirits of yester year, cleansing the city for the coming New Year.

Losar Festival

This is the other popular new year celebration and lasts for 2 weeks during December or January, depending on the Lunar calendar. During this time you will get to see ancient rituals, stage fights between good & evil, the passing of fire torches, the dance of the Ibex deer and the dramatic battles between the King & his ministers.

Sindhu Darshan Festival

A festival that celebrates the river Sindhu or Indus as the symbol of multi-dimensional cultural identity and communal harmony, it attracts both local and visiting crowds in hundreds. It was celebrated for the first time in 1997, and is now formally organized by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir with the support of the Ministry of tourism and culture, Government of India during May-June. It showcases an array of local talent and customs - people actually bring pots of water from the other mighty rivers of India and pour it in the Indus - and at the same time pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who have sacrificed their lives at Siachen, Kargil and other places.

Ladakh Harvest Festival

The first 15 days of September belongs to this festival; music, theatre, polo, archery and weddings are part of each day till the festivities draw to an end with the final carnival parade that walks it way through the streets of Leh.

Tak -Tok Festival

Tak-Tok celebrated at cave Gompa of Tak- Tok in summer is another big festival of Ladakh. Crowds gather from faraway places to meet in a riot of merry-making and cheer.

What Our Client Says

  • "As tour manager of Joe Far Tours I want to thank you for the great services my group received during Oracle-festivals from March 11 - 20, 2011. We stayed in the best hotel of town with good central heating and excellent food and service, had new cars with friendly and helpful drivers and a very experienced local guide Tashi. Besides that you personally came to check everything! Your service even included a reserved area with chairs during festival, lunch and hot tea.

    Thanks again and I am looking forward to your services in Changthang in July 2011."

    Prof. Hans Först
    Executive Director-Tours
    Joe Far Tours/Vienna/Austria

  • "I arrived in Ladakh with only six precious days and no semblance of a plan. Odpal George and his team at Himalayan Safaris worked with me on short notice to set up a fantastic tour, including a 3-day trek from Likir to Lamayuru. Their service and local knowledge were top notch, and I assumed that their prices would be high -- but after checking around town with other tour operators, I realized they were right in line. I highly recommend working with Himalayan Safaris."

    Dan Fineman

  • Himalayan Safaris and Odpal George are excellent. They handled our Leh experience comprehensively, taking care of our every need, while remaining very flexible in ensuring we got the best experiences in spite of weather changes (it rained in Leh). Peter, the trek guide, was fantastic along the trek, chatty, knowledgeable about the trek area, the flora and fauna. He made good decisions on how to keep the trek experience high as the weather changed. Stenzin, our main guide at the gompas, was a fountain of knowledge. Even the drivers Egbol and Naxir, where efficient and courteous.

    Vincent Fabella

  • I wanted to take this opportunity to thanks you, your brother Peter and your staff for a delightful stay in Ladakh. It was a pleasure to get to know Tashi and we all enjoyed seeing the scenery, temples and towns of the region. I especially appreciated you and your company's flexibility in helping us with our changing plans.

    Finally, we so enjoyed our stay at your hotel in Sabu. The rooms were great and well designed. The food was wonderful and the staff was friendly and experienced. You and Peter have clearly put a lot of thought into it.

    We had a wonderful experience with you and would recommend it to anyone.

    Graydon Pleasants
    Real Estate Development