Up the hills and into the valleys, this trip encompasses the beautiful lush green and wondrous arid hills of Kashmir and Ladakh. We start with the Shankaracharya Temple and Hazaratbal Shrine in Srinagar, both being equally archaeologically and religiously important sites. The Shankaracharya Temple is a 4th century worship place located on Gopadari Hill while Hazratbal Shrine was built next to the Dal Lake, the same lake where we’ll visit several Mughal Gardens that were built here, such as the Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, and Chashme Shahi. We won’t miss the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, which sees thousands of tulips bloom in April. We’ll pass the village of Sonamarg (Meadow of Gold) on our way to Kargil that brags one of the best views in Sindh Valley, and into the Gateway of Ladakh. We’ll visit Mulbekh Monastery in Zanskar which is actually a merge of two gompas on top of a crag. Followed by the largest monastery of Lamayuru that can still house 150 monks – it used to house over 400 during its peak when all five of its buildings still stood. We’ll go through some of the highest drivable roads as we make our way back to Leh with a short stop at Alchi Monastery, a home of ancient Buddhist shrines established by the one and only Rinchen Zangpo in the year 1000. The Likir Monastery in Saspol is the next Buddhist shrine complex we’ll visit before finally reaching the Confluence of the Indus and Zanskar River in Nimmu Valley. Enjoy an incredible view of the merging of two lifelines flowing through the dry and arid land of Ladakh and a view of the Zanskar Gorge that’s often visited by trekkers which the Zanskar River flows from. We continue driving along the Indus River and reach Gurudwara Patthar Sahib that was built in memory of Guru Nanak. As we continue driving through the unusual Magnetic Hill, we’ll reach the Hall of Fame that remembers the sacrifices soldiers made during the Indo-Pak wars where artifacts, weapons, and documents pertaining to the wars are stored. Through Khardung La, we’ll reach Nubra Valley and stay in Hunder Village. Then hop on a full-day excursion to Turtuk Village that borders Pakistan before we make our way to Diskit Monastery which was built in the 14th century before making our way up to Pangong Tso. Then we transfer back to Leh and stop at Hemis Gompa that was built during King Singge Namgya’s reign in 1672, Thiksey Monastery that’s hugely popular for the incredible architecture, and the Shey Palace, the summer palace of King Deldan Namgyal. We end the day with a visit to the 3 Idiots Rancho School from Aamir Khan’s movie before heading back home after having a blast in Leh.