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Six winter nights in a heated Leh hotel, timed for a monastery festival: Dosmoche in February, Spituk Gustor in January or Losar in December. Masked dances, empty monasteries, the frozen Zanskar near Chilling and the crisp light of a Ladakhi winter, with no high passes.
Winter transforms Ladakh. The visitors leave, rivers freeze, and the monasteries return to their own rhythm of prayers and festivals. Flights from Delhi continue, and a few hotels in Leh stay open, heated against nights of −15 °C. For travellers who can manage the cold, it is a rare chance to see Ladakhi life without crowds. It is Ladakh at its most local. The cold keeps visitors away. Few outsiders come.
This journey is based entirely at The Grand Dragon Ladakh, open and heated all year. We time it for a festival: Dosmoche at Leh Palace and Likir in February, Spituk Gustor in January, or Losar in December. Around the festival days, you visit Thiksey, Hemis and Shey in winter quiet, see the frozen Zanskar near Chilling and walk Leh's old town under snow. Clothing advice is sent before you travel.
Highlights
Day by day
Your guide meets you at Leh airport, where the morning air may be −10 °C, and drives you to The Grand Dragon Ladakh, heated throughout. Rest for the day: cold makes acclimatisation harder, so stay warm, drink plenty of hot water and tea, and sleep in the afternoon. Your guide checks your clothing and explains the festival programme. Dinner is early at the hotel. Keep warm layers close at hand.
A slow walk through Leh's old town, quiet in winter, with smoke rising from kitchen chimneys and families sitting in the sun. Tea in a bakery that stays open through the season. After lunch and a rest, a short drive to Shey to see its seated Buddha and the frozen fields along the Indus. Walk slowly on icy lanes, and wear boots with good grip. Dinner is at the hotel.
Morning prayers at Thiksey, in an assembly hall lit by butter lamps and warmed by tea. Then on to Hemis, where you may have the courtyard and museum almost to yourselves. Lunch near Hemis if a cafe is open, or back in Leh. A quiet afternoon at the hotel. Leave Leh at 6.30 am, as winter prayers start a little later. Dress warmly for the cold halls. Lunch may be at the hotel.
The first day of the festival. For Dosmoche, monks perform masked dances in the courtyard below Leh Palace; for Spituk Gustor, the dances are at Spituk monastery above the airport. Local families arrive in their winter best, and stalls sell hot food. Your guide explains each dance. Stand in the sun where possible, and retreat to the car to warm up. Bring a cushion or folding stool. Hot tea is never far away.
The second festival day ends with the ritual destruction of the dough effigies, carrying away the misfortunes of the year. In February, you may instead drive to Likir, which holds its own Dosmoche with masked dances. Return to Leh in the late afternoon for a hot bath and dinner. Stand in the sun where possible, and keep hand warmers in your pockets. Dinner is at the hotel. Likir is about 90 minutes from Leh.
Drive west along the Indus to the confluence at Nimmu, then up the Zanskar gorge towards Chilling, where the river freezes into sheets of ice used by winter trekkers on the Chadar route. Walk a short way on the bank to see the ice. Stop at Basgo on the way back for its fort-temples in winter light. Farewell dinner at The Grand Dragon. Wear boots with good grip. Never walk on the ice.
Breakfast and transfer to Leh airport for your morning flight. Winter flights can be delayed by weather, so we monitor them closely and stay flexible. Your guide sees you through check-in. Keep warm layers and any medicines in your hand luggage. If the flight is delayed, the hotel room is held until you leave, and your guide stays with you. Back up your festival photographs. Your guide stays with you until boarding.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
The Grand Dragon is Leh's most complete hotel: central, centrally heated and open all year, with mountain-view rooms, several restaurants and a staff used to looking …
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Questions travellers ask
Yes, for travellers who enjoy quiet, cold and clear light. Monasteries hold their winter festivals, the old town is peaceful and there are almost no other visitors. With a heated hotel and the right clothing, it is comfortable and rewarding.
Dosmoche in February, at Leh Palace and Likir, is the most atmospheric. Spituk Gustor in January is close to the hotel and easy to reach. Losar in December is a family celebration with fewer public events. We set dates once the calendar is confirmed.
From December to February, nights in Leh fall to −12 to −15 °C, sometimes lower, and days hover around freezing. Sunshine is strong, and it feels warmer in the sun. Wind makes it feel colder. Hotel rooms are heated. Dress in layers outdoors.
Yes. Many guests add four to six nights in Rumbak or Ulley after the festival days. See our snow leopard journey for details. The combination makes a ten- to twelve-night winter journey. The festival days then serve as acclimatisation. Ask us for dates.
It is sometimes possible when the passes are clear, but most camps are closed and conditions are harsh. We do not include them in winter journeys as standard. Pangong freezes solid from January to March. Leh offers plenty in winter.
No. All the places on this journey lie outside the protected areas. Monastery entry fees are included. Leh, the Indus monasteries, the Sham valley and the Zanskar gorge near Chilling all lie outside the protected areas. Bring a photo identity document, which hotels ask for at check-in.
Thermal base layers, fleece, a down jacket rated to −20 °C, insulated waterproof boots, a warm hat, gloves and a scarf. Sunglasses and sunscreen are essential, as the sun is strong on snow. We send a detailed packing list when you book.
From ₹1,95,000 per person, twin sharing, including six nights at The Grand Dragon, private car, guide, entry fees and the meals listed. Flights are extra. Winter rates are generally lower than summer. Single travellers, festival dates and peak weeks in July and August cost more, and we confirm the exact price once your dates and rooms are fixed.
Cold can make acclimatisation a little harder, and dry air dehydrates you faster. Rest well on the first day, drink plenty of warm water and keep the second day gentle. Ask your doctor about acetazolamide. Heated rooms help. Tell your guide about any symptoms.
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