Photography Workshop & Photo Tour Destinations : Ladakh, India

Photography Workshop & Photo Tour Destinations : Ladakh

Join a select, small group of 3 to 4 photographers on an exclsuive trip to Ladakh - choose from three amazing trips scheduled for 2011 - Ladakh Explorer, Ladakh Essentials, & Over Mountains, Across Rivers

Designed to get you up close and personal with the land, people and the the culture of Ladakh, our photography workshops, photo tours & expeditions to Ladakh are ideal for those with a passion for travel, cultural, people and landscape photography.

Situated at an average height of 15000 ft above sea level, Ladakh - also known as "Little Tibet" - is India's most remote and sparsely populated region. Essentially an extension of the Great Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty , tibetan buddhist culture, and a way of life unlike any other in India.

To travel to Ladakh is to transport oneself to a land of unsurpassed beauty - a land that with its remote beautiful landscapes & ancient Tibetan culture best fits the description of the fictional "Shangri-La". To visit Ladakh is to go back in time and visit a land that time forgot.

Photographic Highlights

Landscapes : An extension of the Great Tibetan Plateau, Ladakh is a land of fascinating contrasts. Cradled between the Himalayan & Karakoram ranges, Ladakh (the land of High Mountain Passes) is mainly a high altitude desert plateau punctuated by lakes & inland seas, rivers, towering peaks & mountain passes.

Millions of years of erosion by the wind, glaciers and rivers have shaped the landscape of Ladakh as we see it today : a lunar desert landscape, interspaced by lush pockets of green. It is precisely this contrast that makes Ladakh such an endearing destination for landscape photography.

People : The people of Ladakh are of Indo-Aryan & Tibetan descent; the three major races being Tibetan, Dards & Mons. Most of the people of central and eastern Ladakh are of Tibetan origin & followers of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. With their simple way of life and their unique customs and culture, the people of Ladakh make fascinating subjects for those interested in people photography.

Culture : Owing to its proximity & ancient historical ties to Tibet, the culture of Central & Eastern Ladakh is heavily influenced by Tibetan culture. Ladakh also lies along the Old Silk route connecting Central Asia to China - the influence of Central Asian cultures is especially seen in areas of Western & Northern Ladakh.

Religion permeates every aspect of life in Ladakh; innumerable ancient monasteries & countless chortens (stupas) dot the countryside, colorful prayer flags flutter in the wind, Buddhist Lamas & Monks conduct highly ritualistic ceremonies, pilgrims spin their prayer wheels - Ladakh today more resembles ancient Tibet than Tibet itself.

Another highlight of the ancient Tibetan culture that is to be found in Ladakh are the annual Chaams - secret, mystic dances performed by monks. Wearing colorful silk brocades and various masks, the chaams dancers enact various stories from The Buddha's life, while invoking the blessings of various deities from the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon.

We operate two kind of photographic trips to Ladakh - scheduled group photo tours / workshops / expeditions, & customized, private photo trips. Our Photo Tours & Workshops Calendar lists schedules & other information about our group photography workshops, photo tours & expeditions to Ladakh, India. If you find that your dates don't coincide with our's, or would like us to put together a custom itinerary for a photo trip to Ladakh for you, please visit the Custom Photo Tours & Workshops section of the website.