Andrew Harvey is an author, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Institute of Sacred Activism, dedicated to creating a new world founded in universal compassion and sacred passion for all life.
MOREJoin author and teacher Andrew Harvey on this pilgrimage filled with sacred ceremonies, spiritual teachings, and transformational sites in Ladakh.
Ladakh is a place of unique grandeur and spiritual power and has preserved its ancient relationship with Tibetan Buddhism. This journey is an ideal opportunity to visit some of India's lesser-known sacred places, nestled in the breathtaking Himalayas, with spiritual teacher, Andrew Harvey. You will explore how Buddhism is embracing Love in Action, inspiring us all to be in service of others in the world. Highlights include a two-day Way of the Bodhisattva retreat given by Andrew Harvey; the colourful Hemis Festival in the courtyard of the most impressive and largest Buddhist Monastery in Ladakh; a visit to the 14th Dalai Lama's summer residence; time with a local family in Tia; Chod session with a Tibetan Yogi, and meditation by a sacred lake. READ MORE
Andrew Harvey is an author, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Institute of Sacred Activism, dedicated to creating a new world founded in universal compassion and sacred passion for all life.
MORE
The Journey to Ladakh with Andrew Harvey was one of the most heart opening experiences. We learned some powerful compassion exercises. Being with his spiritual teacher Thuksey Rinpoche, a true living master, was pure grace. Eric Evangelista, Patterson, CA
TESTIMONIALS
This pilgrimage to Ladakh was a journey into the heart of compassion embodied by the people of Ladakh, our small group, our travel guides, and our enlightened teacher Andrew Harvey...here an experience of THE HOLY became real and life changing.Eric & Lynn Carriker, Natick, MA
TESTIMONIALS
.png)
Tour Description
Travel with renowned author and spiritual teacher Andrew Harvey to some of the most significant, yet lesser known, sacred sites in the scenic and culturally rich region of Ladakh. At the heart of this journey is a two-day “Way of the Bodhisattva” retreat, where we will have the rare privilege of experiencing teachings given by Andrew at the sacred Hemis Monastery.
The Way of the Bodhisattva (an enlightened being who offers up his/her life in the service of all beings) is one of the goals of tantric Buddhism. It is brought about by focusing one’s heart and mind on the benefit of others and utilising tantric meditation techniques (sacred science) to illuminate the practitioners’ heart-mind, thus becoming a vehicle in service of this intention.
Recently, a new generation of young lamas and Buddhist teachers are once again shifting their focus towards a lived path of Love in Action, serving their communities and the world with concrete projects grounding in compassion, love, and benefit to others.
His Eminence Thuksey Rinpoche is a prime example of this fresh Buddhist leadership. Born in 1986, he couples the joy of youth with the wisdom and confidence of a venerated elder and works tirelessly to bring practical and spiritual education to his community, preserve the environment, and protect animals. Thuksey Rinpoche also teaches in the West, bringing the ancient works of Buddhism with its principles of eternal wisdom into a modern context and clarity. If Thuksey Rinpoche is in Ladakh during our visit, we hope to have an audience with him as we did in 2023 (TBA).
Andrew Harvey, founder of the School of Sacred Activism, met the previous incarnation of Thuksey Rinpoche in Ladakh in 1981 and became his student. Andrew’s book, A Journey in Ladakh: Encounters with Buddhism, explores his first journey to Ladakh and his meeting with Thuksey Rinpoche. The book is now considered a classic among readers interested in Tibetan Buddhism and pilgrimages of the spirit of all kinds. The brief encounters Andrew had with this great sage in the last years of his life had a profound effect on Andrew’s life path, inspiring him to write the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. In 2014 Andrew returned to Ladakh, some 30 years after his last visit where he had said farewell to his beloved and dying teacher. His former teacher’s reincarnation, the new Thuksey Rinpoche, greeted Andrew with “Hello, we meet again … I was your father in my last life, this time you are a father to me.” Those words birthed this journey and many more sacred projects that model Love in Action.
Our journey starts in Leh where we begin with holistic consultations from a local Amchi (traditional medicine practitioner), and time to acclimatize and soak in the beautiful landscape. We then spend two half days in retreat, with morning teachings given by Andrew Harvey, and visits to Thuksey Rinpoche's Love in Action projects in the afternoon, as well as a group session with a Lhamo (Oracle).
.png)
In Choglamsar we will have the privilege of touring His Holiness Dalai Lama’s private residence, where Andrew will give a special teaching, as well as a visit to the Tibetan Children’s Village School where we will hear about a sponsorship project started by Andrew and one of the participants on our 2023 journey – Love in Action!
A highlight of our journey will be the breathtaking Hemis Festival, celebrated annually on the tenth day of the Tse-Chu in the Tibetan Calendar. This two-day celebration marks the anniversary of the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, and features Cham Dances, masked dances that depict the triumph of good over evil, as well as local handicrafts and traditional costumes.
We then continue our journey to the Sham Valley to visit the 11th century Alchi Temple complex, comprised of four separate settlements in the Alchi village and boasting elaborate wood carvings, large statues of Buddha and baroque style artwork. You will then have the opportunity to visit the Saspol Caves or go on a hike to Tar, one of Ladakh’s most isolated villages.
Our next stop is the Moonscapes of Lamayuru where we will have an opportunity to visit the Naropa cave and experience a Chod ritual, based on Tibetan Yogic traditions at Lamayuru Monastery. In Chulichan Village we will experience Ladakhi village life and the recitation of 21 Tara practice by the Buddhist nuns before enjoying local Ladakhi cuisine including chang, tsampa and butter tea!
.png)
We spend the final stage of our journey in Nubra where we visit Diskit Monastery, Ensa Monastery and the huge Maitreya Buddha overlooking the valley. We will also have the opportunity to visit the biggest petroglyphs site in Ladakh and meditate by Yarab Tso Sacred Lake. We then make our way back to Leh, over the beautiful Warila pass where we may spot Marmots, Hare, Tibetan Red Fox, Pikas and Golden Eagles.
Throughout this journey Andrew will offer teachings and spiritual insights to the places we visit as well as guide us in meditations and reflection. There will also be time for optional hikes into the mountains, community immersion, Bonfires, and Stargazing.
View more photos from our 2023 Journey to Ladakh with Andrew Harvey here!
An excerpt from A Journey in Ladakh: Encounters with Buddhism by Andrew Harvey.
I had written this paragraph in Delhi:
‘[Ladakh] has been known as Mang Yul (the country of many people), Naris, and Kha-Chum-Pa (the land of snow); Fa-Hien, the great Chinese traveller, who visited the region in A.D. 400, called it Ma-La-Pho (red land). Its present name, Ladakh, comes from La-Tags, in Tibetan the land of the la, the land of the high mountain passes; and it is the best name of all.’
Why did I write, ‘and it is the best name of all’ so confidently, when I had never been there? A vague erudition had turned, somehow, for a phrase, into a kind of prophecy. Ladakh is the land of high mountain passes; my experience of Ladakh and its people was to be, for me, a pass into another awareness of reality.
Ladakh is nestled between two of the highest mountain ranges on the “roof of the world,” the Karakoram and the grand Himalayan chain. Until recently (the last two or three generations), Ladakh’s remote location kept it protected from the outside world, and it has therefore been able to retain its knowledge of life, wellspring of happiness, and the seed of peace in the Land of Arya, Noble Beings.
Ladakh has a vibrant Tibetan refuge community that has nourished the existing Buddhist cultural and spiritual life. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visits Ladakh every year for a private retreat or extended stay at Gephleling Prodang, his only official residency outside Dharamsala. Upon arrival at Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, you will be transferred to the Le Mentok Wellness Resort. This very welcoming hotel will be our home while we are in Leh. If possible, we suggest arriving at least a day early to rest, acclimatize to the altitude, and enjoy the sun and the breathtaking beauty of the Himalayan landscapes.
Today will be a relaxing day. After our first lunch together at the hotel, a Tibetan Amchi (doctor of Tibetan medicine) will join us at the hotel for individual holistic consultations. Later, we will gather for an introductory meeting at the hotel to meet our fellow travel companions and tour leader, Andrew Harvey, followed by dinner.
(Overnight in Leh at Le Mentok Wellness Resort or similar)
Today, we begin our Bodhisattva retreat with Andrew Harvey at the famous Hemis Monastery. Over the next two days, we will have the rare privilege of a private retreat and teachings at one of the world's most sacred and revered monasteries.
For guests who would like to hike, we will take a packed breakfast and go on an early morning drive to Hemis Monastery and hike up to the Gotsang meditation retreat (approx. 4 hours up & down). After the Hike we will meet the group for teachings at the monastery. For those that choose not to hike, we will have breakfast at the hotel, then drive to the sacred Hemis monastery to begin our retreat, the ‘Way of the Bodhisattva’ with Andrew Harvey.
In the afternoon we will visit one of Thuksey Rinpoche's wonderful service projects, "Live to Love," a good example of how he is putting love into action, and then will visit the Druk Padma Karpo School, set up by Thuksey Rinpoche and his students to provide modern and traditional education for Ladakhi’s. The school provides boarding facilities for some of the country’s poorest students.
“The true journey is toward the enlightened self, and you are that already. You came, across your life, across Ladakh, to this room, to this morning, to me, and now another journey is beginning, the journey which you have travelled here to begin.” (from a conversation with Thuksey Rinpoche recorded in A Journey in Ladakh: Encounters with Buddhism by Andrew Harvey)
(Overnight in Leh at Le Mentok Wellness Resort or similar)
Today we will experience the second day of our Way of the Bodhisattva retreat. After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive back to the Hemis Monastery for more sacred teaching with Andrew. Lunch will be provided at a restaurant in Thiskey before we have the privilege of a private group session with Lhamo, a female Shaman-Oracle.
The deity that enters the Shaman is associated with the energy of Sri Devi, Palden Lhamo, a female deity and the protector deity of the Dalai Lama. It is this powerful spiritual being that enters the female Shaman’s body and through whom predictions and physical healings are performed. In traditional Tibetan culture Shamans often run in family lineages and are selected by the spiritual entity that enters them spontaneously. They are then tutored by their predecessor rather than being formally trained.
This evening, we will be led in sacred practice by Andrew Harvey.
“You will understand, slowly, and in slow stages, that Reality is a creation of the mind. You will understand it not with your intellect or even with your intuition, but practically, because you will be growing within you the power to alter Reality. […] What you are beginning is a journey into a different world, into an awareness of different reality; you cannot expect to make that journey quickly. Nor, in a sense, should you want to.” (from a conversation with Thuksey Rinpoche recorded in A Journey in Ladakh: Encounters with Buddhism by Andrew Harvey)
(Overnight in Leh at Le Mentok Wellness Resort or similar)
Our first excursion in Ladakh will be to pay our respects and receive blessings at His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s summer residence. Ladakh, like no other Himalayan region, reflects Tibet before the Chinese invasion and with the simple lifestyle and depth of wisdom of the Ladakhi people it has become the Dalai Lama’s favourite place to visit for rest, contemplation, and retreat. A modest summer residence has been created for the Dalai Lama on the edge of Leh close to the Tibetan refugee community of Choglamsar. We will tour the private residence, feeling the energy of universal compassion throughout and especially in the presence of the statue of Buddha in His Holiness’s private temple. We will then gather in the Dalai Lama’s meeting hall where Andrew will deliver a special teaching.
Afterwards, we will visit the Tibetan Children’s Village School, where the next generation of Tibetan children have been educated for the last 48 years. The TCVS aims to protect and preserve Tibetan culture in exile through investing in its children. There are currently 1567 children being supported by the Tibetan Children’s Village School.
We will then get to enjoy a traditional Tibetan banquet lunch at the Tibetan Refugee Community on the edge of Leh and spend the evening at Leisure.
(Overnight in Leh at Le Mentok Wellness Resort or similar)
This morning, we have the honour of witnessing a profound and auspicious spiritual celebration: the Hemis Festival. We will be enchanted by monks wearing long, colourful costumes and elaborate masks performing Cham Dances to the music of drums, cymbals and wind instruments, a visual portrayal of the triumph of good over evil. Each monk embodies the personality of the protective deity he is symbolizing, and each mask has its own spiritual significance – the blue Padmasambhava mask, for example, signifies the subjugation of evil. The Rinpoche presides over this special festival that celebrates the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, and also features displays of local handicrafts and intricate traditional attire.
After lunch at the Chamba Hotel, we drive to Thiksey Monastery, which closely resembles the Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama’s residence in Tibet’s capital Lhasa, before he was forced into exile. After exploring the monastery we will sit with the beautiful statue of Maitreya Buddha, symbolising the Buddha’s hope for the future of the world. We will meditate at the foot of this great sacred statue in one of the most stunning temples in the world.
(Overnight in Leh at Le Monthok Wellness Resort or similar)
After breakfast this morning we drive through the picturesque Sham Valley to the village of Ule Tokpo, our home for the next three nights. Situated on the banks of the mighty Indus River and its tributaries, it is home to many native species of trees, flowers, and birds.
While here, we will visit the nearby valley of Alchi, considered one of the most significant cultural sites in the Himalayas. The Tsatsapuri temple complex comprises three shrine buildings and features magnificent frescoes and sculptures connected to Tibetan Buddhism.
We will have lunch at Alchi Kitchen for some Ladakh fusion food before heading to visit the Saspol caves, or if you would like to be more active, there is an optional hike to Tar village. In the evening, we will have dinner back at the hotel and a bonfire for those that want to partake.
(Overnight in the village of Ule Tokpo at Ule Ethnic Resort or similar)
Today we visit Lamayuru, a magnificent holy landscape and home to one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh. Founded in the tenth century, Lamayuru monastery overlooks an ancient dry lake and the main hall is built over the sacred cave where the saint Naropa, forefather of the Kagyu tradition, meditated. We will meet with a Yogi, whose life is dedicated to spiritual practice and meditation, and welcomed to the site. The Yogi will then perform a Chod ritual according to Tibetan Yogic traditions, and sing the sacred songs of the Yogi Milarepa, at the edge of the village overlooking the monastery.
Lunch at a restaurant in Lamayuru, dinner at the hotel and leisure time in the evening.
(Overnight in the village of Ule Tokpo at Ule Ethnic Resort or similar)
This morning we will pay a visit to Chulichan villiage and nunnery and learn about educational and other community projects grounded in compassion and love in action. We will sit with the nuns as they recite the 21 Tara Practice to offer protection from mental fears.
Later we will visit the village of Tia with its old houses, narrow streets, and vaulted passages. Little known to tourists, it majestically overlooks the valley. Here you can enjoy the opportunity for exchanges with villagers and discover their traditional way of life. Then you will visit a local family who will introduce you to Tsampa, roasted barley flour (a staple in Tibetan cuisine), accompanied by butter tea and chang, a local beer made of barley.
(Overnight in the village of Ule Tokpo at Ule Ethnic Resort or similar)
After an early breakfast, we travel to the pristine countryside of the Nubra Valley, and the village of Sumur, where we will be staying. The journey to Nubra is a peaceful five-hour drive, with idyllic rural views. We will make a stop along the way at Buddha Park, just below Khardong La pass, to raise prayer flags (weather and appropriate astrological reading permitting).
Nubra provides us with an ideal opportunity for relaxation and reflection. Under Andrew’s expert guidance, we will deepen our practice and understanding of the teachings received during the Way of the Bodhisattva Retreat and on the journey so far. The natural beauty of our surroundings reflects the heart within and will help us further connect with the spiritual wisdom we are receiving.
Lunch and Dinner at the hotel, time to explore the village of Sumur, bonfire, stargazing or evening at leisure.
(Overnight in Nubra at The Kyagar or similar)
After a leisurely breakfast, you will have the day to rest or do with as you please. Some optional activities include a picnic lunch, wildlife viewing, birdwatching, exploring the village of Kygar, or visiting the 250-year-old Zimskhang home to enjoy a cup of tea in an old fashioned kitchen. Dinner at the hotel and another bonfire to finish off the evening.
(Overnight in Nubra at The Kyagar or similar)
Today we will visit Diskit Monastery, the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra valley. We will learn about the spiritual and cultural history of the monastery and its connection to Thikse Monastery.
We will also spend time at the nearby statue of Jampa Maitreya Buddha (Buddha of the future), which stands over 100-feet tall on a hilltop just below the monastery. In 2010 His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama consecrated the statue, which promotes world peace and protects Diskit village. This colourful statue is impressive to behold, and we will explore the significance of the “future Buddha” and the role of the statue.
Evening at leisure, optional yoga or walk along the Nubra river. Dinner and optional bonfire to end the night.
(Overnight in Nubra at The Kyagar or similar)
This morning, we will visit the ancient Ensa Monastery, which is used by yogis to meditate. In this sacred place, whose stone walls are impregnated with deep mystical realisation, we will sit in practice led by Andrew. Afterwards, hikers will have the option to visit the biggest petroglyphs site in Ladakh. Packed picnic lunch provided. Non-hikers can enjoy this by the lake or a beautiful stream.
In the afternoon, Andrew will deliver a teaching on the Heart sutra – the essence of all the Buddha’s teaching – followed by a meditation beside the sacred Yarab Tso lake. The lake’s fine ripples are believed to inspire visions for the pilgrims who visit here.
Dinner and Bonfire back at the hotel.
(Overnight in Nubra at The Kyagar or similar)
Breakfast at our hotel this morning, followed by time to pack and prepare for our drive back to Leh. We will take the breathtaking Wari La pass, at an elevation of 17,427ft above sea level, through the snow-capped mountains. This remote pass offers stunning views, and our drive will offer us time for quiet reflection ahead of the final days together on this life-changing pilgrimage. If lucky we may see Marmots, Hare, Tibetan Red Fox, Pikas & Golden Eagles.
“As the bus [made] its way slowly up that vast winding pass […], I found my mind falling silent, becoming as large and as empty as the spaces between the mountain faces, as wide as the skies above the peaks of the mountains; for long moments I felt as if everything that happened, the passage of a lonely bird across a ravine, the glint of sudden sunlight on spray-shined boulders far below, a wash of wind through a field of small flowers on a ledge below, happened within me also, within my mind that had become as large as the landscape, as airy, as silent.” (from A Journey in Ladakh: Encounters with Buddhism by Andrew Harvey)
Lunch at the hotel, evening at Leisure. Time to explore the market or relax at the hotel. Dinner can be had in Leh town or at the hotel (not included)
(Overnight in Leh Essence at Ladakh or similar)
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, you can walk or take a bus into Leh and spend the day browsing through the markets and visiting quaint cafes and museums at your own pace. Lunch can be had in town at your own expense, we will share a list of recommended restaurants you can visit.
This is followed by a shared farewell meal and celebration at Tsas, Dolkar Resort.
(Overnight in Leh Essence at Ladakh or similar)
One final breakfast at our beautiful hotel this morning, ahead of checking out and transferring to the airport for onward flights home. As you say your goodbyes to Ladakh, you can feel certain that you will carry the teachings, spiritual wisdom, and love you have experienced during this journey with you as you return home.
(B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.
