JUNE SEPTEMBER 2017 THE IDEAL LEH PANGONG LAKE TOUR 5 DAYS OF UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES! THE OBVIOUS CHOICE
INTRODUCTION A CULTURAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL ENCHANTMENT India is a country renowned for its rich cultural and geographical diversity. Spend five days in the enchanting Himalayan mountain draped Leh District, neighbouring the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, and discover why this travellerfriendly, yet undiscovered, district is becoming so popular among travellers in search of a unique cultural experience - at a high altitude of 11,500 ft. (3,500m). Tour highlights include sightseeing and visits to the Shey Palace, Thiksey Monastery and the Stok Palace Museum in Leh. Onward from Leh, enjoy the journey to Pangong Lake for an overnight stay in Pangong, via the Chang La Pass, the third highest pass in the world at 17,586 ft. Pangong Lake is located at an altitude of 14,500 ft. Enjoy the beauty of the lake s changing colours at a fascinating high altitude. Please note that this area is only accessible from June to September due to the harsh climate and snowfall from October to May in the Himalayas. ITINERARY DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 DAY 5 Arrival at Leh. Relax and acclimatise. Overnight at Leh. Leh local sightseeing. Overnight at Leh. Leh - Pangong Lake. Overnight at Pangong. Pangong Lake Leh. Overnight at Leh. Depart from Leh.
HIGHLIGHTS AND DESTINATIONS LEH Leh (Little Tibet) is more than just a high desert city in the Himalayas. Located in the Indus River Valley at a crossroads o f the old trading routes from K ashgar, Tibet, and Kashmir, this little town has beco me quite a hot spot since opening its doors to travellers in 1974. Leh is small enough to walk to most places and is extrem ely traveller-friendly. Due to Leh s high altitude, tourists are advised to take things easy and to use their first day in Leh to acclimatise. However, the beauty of L eh, draped by mountains, its mud -brick houses and monasteries, is a cultural and geographical experience you simply can t resist. of the main points of interest is the Maitreya Temple installed to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai L ama to this monastery in 1970. STOK PALACE MUSEUM Stok palace, built in 1825, is the residential palace of the royal descendants of King Sengge Namgyal. Surrounded by beautiful gardens this palace also consists of a spectacular library that has around 108 volumes of the Kangyur (a collection of teachings of Lord Buddha). While on your royal excursion, you can also view a collection of royal clothing and crowns. SHEY PALACE Shey was known as the summer capital of Ladakh in the past. Mostly in ruins now, the Shey Palace was used as a summer retreat by the kings of Ladakh. The Shey Monastery and Shey Palace complex are stru ctures located on a hillock in Shey on the Leh -Manali Road. CHANG LA PASS The Chang La is the third highest motorable road in the world at 17,35 0 ft. and will leave you at a loss for words as its scenic and serene natural beauty attracts tourists from around the world. THIKSEY MONASTERY Thiksey monastery is a gompa located on top of a hill in Thiksey Village, approximately 19 kilomet ers east of Leh in Ladakh. This monastery i s the largest gompa in central Ladakh. It is a twelvestory complex and houses many items of Buddhist art such as stupas, statues, thangkas, wall paintings and swords. One PANGONG LAKE Situated at an altitude of 14,500 ft., far away in the barren land of Ladakh, Pangong T so, a crystal, clear blue lake, i s one of the largest brackish lakes in Asia. It sprawls over an area of 100 kilometers across the borders of India and China and is situated in the C hangtang plateau in the eastern L adakh region. Pangong Lake, also known by the name of Hollow Lake, is an ultimate traveller must -see.
DETAILED ITINERARY Travellers will depart from South Africa to India either by Emirates, Qatar or Etihad. Connecting flights for Emirates passengers will take place in Dubai (UAE) and Delhi (India). Qatar passengers will connect flights in Doha (Qatar) and Delhi (India). Etihad passengers will connect flights in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Delhi (India). DAY 1: ARRIVAL AT LEH You ll be met on arrival at Leh Airport where you will be transferred to your hotel. A welcome drink will be served on arrival at your hotel. We highly recommend that you relax for the rest of the afternoon as you need to acclimatise to the rarefied air at the high altitude of Leh (11,500 ft. / 3,500 m). Dinner and overnight at your hotel. DAY 2: LEH LOCAL SIGHTSEEING After breakfast, we are ready for some Leh local mustsees - a visit to the Shey Palace, Thiksey Monastery and the Stok Palace Museum - followed by a free afternoon for you to explore your own way. Dinner and overnight at your hotel. DAY 3: LEH - PANGONG LAKE Early morning breakfast and travel to Pangong Lake (210 km). En route, see the Chang La Pass, the 3rd highest pass in the world at 17,586 ft. Pangong Lake is located at an altitude of 14,500 ft. Prepare to be wowed by the beauty of the banks of Pangong while taking in the breath-taking, changing colours of the Pangong Lake. Dinner and overnight at Pangong. DAY 4: PANGONG LEH Fuel up on breakfast as we ll be heading back to Leh, because Day 2 in this city was just not enough for you to create some awesome Leh moments. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Leh. DAY 5: TRANSFER TO LEH AIRPORT AND DEPART Your trip ends today so make sure you swap email addresses with your new friends. After breakfast, you will be transferred to Leh Airport for your departure to South Africa. Should you wish to add another destination or itinerary to this programme, we ll gladly assist.
TOUR COST 4 Nights / 5 Days (Incl Airport Taxes) Amount in ZAR Cost per group of 6-8 R 19,535.00 pp This package includes the following: Twin room sharing at mid-range hotels; Breakfast (4) and dinner (4); Return flight: (SA India); Arrival and departure transfers to and from Leh Airport; Sightseeing transport; Current Government Service Tax. This package does not include the following: Expenses of personal nature (laundry, telephone calls, room service, alcoholic beverages, mini bar charges, gratuities, portage, camera fees); Any meals and services not mentioned or included in the package; Transportation / transfers not included or mentioned as per itinerary; Should accommodation not be available as per hotels listed, alternative accommodation will be arranged for at a hotel of similar standard. Optional expenses: Lunches Cost for alcoholic beverage. Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff. Early check-in or late check-out costs: *Regular check-in time: 1.00 pm *Regular check-out time: 11.00 am *Flight costs may change at the time of booking and will be requoted accordingly. General: Should a private tour be required, it can be arranged. This tour can also be combined with any of the other tour options. Please note, that in this case, the international flight option would then fall away.
SUGGESTED ACCOMMODATION ACCOMODATION LINK TO SITE Khang La Chen http://www.lehchen.in/ Lharimo http://www.lharimo.com/ E- visa South African citizens require an Indian Visa this is not included in our package please follow the link below to the online application form. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html
TERMS & CONDITIONS Deposit Requirements: An initial 50% is required to confirm seats and land services. Please note this amount is non - refundable in case of cancellation by the participating guest. 1st deposit: 50% (per participant to secure a place on the tour; tour will be confirmed on Group Size 6-8). Final Payment: 50% - no later than 45 days prior to scheduled departure date confirmed. (Balance determined on Group Size 6-8). Cancellation Policy: Should we not be able to get a group of 6-8 passengers travelling together, deposits paid will be refunded. Reservations: All reservations will be managed by The Obvious Choice. All prices quoted are valid for 60 days from date of brochure published (January 2017). Final meal requests must be submitted by the client on payment of deposit. In case of any amendments and or adjustments to confirmed bookings i.e. name changes, meal requests, last minute additions, last minute bookings etc, the Obvious Choice reserves the right to charge an additional handling/service fee of ZAR 1000.00 per person/amendment. The airfares quoted in this booking are guide fares only and not valid until a booking is created and the seat class is confirmed. All rates are subject to currency fluctuations / specific seats being available on shown routing and / or airfare increases and availability on flights and hotels. Airport taxes are subject to daily exchange rate fluctuations and are not guaranteed until the day the tickets are issued. We know that travel plans can change. If after your booking has been confirmed, you wish to change to an alternate departure date of any available trip, you may do so subject to availability. If the change of booking is requested more than 45 days before original trip departure no fee will be charged. A change of booking within 45 days of original trip departure will be treated as a cancellation by the participating guest as per deposit requirements. However, trip deposits can be used as credit to any available trip. Drinks Policy: All breakfasts include juices, tea and coffee. All other drinks will be for the guest s own account. Taxes: Our prices include all government taxes as levied as of the date of this offer. In the event where additional taxes are introduced by governing bodies or existing taxes increased, the Obvious Choice would have to pass on all such additional charges to the individual(s) concerned. Visa & Passports: Please check current appropriate passport and visa rules e.g. passport should be valid for 6 months when returning to South Africa, all passengers should have a minimum of 2 open pages in their passport. Guests to check with the appropriate local consulate offices, allowing adequate/enough time to complete the necessary paperwork prior to departure. Proprietary Rights: The concepts and content detailed in this proposal remain the exclusive property of The Obvious Choice until such time we are contracted to execute them. They may not be developed or produced by any other parties without the express written consent of the Obvious Choice. Responsibility: Should the Obvious Choice cancel a tour or be unable to carry out all services due to circumstances beyond our control, we will do all things possible to secure services of comparable or better standard or refund all monies in full. The Obvious Choice accepts no responsibility for loss or additional expenses incurred due to delays, changes, omissions or errors made by our suppliers including but not limited to air, sea, ground transportation, war, weather, quarantine and strikes. Conditions: The quote is valid for the group travelling in the months of June, July, August and September 2017. Prices are based on a minimum of 6-8 paying passengers, should the number of passenger s decrease The Obvious Choice reserves the right to revise the prices and requote accordingly. With respect to the programme, the Obvious Choice will do their best to select accommodation, sightseeing trips and transportation to give you good value for money. All space required is available at this point. However, no reservations have been made pending your acceptance and confirmation. Space is subject to availability on request of booking. Program is subject to change without prior notice due to airlines unexpected changes of schedule or flight cancellations. We reserve the right to adjust the prices at any time in the event of an increase of the fuel surcharge applied by airlines companies or any other transport companies. Flights are included in the above quote, they are based on group rates (unless otherwise stated). If we cannot make up a group (should the group be less than 6 passengers flying the same route at the same time), we will re-quote you and base each quote on individual fares. Tours are based on optimum flight departures. If it is not possible to adhere to these exact dates, the Obvious Choice reserves the right to amend/extend the tour to comply with flight availability. All tour costs quoted and invoiced are based on EFT payments only. The Obvious Choice strives to provide a safe, enjoyable and memorable travel experience for all passengers. Indemnity: By booking this tour, you accept the Terms & Conditions as per this brochure. You understand that there may be risks involved by participating in this tour (altitude sickness and travelling via high passes). By booking this tour, you acknowledge that your general health is good and that nothing renders you unfit to participate in this tour, therefore, you release the Obvious Choice, its staff and representatives from any medical duty or care towards you during this tour. You agree to release and indemnify the Obvious Choice, its staff and representatives from liability from all or any claims that could accrue out of your participation in the tour and its related activities (irrespective of the risks, dangers and hazards inherent in this tour) and from any loss of, or damage, to any property from any cause whatsoever.
Payments: All payments should be made via bank transfer into the following bank account: Bank Account Name: The Obvious Choice cc Bank: Standard Bank, Melville, 006105 Account Number: 401 037 444 Business Cheque Account Postal Address: Postnet Suite 124, Private bag X 2600, Houghton 2041 Company Registration Number: 2000/035875/23 Reference: Initials and surname (as per passport) Payment is acceptable by EFT ONLY; we regret that we DO NOT accept payment by credit card or cheque. All bank charges are the responsibility of the sender. BOOKINGS: Please follow this link to the online booking form: https://goo.gl/forms/1dnbe6dp8i93psf22 ABOUT THE OBVIOUS CHOICE: Owner and founder of The Obvious Choice, Zaritha van Wyngaardt, is passionate about travelling and offers corporate clients, as well as individuals, the opportunity to travel to vibrant destinations to experience, energise and revitalise. The Obvious Choice is your one stop solution for Experiential Travel, Conferences, Incentives and Event Management. Zaritha van Wyngaardt - The Obvious Choice Tel: +27(11) 486-0368 Cell: +27 (82) 652-1841 Email: zaritha@obviouschoice.co.za