If the changes in the following conditions have been clearly communicated in writing to the client before the conclusion of the contract and they are properly provided for in the program;
Any changes subsequent to the conclusion of the contract are subject to prior agreement of both the agency and the client, except as provided in the "impossibility of comply" clause.
These general conditions comply with the provisions of Decree-Law 61/2011 of May 6th, as amended by Decree-Law 199/2012 of August 24th.
The general conditions, which refer to an organized trip described in this program, along with the specific conditions provided to the client in the travel documentation at the time of booking, constitute the travel contract that binds the agency and the client.
The technical organization and sale of the activities included on this website are the responsibility of Papa-Léguas, a travel and tourism agency, with home office at Rua Manuel Assunção Mestre, nº22, 7780-199 Castro Verde, registered in the Commercial Registry Office of Lisbon with Taxpayer Identification Number 504163590. It has a share capital of €99,759.60 (ninety-nine thousand, seven hundred and fifty-nine euros and sixty cents). Papa-Léguas is also registered with the National Registry of Travel Agents and Tourism Operators (RNAVT) nº2275 and the National Registry of Tourist Animation Agents (RNAT) nº67/2014.
At the time of registration the client must deposit 30% of the service price, paying the remaining 70% up to 21 days before the service begins. If the registration takes place 21 days or less before the service begins, the total price of the service must be paid at the time of registration. Papa-Léguas, Agência de Viagens e Turismo Lda. reserves the right to cancel any booking that has not been paid for under the conditions mentioned above. Reservations are subject to the obtaining of a confirmation from suppliers for all services.
The prices of tours are presented per person and based on the occupation in a room shared by two people. The organizing agency will group clients who sign up individually for the same tour in pairs, by gender, and in chronological order of registration. Clients who are singled out must pay the respective individual supplement, when required by the service provider.
INFORMATION UNDER LAW N.º 144/2015 OF SEPTEMBER 8:
According to Law No. 144/2015 of September 8th, we inform that the customer may resort to the following Alternative Consumer Dispute Resolution Entities:
i) Customer Authority of Travel and Tourism Agencies at provedorapavt.com;
ii) Arbitration Commission of Tourism in Portugal at turismodeportugal.pt;
iii) Or any of the entities indicated in the list provided by the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs at http://www.consumidor.pt, which we recommend consulting.
Complaints will only be considered if submitted in writing to the agency within a maximum period of 30 days after the completion of the services.
In the event of a complaint regarding non-compliance with contracted services, the customer may activate the Travel and Tourism Guarantee Fund provided for in DL 61/2011 of May 6, in its current wording, by submitting the respective complaint:
i) To the Customer Authority, as Papa-Léguas, Travel and Tourism Agency Ltd., is a member of the Customer Ombudsman for Travel and Tourism Agencies at www.provedorapavt.com. To benefit from this service, you must submit your written complaint within 20 business days after the end of the trip. Agencies are bound to comply promptly with any decisions issued by this entity.
ii) To Tourism of Portugal I.P. at www.turismodeportugal.pt within 30 days after: (i) the end of the trip; (ii) the cancellation of the trip attributable to the agency; (iii) the date of knowledge of the impossibility of its realization due to the agency; (iv) the closure of the establishment.
iii) To any of the entities listed on the website of the General Directorate for Consumer Affairs at http://www.consumidor.pt.
1) The agency is responsible for the luggage in the legal terms;
2) The Client has the obligation to complain to the service provider at the moment of subtraction, deterioration or destruction of luggage.
3) In international transport, if the luggage is damaged, the complaint must be made in writing to the carrier immediately after the damage is verified, and no later than 7 days after delivery. If the luggage is merely late in delivery, the claim must be made within 21 days from the date of delivery.
4) The presentation of such a claim will be an essential basis for Papa-Léguas, Agência de Viagens e Turismo Lda. to hold responsible the entity providing the service.
The responsibility of the agency will be limited to the maximum amount that can be demanded from the service providers, in accordance with the Montreal Convention of May 28, 1999, on International Air Transport, and the Bern Convention of 1961, on Rail Transport.
Regarding maritime transport, the liability of travel agencies, concerning their clients, for the provision of transport services or accommodation, when applicable, by maritime transport companies, in the event of damages resulting from their willful misconduct or negligence, will be limited to the following amounts:
a) € 441,436, in case of death or physical injury;
b) € 7,881, in case of total or partial loss of baggage or its damage;
c) € 31,424, in case of loss of a motor vehicle, including the baggage contained therein;
d) € 10,375, in case of loss of baggage, whether accompanied or not, contained in a motor vehicle;
e) € 1,097, for damages to baggage resulting from the damage to the motor vehicle.
Where applicable, the liability of travel agencies and tourism for the deterioration, destruction, and theft of baggage or other items in tourist accommodation establishments, while the client is staying there, is limited as follows:
a) € 1,397, in total;
b) € 449 per item;
c) The value declared by the client regarding the items deposited under the custody of the tourist accommodation establishment.
The agency's liability for non-bodily damages may be contractually limited to an amount corresponding to five times the price of the service sold.
For each reservation the following will be charged:
Reservation Expenses:
Alteration Expenses:
For each alteration (names, dates, type of apartment or room, travel, etc) : 50€ (fifty euros). Please note that the acceptance of such changes depends on the acceptance by the respective suppliers.
The client must have their personal or family documentation in good order (identity card, military documentation, authorization for minors, visas, vaccination certificates, and any other documents that may be required). The agency disclaims any responsibility for visa refusal or the client's denial of entry into a foreign country. The client is solely responsible for any costs incurred as a result of such a situation.
Travel in European Union:
Travel outside the European Union:
If the travel suppliers involved allow it, whenever a customer who is registered for a particular trip wishes to change their registration to another trip or the same trip with a different departure date, or any other changes, they must pay a fee as alteration expenses. However, if the change takes place 21 days or less before the departure date of the trip for which the customer is registered, or if the service providers do not accept the change, the customer will be subject to the expenses and charges specified under the “cancellation (termination)” section.
Once the trip has started, if a request is made to change the contracted services for reasons not related to the agency (e.g., extending the number of nights of stay, changing the flight), the prices of the touristic services may not correspond to those published on the website that prompted the contract.
The customer may transfer their registration by being replaced by another person who meets all the required conditions for the trip, provided that they inform the selling agency at least seven days in advance and such transfer is possible under the applicable air transport regulations. In the case of cruises and air travel, the prescribed period will be fifteen days in advance.
The transfer of the registration makes both the transferor and the transferee jointly responsible for the payment of the trip price and any additional charges incurred.
Whenever there are external reasons that justify it, the organizing agency may change the order of the itineraries, modify the departure times, or substitute any of the planned hotels with others of similar category and location. The agency must inform the client of such changes as soon as they become aware of them.
When the tour is dependent on a minimum number of participants the Agency reserves the right to cancel the organized tour if the number of participants reached is less than the minimum. In such cases, the Client will be informed in writing of the cancellation within 15 (fifteen) days.
The prices in the program are based on the costs of services and exchange rates in effect on the date of printing of the program, and are therefore subject to change resulting from variations in the cost of transportation or fuel, duties, taxes, fees, and exchange rate fluctuations up to 20 days prior to the date of departure.
Once the tour has begun, no refund is due for services not used by the client due to unforeseeable circumstances or for reasons attributable to the client, except for refunds by the respective suppliers. Failure to provide services foreseen in the travel program for reasons attributable to the organizing agency and if it is not possible to replace them with equivalent ones, entitles the client receive a refund for the price difference between the originally anticipated services and the services actually provided.
If, prior to the start of the journey and due to circumstances beyond the control of the organizing agency, it becomes unable to fulfill any essential service included in the travel program, the client has the right to cancel the trip and immediately receive a refund of all amounts paid, or alternatively, accept a modification and possible price variation.
If the aforementioned circumstances beyond the control of the organizing agency result in the cancellation of the trip, the client may choose to participate in another organized trip of equivalent price. If the proposed replacement organized trip is of a lower price, the client will be refunded the price difference accordingly.
The client or their companions are free to cancel the trip at any time.
i) Such cancellation implies that the client is responsible for the payment of all charges arising from the beginning of the fulfillment of the contract and their withdrawal, as well as a percentage that can go up to 15% of the price of the trip.
ii) If applicable, the client will be refunded the difference between the amount paid and the aforementioned amounts.
iii) The cancellation of travel services/organized trips whose reservation has been made using the voucher issued under Decree-Law No. 17/2020 of April 23rd is subject to a cancellation fee equal to the price of the service, in order to prevent simulated or fraudulent reservations made solely with the intention of anticipating the receipt of the voucher-entitled values.
If for reasons not attributable to the client, the agency has to cancel the organized tour before the departure date, the client can choose to:
i) Being immediately refunded all amounts paid;
ii) Optionally, choose to participate in another organized tour and be refunded for any difference in price.
The liability of the travel agency organizing the trips included in this program and arising from the assumed obligations is covered by a civil liability insurance policy with Fidelidade Insurance Company, under policy number 9257343, for an amount of 75,000€ (Seventy-five thousand euros), in accordance with the applicable legislation.
The prices mentioned in this program already include the Value Added Tax at the current rate of 23%
This program is valid from 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025.
Arrival or departure times:
Departure and arrival times are stated in the local time of the respective country of destination and according to respective airline schedules at the time of printing this program, and may therefore be subject to change.
Hotels / Apartments:
Apartments - In case the accommodation is contracted in apartments, the client is responsible for informing the number of people that will occupy the apartment. If there are more people than booked, the apartments may refuse admittance.
Hotels - The prices shown are per person and are based on double occupancy. Not all hotels have triple rooms and usually an extra bed is placed in the room, which may not be of equal quality. In rooms equipped with two beds or a double bed, the triple may consist only of those beds.
The list of hotels and apartments in the program is indicative, as is their category, which is based on local criteria and classifications that are sometimes different from those used in your home country.
Meals:
Unless otherwise indicated, the prices shown for the Half Board and Full Board supplements do not include drinks.
On arrivals at the hotel after 7PM the first meal service will be breakfast the next day, on the last day and except for the possibility of late check-out, the last service of the hotel will be breakfast.
Check-in and check-out times:
The check-in and check-out times on the first and last day, will be defined according to the first and last service. As a rule, without binding character, the rooms can be used from 2PM on the day of arrival and should be left free by noon (12PM) on the day of departure.
In the apartments, the entry takes place generally at 5PM on the day of arrival and must be left free by 10AM on the day of departure.
Special conditions for children:
Given the conditions applied for children (destination and provider) it is recommended to always question the special conditions that may apply to the tour in question.
Insurance:
The agency offers the sale of insurance that can be purchased depending on the tour to guarantee assistance situations and cancellation expenses.
See our full Data Protection and Privacy Policy here.
Documentation
For this trip you need a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure from the country visited and two blank pages.
A visa is required for India: see https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/ and read the information carefully (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/Registration).
The visa payment is online and the visa confirmation is sent to you by e-mail.
Tour Leader
This is a trip of adventure and cultural discovery, with a focus on photography.
The leader of this tour is a person with experience in photography. Her mission is to lead the group during the whole trip facilitating the interaction and integration of the group with the places to be visited and photographed.
The tour leader’s role should never be confused with that of a tour guide. No specific knowledge about monuments, museums, or other places of tourist interest is required of the tour leader.
For places that, due to their historical, geological, biological or artistic complexity, need a guide, this will be hired in advance and there will be an explicit reference to his existence in the trip program.
Withdrawals
If the traveler withdraws from the trip up to 91 days before the departure date and there are no services already booked and paid for, the value already paid for will be refunded in full. If there are services already booked and paid for, the amount to be refunded will be reduced by the amounts paid to the service providers.
If the traveler withdraws from the trip 90 days or less from the departure date, the traveler will have to pay all the costs incurred by the sign-up and subsequent withdrawal, as well as an amount up to 15% of the trip price. The traveler may be reimbursed for the difference between the amount already paid and the above amounts.
WhatsApp Group
One month before the trip’s departure, Papa-Léguas will create a WhatsApp group to ensure simple and seamless interaction between the travelers and the trip leader. If you do not agree with this action, please let us know.
Allied to this passion for discovering the World, my passion for photography was born, which has allowed me to immortalize and share unrepeatable moments.
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Here, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich Buddhist culture of Ladakh, visit the most iconic palaces and monasteries of this remote region, and witness a unique celebration—the colorful Hemis Festival, one of the region’s most significant cultural events.
Ladakh, a must-visit destination for those interested in Silk Road Travel, played a crucial role in one of the ancient trade routes. The people of this land, mostly Indo-Aryans and of Tibetan origin, maintain a unique identity. Their language, culture, gastronomy, and traditions are entirely distinct from the other peoples of the Indian subcontinent.
This is a journey of discovery into multicultural India, featuring breathtaking landscapes and the highest mountain road passes on the planet. It also offers the chance to glimpse another extraordinary mountain range from the Nubra Valley—the Karakoram, known for its imposing views.
You will have the chance to explore places of sublime beauty, such as the Shyok Valley with its Buddhist monasteries, the dunes of the Nubra Valley with its Bactrian camels, and the emerald waters of Pangong Lake. Additionally, you can visit iconic villages like Lamayuru and Turtuk and learn about the lives and customs of the local people.
Hemis Festival Tour: The Hemis Gompa, a Buddhist monastery, is the largest and wealthiest monastery in the region and the stage for this extraordinary festival with over 300 years of history. This annual event celebrates the birth of Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. Locals attend the celebrations adorned in their colorful traditional attire, while the Lamas (spiritual leaders) perform the “Chaam,” mystical dances wearing the masks of the characters they portray. These rituals an only be performed in monasteries that practice Vajrayana, the tantric form of Buddhism.
This is one of the most extraordinary festivals of its kind and a unique experience for anyone exploring the mystique of Ladakh and its deep connection to Silk Road Travel and Buddhist culture. You won’t want to miss it!
Departure to Delhi, with layovers.
Note: the arrival/departure dates may vary, depending on your origin city. If you have any doubts, contact Papa-Léguas for further clarification.
After one of the most spectacular flights on the Planet, in which you will fly over the Himalayas, you will be met on arrival in Leh by your tour leader and transported to the hotel.
Free day to rest and acclimatize to the altitude.
Morning dedicated to visiting two iconic monasteries of Ladakh: Shey Palace and Thiksey. Thiksey is known for its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
After lunch, we will proceed to Hemis Monastery to witness the afternoon sessions of the Hemis Tsechu Buddhist festival.
Hemis Monastery is the most important Buddhist monastery in Ladakh. Located 49 km (30.4 miles) from Leh, it was built in the 17th century by Chapgon Gyalshas and has been patronized by the Royal Family since then. Hemis serves as the headquarters of the Drukpa Order and oversees all the other monasteries in Ladakh, while also providing education for the "Lamas" of Leh, Shey, and Bazgo monasteries.
The monastery houses an enviable collection of Buddhist art, including an impressive number of "thangkas" (iconic Buddhist paintings on fabric), one of which is considered the largest in the world and is publicly displayed once every 12 years. The annual festival dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava is a highly prominent event, offering a vibrant display of colors and providing a festive atmosphere.
This is a unique opportunity to witness and photograph one of the most colorful Buddhist festivals of its kind, while immersing yourself in the celebratory ambiance of this joyous occasion.
In the morning, we will return to Hemis monastery to visit the museum and witness the first morning "chaam" (Buddhist dances performed by the monks).
After lunch and on our way back to Leh, we will visit Stok Palace. This palace is currently inhabited by the Royal Family of Ladakh and offers a fabulous panoramic view of Leh and the surrounding mountains, showcasing the capital of this kingdom.
Departure for Lamayuru, located 124 km (77 miles) from Leh on the National Highway to the Kashmir Valley.
On the way, we will spot the 15th-century Basgo Castle, perched on a promontory surrounded by a unique lunar-like landscape.
We will also visit the Liker Monastery, built in the 15th century and famous for its 25-meter-tall Maitreya Buddha, one of the tallest in Ladakh.
At our destination, Lamayuru, we will explore one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh, built in the 11th century and undoubtedly one of the most picturesque in the region.
Overnight stay in a hotel.
In the morning, we will visit the Lamayuru Buddhist Monastery, one of Ladakh's most iconic sites, with the possibility of attending the morning prayers, depending on the time—a truly unforgettable spiritual moment.
On the way, we will take a small detour to visit the Rizong Monastery and the nunnery, home to Buddhist nuns. This complex belongs to the Gelugpa Buddhist Order.
In Alchi, we will visit the extraordinary monastery built in the 10th century by Ringzhen Zangpo. This monastery is renowned for its ancient images painted on wood, which have survived for over a millennium.
Overnight stay in a hotel.
After breakfast, we return to Leh, with stops along the way to enjoy the unique landscapes.
In Leh, we will visit the Leh Palace, built in 1600 and once the Royal Palace, overlooking the Ladakh capital.
There will be free time in Leh to explore the commercial area of this charming city, which was once a significant trading hub between India and China.
Overnight stay in a hotel.
Departure for Nubra Valley, crossing Khardungla, the highest motorable mountain pass in the world at 5,600 meters altitude, where we will stop to capture this historic moment.
On a clear day, we can also see Stok Kangri, the highest mountain in the Zanskar range, standing at 6,153 meters.
In the afternoon, we will explore Deskit and its beautiful 14th-century monastery, where we will witness the sunset near the gigantic Maitreya Buddha statue, facing the Shyok Valley and the Karakoram mountain range.
Overnight stay in a hotel in Hunder.
Early in the morning, after an optional camel ride on the Asian camels across the dunes of Hunder, we will spend the day in the village of Turtuk, located at the far end of the valley.
Turtuk stands out as a Muslim village in a predominantly Buddhist valley, a result of its history as part of Baltistan. It is one of the few places in India where the Balti culture can be experienced. Opened to foreign visitors only in 2010, the locals are renowned for their warm and welcoming hospitality.
Return to Hunder for the night.
Overnight stay in a hotel.
Today is a long day ahead. We will leave Nubra Valley and travel along the Shyok River, following the new road that connects this valley to the eastern region of Ladakh. Our destination is Pangong Lake, located at an altitude of 4,500 meters.
Pangong Lake is divided between India and China (Tibet), stretching over 134 km (83 miles).
We will explore the lake, known for its constantly changing colors, with excellent conditions to enjoy a magnificent sunset.
Overnight stay in a bungalow.
A relaxing day to fully enjoy the lake, whose beauty and constantly changing colors invite us to spend more time in this serene location.
There will be an option to visit one of the villages located by the lake.
Overnight stay in a bungalow.
In the morning, we will return to Leh, passing through Chang La, at 5,300 meters altitude, the third highest motorable pass in the world.
This route offers breathtaking scenery, with the chance to spot marmots and pashmina goats along the way.
After lunch in Leh, there will be free time for a final stroll and perhaps some last-minute shopping.
Farewell dinner in Leh.
Overnight stay in a hotel.
Transfer to the airport early in the morning for the flight back to your home city, with a stopover in Delhi.
End of Papa-Léguas services, with memories of a memorable adventure in this remote region.
Arrival in Origin city.
Note: the arrival/departure dates may vary, depending on your origin city. If you have any doubts, contact Papa-Léguas for further clarification.
