Our vehicle will pick you up from Leh and drive to Drass. This scenic drive is the perfect introduction to the landscape you are about to experience over the coming days. Arrive at the lodge by evening and check into your cozy rooms. You will be received by your host and in-house naturalist. Spend the evening at leisure at the lodge by the bonfire. Later, join your local host to learn about the bears in the area and the conservation work they have been doing with the local community.
Bears are most active during the early morning hours or in the evening which increases our chances of spotting a bear during these times. The following days will be planned as per the sightings.

Our typical day starts early around 5 am. After a quick tea we will head out in the vehicle to scan for bears in our base valley along the Mushkow river. During the summer the entire Mushkow valley is in bloom with a variety of flora and fauna with over numerous types of wild flowers, birds and butterflies that flock to the region. Take a guided walk with your host to explore the natural landscape. We end the walk by the riverside with an outdoor breakfast.
Return to the lodge to rest and relax. Post lunch, drive within our base valley or to the adjacent valleys to scan for bears and return to a warm bonfire at the lodge by evening.

Our morning will begin as usual with scanning for bears. Breakfast outdoors or at the lodge depending on the sightings. It is possible to hike up the Mamel hill in order to get closer sightings of bears. Breakfast can be done outdoors depending on the sightings.
Explore the Shina village of Mushkow during the day and visit a local home. Drass is inhabited by the Shina tribe said to have come from Gilgit (now in Pakistan). This community has its own unique culture with Indo-Aryan roots. Besides being a wildlife hotspot, this frontier region of Drass has witnessed various wars between India and Pakistan. Spend the day and break bread with the local families learning about their culture, their history, stories of war and their stories of conflict with the Himalayan Brown Bear.
Another round of bear viewing post lunch and return to the lodge by evening for bonfire and high tea.

Post breakfast at the campsite, we will drive back to the lodge via Kargil. Although it came into prominence after the infamous Indo-Pak conflict of 1999, Kargil’s history goes well beyond it to the times of the Great Silk Route. Kargil was a thriving trade town on the Trans-Himalayan trade route between India and Central Asia.
Once in Kargil, join local guide and owner of Munshi Aziz Bhat Museum for a tour of their family museum that houses over 1000 artifacts from the Silk Route trade period between late 19th to early 20th century. Post this, visit the 300 year old settlement of Hundurman (now in ruins) along the Indo-Pak LoC which is home to the Unlock Hundurman - Museum of Memories, a unique community museum that preserves the Purigi heritage and war history of this frontier settlement.
Take a guided tour of the museum and sit for lunch at a local home and sample traditional Kargili cuisine. If time permits, visit the apricot villages of Shiliktse and Hardass and drive back to the lodge by evening.

Post a leisurely breakfast, you can choose to drive back to Leh and fly out from there.
Note – For the purpose of acclimation it is highly recommended that you spend minimum of 1 night in Leh. We can recommend the hotel and assist in booking if required. Should you wish to book directly we request all members in the group to book the same hotel so that a smooth pickup can be done for the departure on day 1.