India Travel Review, Solo Tour, Ladakh, Leh, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Palaces, Culture, History & Religion

I really had an excellent time on this trip and enjoyed working with this travel agency. This was my first visit to India and visiting Kashmir and Ladakh was an extraordinary experience. I've been lucky to travel a lot and have visited Bhutan previously, so I was a bit concerned that Ladakh would feel too same-same. Not at all, Despite the commonalities of Buddhist culture, the scenery is very different and the preservation of Tibetan culture in Ladakh unique. I was also lucky to be one of the last foreign tourists to visit Kashmir before the state was closed due to the ongoing problems.
I appreciated that my travel agent gave me a lot of options and I never felt pressured to spend more or less. While I like luxury, in the end, I chose the more moderate (still extremely nice and luxurious) option, which turned out to be the right choice for me. She seemed truly interested in making the trip match my interests and needs, which I very much appreciated.
The hotels repeatedly exceeded my expectation and I felt my travel agent had steered me very well. I also "discovered" one place in Ladakh that also turned out to be excellent and my travel agent investigated as well. The real highlight in terms of hotels was a Palace in Gurugram. It really is a royal palace and was just absolutely breathtaking. The rooms had authentic original Buddhist style paintings on them. I'm not one to video hotel rooms but I did this one! I felt incredibly lucky to have that experience as well as many others. I was grateful that my travel agent dissuaded me from basing myself in Leh and doing day trips. Leh is very touristy. Worth seeing the sights but not very enchanting to stay.
My visit to Kashmir was great too. I never felt unsafe, though I wasn't terribly worried about safety. Frankly, the Kashmiris overall were thrilled to have a foreign tourist and would love to see more, though that won't be happening for awhile now. Obviously, it is important to be sensitive to the local mores but that's true everywhere and not particularly in Kashmir. I can't recall any problems that I had with anyone. The Indian military presence was strong but not a particular problem (for me). My travel agent had both prepared me for any formalities (less than I expected by a lot) and the local guides were ready as well. My guide in Kashmir was truly knowledgeable and arranged some special experiences geared to my personal interests. By the way, Kashmir is the place to buy souvenirs--excellent rugs and carvings. Not really much in Ladakh.
Ladakh was truly special. I've seen plenty of Buddhist monasteries but still ended up amazed. Monasteries built into hillsides. For the first time, I got to see part of a religious festival. I appreciated that I was able to sit in a chair as I have a few back problems (arranged without any mention by me). I also had the opportunity to speak with Buddhist monks and observe several Buddhist ceremonies. I'm not Buddhist myself but I have an appreciation and respect for the religion and culture.
My guide in Ladakh worked very hard to make sure I was happy. He really worked very hard as did the driver. They were careful of my safety but not restrictive or afraid to let this solo travel go solo as appropriate.
I got around a lot of Ladakh and managed to avoid the tourist hordes (thanks to the agent's wise advice) that go to particular parts of Ladakh but avoid the rest. I'm glad I got up to Baltistan (Turtuk) near the Line of Control but I don't know that it would be for everyone. Different cuisine and people. It's a very long but stunning drive. This is the one bit that may've been a tad oversold. Meeting the local "king" (well, his son) in the tattered remains of their home/palace sounded exotic and interesting but was perhaps a bit melancholy and touristy. However, I loved the touristy camels in the desert in Nubra--though I got to be the last tourist of the day as the stars came out.
I should mention that if you travel to this part of the world, you have to expect a few hiccups and roll with them. The pass between Kashmir and Ladakh was closed/open and we ended up waiting for hours and hours to get through. In retrospect, however, it became clear that my guides had handled it exactly correctly. Climate change means that there is more rain than previously so more mudslides than previously. My driver was incredibly skilled--the best I've had. The drive over the pass between Leh and the Nubra Valley -- the highest motorable road in the world -- was terrific and I loved it with no similar problems.
Overall, I was enormously pleased with both the trip and the travel agent. I would be glad to work with this agency again.