The Caravanistan lodge is hidden in a quiet valley across a tributary that feeds the Nubra and Indus rivers. The lodge lies tucked away at the foot of the eastern end of the Karakoram range, right at the spot where the Karakoram and Himalaya meet. Before 1962, the lodge wasn’t a quiet holiday home, but a bustling stopover for large caravans and merchants. Legends abound among the descendants of erstwhile traders who followed the river upstream to cross Aksai Chin (formerly India) into Yarkand in Turkmenistan. Learn about tales of extreme hardships, bravery, and lost lives, but also of a strong trade relationship with the Turkmenis, whose many descendants still live in different parts of Ladakh.
The lodge follows several eco-conscious practices starting from power – naturally, solar. In fact, the whole village is equipped with a small solar energy power plant. All ‘grey’ water coming from the washbasins and showers is led to the vegetable garden, where it partners with the irrigation system. In terms of vernacular, the lodge’s façade is like any other traditional Ladakhi house, in unity with its neighbours. Inside, you’ll find the amenities that make it a tasteful and comfortable place to stay. Locally-manufactured furnishings fill the space. In doing so, we’ve tried to maximize the contribution to the local economy, by employing local craftsmen. For many Ladakhis, daily reality still revolves around seasons, crops, and animals. Their calendar is about sowing, weeding, irrigating, and harvesting barley, a staple crop that performs better at these extreme altitudes than many bio-engineered wheat species in much more favourable climates. This is authentic Ladakhi culture, and this is what we recommend you experience. Live with a society deeply rooted in its religious, cultural, and agricultural traditions – a place where mankind had accomplished a rare balance with nature.
comforts
Caravanistan hosts five comfortable double bedrooms, four attached baths, and one common bath. The lodge has been tastefully designed keeping elegance, authenticity, and the comfort of the traveller in mind. The lodge offers a serene setting for anyone who wants to be in the wild without roughing it out. It is located in the middle of a true oasis, amidst green fields, groves of willows, poplars, wild roses, tamarisk, and the omnipresent soothing rumble of mountain streams. The property is functional from May to October.
food
The lodge feeds guests using locally grown vegetables, mostly coming straight from the garden and greenhouse. The cows, goats and yaks provide milk, butter and cheese. The cuisine at the lodge varies and is typically a combination of Ladakhi, Indian, Asian, or continental. Coffee and tea are provided throughout the day, as well as filtered spring water. The lodge provides reusable bottles, and we strongly discourage our guests from bringing plastic bottles with them.
ideal for
The lodge is ideal for guests who enjoy exploring mountain terrain and nature, with a dash of comfort. Ideal for trekkers, wanderers, artists, and people looking for some quiet time in one of the most spectacular and untouched landscapes of Ladakh. The lodge has come about from three trains of thought – 1) offering a fresh approach for visitors to this wonderland of Tibetan culture, fairy-tale mountains and bridging the gap between Leh-based car tourism and trekking. 2) the principles of ecotourism; tourism that is not environmentally or socially intrusive or harmful, and, 3) the principles of community-based tourism.
getting there
The access to Caravanistan itself is a spectacular journey, whether by car or on foot. Car travellers have to cross the Chang La pass, where you get breathtaking views of the Indus River and the Zanskar Range. After veering off from this ancient trail before it reaches Pangong Tso, a beautiful narrow gorge gives access to the lodge. On foot, it is an even more spectacular 8-day journey starting from Leh and crossing four passes. Accurate details are provided at the time of confirmation.
things to do
There’s a lot you can do in and around the lodge, but the activity you might enjoy the most is to do nothing. In fact, if you hoped to learn something on your holiday visit to this beautiful place, you might want to choose this. For some, doing nothing is a waste of time, but for others, it can be therapeutic, if not an art form. By absorbing the peaceful serenity of the lodge and engaging in the village’s culture, you may find yourself gradually understanding that time is a natural ally instead of your worst enemy. Understanding this will help you relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. We offer you a course in doing nothing for as long as you like and your teachers won’t be mental health gurus. They’ll be much better, as they were born to a culture in which doing and not doing are always in perfect balance. To them effort is useful, but success is no measure of life, and time is the natural vehicle of all changes, good and bad.
At the lodge, you can do day walks to your heart’s content. Besides the simple joy of walking the beautiful mountain trails, you may want to know more about these ancient mountains and their inhabitants. For that, we have laid out a number of guided – or interpretative – walks. Your guide will point out the many birds and plants, he will tell you about the secret life of the snow leopard, whose pug marks we may encounter, and he’ll talk about how the Himalayas came about. For those with a slightly more profound interest in all the beauty that surrounds you at Caravanistan, there are 4-7 day courses on the ecology of the Himalayas.
We also organise day visits with picnic lunch to Pangong Tso and hikes through the neighbourhood gorge that lead you to the Old Silk Route Trail.
price
There’s a minimum of 2 nights’ stay required at Caravanistan. It is priced at Rs. 33,360 for two adults, Rs. 43,560 for three adults, Rs. 53,280 for four adults, Rs. 63,000 for five adults and Rs. 58,800 for six adults, inclusive of accommodation, meals, guided village tour, picnic lunch at Pangong Tso, nature walks, and all applicable taxes.
