There is a minimum of 10 guests required for this journey and a maximum of 14. When we have reached our minimum, we will let you know, at which time you can buy airfare and your travel insurance.

• This journey is $6999 USD per person.
• The non-refundable deposit is $1000 and holds your space
• The 2nd installment of $3000 is due on January 1, 2024
• The balance is due March 1, 2024

Price Includes

• Roundtrip flight from New Delhi to Leh, Ladakh
• All private room accommodations from July 1 to July 8 / July 11- 18
• All meals from lunch on July 1 until breakfast on July 9 /  lunch on July 11 until breakfast on July 19
• All tips to restaurant and hotel staff
• An online photo album of the experience for you to download and share
• Daily Iyengar Yoga classes

Price does not include

• International airfare
• Hotel night in New Delhi on June 30 / July 10
• India visa fee (currently $25 for 30-day eTourist visa for Americans)
• Travel insurance (required)

Please refer to the Price tab for specific information about price & what is included in your journey.

The non-refundable $1000 deposit guarantees your space. The 2nd installment is due on January 1, 2024 and the balance on March 1, 2024.

For our American guests, we accept payments via check, credit, or debit card (via PayPal), Zelle, or Venmo. Lauren will send you these details after receiving your application has been accepted.

For our guests outside the U.S., Lauren will connect with you about the best ways to transfer money.

We do everything in our power to do right by our guests. We are proud to say that in the wake of our COVID-related trip cancellations through 2020 and 2021, we were able to offer each of our guests the choice of a 100% credit, if not a full refund.

We’ve re-examined each trip and done our best to reduce the deposit amounts as much as possible. Upon your registration, your deposit immediately goes toward reserving your space for flights, hotels, and excursions that must be booked months in advance and are often non-refundable.

Cancellation by our guests

The cancellation charges are as follows unless otherwise indicated on the detailed itinerary for each trip. All cancellations must be received via e-mail or US mail.

• Cancellations prior to 120 days to departure, money will be refunded minus the non-refundable deposit. Please note that deposits for any pre-trip or post-trip extensions are not transferable to another portion of the trip should you decide to cancel that module of the journey.
• Cancellations received 61 to 119 days prior to departure are subject to a penalty of 50% of the total cost of the trip.
• Cancellations received 60 days or less prior to trip departure will forfeit the entire cost of the trip.

If a trip is cancelled by RetreaTours

When a tour is cancelled in the case of force majeure, the Tour Participant will receive a refund minus any funds that we are unable to recover from any supplier.

You can see the full cancellation policy in our contract here. 

RetreaTours is Climate Positive!

We purchase triple carbon offsets for your travels with us—that’s from your home, through the entire tour, and back to your home again, times three! 

RetreaTours is officially a Carbonfree® Partner with Carbonfund.org, as well as a partner with Cool Effect.

You may have heard the term “carbon neutral,” which means that a company offsets as much carbon as it produces. With this 300% offset, RetreaTours is actually offsetting more carbon than we produce each year, making us “carbon negative” (or “climate positive,” which has a nicer ring to it!)

Since 2012 we’ve focused on making travel safe and easy for our guests; with our triple carbon offset tours, we’re pleased to make our trips as sustainable as they are memorable.

Please see more at RetreaTours.com/CarbonNegative

Our practice space is in a centuries-old temple up ~200 steps from our guesthouse. Participants should be able to comfortably climb and descend stairs, sometimes without handrails.  It is normal to feel winded climbing stairs at altitude–slow and steady wins the race.

Please see the “About the Altitude” tab above for more important information.

Required Coverage

RetreaTours requires that each guest carries travel insurance that covers emergency medical treatment and emergency evacuation and repatriation. Please send Lauren your policy information as soon as you have it.

Suggested Coverage

We suggest trip cancellation insurance, as well, as you never know what obstacles life can toss at you leading up to a trip. However, we do not require this coverage, we only suggest it highly.

Please familiarize yourself with RetreaTours’ guest cancellation policy in your journey’s contract. Please read this article to understand a bit more about trip cancellation insurance and what it may or may not cover. “Cancel For Any Reason” policies do exist, as well, although do check to see what percentage of the trip cost they actually reimburse.

When to purchase your policy

Please purchase this insurance as soon as we tell you the trip has reached its minimum. Please do not wait until the last minute, should you need to use your (optional) cancellation coverage before then.

Where to search for policies

Below you will find some options to start your search for trip insurance. However, we ask that you carefully consider your choice in travel insurance. What works for some people may not work for others, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions. Please do take the time to consider the best policy for your individual needs.

Squaremouth.com and InsureMyTrip.com are two sites where you can see and compare many policies at once, and you can refine the options by what coverage you would like. Squaremouth’s interface is very easy and intuitive to use, and you can easily opt out of trip cancellation coverage.

World Nomads provides policies for guests under 70 that includes trip cancellation options. Use the link above and pop in your info to get an immediate quote.

It may also be a good idea to check with your credit card companies, especially American Express, to see if they offer any medical coverage for travel.

Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages and be valid for at least 6 months beyond the end of the trip.

You can apply for a 30-day Indian eTourist visa 4 to 30 days before your trip. You can apply for a 1-year eTourist visa up to 4 months before the journey.

We will provide detailed instructions and all information you will need for this visa. Currently, 30-day India eTourist visas are $25 USD plus processing fees.

Vaccines

RetreaTours requires proof of a COVID-19 vaccine and booster for this journey.

No vaccines are required to enter India, but we suggest you work with your physician or your area’s travel health expert to decide what options are best for you. It’s always best to stay up to date on routine vaccines before you travel.

You can read the CDC’s recommendations here and the UK NHS recommendations here.

Altitude

Please visit our comprehensive blog about staying well at high altitude. 

Staying Healthy on Tour

Please visit our comprehensive article, “How to Stay Healthy While Traveling…Naturally,” which addresses all of the most common travel ailments.

Our home base at Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh rests at a lofty 10,600 ft (3200 m). We plan our first few days very lightly, to allow you to acclimatize to this altitude. However, it is crucial to understand how altitude affects the body and what you can do to minimize any symptoms. 

Please visit our comprehensive blog about staying well at high altitude. 

Ladakh sits on the Tibetan Plateau, a high-altitude desert. Expect the temperature to range from 45° to 75°F (7° to 24°C) with very little humidity. Because of the low humidity, it can be chilly in the shade and warm in the direct sun.

For your arrival in New Delhi, expect temperatures from 85° to 95°F (30° to 35°C) with high humidity and a fair chance of rain.

We’ll provide a suggested packing list several months before this journey.

We will be staying at Thiksey Monastery’s guesthouse at the base of the monastery, Chamba Guesthouse. Each guest will have a private room that has an ensuite bathroom with Western toilet and shower with hot water.

Wifi can be a challenge high in the Himalayas. Wifi is typically available but inconsistent and at a slower speed than you are accustomed to.

Do not expect your international phone plan to work in Ladakh, nor a SIM card that works in the rest of India since this region uses a different system than the rest of India. It is difficult to obtain a SIM card in Ladakh so any connectivity will come from the Wifi.

Arrival

You will need to arrive in New Delhi, India by June 30th in order to prepare for your flight to Ladakh on the morning of July 1st. Your hotel night on June 30th / July 10th is not included in your retreat fee in order to allow you the most flexibility in terms of schedule and hotel category. We’ve created a webpage here that will give you hotel suggestions in New Delhi.

You will arrange airport pick-up with your hotel, as well as airport drop-off on the morning of July 1st / July 11th.  You will be provided with your ticket for your July 1st / July 11th flight to Ladakh.

Departure

Your flight from Leh, Ladakh back to New Delhi is included on this journey. Expect to reach New Delhi by 2 PM on July 9th / July 19th at the latest (barring any unexpected flight cancellations or long delays) and you can plan your flight home accordingly. Any flight time after 6 PM on July 9th / July 19th should be fine, allowing you time to collect your luggage and check back in for your international flight.

Please email Lauren with any questions you may have about this journey.