“To follow the herds is to follow the rhythm of the mountains.”
Far beyond the tourist trails of Leh, past the high-altitude passes and wind-cut plains, lives a community that has defied time — the Changpa nomads. Rooted in the cold desert of Changthang, bordering Tibet, the Changpas move with their herds across some of the highest inhabited altitudes on Earth.
This experience is a rare invitation into the raw, rugged, and resilient world of Ladakhi nomads, where life flows with livestock, sky, and snow.
You will stay in yak wool tents (rebos) or stone shelters alongside nomadic families in Changthang villages such as Korzok, Hanle, or Kharnak. Your host family includes herders, weavers, and elders who have lived this lifestyle for generations.
Each day begins with milking yaks or goats at dawn, followed by herding pashmina goats across valleys, collecting dung for fuel, and preparing meals on open stoves. Nights are spent under starlit skies with stories of mountain spirits, wild wolves, and changing climates.
Activity
| Description
|
|---|---|
Milking livestock
| Yaks, dzos, and goats are milked twice a day. Techniques passed down from grandmothers.
|
Grazing walks
| Accompany young herders into vast grasslands with pashmina goats or sheep. Learn to read the landscape.
|
Wool sorting & combing
| Witness how soft pashmina is separated, hand-combed, and packed for Leh markets.
|
Tent care
| Help pitch and repair rebos made of yak wool.
|
Cooking traditional meals
| Make butter tea, thukpa, tsampa balls, and yak milk curd. Learn how to preserve food for migration.
|
Story sessions with elders
| Listen to myths, migration stories, and modern-day challenges from the Changpa oral tradition.
|
Sustainable Animal Rearing: The Changpas follow rotational grazing cycles to prevent overgrazing.
High-Altitude Adaptation: Their diet, pace of life, and spiritual practices are aligned with nature’s extremities.
Pashmina Economy: Understand the entire supply chain of the world’s finest wool — from goat to garment.
Spiritual Ecology: Sacred stones, sky burials, and animal blessings are part of everyday life.
Region
| Altitude
| Details
|
|---|---|---|
| Changthang Plateau | 13,000–15,000 ft | Harsh climate, thin air, extreme beauty |
| Korzok village | Near Tso Moriri Lake | Main Changpa settlement |
| Kharnak valley | Less frequented, highly authentic | Known for large goat herds |
| Hanle | Astronomical observatory + nomadic life | Border region, limited access |
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
Best Months
| June – September
|
Duration
| 2 to 5 days recommended
|
Travel
| 10–12 hr drive from Leh (via Upshi – Mahe – Nyoma)
|
Altitude Sickness
| Acclimatization in Leh for 2+ days is essential
|
Toilets/Bathing
| Basic or none — dry toilets only, river baths or sponge wipes
|
Language
| Hosts speak Ladakhi; translator may be arranged
|
| Electricity | Limited solar power only, no network in many areas |
Women Weaving Pashmina Shawls by hand
Children Learning to Herd at age 6
Stone Cairns and Animal Blessings along migration trails
Sky Burial Sites revered in Buddhist cosmology
Festivals like Korzak Gustor, celebrated with cham dances even by nomads
“Our ancestors moved with the moon. Now we move with the market.” — Stanzin Nurboo, young Changpa herder
Issue
| Impact
|
|---|---|
| Climate Change | Shorter grazing cycles, dried springs |
| Urban Migration | Youth moving to Leh for schooling and income |
| Market Dependence | Fluctuating pashmina prices and over-commercialization |
| Border Tensions | Restricted movement in border zones post-2020 |
Carry reusable water bottles, solar torches, and biodegradable wipes.
Avoid gifting plastic or packaged goods to children.
Dress modestly and acclimatize properly.
Always ask before photographing people or rituals.
Support hosts through fair payments, or by purchasing handmade goods directly.
Engage respectfully — this is not a safari, but a lived culture.
To live with the Changpas is to witness a disappearing world — one where people read wind like words, where warmth comes from yaks, not heaters, and where silence teaches you more than any guidebook.
This isn’t comfort travel. It’s conscious travel — where you walk slower, breathe deeper, and come back changed.
