As things heat up across the Indo-Gangetic plain, and the monsoon sweeps across the subcontinent, bathing the great, thirsty metropolises of India, the high plains and impossible peaks of the world’s highest mountain range finally open to the world. Shakti Himalaya’s Tours guides visitors through the high altitude desert of Ladakh, home to breathtaking scenery and a perfectly preserved outpost of Indo-Tibetan culture.

Though the majority of the Tibetan plateau was absorbed into the modern state of China, Ladakh and a handful of other isolated valleys in the plateau, having fallen under the control of the British Raj, became part of India following independence in 1947. The narrow line of a political boundary combined with all but insurmountable geographic obstacles saved Ladakh from the ravages of China’s Cultural Revolution, maintaining intact the region’s stunning medieval capital of Leh, white-washed villages and monasteries set along rushing glacier-fed rivers, and the region’s rich and ancient Indo-Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Shakti’s tours in the region combine environmentally and culturally responsible tourism with comfort and luxury otherwise unparalleled in this rugged region. Traditional, mud-brick homes in some of Ladakh’s most picturesque villages have been transformed into comfortable guest houses set off the beaten track in the tiny, traditional villages of the Indus valley. A wonderful jumping off point for exploring ancient Buddhist murals and unlikely high-altitude oases, Shakti’s village guest houses are the first of their kind in the region: comfortable, modern retreats for travelers that like a little luxury with their adventure.

Day hikes, river rafting along the legendary Indus, four day treks through isolated high altitude terrain – all of these can be part of your adventure. By October, the oases and rivers, the villages and monasteries will once again be locked in the grip of winter. Until then, Shakti Himalaya offers you the chance to experience a culture that has survived against all odds in one of the world’s most remote and magnificent landscapes.

LOOK NOW: In August and September of this year, guests with Shakti Himalaya will have the unique experience of journeying along the Shayok River – formerly part of the Silk Road – into the Nubra Valley, among the most stunning in Ladakh. This extraordinary experience can be planned as a separate 3 day, 2 night journey, or added to the end of the Shakti Ladakh Village Experience.