A photographer’s rendezvous with Pangong Tso

Love at first sight - Pangong Tso

 Pangong Tso has been a dream destination for millions of travel-enthusiasts but I am a lucky one-in-a-million photographer who not only got the chance to capture the best moods and moments of Pangong Tso but also got the chance to enjoy a group tour with Go Boundless to the most amazing terrain in India, Leh Ladakh.

Joining a group tour turned out to be such a super idea; I ended up clicking some goosebump moments. Especially whenever the whole convoy of 17 cars was visible as a trail on the curvy roads! The priceless shots turned out to be as inspiring as the sojourners in this group.

It wasn’t the first time I was travelling in a group for some trek or self-drive journey; but it definitely was the first time when I saw such organized efforts and yes, more families than just boyish crowd! Boy, what fun these women and kids had on the tour!!

The day we were supposed to camp at Pangong Tso, 20th June, was the one I was eagerly waiting for. The lake is a haven for photography-lovers. All possible shaded of blue and sheer sunlight during the day – no wonder, one never gets tired of clicking it. Pangong Tso also poses majestically for everyone. Icing on the cake was, we had planned to spend the night at Martsemik Camp, just 50 meters away from Pangong Lake. Yes, I was looking forward to shoot the lazy Pangong Tso in splendid morning sunrise time. All said and done, I did my best photo shoot here!

Even though every picture turned out breathtaking; I am still partial to the one where I took a Wide Angle shot of every single vehicle in our convoy standing tall in front of the larger-than-life Pangong Tso. The shot turned out to be more amazing than I could visualize!

As a photographer, this was indeed the most enriching tours of my life. As a person, I feel the Go Boundless Himalayan Drive rejuvenated me. Thank You Vaneeta for being so committed to our safety and fun. Looking forward to more such trips!

And now three secret Tip for budding photographers for Pangong Tso shoot -

1. Always shoot with the manual mode and adjust the shutter speed & aperture as per the light conditions available. With digital SLRs, it is has now become much easier to change the settings and get brilliant images.

2. Amateur photographers/tourists carrying a DSLR should always carry a tripod with them. Mounting the camera on the tripod will let you work with ease and there would be no shake in the image as well.

3. Always shoot at the widest angle of the lens. And finding a good open slave is not that difficult. Find a spot, set up the camera on the tripod and keep shooting.

Leh vs Spiti – where will you head to?

Chandra Taal of Spiti valley - what a sight to behold!

If you are one person who thinks all mountains are same, the article is not definitely meant for you! But in case you are a gypsy-soul and feel that no two roads are alike, take a quick look and tell us which one excites you more. We look forward to hearing from every single travel-enthusiast in the group.

1.      From Touristy point of view – Leh and Spiti, both may appear similar in their geography and physics; they offer an altogether diverse kind of touristy. Leh is well-connected and even has an airport of its own. With so many flights landing up in Leh every day, it is now the Number One summer destination in India. Spiti on the other hand is still so very virgin. It is like a calm and peaceful place even in peak of summers when only high-adrenalin people come here seeking natural bliss.

Even the highest Motorable road in Leh is so approachable!

2.      Toughness Quotient – Leh is tough; we all agree and some of us have even experienced it. But Spiti is tougher especially because its roads aren’t as good as you may find in Leh-Ladakh region. So doing Spiti will be another feather in the crown of self-drive lovers who can’t forget their self-drive to Leh.

Untouched beauty of Spiti

3.      Pangong Tso vs Chandra Taal – If you thought Pangong Tso is the ultimate destination; wait till you see Chandra Taal lake! The point is you cannot decide which one is more beautiful. And lucky are those, who have seen the both.

And hat's Pangong Tso :) Priceless shot of Go Boundless Convoy!

4.      Food – This is one reason you must do Spiti trip after doing Leh. If Leh amazed you with its Tibetan and inter-cultural kind of food, Spiti will bowl you over with its unconventional food ranging from Yak meat to altogether different kind of Thukpas!

5.      Monasteries as well as Mummy – You will cherish visiting some of the best Monasteries in Leh-Ladakh region; Spiti also has some famous Buddhist monasteries like the Ki Monastery. And along with that, you can also see a 500-year old Mummy preserved in the Giu Village of Spiti Valley.

Ki Monastery in Spiti

Moral of the story is both the places have an incredible charm of their own. Doing one is not enough; you have to do the both for the love of mountains and adventure. Go Boundless organizes group self-drive trips to both destinations. We have seen our group members falling in love with both destinations hopelessly!

However, we still look forward to your vote in our Comment section – which one excites you more – Leh or Spiti? 

For the love of Snow, Let’s Go - Go Boundless-Snow Drive #5

White blanket of snow calls driving enthusiasts, join us if you are the one! The fifth edition of Snow Drive with Go Boundless is scheduled from 23rd-25th Jan 2016 amidst the snow-clad hills and roads of Narkanda, Thanedar and Jalori Pass. And interestingly, the Snow Drive group tour is meant for families as well; even the previous editions had families with kids who enjoyed the Group Snow Drive to the max!

The itinerary involves leaving Chandigarh at 6.00 am in a convoy!

Now can you imagine the fun? If you can’t, just take a look at the previous years’ pictures. Breathtakingly beautiful and amazingly awesome! This is what ‘Being Cool’ really means. Worth mentioning is the fact that convoy will have a lead car in the front and sweep car at the end.  Breakfast halt, Bio breaks and photography sessions will happen on the way. You will experience some unknown detours this day. And a special off-roading track. We are sure that this excites every proud owner of a 4X4!

The first night will be sleepless for many of us; simply because the excitement and happiness will know no bounds. The night is all yours to share some good adventure stories with barbecue, cocktails, kababs and dinner.

We move towards the Jalori Pass on second day. The very word ‘Jalori’ gives a chilling effect to many! It is unimaginable to do the pass in winters. Some of the most thrilling icy trails await you. But with Go Boundless’ expert head Vaneeta Kang leading from the front; this is going to be a memorable drive for everyone. The convoy will be back to the Resort by the sunset for one more joyful and celebratory night by the bonfire with tempting food and drinks Menu.

The third day will be a lazy relaxing day. Selfie-lovers can enjoy getting clicked with their SUVs amid beautiful scenery. And one thing is sure – none of you would want to come back. That’s what some journeys do – they make us fall in love with the passion for moving!

Icing on the cake is – the entire trip costs just Rs. 14000/- per person on twin sharing basis for 2 nights. For Children aged 4-12 years, the cost is Rs 2000/ per head and above for 12 years, it is Rs 3500/-. Children below 4 years travel with us absolutely free! When Go Boundless organizes Group Tours, you can expect the best of facilities and safety for every single member!

To know more details of the same, kindly send a test mail at boundlessgo@gmail.com. But before that, don’t forget to Google about Jalori Pass; you may be excited to the core to know that it stands at an elevation of 10,800 ft (3.120m) above the sea level in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. What a rare feat it is to snow-drive on the roads of Jalori Pass; so are you coming?

Are you ready for a Once-in-a-lifetime Trek?

If you are a true travel freak, we invite you for this challenge!

Just close your eyes for two minutes and imagine pale and deep brown Himalayan Mountains all around. Its winter time and a whitewashed Leh-Ladakh welcomes you. You are shivering in spite of wearing the warmest and most suitable clothing. Deep within, you realize that you aren’t shivering with cold; it’s a different kind of chill that is giving you an adrenalin rush as well.  You must have seen and experienced snow-covered mountains and the frozen landscape but something is different this time. What is it that is giving you sheer joy for being in this location at this time of the year? It is the pride and privilege of doing the most exciting treks - The Chadar trek which connects the villages in the Zanskar valley with Chilling along the frozen Zanskar River.

Well, how many of you can actually imagine the Goosebumps of doing the Chadar Trek? If you can, you have already won the challenge and the most suitable person to join #GoBoundless Chadar Trek this January and February. And if you aren’t good with your visualization, we invite you to be a part of #GoBoundless Group on Facebook and see for yourself how people go crazily ecstatic while trekking Leh-Ladakh in extreme winters. If you are reading this blog, we are sure some day down the lane, you would want to do the Trek yourself!

Before you get over-enthusiastic and throw us questions on the whats, whys and hows of Leh-Ladakh Chadar Trek, let us first tell you it’s not going to be a red carpet walk! The frozen Zanskar has many steep canyons and you might need to garner all your strength as you will be carrying a backpack loaded with utilities. Are you ready for the challenge? Great!

Go Boundless has been organizing successful group trips to Leh-Ladakh, Spiti Valley, Desert Safari and Himachal Pradesh’s virgin destinations. So you will not be the only one brave out there in a large group; interestingly a lot many women campers and trekkers have been associated with such challenging treks. The lead person of Go Boundless being a sporty woman who has to her credit many awards and victories in Safaris and Mountain Expeditions, Vaneeta Kang leaves no stone unturned to make sure that the group trips of Go Boundless leave people with boundless happiness and spirit.

Check out all these words and take a look at what pictures say. https://www.facebook.com/bounds/photos_stream?ref=page_internal

Click and see how every sojourner ended up touching the boundless horizons of Nature by associating with Go Boundless. 

5 reasons to drive down boundless Deep Desert this winter

Planning your December holidays? May we suggest you to take a trip to Rajasthan and its majestic Thar Desert! Add to it the fun of self-driving. And if you are still not so excited, here are top 5 reasons to go for this Boundless Deep Desert trip in your 4X4 or by being a part of the group –

1.      Indian Desert Safari is a must for travel-enthusiasts – Forget Dubai; Indian Desert is far more enchanting and colourful. Rajasthan trip is a must for travel enthusiasts as this is the state where you can experience contrasts – pale beautiful sand and bright colourful clothes. For people who think Jaipur and Udaipur are the only popular destinations in Rajasthan, they are in for a surprise when they take Delhi-Mandawa-Phalodi-Jaisalmer-Bikaner road trip with Go Boundless.

2.      Winters is the best time to explore Indian Desert – The heart-warming experience of Rajasthan and Indian desert is the perfect escape from freezing cold of northern plains. The aura and climate of the entire desert is so very different in winters. Moreover, style conscious travelers can flaunt their smart sweatshirts and Jackets without shivering!

3.      The challenge of Offroading in Desert – It’s not just mountains alone that provide an opportunity to driving lovers for offroading and challenge driving. Indian Desert safari is equally challenging when you venture out to self-drive. You will definitely find offroading amidst sand dunes an unforgettable experience. And if you are not so keen to self-drive, at least you can relish the long caravan of 4X4s driving like a trail in this majestic land.

4.      Group tours are so much fun – Get out of Facebook and Instagram; it’s time to socialize with new people offline and in real manner. Group tours indeed turn out to be the best way of travelling as one gets the chance to meet new people and spend time in a more productive manner. It’s like back to school days when group tours used to be the best part of our life!

5.      It doesn’t cost you a fortune – Budget! Yes Group tours organized by Go Boundless are very economical. This time again, their Go Boundless Deep Desert tour in December is brining the economy advantage for budget travelers. You can plan the trip with your entire family at half the price of any regular vacation. To know more about price and package, kindly send a mail at journeysboundless@gmail.com

In case you are really interested, you may not need all these reasons. Because for travel enthusiasts, the pleasure of travelling is the biggest happiness! Let’s Go Boundless in deep desert with this special tour!