Featuring sustainable cottages, organic dining, and tailor-made excursions, The Kyagar wants you to experience Ladakh in its pure rustic form.
Sprawling on an ancient land that falls along what was once the Silk Route in Nubra Valley, The Kyagar sits pretty like a postcard-perfect dream on the banks of the Siachen River. The spanking new boutique hotel is owner Rinchen Kalon’s brainchild. Kalon, along with her husband Stanzin Gurmet, took inspiration from her father who had set up one of the region’s first hotels in the ‘70s.
The property’s remote location in Sumur village is where the region’s first Bactrian camels were brought from Xinjiang (then Yarkand) in China. Arrive here when you have an unplugged getaway on your mind. Immerse in the tranquillity offered by the Himalayas as you experience bespoke luxury at its best.
The 16-key boutique resort, including eight cottages, features rooms with separate lounge areas, spacious en-suite bathrooms, glass ceilings, and a private sit-out that opens to breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains. Finished with a mix of fuller’s earth and red clay and woven carpets from Basgo village in Leh, the rooms have a rustic charm to them. Solar panels, locally-sourced ingredients for meals, and reusable bottles in every room ensure a light footprint and zero-waste living.
Wake up to birdsong every morning, thanks to resident birds like finches, warblers, serins, and more. Enjoy breakfast spread of local khambir sourdough bread, butter tea, spicy pork fry, mutton momos, and more. The hotel’s organic kitchen also serves a wide range of regional Indian, European, and Asian dishes. Stroll along pathways lined with sea buckthorn and rosehip bushes, walk through the village to meet the locals, and feast on the gorgeous views of the rugged moonscape packed with shimmering waters and glacier-fled valleys.
If at all you manage to step out of the comforts of your cosy room, explore the nearby historical sites, including the 140-year-old Samstanling Gompa, Ensa Gompa, and Murgi Tokpo with petroglyphs dating back as long back as the Bronze Age. After day-long excursions, spend your nights gazing at the endless star-lit skies and mammoth mountains casting shadows on cool sand dunes.
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