Upper Dah Homestay-Aryan Valley

Upper Dah Homestay – Aryan Valley

Dah, situated at a distance of around 180kms from Leh, is one of the last Aryan villages. The local inhabitants are famous for their distinct and sharp looks with some of them having blue eyes. According to the legends, the natives consider themselves to be the descendants of Alexander’s army and thus have pure Aryan blood but this is a claim contested by many. It is also believed by many that the natives have originally migrated from Pakistan and trace their ancestry from there. The village is very close to the Indo-Pak border and was severely affected during the 1999 Kargil War.

They have a unique and quite different culture from other Ladakhi people, having their own distinct festivals, their own gods and their own language called ‘Dardi’. A festival called Bono Na is celebrated once in every three years around the month of September in Aryan villages. One year it is celebrated in Dah, second year in another Aryan village, Hanu and third year they leave it for the Aryans of Pakistan. 

It is a newly constructed house located in the upper region of Dah. Unlike other houses in the village, it has a good mobile network. It was Nima’s dream to run a homestay with all the modern amenities and facilities in a village that is cut off from the mainstream. The house has 5 double bed rooms and one large common area specially designed so that the guests can have plenty of space to interact with each other. There is a decent amount of space in the lobby where Nima has planned to organize traditional Aryan dance or cultural performances for the guests.

Location: 200 mtr from the Indus river.
No of Rooms: 5; Total Capacity: 15

Tariff

Per person: 1050/-
Includes: Breakfast and Dinner

Note: These tariffs do not apply during festivals and holidays

Child Policy
Upto 6 years: Complimentary (no extra mattress)
7-12 years : 50% (with extra mattress)

Note: What you pay for a homestay, brings a direct socio-economic benefit to locals. Be proud by not asking for a discount.

Facilities

Organic Food • Western Toilet (common) • Hot Water in Bucket

Food

Nima himself takes care of the kitchen. He can cook almost all the dishes ranging from local Ladakhi cuisines to many other Indian dishes. All the food prepared is 100% organic and fresh from farms. Nima is also planning to hire a permanent cook to expand the food menu for the guests.

Activities

Hiking • Farming • Village Walk 

Points of interest

Angels Temple • Upper Dah Area • Batalik • Garkhon and Darchik Villages

Excursions

Kargil (71km) • Lamayuru (74km) • Alchi (130km) • Suru Valley (18km) • Leh (188km) 

Know Your Host

Nima is a modest young man who is proudly connected to his roots. He has a graduation degree and could have got a job anywhere. But he decided to come back to his village and help his parents in farming and other activities. He also runs a little shop in the village. He loves hosting and interacting with travellers and the same love led him to start this homestay.

You may like to check more Homestays in Ladakh