Our menu incorporates produce from Dolkhar's kitchen garden and local, ethical, sustainable producers to showcase a cuisine built on immense respect for nature and seasonality.
Our chef, after spending ample time in Ladakh eating with the locals of the region and following narratives of lost ingredients, has curated a very special tasting menu as a eulogy to his travels by giving local ingredients center stage.
Our Chef's tasting menu consists of 7 courses:

Amuse bouche | Soup | Pre entree | Entree | Palate cleanser | Main | Dessert

The Changthang plateau in Ladakh is a vibrant landscape of nomadic tribes, their livestock, and this incredible self sufficient way of life. The plateau is also is home to beautiful, refined textile Craft in sheep wool, pashmina and yak wool. The Craft is also practiced by the women from changthang that have migrated to Khanakling (a village 2 kms from leh) and found solace and connection to their home by spinning, weaving and knitting local fibers.
Here, at Dolkhar, depending on the time you have we can either organise for you, a trip to meet the women of kharnakling- torchbearers of Craft preservation, or we can take you to where the magic really began, to the stunning Changthang plateau (~ a 10 hour drive from Leh).

Ajang Tsepal and his son Rigzin le from Likir- a village fifty kilometers from Leh, are the last traditional potters of Ladakh. With them lies the key to eons of knowledge that had migrated from across the border. The father son duo are cognisant of the importance of passing on their Craft and in collaboration with Dolkhar and Hatti, have been working towards promoting and preserving this Craft. At Dolkhar, you can either immerse yourself in a pottery workshop by Ajang Tsepel and Rigzin le on the property itself or take that trip to likir and see both the amazing likir monastery, the village by the mountain and the entire pottery process as it happens from making the clay to firing. Hatti is a social enterprise also co-founded by Rigzin Lachic (Founder, Dolkhar) that works towards Craft revival.

Folklore has it that the metal artisans of Chilling and Sumdha were brought here from Nepal to build a statue for a monastery. On seeing the beauty, skill and magnificence demonstrated by the work of these artisans, the king of that time gave them a large piece of land to inhabit and pronounced them residents of Ladakh. It is interesting that even today there is mostly only one region that practices this Craft and the metals used- copper, brass and silver are all sourced from outside of Ladakh. At Dolkhar, local Craft and culture play a crucial role in creating its identity and we extend our connection to Craft with you through these experiences. Depending on the time our guests have and depending on how deeply they want to explore the Craft, we can organise a day trip to Chilling or a short trek to Sumdha, a village of metal workers.

Spring in Ladakh marks the beginning of life in nature and A sluggish shift, a sprawling yawn- the valleys of Ladakh begin to shed their coarse, brown winter skin as the landscape awakens to the season of spring. Trees resurrect, slowly shaking off a deep hibernation and gathering colour on their tips. The air is adrift with birdsong and the smell of a blossom building up, as the changing textures begin undulating through the defrosting Ladakhi terrain. Join us as we follow the swift unravelling of spring, chasing its tail from Buddhist Ladakh into the heart of Islamic Ladakh as it entwines through different stages, in different villages. We journey through spring in its various cultural contexts, walking through a parasol of apricot orchards, camping under their umbrellas, whilst wafting in the tepid and sweet smell of apricot blossom on a spring Ladakhi night. Along the trail, we visit a museum of memories, create some of our own and relish some simple yet sumptuous local food. It is a journey through a season, of a season- as we witness the colours and complexities of spring in its intimate transition from budding, flowering to fruit forming, we also witness the simple yet profound beauty of life.

Legend has it that a Pashmina shawl traveled from Kashmir to Iran, reaching the hands of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during his campaign in Egypt. He gifted this to his wife, Empress Josephine who took a great liking to this delicate warm fabric, that she soon owned, over 400 pashmina shawls at a cost of over 20000 gold francs. The Pashmina Shawl appeared in a French fashion magazine in the 1790s and was by now a fashion icon in Paris and soon to be the prized possession of the ladies of high society in Europe. Kings, adventurers, explorers alike had to ensure that on return home, the gift of love was wrapped neatly and on open, a Pashmina shawl was inside. Nothing less could do. Well before Europe discovered Pashmina, the Mughal courts already flaunted it. It has been an important commodity in the Caravans on the Silk Roads and was known as “Soft Gold”. Wars have been fought and treaties signed to claim and control the pashmina trade routes. It still remains the most coveted fabric in the world and has its origins on the high Tibetan plateau, locally called Changthang. Today known as Cashmere world over, the purest Pashm comes from the Changra goat that grazes at an average altitude of 4000 m and above, in sub arctic winters. Our journey unravels the layers of this cultural fabric from Pash to Shawl.

Known as Zbayul in the olden days, Henasku is a hidden village along the Leh-Kargil highway steeped in history and heritage. Explore the ancient fort ruins and the Lhonpo house and experience living in a local Ladakhi home (this could either be a day or overnight trip).

A hike to a high altitude glacial lake through a scenic trail of alpine plants and flowers. Situated at 4600 meters, Sapi is the highest settlement in Kargil region and home to a wide variety of herbal and medicinal plants. It makes for a perfect hiking trail in summer when the flowers are in full bloom as you hike to the Gangchenmo glacier which feeds the Sapi lake (2 days trip).

Witness the rare Himalayan Brown Bears in the second coldest inhabited place in the world. Our lodge is arguably the best location in Western Ladakh for sighting these magnificent mammals in Ladakh. Along with Tibetan Wolf, Himalayan Red Fox, Long tail marmot, Asiatic Ibex, Ladakh Urial and even the elusive Snow Leopard. Drass is also a haven for birding as it is home to a variety of warblers, finches and raptors.