In this first article of the series – Preferred Hotels or Accommodation options in Leh – Ladakh, I am enlisting down some of the preferred places to stay in Leh – Ladakh which are cheap and very economic. If you are looking for a decent, clean and comfortable but cheap or very economic options of stay in Leh – Ladakh then you can refer the list of below guest houses or hotels compiled after reading various resources/reviews of many people over Internet mainly reading IndiaMike and BCMT forums (of course, I cannot stay in all of them :lol:).
Most of these places are ideal to stay even for long time, say months and people indeed have stayed for months in many of them. However, if you are looking for an exceptional in-room service, finest linen, satellite TVs, Internet facilities etc. in a hotel and that too for a price range of Rs 200 – 500 then you must be kidding me, am I right ;)… Well, you may find one or two such services too in the below guest houses but no certainty.
![How to tackle water-crossings on Ladakh Bike Trip / Spiti Valley Bike Trip? [20 Important Tips]](https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/yt_vid_thumbs/ladakh/82.png)
LAST UPDATED: 9th Feb 2015
The article has been updated to match the current prices of most of these hotels or campsites or homestays for the year 2015.
You can check the location of these guest houses which are near by each other at the wikimapia link here.
Cheap Budget Hotels or Accommodation options in Leh, Ladakh
- Atisha Guesthouse
Highly Recommended by many, very clean, spacious, hot water till 2 PM. Rooms at 2nd floor are spacious while first floor rooms are small and dark but cheaper. Most rooms with attached bath.- Price Range: Rs 400 – 500 for single bedroom, Rs 700 – 1000 for double bedroom w/w/o attached baths
- Contact: Sh. Tsering Dawa – 09906992187
- Location: Farka, Leh / Malpak, Leh / in a small lane near Fort Road
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Greenland Hotel
Recommended – Lovely garden, clean place, tasty food, filtered water to refill, hot water heated through solar between 10 and 5 in evening (or else heated separately in a bucket). Traditional Ladakhi compost toilet. Both Main Market and Changspa road are very near to it.- Price Range: Rs 400 – 500 for single bedroom, Rs 700 – 1000 for double bedroom
- Contact: 01982–253156
- Location: Changspa Road, Leh / Right Across Asia Guesthouse
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Hotel Padmaling
Very much Recommended in this price range. Nice, large clean rooms with large clean attached bathrooms. Hot water available in morning. Good parking space. have attached bathrooms but without TV.- Price Range: Rs 700 – 1000 for double bedroom
- Contact: Smt Tsering Angmo – 01982-252933
- Location: Karzoo, Leh / Near Changspa Road, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Ashoka Guest house
Very much Recommended. Clean, good stay, well maintained, a bit inside and no food only tea is available. Close to Leh main market. Hot water is available.- Price Range: Rs 800 – 1200 for a double bedroom, Rs 600 – 800 for a single room
- Contact: +91-1982–252725 / +91-9622976331
- Location: Tukcha Road, Leh / Off Fort Road
- Category: Economic / Moderate / Home Stay
- Julay Guesthouse
Nice, clean and good accommodation with little garden.- Price Range: Rs 400 – 500 for single bedroom, Rs 600 – 900 for double bedroom
- Contact: Sh. G.M. Sheikh – 01982–251163
- Location: Farka, Leh / Malpak, Leh / in a small lane near Fort Road
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Seven Seas Guesthouse
Nice, clean and good accommodation with big, nice garden.- Price Range: Rs 600 – 900 for double bedroom
- Contact: 01982–252830
- Location: Farka, Leh / Malpak Zangsti / in a small lane near Fort Road
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Irfan Guest House
Very nice, decent and clean. Good place to stay at this price range.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 800 for double bedroom
- Contact: ??????
- Location: Farka, Leh / Malpak Leh / Off Fort Road
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Dolma Guest House
Fine, clean small rooms and good garden BUT bucket shower.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 800 for double bedroom
- Contact: Smt. Tsewang Dolma – 01982-253311
- Location: Malpak / Off Fort Road, Leh / Next to Bimla Guest House
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Malpak Guest House
Decent, Clean and OK to stay.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 800 for double bedroom, Rs 400 – 500 for single bedroom
- Contact: Sh. Sonam Norbu – 01982-253426
- Location: Malpak, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Hotel Bimla
Hot water, decent and OK to stay BUT NOT better in comparison to other nearby Guest Houses in similar price range.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 800 for double bedroom
- Contact: Sh. Nathania Batapa – 01982-252754
- Location: Farka, Leh / Off Fort Road / On the alley just across from Hotel Tso Kar
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Indus Guest House, Ti-Sei Guest House, Dhelex Guest House
All these are hotels are near by each other and offer similar range of prices. Quite cheap but you should check them before check-in especially Indus Guest House as it do not have much positive reviews about cleanliness. So, keep it a last resort.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 800 for double bedroom
- Contact: Sh. Sonam – 01982-252502 (Indus), Smt. Tsewang – 01982-252404 (Ti-Sei)
- Location: Farka, Leh / Malpak, Leh / Off Fort Road
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Semnet Guest House
Home stay type, good place to stay. There are two rooms with attached bath and two more with shared bath. Room Rates in the range of 500-600. No parking, so it should be done on main road.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 600 for double bedroom
- Contact: Mr. Dorje – ??????
- Location: Old Leh Road, Leh / Shenam, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic / Home Stay
- Hotel Khayul
Good parking space, decent rooms with running hot and cold water.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 600 for double bedroom
- Contact: Mr. Basheer Ahmed – 01982-252321
- Location: Old Leh Road, Leh / Chulung, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Galwan Guest House
Very nice and clean. Good food, hot water available and lot of greenery around.- Price Range: Rs 500 – 800 for double bedroom
- Contact: ??????
- Location: Shanti Stupa Road, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Palace View Guest House
Comfortable beds, small garden, 24 hrs hot and cold water but in buckets. Parking space available for night only.- Price Range: Rs 600 – 900 for double bedroom
- Contact: 01982 – 252959
- Location: Near Polo Ground, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic
- Dreamland Guest House
Very basic but VFM.- Price Range: Rs 600 – 900 for double bedroom
- Contact: Smt. Jamila Didi – 01982-252089
- Location:Fort road, Leh
- Category: Cheap / Economic
Conclusion
I hope you find the above list of cheap or economic hotels or accommodation options useful for your upcoming Leh – Ladakh trip. If you happen to know any updated contact numbers or missing contact numbers of these hotels or any other nice, cheap option of stay in or around Leh town, kindly leave a comment as it will be helpful to others as well. If you have ever stayed at any of these hotels, please share your experience with us too. In the end, again these hotels or guest houses are not for people who are looking for luxury and ultra comfort and in case may be not even suitable for family as well. However, for bachelors or backpackers or others who want cheap/economic options of stay for longer duration in around Leh Ladakh, these hotels may be worth to look out 🙂 …
588 Comments
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Hi Dheeraj,
I am following our blog at last 2 years. Without your help, I am not able to think about Ladakh. As last i am able to arrange a Leh Ladak Trip for first time in my life. Please kindly go through my itinerary.
My itinerary are given below-
26-08-2017 –Dehi-Srinagar
27-08-2017 –Local Sight Seeing Srinagar
28-08-2017 –Srinagar-Kargil (Bus or Taxi?)
29-08-2017 –Kargil -Leh(Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes)
30-08-2017 –Leh(Rest & roaming)
31-08-2017 –Leh(Local Sight Seeing)
01-09-2017 –Leh – Nubra Vally(Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder)
02-09-2017 –Nubra to Pangoan (Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik-Waria-Pangoan Lake)
03-09-2017 –Pangoan-Leh ( Pangong Tso Lake-Hemis Monastery,Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace)
04-09-2017 –Leh Rest/Buffer
05-09-2017 –Leh to Delhi
Could you please kindly provide your valuable suggestions/Clarification regarding my quires?
1. My itinerary is OK or not?If not please suggest required modification?
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2.As per current situation in Kashmir, is it good to stay two night at Srinagar?
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3.Which will be the best secured way to get in Leh via Srinagar? Private taxi or BUS?
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4. Should i take bus upto kargil then private taxi to lah? Is there plenty of taxi option available from kargil?
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5.Am i able to book hotel on spot (Hunder,Pangoan Lake)?
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6.Should i get some divers name for Srinagar to Leh Route?
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7.With in 3 days 2 night Am i able to cover Nubra,Hunder,panamik,Pangoan,Hemis,Thicksey,Shey ?
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8.Kargil-Leh Am i able to cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar LandscapesGurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu?
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9. Which area is best to stay in Leh in term of Budget ? I heard the name of chanspa Road.Is it good?
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10. According to my Itinerary, Is there any change of High Altitude sickness?
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Your assistance herein is greatly appreciated. Please keep on such good initiative. I am very thankful to you.
Your blog help me to dream about ladakh. I am quiet weak in English Writing. I apologize if there is any mistake.
Kind regards,
Anirban Biswas
1. Your plan is OK but you can do is two day trip to Nubra Valley and two day trip to Pangong Tso to ease out the trips and get shared cabs easily as tourist shared cabs.
2. Most people reported it is fine but every day it changes. A know car was stone pelted yesterday and broke their wind shield. Posted the updates in Srinagar – Leh status thread: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/road-status-conditions/srinagar-leh-highway-status-2017-2018-t5264-220.html
3. Reading the above, will suggest to avoid Srinagar
4. Taxi will not be an issue at Kargil, you will get plenty 5. If you OK with basic home stays and guest houses, you will find them on the spot
6. Keep them as handy in case required.
7. Like suggested, best is two make two 2-day trips to Nubra and Pangong tso each.
8. You will cover these places in private taxi only
9. Changspa road, upper tuckcha road are good to stay
10. The plan looks good in terms of AMS too.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thanks a lot for your valuable feedback..
Please help me regarding a question.
If I take a taxi to Sonmarg from Srinagar airport to avoid srinagar is it a good idea?
From Sonmarg, Leh Taxis are available or not?
Thanks,
Anirban Biswas
Well, it seems a good idea but it may be a bit costly. Best will be to ask the Ladakhi driver to pick you up or at least a Kargil based driver to pick you up outside the airport. Sonamarg to Kargil – Leh taxis will not be available.
You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the more comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
direct rout form nubra to pamgong is closed now. one need to come back to leh and then move to pangong. i just faced that on 8th aug
Thank you Somnath, yes, still nothing has changed. The routes are closed.
Hi Anirban,
I am travelling to Leh oh similar dates. I will be reaching Leh from Mumbai by 28 Sep and plan to being there until 5th Oct. From Leh I plan to visit Spiti. I am looking for a travel partner for either of my trips.
Do let me know if you are travelling alone and would like to Dutch the cost. You may contact me on pranavrparekh@gmail.com.
Regards,
Pranav Parekh
Mr.Dheeraj Sharma,
if i come leh without any guesthouse or hotel booking. its ok .on arrival i may find affordable stay in leh.plz do some guide me .
Ashok, if you are not particular and too much fussy about place to stay and OK with home stays as well, you will be able to find places to stay in Ladakh on the spot as well.
Hi Dheeraj
Me and my friends are reaching to Leh ladak on 20th July morning till 28th July
Needed to know where can I rent bikes and a good yet economical accommodation.
Also guide me with taxi agency for travel from Leh to Srinagar , how much would taxi cost ?
Hi Ruchita,
For Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental, please read: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2017-18
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2017 – 18 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more. You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the more comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
Hi Dheeraj,
Regarding your remarks in the last of this article In the end, “again these hotels or guest houses are not for people who are looking for luxury and ultra comfort and in case may be not even suitable for family as well.”
Now,
1. i am travelling with my wife – which hotel you can suggest near Leh airoport, budget 2500-3000/-
2. Will those hotel people give any contact for booking bike ride. ?
Thanks in Advance,
Regards,
Arjun Dhawan
Hi Arjun,
Read the article on moderate budget hotels linked in the article above. You should be fine with most of them in that budget. Yes, they will be able to get bike rental info. Also, if you are looking for competitive and customized Ladakh tour and packages, you can connect with info@offbeatescapes.com as most of the readers in the past couple of years have had very good feedback about them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to Gaurav, the guy who runs it. He knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer him the DwD Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot of this reply here.
Hi Dheeraj,
Could you please tell me that, do PWD guesthouse is there in LEH, if its there can you please tell me the contact number for the booking inquiries.
Sorry Nitin, there might be but I am not aware of it. Why to stay at PWD Rest House when in Leh you can get affordable places to stay with warmth of hospitality in home stays from Ladakhi people.
Hi Dheeraj,
Is August considered a peak season? Because I am in Leh from Aug 9- 18 and I have not yet booked any accommodation as I will be doing a bike trip ( Most common itinerary by air). Even though I have my itinerary, I am still thinking If I can directly book for accommodation when i reach there, because my itinerary might change die to unseen circumstances. What would you recommend? Thank you
Ranga
Hi Ranga,
From June to September, it is the only season of Ladakh. However, in the whole season as well, if you are OK with some basic accommodation or home stay type of stay, OK to search a bit here and there, you should not have any issues at all.
Hi
Thanks for the detailed list of hotels. However we as a couple planning to have a good trip and leisurely visit..
I was seeing oriental guesthouse which is affordable for us based on the tariffs given in their website.. may I know the feedback for this hotel as I prefer central heating system especially
Oriental Guest House is good place to stay and so as Panaroma Hotel next to it.
Hai Dheeraj,
Am actually planning to stay put in Leh/ Ladakh for a month. If you could please suggest me some place to stay, some budget home stays .
Hey Vishnu,
I will highly recommend Greenland homestay at Changspa road for such a stay where you will live a home stay and stay close up at Changspa road for any food and lively environment.
hi dheeraj,
we r planning to visit leh ladakh on 27/05/2017 to 01/06/2017.So kindly suggest me budget hotels(with contact details) under 1k. in leh, nubra and pangong.,our check in 27/05/2017 in morning and check out date is 2/6/17 in morning.
If possible kindly suggest which place we visit accordingly our tour program.
Aniket, the series article above list down all the cheap and budget accommodations in Ladakh which I know about.
Hello Dheeraj bhai !
Nice initiative. Marvellous ‘
Plz assist me. I hav plans travelling alone Himalayas in June 2017 1st week. I hav enough and plenty of time. I wil be landing in srinagar. I wanna see Leh, Kargil / LOC, Pangong Tso, khardung la, bike ride on Leh- manali highway till manali. This is my first ever visit to north india/Himalayas. Plz help me put a route plan so that I can go thru with less hurdles.
Will I get bike for rent in leh ? Plz do share if u guys have any reliable contacts.
What would be the rough cost of bike rent and trip wit budgeted stay and food?
How many days wil it take for me to cover al these palces ?
Which places can I halt/ stay in budgeted lodges/ rooms on leh-manali highway to avoid AMS ?
Is there any chance I can visit Line of Control 🙂 ! ?
Much thanks
Deep !
Hello Deep,
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh. You can use it from Srinagar onward and finish the journey in Manali.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
You can check out Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2017-18 and other tips mentioned in the article for renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh. For doubts related to budget for Leh – Ladakh trip, I am sure the link below will help you alot for getting an idea of overall budget:
How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Also, check the article: 5 Tips for a Budget Trip to Ladakh
Thank you Dheeraj !
Is there any chance I can visit LOC ?
How far it is from Kargil ?
You can go over to Batalik and from there onward, it depends upon army if they allow you to visit further. In Ladakh, you can go over to Turtuk and from there further to Tyakshi village where you can be close to LOC
How far is it from Batalik ? Are there any fuel stations nearby ?
Do I need any permit to go there ? Any accommodations if its too far to reach as I wil be travelling alone by bike, is there any risk associated with it ?
Deep, Batalik needs a permit to visit and is available from DC office in Kargil. Tyakshi village does not need permit. There are no fuel pumps and for fuel availability in Ladakh please refer: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
Nearest accomodation for Batalik is Kargil and for tyakshi is Turtuk village. Both can be done easily as day tours from these places.
In both Batalik and tykshi Are there any fuel stations nearby ?
Do I need any permit to go there ? Any accommodations if its too far to reach as I wil be travelling alone by bike, is there any risk associated with it ?
Deep, Batalik needs a permit to visit and is available from DC office in Kargil. Tyakshi village does not need permit. There are no fuel pumps and for fuel availability in Ladakh please refer: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
Nearest accomodation for Batalik is Kargil and for tyakshi is Turtuk village. Both can be done easily as day tours from these places.
Hi Dheeraj
Is there any accommodation available in Dha HANU valley? Please help with numbers. We plan to make documtary on Aryan valley and Aryan. .
Well, there are home stays only that I know about. You may try to call one listed as SHERIMO LHAMO 01982 – 252838.
Hi
The number you provided for the home stay seems to be wrong or out of service. Following is my itinerary suggest me some from your side
Day: Delhi-Leh
Day1: leh-dhahanu
Day2: dha hanu
Day3: dha hanu- leh
Day4: leh-pangong
Day5:pangong – leh
Day6: leh-delhi
That’s sad to hear, don’t have any other number for it as it was mentioned only in the published copy of list of home stays. Plan seems OK to me, in case you not feel well or its too cold, better to stay at Tangtse about 34 KMs before Pangong Tso.
Hi Dheeraj,
I along with my family is planing for a trip to Leh- Ladakh via Manali and return to Srinagar via Kargil and Drass.
We are planing to go in the second week of October(7 – 14). Would it be as feasible time as my parents are senior citizens.
I will highly not recommend to travel that late in the season and that too with your parents who are senior citizen. The season closes by end of September and well, though now roads don’t close in October but most stay options on Manali – Leh Highway wind up. It gets pretty damn cold. Best is to make a visit in June – mid September period.
Thanks for the quick response…
I make the travel plan earlier
Regards
Pradipta
Cool, best wishes for your trip. Feel free to post any questions you may further have for your Ladakh trip.
Hi Dheeraj,
Following is our updated plan:
Fri 25th August 2017
—————————
Kolkata to delhi via Rajadhani
Sat 26th August 2017
———————-
Morning Delhi Reached
Evening delhi to manali via bus
Sun 27th August 2017
———————–
Manali reached morning
Mon 28th August 2017
———————–
MOrning Start to Leh from Manali
Night Stay at Lipsa/Sarchu
Tues 29th August 2017
————————–
Reached Leh by noon/evening
Wed 30th August 2017
———————–
Leh Local Sightseeing
Thu 31st August 2017
————————-
Leh to Pangong lake to Leh
Fri 1st Sept 2017
————————–
leh to Numbra valley via kardungla pass. night stay at numbra valley
Sat 2nd Sept 2017
————————–
Back to Leh
Sun 3rd Sept 2017
————————–
After Breakfast Leh to Kragil/drass. Night Stay at drass
Mon 4th Sept 2017
—————————
Kargil/Drass to Srinagar
Tue 5th Sept 2017
—————————-
Srinagar city to aiport. Evening flight to kolkata via delhi
We are planning to take temp travellor from manali to srinagar airport.
Requesting you to provide us with your updated reveiws/suggestions.
Moreover if you can provide us with itenaries(hotels & transport).
We are members of 14 people which consist of senior citizens.
Regards
Pradipta, how many total days do you have in hand? Can you start from Srinagar?
Hey Dheeraj,
Thanks for all your quick responses.
I am friend of Pradipta. We are planning trip together with friends and family.
Is there a way we can connect directly on one to one basis??
If Yes, can you share the details for the same.
Sorry Artira, we will have to converse through comments on the blog or in DwD Community forum.
Hey Dheeraj,
Thanks for the response…!!!
Reg the ladakh trip it would be difficuclt to start our trip from Srinagar and we have already booked tickets for the same.
We have around 11 days of tour plan. We will starting our trip from Delhi.
It would be great if you could suggest something for our tour plan.
Regards,
Aritra
It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi with stop overs at Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi with stopovers at Sarchu, Manali. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization. You have about 11 days. 2 days can be used as Nubra Valley trip and 1 Day can be used as Day trip to Pangong Tso.
that’s good, thanks for your share,.. I think this is great blog
Thank you, glad you liked it.
Hi All,
Just came back from a trip to Leh where i stayed in Atisha guesthouse for 5 nights. I would like to specially point the hospitality offered by the owners of the guesthouse. Needless to say, the rooms are super clean and a complete catch for the rent of 1k on that main street called the Fort road. All the other guest houses near Atisha charge the same but have shabby rooms. Due to non availability, we had to stay in one of the nearby guesthouses for a night but were lucky to get a room from the next day in Atisha. Advance booking doesnt work here and you can just pray that you get lucky like us. I also want to mention that uncle and aunty (the owners) are extremely humble and helpful people who will give everyone staying in the guesthouse personal attention. I fell sick there due to food infection and uncle accompanied us twice to the hospital and the couple also fed us with home cooked food as the doctor had advised me not to eat outside food. I have never seen such hospitality in my life. Highly recommended to anyone going to Leh
Hallo Preeti,
Do you have any contact number of this guesthouse ?
Thanks a lot Preeti, I have shared the review in hte Hotel review section of the DwD Community: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/ladakh-zanskar-hotels-guest-houses/topic4549.html#p34992
Please add some pictures and if possible share the contact details and price details in it.
It will help many others too planning their stay in Leh
Hi
From the day i diacovered this page i am following it properly to plan for our ladakh trip.your suggestions are awsm. 🙂
I am planning to go to Ladakh with Mom-Dad-Brother on 24/25 Sep this year.
Please chk the plan and kindly rply if it is okay or any modification required.
1.land in srinagar.night stay@Srinagar
2.Srinagar to Kargil via kheer bhawani,sonmarg,drass. Night stay@Kargil
3.Kargil to Lamayuru via Pashkum,Shergol,Phokar,Mulbek,Namika la,Fotu la. night syat@lamayuru
4.Rizong,alchi,likir,basgo,magnetic hill,confluence of 2rivers,phyang,spituk
Night stay@Leh
5.local sight seeing @leh and resHi
From the day i diacovered this page i am following it properly to plan for our ladakh trip.your suggestions are awsm. 🙂
I am planning to go to Ladakh with Mom-Dad-Brother on 24/25 Sep this year.
Please chk the plan and kindly rply if it is okay or any modification required.
1.land in srinagar.night stay@Srinagar
2.Srinagar to Kargil via kheer bhawani,sonmarg,drass. Night stay@Kargil
3.Kargil to Lamayuru via Pashkum,Shergol,Phokar,Mulbek,Namika la,Fotu la. night syat@lamayuru
4.Rizong, Alchi,Likir,Basgo,Magnetic hill,Confluence of 2rivers,Phyang,Spituk. Night stay@Leh
5.Leh sight seeing and get permit. Night stay@Leh
6.Khardung la, khardung, khalsar,Diskit. Night stay@Diskit
7.Diskit to Turtuk and see Hunder when returning back. Night stay@Hunder/Diskit
8. Diskit/hunder to Pangong tso via shyok village. Night stay@spangmik
9.Spangmik-Man-Merak-Chusul-Tsaga la-Loma-Hanle Night stay@hanle
10.Hanle sightseeing and stay @hanle.
11.hanle to tso moriri via salsal la,charchagan la
Or, loma,nyoma,mahe sumdo
Night stay@tsomoriri
12.Tso moriri to Leh via Tso kar. Night stay@Leh
13.Hemis,shey,thiksey,stok,etc. Night stay@leh
14.return
Some typing mistake happened 🙁
Riya, your plan looks fine to me. However, I am not sure by how your are commuting as you will need to carry extra fuel, lot of it, with you to complete the whole direct route circuit as there will be no fuel pump the moment you will leave Leh for Nubra Valley.
Okay.so if we come back from nubra to leh and then continue the rest,is that possible?? Or do pangong in one day trip and then go for hanle and tsomoriri?
Even if you do Pangong Tso – Hanle – Tso Moriri – Leh, you will need to carry fuel for sure. Else, do Nubra, Pangong Tso separate and do Hanle, Tso Moriri together.
Or in case do nubra and pangong together and hanle and tsomoriri?? Bit confused.. :p
Thank you very much for this suggestion. 🙂
Just tell me one more thing pls. I checked the driver list and all the reviews. How they take payments? Means do i have to pay before reach or after meeting them payment can be done? Will they give bill if we need that?
Most of them will be OK to be in touch with you, just keep reminding them as you get closer to dates. Some, do take some advance token amounts like 2K-5K. They won’t give you any bill over phone but once you reach there, yes, they do provide the bill from union.
Thats great.
You told somewhere that have to start the journey early in the morning,so will we get food for the journey at that time because i think there will be no food junctions in between such long distance places.
Will 3/4ltrs of water intake be okay or take more during the stays in ladakh region?
Yes Riya, most of the dhabhas open early by 7 AM. So, best time is 7 AM to leave any day. I assume you meant 3-4 ltrs, well, I will say fluids not water, to help restore the lost salts as you take more liquids. You can use Energal, ORS-L, Juices, Glucon-D, Tang, etc.. and of course water for sure in between
Okay :).
Will ask you again if face any doubt.
Thanks a lot for all these informations. 🙂
Will try to be a part of DoW cause too.
It will be a noble return if you can spread smiles too up there in Himalayas 🙂
🙂
Please tell me about the contact details.
It will be a great pleasure to make people smile who are in need.
This is what we suggest in terms of execution of DoW – Causes: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/responsible-travel/dow-causes-step-towards-responsible-travel-t358.html#p7677
And since you are visiting Hanle, Sonam Dorje, owner of Sonam Guest House has volunteered to help out tourists interested in willing to support the local children in school. You can contact him directly even on whatsapp in case you want to check what the needs will be there. He knows very well about DoW and causes. Sonam Guest House, Hanle | Review
Thats great. 🙂
Spoke to rigzin ji and he is available at that time and also told that he will arrange our hotels/guest house/home stay.but the problem is my parents are bit tensed since i get his no. from online source. 🙁
Riya, Being to Ladakh so many times, based on my personal experience so far, I can very well quote that Ladakhis are one of the most humble, helpful & trusted people in the entire world 🙂
🙂 🙂
Today i contacted Rigjin ji again to remind him about our tour.but he totally forget :O .again i have msgd him our tour plan and advanced payment details.
previously he promised that he only will conduct our tour but now he is telling he will send his frnd.
Dnt know how tour is going to happen.had lot of expectations from him after reading ur blogs and all the reviews but now a bit disappointed.
Can u suggest what to do?
Riya, this happens all the time with drivers. Most people/drivers are good, so even if he sends someone else you should not feel disappointed I will say and if you dont like the company of the other driver, you can drop him after a tour and book another car. Your advance will be settled in there.
Okay..hoping for d best.
Hello Dheeraj
Could you plz suggest some budget hotels or home stay in Kargile, we will be reaching there 25.08.16 , need it for one night only. we are six people. If you have any contact number kindly give us
Best Regards,
Debasish
Few readers/members of DoW have suggested below options:
Aaman Guest House (just 3-4 kms after entering Kargil check post), it was a homestay and stay and food was awesome.
Daspa Guest House (confused it with other) near bypass bridge. Name: Mr. Gulam Mohammed; Mob: 09469730240.
Paradise Guest House in Kargil is a decent place to stay
Thank you….. we will contact with them.If we need farther any assistance , then we will ask you.
Best Regards,
Debasish
Sure, best wishes for your trip 🙂
How much will it cost for
(a) Dormitory
(b) Home Stay
I’ve planned my entire 18 days trip from Kochi-Delhi-Manali-Leh-Srinagar-Delhi-Kochi with a costing of 15k plus unexpected spending.
I’ve taken assumption that food per day cost about 150/day and accommodation @ 500/day. Five night stay at Leh, 2 night stay at Manali, 1 night stay at Delhi and Srinagar. And transportation in state buses (the budget ones, not deluxe)
I want to run an iteration again to optimize the expenditure. So if you could give me a rough costing of food and accommodation for a solo traveler.
Jose, you may be able to manage that if you control the food you eat and stay. Around 700-800 is a budget which can be realised if you are etermined to it. You can search for homestays mostly at all places which are available without much issues. Do not expect much.
I found few hotels/guest houses in stayzilla under 500/-
i’m not sure whether to book it or not, due to unpredictable conditions of road. But i fear there wont be any rooms left the time when i reach there
For the record,
I will be reaching manali on 6th and leave to leh on 8th by bus. Will be there till 13th, so anyone would like to share accommodation or want travel company. You can contact me
Hi Jose
I am also planning for a solo travel In Leh but it’s partially planned. You already been there or will be going ?
Can we get into touch so i could get some information regarding this ? regarding your experience.
This will be my first Solo trip. So may be i get any inspiration from you.
My mail ID – vivekjoshi7 at the rate of yahoo.com.
this is no spam, i assure u.
vivek 🙂
HI Jose,
I am also travelling solo on same dates and same route.
We can get in touch and travel together if you are interested.
I will be reaching on manali on 6th Sep and start to leh on 8th Sep by bus.
You can reach me at srinivasrompicharla@gmail.com
Mobile : 09052526253
hi dheeraj,
me and my bro make a plan to visit leh and ladakh from delhi direct by bus and we want 2 days stay in leh and ladakh . than how much cost will come in our tour.pls reply me.
Thanx
Rahul
Rahul, you will stay on two days in Ladakh? You can count for about 1000-1200 per person per day for food + stay in Ladakh. Rest it is all transport.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning on going to Leh on 7th July, SOLO and this is the first time that I’ll be visiting Leh.
I have planned an itinerary. Could you please look into it and suggest or add something to it.
P.S. – I’m a huge fan of your blog!
Day 1 (7th July)
| Hyderabad – Delhi (By Flight)
-I’ll be reaching Delhi by 2 PM
| Delhi – Manali (By Bus)
– I’ll be boarding HPTC bus (Pre booked, Volvo) at 7PM
Day 2 (8th July)
Reach Manali, Stay over night and roam around Manali.
Day 3 (9th July)
| Manali – Leh (By Bus)
-Board the HPTC bus towards Leh.
-Night stop at Keylong.
Day 4 (10th July)
| Breakfast at Keylong and reach Leh by evening.
Day 5 (11th July)
Roam around Leh and follow all the stuff that you mentioned to get acclimatized
Day 6 (12th July)
| Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
-Rent a Bike, and journey towards Leh and stay over night at Diskit or Hunder (I want to know when to start and what should I expect)
Day 7 (13th July)
| Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
-Journey back to Leh. Over night stay at Leh
Day 8 (14th July)
| Leh – Pangong Tso (I want to know when to start and what should I expect)
– Journey to Pangong Tso and over night stay at the lake. (good places for night stay?)
Day 9 (15th July)
| Pangong Tso – Leh
-Back to leh
Day 10 (16th July)
| Leh – Keylong (by bus)
– 5AM HPTC Bus from Leh to Manali or Cab
– Night halt Keylong.
Day 11 (17th July)
| Keylong – Manali
-If I get a bus towards Delhi at that time, I might take that or next day travel.
Day 12(18th July)
| Manali – Delhi
– Reach Delhi and take rest plenty of rest.
Day 13 (19th July)
Roam around Delhi or Agra atleast.
Day 14 (20th July)
| Delhi – Hyderabad (by flight)
Mohan, your planlooks OK to me given the days at hand
Hi Dheeraj,
How much should cost per person (a group of 5) for ladakh tour for 13 days from Udhampur-Srinagar-Kargil-Leh-Nubra-Panngong-Tsomoriri-Sarchu-Manali-Kalka in Scorpio vehicle. I shall
be obliged if you please give me an idea. Thanks.
C.K.Banerjee
The taxi cost should be around 60-65K and rest you can have 1000-1200 for per person for food + lodging
Hi Mr Dheeraj
I am Dr Karamdeep from panipat. Me my husband and our 11 yrs old son planning to visit leh from 9 June to 13 june. Because of less days available we are going by air. Can you please suggest us an itenirary for these five days and some good guest houses or hotels to stay. We are planning to visit Pangong and nubra valley as I think only this can be visited in this much of time. Please help us with your valuable suggestions about acclimatisation, stay n hiring cabs or bikes.
Thanks n regards
Dr Karamdeep Kaur
Hi Mr Dheeraj
I am Dr Karamdeep from panipat. Me my husband and our 11 yrs old son planning to visit leh from 9 June to 13 june. Because of less days available we are going by air. Can you please suggest us an itenirary for these five days and some good guest houses or hotels to stay. We are planning to visit Pangong and nubra valley as I think only this can be visited in this much of time. Please help us with your valuable suggestions about acclimatisation, stay n hiring cabs or bikes.
Thanks n regards
Dr Karamdeep Kaur
You can follow something like below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain hard with taxi driver. Book that single taxi for entire trip after explaining the complete plan.
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh
— Do not plan to stay overnight at Pangong Tso as you will not be acclimatized and may fall sick. So, make a day trip only.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour OR Sham Valley tour OR Fly back home
— Overnight at Leh
— Monastery tour may include Hemis, Thicksey and Shey monasteries. They come on the route of Pangong Tso but as you will be doing day trip, it will be a bit hectic to include them on that day only.
— Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib
Hi Mr Dheeraj
Our flight is on 13 morning that means we have only four days there. Can we skip day 2
Thanks
I will never suggest you to skip Day 2, You must stay to acclimatize properly.
plied to other comment.
I will be visiting Leh in July 2016 and as a avid traveller/Blogger myself having visited 52 Country’s to date and almost entire India find your travel/guide/price blog on Ladah the best on the Internet. Congratulations for writing and researching such a extraordinary travel locale of India. Thanks.
Thank you so much Rudolph !! Nothing better I can ask what you have written here especially when an avid traveller such as yours appreciate it with vast experience on the back !!
Thanks again 🙂
Hey Rudolph, I am travelling too to Ladhak on July 3rd. Hope to catch you up..
I will be more than glad to meet you there and share your experiences. You can reach me on vinod.nandaiahgari@gmail.com
hi dheeraj,
thank u for the most valuable info u have shared. based on various links provided by you on DoW, I have planned a 10 day solo road trip on my bullet to ladakh from Chandigarh. I am basically from a small town in Bangalore district. I have booked my train to Chandigarh on june 1st and back to Bangalore. my bike will be transported in the same trains In which I travel. the 6 days train journey to and for is excluded in the Chandigarh-leh-Chandigarh trip.
I have planned a route from chandigarh-jammu-patnitop-srinagar-Kargil- leh, and leh-manali-Chandigarh while returning.
your info has made my planning a cake walk.. hope it works out as easy as it sounds.
thank you once again☺
Dear dheeraj thanks for loads of v.v.
iimportant iinformation about leh ladakh just came back from trip
I hhighly rrecommend mr.rinchen nurla
Your friend aand oowner of shenam hotel who ooffered me good rates for room and innova car aand ppicked us up from sriNagar his nephew mr.padma was driver he was v.cool young guy was with us for five days aand he ffound v.good hotels for us at good rates in kKargil aand diskit .
Mr. Rinchen is a person i ffound you can trust he hhimself is an adventurer.
As i was with ffamily he took care of us v.well
Very great to know that Bharat bhai. Ringchain ji is an amazing person and lovely soul !!
The phone number/email id of the wonderful person: Shri Rinchen Nurla? Also, i am looking at extended stay, say, about a month or so; any special rates available? can i stay at monasteries? i shall help in any work in the monasteries, in return for peace of mind and wisdom of Buddha; namo amitabha.
The information that you have given is simply overwhelming, practical, down to earth and extremely useful. Though I have been planning to come to Ladakh for a long time, have not been able to do so, for work-related reasons. Now, I want to stay in Leh abnd thereabouts for an extended period of time. Is there Internet connectivity: BSNL: wifi in Leh and nearabouts? Answer to this quesiton is important to me. Also, what is the ambient temperature in Leh during August/September; Which are the best months to visit Leh, etc.?
Yes, in and around Leh you will find it. It is mostly pleasant in Leh in August, September starts getting little cool/cold in high reaches.
Hi Mr. Dheeraj,
H r u??
V r planning our manali- leh-jammu trip from 11 July to 24 July(can extend days if necessary), I wanted ur opinion n answer to some queries.
11/12 July -Chandigarh to Manali
Stay at solang valley.
13 July-manali to Jispa
Stay at Jispa
14 july-Jispa to Leh
Q# is it posbl to ride jispa to Leh in a day???
15july-Local sightseeing at Leh n bit of rest
16 July-Leh to nubra Valley
(Khardung LA Pass- Diskit-Hunder)
17july-Back to Leh
Q#is it posbl to visit nubra valley n b back to leh on d same day n stay overnight at Leh only
18july-Leh to Pangong Tso lake
Karu-Sakti-ChangLa-Durbuk-Tangste-Lukung-Spangmik)Tuktuk can b added.
19 July-Pangong to Thicksey -Sheypalace to Leh
Q#is it posbl to come back to Leh d same day???
Q# is it posbl to camp at any place
20 july-Leh to Tsomoriri
(Karu-upshi-kumdok-kere-chumathang-mahe-sundo-korzok,tso moriri)
21 july-Back to Leh
Q#is it posbl to b back to leh d same day
Q# were to camp at tsomoriri
22july-Leh to Kargil
23july-Kargil to Srinagar
Q#is it posbl to ride it in one day d route
24 July Srinagar to Jammu
Q# For d route any permits r to b taken in manali or any were else.
Ur information n researh were a very big help to plan d trip.I m truelly thankful to u for helping me n others,just keep up d good work.
Thank u very much.
Your plan looks good to go for me. Most queestions are irrelevant as plan is fine. You will need permits to cross Rohtang Pass. In case you do it in other direction that will be far much better
Hey … I am also traveling on the same dates with the same itinerary ,do call me @9619549049as I am looking for a travel partner for us.(We have hired a SUV from Manali till srinagar).
Hi Dheeraj
We are planning for 11 days trip from June 6 from Delhi -Jammu-Srinagar-Sonamarg-Kargil-Leh-Nubra-Leh-Pangoong-Leh-Jispa-Manali-Delhi via Self driven Voler Cars.
We are not booking home stays in advance and will search cheaper option there. How and where we can safely park our vehicle during our stay in Leh?
Thanks
Sanjay
Sanjay, I do not understand what you mean by safely parking in Leh? Are these rented cars? In hotels, it will be safe enough
Thanks Dheeraj. That I want to know 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for creating such a valuable information source for travelers. I just wanted to know, if we can get budget hotel in Leh at the spot?? Or do we need to book in advance??
We are 5 friends and will follow the srinagar-leh route.
Thanks,
Rohit
Rohit, you will have to search on the spot for 4-5 propoerties and you should find on in Ladakh
Hi Dheeraj
This is prateek from jaipur, i m planning a trip to leh and laddakh from 4th to 12th october 2016, my flight from New Delhi to Leh is on 4th october and return flight from leh to new delhi is on 12th october 2016. We are 5 adults and 1 kid around 3 years. kindly help me plan my itinerary, also advice when and where to stay.
Prateek, though you have good number of days in hand but you are not visiting at the right month. Can’t you change it to some other month like July, August or September? By October all campsites or stay options at Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri are mostly closed and with family it might be tricky in cold conditions at such place in October. Are you sure you want to go ahead?
Hey Dheeraj
Thanks for your kind reply, the reason as to why i am planning a trip in the month of October is that I am a practicing lawyer and the courts are non functional after 4th October ’16, hence cannot travel in any other month. Though i have got all the tickets done but would proceed only after a thumbs up from you Sir.
Prateek bhai, in that case I will suggest you to follow the Leh – Ladakh in Winters – Most Common Itinerary
This is a winter itineray but should suit you well enough.
Hi,Dhiraj I am planning for leh- srinagar trip from Delhi on 13 june to 25th june 2016. We are 6 adults & 4 childern (11,10,5,4 ).plz suggest me is it the best time to visit leh. Can we comlete leh srinagar highway in two days. We want to take break at kargil or drass. Can you suggest me any cheap accomodation or guest at kargi or drass. if yes, then plz give me their contact no: . I have booked all the hotels in sarchu, leh, nubra, sri-nagar as per your suggestion. thanks for your advice..
If we stay at drass then what would be the best time to cross the zoji la pass.
Can we visit lunar landscape view at lamayuru on the way from leh to srinagar by our tempo traveller or should we hire a laddakh no. taxi.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you for the information you provide. Everything is so readily available here.
I had a query regarding the stay and travel –
1. Over a period of 8 days would you recommend staying in one hotel and then travelling everywhere (nubra, pangong, tso…) or would it be better to shift base? If so, which of these places would you recommend staying at?
2. For a group of 3 people what would be the ideal mode of travelling around. I have read your articles on transport and checked out the rates and they seem to be quite steep. What would be your advice for the budget traveller?
Thanks,
Hi Stephanie,
1. You will have to make the base at Leh and from there you will go to Nubra, Pangong Tso. The days you go from Leh to Nubra or Pangong Tso, you can ask the hotel guys to keep your luggage safe in the store room which will help you not pay the rent for those days.
2. In that case you can look out for shared ttourist taxi tours. Most of the restaurants, dine-ins, cafes, etc.. have these whiteboards up there where people look for shared travel partners, you can patch up in a group of two or you may yourself look for couple of people to share taxi cost. Alternatively, you can post a travel partners entry from the main menu and search other entries falling on your dates to get the two required travel partners.
Hello me and my friend r planning to visit leh ladak we r coming by flight and will rent a bike from there and will explore on bike so I need to ask u who r reliable person which can bike good condition bikes on rent and which bike is easy to drive we will be there from 27th April to 2 may of this month
Achint, I am sure yo must be on trip by now, have fun and ride safe 🙂
Hi Dheeraj, Need a little help. I am planning a trip to leh from 1st May till 7th May with my wife. Will be flying from Delhi. I learnt that this is a bit cold in early May. Plan is to stay is leh and bike around for nearby places. Would it be warm enough to drive bikes easily or would I need to be packed with leather jackets and gloves etc?
Also, some of the passes I guess would still be closed. Can you please suggest which spots I can cover for 4 days duration.
Thanks in advance…
Hi Mohan,
Mostly bikes are not allowed to ride over Khardung La or Chang La early in the season when conditions are quite skiddy for the safety of tourists. So, you may ride it around Leh but may not be able to go over beyond it. Unless there is fresh snowfall or landslides, the passes to both Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso will be open.
Hey Dheeraj,
Me and my girlfriend are flying to delhi from the uk on june the 9th. We will probably spend some time in delhi but then plan on doing a delhi-leh trip. We have about a month, the only thing binding us is that we have to be back in delhi by july 9th to meet a friend who will join us for the rest of our trip.
Can you recommend a budget itinerary for us? Do you know how much day trips to monastries and sights will cost from leh and if its neccesarry to sort anything out beforehand?
Thanks, your website is incredibly useful, there isnt a better recource.
Calum
Hello Calum,
1 month is a good time to explore Ladakh, I will suggest a flow for you which is basically mentioned under Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh
This is the general flow and you can fit in rest days to spend out there in Ladakh. Are you planning to hire a bike in Leh? That will be more economical.
Thanks.
Not planning on getting a bike as I have no idea how to ride one haha. Planning in using shared cars and public transport where possible.
What places do you think are worth spending longer in?
Thanks
1. Nubra Valley is one place for sure spending time. You can add Turtuk if you get the permit for it.
2. Leh itself to soak in the culture.
3. Pangong Tso, you can spend a full day
4. Tso Moriri is something not to be missed and Tso Kar too. These places does deserve a stay.
However, all such places and extended stays will not be possible with shared taxis because they run over on fixed schedules.
Is there public transport to these places? Any busses or anything?
Calum, the public transport is very infrequent and at most places twice in a week. Here it is: Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
‘Hi Dheeraj,
We are group of 10-12 people. This year on 1st Aug, we are visiting Ladakh. Earlier we are planning for Manali-Leh-Manali rout, now we are deciding to do Srinagar-Leh-Manali.
In this journey, we wanted to cover Nubra Valley upto Panamik, Pangong Lake, TSo Moriri. We have 13 days in our hand excluding 2 reserve days. I am following your 14 Days Itinerary for Leh Ladakh (Delhi-Srinagar-Leh-Manali-Delhi). Please suggest if this rout will be fine in Aug month.
Apart from the rout planning, how easily Good camps will be available in Panamik, Pangong, TSO Moriri, Kargil
Thanks
Bijoy
Bijoy, if you are following our suggested itinerary it shall be good to go as per plan. August is monsoon time in North so you will face challenges in lower hills with landslides and all but regions of trans-Himalayas including Ladakh shall be OK. You should be able to find stay options.
Thanks.
As we would be going from Srinagar to Leh, do we need any kind of permit and how easily camps will be available in the month of Aug in Nubra Valley, Moriri etc. Or do we need to book in advance.
Bijoy, you do not need any permits if you are traveling from Srinagar to LEh. If you are OK in searching 4-5 places on reaching there and are OK to stay at normal guest house and do not have any named/famed hotel in mind, it shall be fine to book on the spot.
hii dheeraji
i am planing to go leh, sirnagar and gulmarg with my friends and family, i have flight on 1st of July and return on 8th of July, can you guide for my trip
These Flights are to and from where? Srinagar or Leh?
my flight from mumbai to srinagar on 01/07/2016 and return from srinagar to mumbai via delhi on 08/07/2016, kindly suggest me midal class hote in leh and srinagar and give me program plan.
Hello Bhavesh,
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
You have just 7 days in hand 🙁 …
Day 1 | Delhi – Srinagar
— Enjoy walk around Dal lake and may be Shikara ride as well
— If you have time then check out, floating market, Shalimar Garden.
— Overnight at Srinagar
Day 2 | Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zozi La – Drass – Kargil
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Drass is you are a vegetarian as sometimes it gets difficult to find veg. food at Kargil
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 3 | Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Day trip to either Pangong Tso or Nubra Valley
Day 6 – Leh – Kargil
Day 7 – Kargil Srinagar
Day 8 – Back home
Thank u sir
Hi dheeraj,
Is it safe to book directly through hotel owners by calling them and transferring money to their accounts.??
What if by any means they deny to provide reciept after recieving the booking amount.
Or if they deny when we reach there.
Direct booking thru hotel owner is at 30% less amount when compared with price on booking.com.
So i want to save money but confused.Because booking thru bookings.com is a bit safer that booking directly by calling them and transferring the amount.
Please advice me on this.
Sindhu, people in Ladakh are quite quite honest and there is not a single instance I heard of such a thing, may be a rarest of rare with taxi and never with hotel. They will not deny, do not worry 🙂
HI Dheeraj,
First of all, let me thank you on behalf of all the readers/travelers. This site gives tremendous help to people like us who want to plan their own travel. There are no other blogs/website so comprehensive as this one.
I was going through the list of cheap hotels for accommodation. I found ‘Greenland Guest House’ as the most suitable one. But every time I try to connect with them through phone, no one seems to be picking up. I also dropped a message on their facebook page, but no reply there as well. I am continuously trying to call them for the booking in May 1st week, but no luck so far. Do you have any other alternate number or email ID to connect to them?
Thanks again.
Regards,
Zil
Never Mind. Talked to them yesterday.
Thanks.
Cool, yeah , the connectivity is erratic there so sometimes it keeps ringing but the call does not make it through in reality 🙂
Good to know that you were able to make through the contact 🙂 … Sometimes the connectivity is quite erratic in Ladakh and it happens.
Hey Dheeraj!
I visited Leh during first week of September and everything went fine ! I must say this website of yours had a great part in it . Thanks a lot 🙂
and I stayed in Eagle guest house( in Changspa road) , would recommend it for solo travellers who are looking for cheap rooms. They had rooms from 300rs ! and they had Wifi 🙂
Cheers!
Awesome Nevin, that is super useful for others. I will update the list soon.
Hello Nevin,
I found their 01982-253074 from some website but I have been trying for many weeks, nobody ever picks up that phone. Would you have their contact details or how I can book. I am planning to go there solo next month.
Dheeraj, would you have any contact details of theirs.
Amal
Hi Dheeraj,
I recently visited Ladakh . Based on your recommendations and online search we booked Sia -La guest house.
Unfortunately , it does not have to offer good rooms and we could not stay there even for a day.May be we were given rooms which is old constructed ,its right in front with reception. I guess the other side is a new construction and have better amenities.
So, we stayed in ” Sindhu guest house ” which is better ,cheaper and more spacious with good home cooked food and awesome room service..
Have no intention to promote or demote any hotel ,just wanted to share with you.May be you can add Sindhu Guest House in your list and people visiting in future would be benefited out of it.
Thanks again for your efforts buddy..
Upanshu, that is very very helpful and that is the reason we have public forums or blogs where we all can help each other with fresh, updated info. which will help other fellow travellers in the community. Thank you I will make the edit.
HI UPANSHU
CAN YOU GIVE DETAILS OF SINDHU GUEST HOUSE
Please DO NOT use CAPS.
Can you give details of singhu guest house, we are planing to go leh in july
Sorry bhavesh, do not have details of it.
Hi Deeraj,
Thanks a lot for your informations.
I will go from Durgapur (west Bengal) to ladakh- Kashmir tour by my TVS Apechi -180 alone, from 2nd week of September – 15. From net & you, I have planed it as follows ..
1. durgapur to kanpur.
2. kanpur to amritsar.
3. amritsar to manali / solang valley.
4. manali to spiti valley.
5. spiti – kaza – kibber village – jispa / darcha.
6. jispa – pang.
7. pang – tsokar lake – tsomoriri lake.
8. tsomoriri to hemis.
9. hemis to chumathang.
10. chumathang to hemis.
11. hemis to spangmik.
12. spangmik to pangong lake.
13.Pangong to leh.
14. leh to nubra valley.
15. nubra – hunder – leh.
16. leh to lamayuru.
17. lamayuru to kargil / drass
18. Drass – sonmarg – srinagar – gulmarg.
19. gulmarg – srinagar – anantanag.
20. anantanag to udhampur.
22. udhampur to ludhiana.
23. ludhiana to agra.
24. Agra to Durgapur.
Is it possible ? If yes then I will ask some question after your remark.
Thanks.
Are you still planning to follow the same plan? If yes, I have some suggestions in case you are looking for it as it does not inline with the acclimatization schedule.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am still want to fulfill my dream tour. Please instruct me.
Thanks.
Try this in that case:
1. durgapur to kanpur.
2. kanpur to amritsar.
3. amritsar to manali / solang valley.
4. Manali to Batal
5. Batal – Chandratal – Sissu
6. Sissu – Sarchu, though here you might suffer from AMS, so better move to Leh
7. Sarchu – Leh
8. Leh Rest day
9. Leh – Nubra Valley over Khardung La
10. Nubra Valley – Leh
11. Leh – Hemis – Pangong Tso
12. Pangong Tso – Shey – Thicksey – Leh
13. Leh – Tso Moriri
14. Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Leh
15. Leh Rest day
16. leh to lamayuru.
17. lamayuru to kargil / drass
18. Drass – sonmarg – srinagar – gulmarg.
19. gulmarg – srinagar – anantanag.
20. anantanag to udhampur.
22. udhampur to ludhiana.
23. ludhiana to agra.
24. Agra to Durgapur.
Hi Dheeraj,
Happy Independence Day in advance.
Thanks for your helpful instruction.
Now –
1. Due to your description about Spiti Valley I do not want to miss it.
2. Can not I save about 100 km & a day, if I go Sarchu/Pang to Tsomoriri & then Leh?
3. On this latal tour can I use my own tent?
4. Can I go Shimla-Kalpa-Nako-kaza-Jispa ?
Please help me.
Thanks.
Hi,
1. Good to know that 🙂
2. Your body will not be acclimatized to sleep at Tso Moriri that early in the trip. Things can get quite wrong in case you get hit with AMS
3. Yes, you can pitch your tent. For information on pitching your own camps in Leh – Ladakh, please refer our FAQ in the community: FAQ | Can I pitch my own tents or camps anywhere in Ladakh?
4. It will take 4 days to reach Jispa in that case from Shimla.
Hi Dheeraj,
Hope you are fine. Thanks for your helpful advice. I am very close to my final tour plane by your valuable advises. Just some more …..
1. Google map showing 2 points in case of Pangong lake. a) Sangmik (West side of the lake). b) East side of the lake which is about 100 km from Spangmik. Can I go & pitch my tent on that b point ?
2. Is camping safe on Kargil – Gulmarg by considering thief ?
3. Can you give an important short list of most bad road on Shimla – Narkanda – Kalpa – Kaza – Jispa – Tsomiriri – Pangon Lake – Leh – Nubra – Kargil – Gulmarg way ?
4. I want to ride average 150 km – 175 km in a day ( if my speed is 20-25 km/hrs ) from Shimla to Kaza. Now ….
a) What will be my bike’s speed ?
b) I want to avoid hotels as possible. Which pleases should be proper for pitching my tent on this rout ?
Waiting for you.
Thanks.
Hello Dipangshu,
1. No you cannot pitch the camp 100 KM of the spangmik as it is a sensitive region and army has rules not to deviate from the road track or camp in open in that region. Max. you can pitch is in the village of Man – Merak about 12 KMs from Spangmik. Also, camping at the shores of lake is not allowed and banned as it comes under ramsar site. So, you can only camp just outside the village if not in village.
2. Kargil is fine, though I never camped in Gulmarg. There as well it should be fine, just pitch the camp in some ground of local or open area of local where you will find safety and you can tip him in the end.
3. Not sure how much bad you mean bad here 🙂 … Once you enter Kinnaur, the roads will start getting bad as of a dirt track and in majority of the trip except in Leh – Ladakh it will be bad. In Leh – Ladakh most sections are good. The worse will be Kaza to Jispa/Gramphu
4. 150-175 is normal and many bikers do it. But, keep in mind to take rest. Camping I already answered above, most hotels or local villagers will allow you to pitch the camp in their complex or just outside in return of small tip. This ensures much safety too.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Deeraj,
After a several discussion with you, & studding DOW, & realizing your kind, helpful heart & experiences, ‘Thanks’ word is not sufficient for you. I should say to the God to bless you, & make more human like you to help us.
Also I am jealous, after reading your article .. non stop driving from Kaza to Delhi, & hats off to your skill & courage.
I have make my tour plane finally by you & DOW, which is as follows ..
1. 6 th September-15 – Durgapur to Allahabad.
2. 7 th September-15 – Allahabad to Delhi.
3. 8 th September-15 – Delhi to Narkanda.
4. 9 th September-15 – Narkanda to Chitkul.
5. 10 th September-15 – Chitkul to Dhankar.
6. 11 th September-15 -Dhankar-Kaza-Kibbar-Batal.
7. 12 th September-15 – Batal to Darcha.
8. 13 th September-15 – Darcha to Pang.
9. 14 th September-15 – Pang to Tsomoriri.
10. 15 th September-15 – Tsomoriri to Hemis.
11. 16 th September-15 – Hemis to Pangong.
12. 17 th September-15 – Pangong to Leh.
13. 18 th September-15 – Leh ( Rest )
14. 19 th September-15 – Leh to Panamik.
15. 20 th September-15 – Panamik to Leh.
16. 21 th September-15 – Leh to Lamayuru.
17. 22 th September-15 – lamayuru to Sonmarg.
18. 23 th September-15 – Sonmarg to Gulmag.
19. 24 th September-15 – Gulmarg to Srinagar.
20. 25 th September-15 – Srinagar to Anantanag.
23. 26 th September-15 – Anantanag to Udhampur.
24. 27 th September-15 – udhampur to Ludhiyana.
25. 28 th September-15 – Ludhiyana ( Rest )
26. 29 th September-15 – Ludhiyana to Agra.
27. 30 th September-15 – Agra to Baranasi
28. 31 th September-15 – Baranasi to Durgapur.
Please edit if necessary.
Now, I have studied your 5 reason to avoid Manali – Leh highway.
1. According to that is my plan to biking ok ?
2. I can not find anything in DOW about the snow fall or timing on Leh – Srinagar highway. Is my timing ok ?
Please advice me for the last time.
Thanks.
1. Better stay at Sangla or Rakcham, chitkul might be high that early.
2. Stay at Tabo and avoid high Dhangkar village
3. Instead of Darcha stay at Jispa
4. Jispa to Tso Kar can be done and then Tso Moriri. Pang is OK too.
5. Avoid Panamik, visit hunder /. Deskit
6. Rest looks OK
Hi, Dheeraj,
Thanks for your kind & valuable reply. I will go as per you, & will contact after my tour. Be happy, & make other happy as you are doing.
Best wishes for your trip, if possible share you experience with other devils on the DwD Community forums.
Hi Dheeraj,
I have completed my dream tour. Want to post photos & experiences here. How I can do it?
Hi Dipangshu,
So, good to hear that. You can check out the step by step guide here: How to Write a Travel Tale or Topic with Attached Images
Above all we are running a contest too in DwD Community: Contest – Devil on Wheels Travel Tale of the Year
Hi Dheeraj,
I have tried but can not post in the said link, may be due to my lac of knowledge about net & computer. Are you in Facebook? My self Dipangshu Chattaraj. Please ad me.
Thanks.
Dipangshu
Bhai did you register the account with the DwD Community? You can reply to any topic if you are registered there else you can post in Discover with Dheeraj Feacebook page
Hi Deeraj, could you please suggest any homestay or guesthouse at kargil? Thanks in advance
Few readers/members of DoW have suggested below options:
Aaman Guest House (just 3-4 kms after entering Kargil check post), it was a homestay and stay and food was awesome.
Daspa Guest House (confused it with other) near bypass bridge. Name: Mr. Gulam Mohammed; Mob: 09469730240.
Paradise Guest House in Kargil is a decent place to stay
Hello sir,
Me and my friends we are planning to take a road trip on bike from Leh-Ladakh. Van you please tell me that where can we stay during the trip ? Will there be any accommodation ? & can you please tell me that is the bike rental amount(e.g. 1000) is for per/day ?
Shuvam, you can find all the places to stay in entire Ladakh from the article above for Leh and rest of the places in Ladakh as provided in the links in the article series at the top. For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2015 – 16 & Reliable Shops
Hello Dheeraj! Me and my friend are riding to leh on 2nd of july 2015. Our first stay will be jammu or pathankot. And next stay will be srinagar. Could you suggest few budget hotels or hostels in srinagar and jammu. We dont want any luxury facilties. We dont want any lake view or as such luxury. We can adjust even without hot water we just want a clean room. Please suggest few good options. Dormoritory will also work. Thanks in advance.
Aayush, you can try Hotel York or JH Bajaj in Srinagar, Jammu I never stayed.
HIIIII
DEEPAK
I AM READING UR EXPERIENCE WID NATURE
ND GOT WORTHY INFORMATION. ME AND MY FRIEND PLANNING TOMMROW TO RIDE FROM PUNJAB TO MNALI LEH SRINAGR FOR 1ST TIME. BT BIT WORY ABT BIKE LIKE ANY PROB IN MACHINE CN U SUGGEST SMTHING
SORRY TYPING MISTAKE DHEERAJ
RD, in case you will have problem in bike you might get stuck and then need to wait for help to arrive may be in the form of truck or tempo where you can put the bike and get it to next possible fix up point.
can you tell me about the camping grounds in leh?
You will find ample of homes up there where you can pitch the camps up there by requesting them to allow to pitch the camps in there.
i went on a bike trip with my husband from manali to leh (ladakh) for an 11 day trip.
Hello Dheeraj bhai,
Can you plz tell some budget hotels in srinagar, i will be reaching there tomorrow eve, and i need it for one night only. we are four people.
Check for JH Bajaj or Hotel York
Dear friend dheeraj first lots of kudos to ur website. Which is the best way for motor biking Srinagar- leh or manali- leh according to road conditions & which road is more adventurous? I’m planning a motorbike trip in the first week of August, how about rainy season there? Will there snow on the way and will it possible for riding with a pillow, is oil jarikens r must on road.
Debashish, Srinagar – Leh is all throughout almost paved while Manali – Leh has most of the places are dirt track roads. Of course latter one is more adventurous, tough and extremely scenic than the other one. August is mostly monsoon time but then you will nto get rains in Ladakh but for sure in lower hills in case the days are rainy. Snow will not be possible in August.
Dear Dheeraj,
I would be driving my Alto from manali to Sarchu/ Pang. Could you suggest budget accomodations for Sarchu, Darcha, Keylong and Marhi (any place close to Rohtang la) ?
SP
Sp, please refer: List of Accommodation Options on Manali Leh Highway
Hi Dheeraj,
Great Job! Very comprehensive source of information.
I am from Pune and planning to do a 12 days (with three other friends) trip of Srinagar>>Leh>>Nubra>>Leh>>Pangong>>Leh>>Srinagar.
Can you please help me with couple of questions? 🙂
— We are planning from 14th to 25 July. Is this considered a high rush interval with overall increased rates?
– Is it wise to book accommodation on the spot at following places?
— Leh
— Diskit
— Panamik
— Spangmik
– I saw the other comment where you suggested pitching own tents.
– Can we get tents with accessories on rent?
– Will it be expensive compared with ~700 bucks/person/day?
– Do people often go for this nomadic style of pitching in tents in groups around the Pangong Lake and Diksit?
— I am thinking of booking all travel things up to and back from Srinagar but wanted to explore a real backpacker thing with a plan in mind but real time execution. It sounds exciting but not sure how suitable it is considering the facilities available at all these places 🙂
Hi Mukul,
1. Regarding on the spot bookings, if you are OK to search here and there and do not have a specific place in mind, then it will be fine else better book first.
2. Yes, you can get tents on rent in Leh.
3. I see comfort of pitching and then wrapping up next day and that too at places where stay is already there. So, it is a matter of trade-off to me which I mostly go with on local stays wherever available rather pitching my own tent.
4. Yes people do carry and pitch their camps over in Ladakh
5. A lot of people do backpacking trip and you can also do but there will be surprises that needs to be handled there by the group with smiles 🙂
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi,
I am planning leh on 23rd may and want to explore all the places. Kindly suggest the best way to cover all the places. I will be alone there so how should I move….
You are alone and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
How many days do you have in hand?
Hello Dheeraj,
So nice to read your suggestion…I have around 8 to 10 days in my hands. I am planning to reach on 21st morning to ladakh and I want see all the places that is why I am not choosing makemytrip or yatra tours. I am bit scared as well, I dont know whether I will be enjoying alone there, as this is first time I am going ladakh….
Anyways if there is anybody else on this group who is going on same date or nearby, I would glad to join….
Vimal, check the DoW Travel Calendar from the menu and se if you can tag along with some group. Also, with 8-10 days in hand, You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 9 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
You are alone and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
hi dheeraj,
nice info I plan to make a trip on bike to ladakh in june end need to know if you have to stay at leh and move around the area or accommodation is available elsewhere. can we use a tent?
thanks
Santosh, accommodation is available in all tourist destinations of Ladakh. You can pitch your own tents anywhere but I will suggest you pitch them at a place where there are some dhabha tents put up by locals or where other camping guy pitch theirs or somewhere near some house in village or in their garden/lawn. All you will need is to gently ask them (villagers/dhabha guys/camping guys) for permissions. Most likely they will allow, other wise negotiate for small little tip or move on to some other such place nearby. This will give you sense of security too.
But, keep in mind that camping at the lakes both Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri is not allowed as they are under Ramsar site. Hence, you need to pitch these camps away from the lakes where either other camps are there or at near by village.
Hi Deeraj ,
Me and my fri is planning a tour for leh – ladakh in the first week of July …
1st like to thanks you a lot -your website has already solved many of my doubts. ..
But only 1 thg I would like to know more is
1 how to travel from srinagar to leh -the cheapest way by road
2 does there is any local transports which go from srinagar to leh daily
3 or else we have to hire a private vehicle that what will be the price per person in it ..
Realy would thanks if this will be solved. .
Hi Siddharth,
1. Cheapest way to travel is by JKSRTC Bus service.
2. Yes, apart from JKSRTC Daily buses, shared jeeps also run.
3. Private taxi drop to Leh will be around 18-19K
Regards
Dheeraj
Any idea about how is Kunzang GuestHouse in Leh? Would like to know it’s review if anyone has visited there before.
Sorry, I do not have idea about it at least.
Hi Dheeraj!
I have been following your blog for quite sometime now and it has been more than just helpful in planning everything. I am going to be backpacking solo to Delhi-Manali-Ladakh from the 1st of July.
I have a few questions that I was hoping you could help me with.
1) I intend to be in ladakh on the 6th of July. Since I am backpacking on a budget, I am looking for budget accommodations. Should the bookings be done right now or are on the spot bookings possible?
2) Will finding travel partners be easy?
3) I would love to volunteer for any given cause. Would you know where I can do that?
Once again, kudos for this amazing website! 🙂
Cheers!
Hi Ria,
1. Go for on the spot bookings. I will personally suggest Greenland Homestay (01982–253156) at Changspa road. Though it is on Changspa road but towards the end and has less noise around in comparison, check and judge yourself… It is run by a very nice lady and a lot of readers among girls have stayed there. Very very good reviews by all of them.
2. You are alone and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
3. You can for sure check in monasteries and in fact stay with them too. Some schools also does offer teaching opportunity and you can take them up.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thank you so much for clearing that up Dheeraj!
Would be lovely, if you happen to be in Ladakh around that time to catch up. 🙂
Cheers!
Hey Thanx Dheeraj..!!!
The informations about the hotels/ guesthouse is really informative.
I think Atisha Guest house doesnt have a website to make online booking rite?
Also there are no room pics available for Atisha Guest House.
Do u have some links related to this guesthouse? I would like to make my stay booking with this guesthouse.
Sorry Arpita, I do not have any pictures or links of this guest house 🙁
Ok will try to contact them and figure out..Thanx anyways 🙂
Dear Dheeraj,
First of all thanks for proving some valuable inputs. I along with my 3 friends (including couples) are planning for Srinagar & Leh trip (May end). At the moment we have just booked our flights to Srinagar along with the return flights from Srinagar as well.
Right now we are looking for some decent options for stay in Srinagar and Leh. We have around 12-13 days to cover both places. The major places which we have shortlisted are highlighted below-:
Srinagar
– Pahalgam
– Gulmarg
– Sonamarg
– Leh
– Kargil (though on the way)
– Nubra Valley
– Pangong Lake
I would be really thankful to you if you can provide me some information on the hotels to stay on the above mentioned locations. we are not looking for a very high budget hotels but the priority would be safety and cleanliness. Also would be great if you can provide some details on the cab charges as well since we are planning to hire a cab from Srinagar-Leh-Srinagar.
Thanks in advance
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2015 – 16 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
Dear dheeraj ji
I m planning to visit leh in Aug 2015 for 5days from Jammu by road along with 15 family members including kids and one year plus baby. Plz suggest itenary for us and we are going first time.
Regards
Nikhil, it takes 3 days just to reach Leh from Jammu. You have just 5 days? Are you sure you want to make such a trip even in case you planning to fly out of Leh?
Hello deepak ji,
Ur blogs are the reflection of your passion for travel.
I am planning to go to leh say by 15aug2015 along with 15 family members along with kids for 4 to 5days by road. Could you suggest itenary for us.
Regards
Nikhil, as suggested in the other comment, it takes 3 days to reach Leh from Jammu. Are you sure you want to do this trip?
Hi Dheeraj
We are 2 couples flying from Mumbai on 9th July to Chandigarh and will reach Manali on same night. We would leave from Manali on 10th Morning to Leh and final destination is Srinagar. We will fly back to Mumbai on 21st July morning. Can you suggest a itinerary for the above. I am keen to visit Tso Morri lake, Pangong lake, Nubra valley, Alchi, Musuem in Drass on the way to Srinagar. Also do we need to book guesthouse/hotels in advance or it can be managed over there. Same goes for Car hire from Manali to Leh and Leh Srinagar….pls let me know….any recommendation for guest house and car driver….Thanks
Akshay, you have about 11 days upto Srinagar and you can try following:
Day 1 | Reach Manali on 9th
— Better stay at Solang Valley and avoid Manali as sleeping at Solang Valley does help in acclimatization
— If going by own car, get the permit made in advance to drive on Manali – Rohtang Pass road through hotel/travel agent in Manali
— Overnight at Manali/Solang Valley
10th July Day 2 | Manali/Solang Valley – Keylong/Jispa
— It is always better to stay either at Keylong/Jispa so that you do not feel sick or hit by AMS.
— Avoid sleeping at Sarchu at any cost while going to Leh from Manali because your body will not be acclimatized by the time you reach there.
— I prefer staying at Jispa more because Keylong gives the feeling of a town while Jispa is more closer to nature having Bhaga river running just aside the Manali – Leh Highway at Jispa.
— Overnight at Keylong/Jispa
Day 3 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh
— Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 6 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 7 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 9 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh
— Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 10 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 11 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg
— Overnight at Srinagar
Fly back on Day 12. The stay & taxi can be managed on the spot unless you have something in mind to stay for sure. You need to look out for some places here and there.
Regards
Dheeraj
Dear Dheeraj, I wanted to know, is there any fixed check-in and check-out times in the hotels in Leh, Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso?? If yes, then can you tell me the general check-in and check-out time?? Also, will all the hotels in Leh and Nubra be open in the window of 8th to 18th sept? Also tell me is stay in tent at pangong tso doeable at dat time?
Anshu, general checkout time in hotels is 12 PM, home stays and guest houses in general are much comfortable in little adjustments. Sept. is a very good time, so those will be open. Stay in camps at Pangong tso is also doable 🙂
Helo sir ji I want to know how much time is needed to go in leh from srinagar by bus or sumo?
Totan, the journey over Srinagar to Leh is done in two days with overnight halt at Kargil. So, first day Srinagar to Kargil and then second day Kargil to Leh.
Hey dheeraj !!
We are 4 friends traveling to leh from delhi by flight on 12 october and 2 of us returning on 21 and other 2 on 22 by flight.So we have have planned a trip of 9,10 days. We would like to know the best itenary. We would also like to rent bikes so could you please suggest from where could we rent biikes, and taxi rates and contact nos.
Please mail me the information. Thnx in advance:-) .
Chirag, You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 9 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2015 – 16 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Regarding stay at Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri, you will have to stay at local home stays or guest houses.
Hi Dheeraj, Is it a good idea to visit Leh in December? We have not seen snow and we would love to be anywhere where we can experience it. We are planning a trip to Leh sometime in the end of December for about 8-9 days. Will all these small hotels be open during this time? Will the roads be open to go to Pangong and Nubra valley? Appreciate any helpful tip! Thanks!
Aparna, in December Leh is quite harsh and unforgiving if you are not used to such cold conditions plus the high altitude makes it more difficult. You should make a trip towards Munsiyari or Kinnaur Valley if you are fine with decent cold and with number of days you have in hand. Also, check out the series of articles on places to see snowfall near delhi starting from the link: Snowfall Near Delhi | 7 Places to Visit in Himachal
Hi dhiraj,
Just surfing on net and seen ur blogs. No doubt they are quite informative. Well I am going to let on 9th Dec. 14 and will be back on 13th. I have only booked flight yet and nothing else. Seeking info. On budget hotels, cabs and places of interest. Thanks…
Vikas, most of the hotels will be closed. For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2014 – 15 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
You should get in touch with some of the drivers listed in the link suggested in the comment above and ask him to get hold of some places to stay. 5 days in Ladakh is too less a time to explore anything but what you can do is first 2 days of acclimatization, then two day trip to Nubra Valley and finally a day trip to Pangong Tso if you see weather is good.
Hi,
Congrats on your super informative site on Leh.
I’m flying into Leh on 18th Sept morning from Mumbai and return on 23rd morning. Not booked anything else other than the air tickets. Would really like to hook up with some other group or solo travellers for company and to share costs … any suggestions how I can go about this ?
Was hoping to watch the festival that was to start on the 20th which I believe has been cancelled 🙁
The purpose of this trip was photography and I’m quite flexible about locations / co-travellers / budget etc.
If someone else reading this is also going during the same period you could call me on 0=9.8’2;1,5/6*6-5^2+9
Thanks in advance 🙂
Dr. Gupta, you must be enjoying on the trip, I just came back from the 10 day trip to Spiti Valley on doW Mega Meet, so could not reply. Enjoy your travel 🙂
Hey Dheeraj…hope you are doing fine. i am taking a sabatical and would like to stay in the Leh ladakh region for a period of 2 months from november to december. What would you recommend? how do i need to plan my stay.
Thanks,
LoneTraveller
There is no need to plan for such a long travel Mundra, best is to reach there and take it from there. Monasteries offer basic accommodation and food too, if you are on budget you can opt a stay with them too.
Hi Dheeraj … Very Informative Blog !!!
Can u please let me no how best we can plan for 7days(i.e Oct 1st to 7th).Oct 1st we are landing in Srinagar and oct 7th we are flying back….I heard it takes 2 days to reach from srinagar to leh.Is it so ?
Pl let me no how to utilize these 7 days …..
Advance Thanks 🙂
Yes, Sunil in case you are flying back from Srinagar only, I will not advice at all to make such a journey and rather focus more on Kashmir than anything else.
Hi Dheeraj, Having covered almost all the comments and your posts of August, i really wanted to enquire the kind of weather we would be expecting in September. We are a group of 4, reaching Leh on 7th September early morning and leaving for Delhi from Srinagar on 14th evening.
Ria, September in general is a very very good time to Travel Ladakh with magical colors around the valley. Just carry woolens with you and dress up in layers, you should do all good.
Hi Dheeraj,
First of all thanks for the wonderful tipss…
I along with my 3 other friends are visitn gLeh on 14th Spetember..
We would like to stay on the low cost hotels only as our budget is very low.. Do we have to book the low cost hotels in advance or could it be availed on the day of arrival?
Tonu, no need to book such hotels in advance. Carry the list above with you and you should be able to get the some of them.
Hi Dheeraj,
Me and my wife will be landing at srinagar on 25th aug. and coming to leh on 26th Aug. will be here till 30th aug. I wanted to know the best possible places that can be visited in 5 days time. Also wanted to know the route to reach these places and accommodation there, do consider that on 29th aug its her birthday, want to know the best place to celebrate it there.
it would be Gr8 if you could help me out on the same.
Regards Vinay parker
Hello Vinay,
You have 5 days in hand which can be utilized as below:
Day 1 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 2 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 3 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 5 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Thanks dheeraj,
if u could please sent me some updated contact info. of bike rentals in leh, as the no. given in the below links are not functional
Vinay, For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2014 – 15 & Reliable Shops
Kindly include the details of the below Driver
Manzoor Ahmed.
+91-9419179387/9797455547
JunaidGuestHouse@gmail.com
I have hired this person both the time, I have been to Leh. This person owns a guest house and also drives his own cab. He accompanied us for the site seeing, in and around Leh.
This person is very honest and his family too, who runs the guest. He provides all kind of comfort and freedom to the tourist. I’ve seen foreigners cooking there own food in the guest house kitchen, as they are not comfortable with Indian Spices.
The rates are reasonable and best.
Hi Dheeraj,
As I mentioned in my previous post that I want to go to Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake and Tso Moriri and you suggested that it is possible to cover all three places but the Itinerary that you have mentioned does not include Tso Moriri lake. Can you please check again.
Aminesh, you need to have more time to visit all the places. It all depends what context you suggest and I reply here. In just 6 days all three are not possible.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to travel to leh on 14th September and will leave by 20th September.
Can you please let me know what is the best way i can utilize my trip
Are these 7 days that you have in Ladakh only? Planning to fly in and out of Leh?
hi dheeraj,
me and my husband are coming from USA and will fly to leh the same day. We will stay from 31st aug to 4th sap. %th sep we will fly back to delhi. Can you please tell me how to plan out trip.
Priyanka, you do not have enough time but still you can try something like:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain hard with taxi driver. Book that single taxi for entire trip after explaining the complete plan.
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh
— Do not plan to stay overnight at Pangong Tso as you will not be acclimatized and may fall sick. So, make a day trip only.
— Overnight at Leh
Hi Dheeraj
I am planning to visit Leh from 18th August to 24th August. I will be in Leh on 18th august at 9 AM and will be leaving from leh on 24th August at 7AM. Hardly I have a six days’ time and during this duration I want to at least visit pangong lake, Nubra Valley and Tso Moriri. Can you please suggest is it possible to cover all three places in this time frame
Ami, you cannot visit all three in just 6 days. You can follow below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain hard with taxi driver. Book that single taxi for entire trip after explaining the complete plan.
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 6 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Hi Dheeraj
I have 6 days in hand ( there are 2 of us)considering 6 days too less fr leh wanted to know the best possible places that can be visited in 6 days time. Also wanted to know the route to reach these places and accomadation there. Tried searching for a few hotels in Leh on tripadvisor and few other websites but they were damn expensive.It will be great if you can help me out with the accomadation as well , my budget is 1000-1500Rs per day.
Priyanka, you can find stay options in the article above along with the series. But, are you flying in and out of Leh and then have 6 days?
flying on 12 morning n bk on 18 mon
So, you can plan something like below in 6 days you have in hand:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain hard with taxi driver. Book that single taxi for entire trip after explaining the complete plan.
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 6 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Hi
I am planning to visit Leh from 13th to 23rd of Aug with my wife and kid aged 4 yrs by road via Manali.is it fine to travel wid kid this age.pls guide.
It depends on person to person to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any physical health condition. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say :D… The issue with children is that they tend to exert the body considering it the same kind of place they belong to and this elevates the chances of getting struck with AMS. Secondly, they are not much expressive about their uneasy feelings, so it is parents who need to watch out and take care that the child is not suffering from uneasy feelings, headache or nausea and is behaving properly. With 2+ year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and if you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling then please do not ascend anywhere, either descend to lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight and if symptom increase then start descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!
Also, PLEASE read the article: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies. This article covers this topic in complete detail.
hie Dheeraj i m a traveller with very less amount of money in my hand hav never seen leg but i m really keen of exploring the utmost beauty of it the accommodation n the refrence what u hav provided is very helpful bt even this will nt fit for me so there anything more cheaper way where i can live at least for 15/20 days thnk you
Vinay, you can talk to the above property guys like Greenland Homestay at Changspa or Irfan Guest House, bimla guest house, there is a cluster of them together and see if they can rent on long term basis. Home stays are the ones which you need to look out or Dorm tents at places like Pangong Tso or Sarchu.
Dear Dheeraj,
Your website and comments have been really helpful! I am Noopur and I am planning to visit from 29 July – 8 August. I have 10 days (9 if you exclude 1 day of acclimatization). I want to visit the Nubra valley, Sham valley and do rafting in Zanskar. Can you please help me make an itinerary? I am traveling alone.
Places I want to cover (mostly by bus or taxi):
Sham valley, likir, alchi up to themisgam.
Khardung la, sumur, panamik upto diskit-hunder.
Finally, rafting in Indus/Zanskar.
I would be very grateful if you can advise on the itinerary. Thanks 🙂
Noopur, how are you traveling? By Air? How are you reaching and coming out of Leh? Also, it needs atleast 2 days of complete rest in Leh for acclimatization.
Dear Dheeraj,
Can I email you my itinerary somewhere? I am traveling by air. Now I have a fixed itinerary and it involves Turtuk also (I really want to visit Turtuk but I don’t know if it’s possible for a single person). I don’t have 2 days to acclimatize 🙁
Noopur, emails in general I rarely check as it always have a long queue in season time 🙂 .. Best is either you post it here or start a new topic in DwD Community for better threaded discussions and better tracking.
You will have to have 2 day of acclimatization for sure in order to make this trip successful. Otherwise, you will be playing with a life risk. AMS can be fatal, please note.
Noopur, why not you follow the the below itinerary:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain with taxi driver and you can refer the thread for a comprehensive list of drivers: List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder – Turtuk
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Turtuk
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— enjoy the culture in the Turtuk Village
— do mention Turtuk on the permits
Day 4 | Turtuk – Hunder
— Spend whole day at Turtuk and reach Hunder by evening
— Overnight at Hunder
Day 5 | Hunder – Deskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
— Enjoy drive upto Panamik, visit Yarab Tso Lake and back Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 7 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 9 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh
— Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 10 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping or rafting or sham valley OR Fly back
I will be reaching Leh (alone) on 16th August early morning and will fly back to Delhi on 22nd August early morning. I intend to spend 2 days in Leh and see Pangong Lake (Stay one night) and Nubra valley (Stay one night if possible). Can you please help me plan my itenarary and also suggest places of visit in Leh (Shortlisted Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa, Shanti Stupa ,Stok Palace Museum. It will also be helpful if you suggest good budget hotels in above places and best transportation means to get to Pangong and Nubra. Lastly it wil be helpful to know if any groups are already travelling in that period so that I can tag along with them. Thanks a lot.
Abhi, you have 6 days in hand and below place can be used:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sighseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain hard with taxi driver. Book that single taxi for entire trip after explaining the complete plan.
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 6 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Hello Dheeraj ji,
rates of Hotels/guest houses has been changed in Leh, so kindly get latest rates for the same.
thanks.
Jai Matadi
The article is almost 2 years old Anand. Based on 10% rates increments almost every year in hotel prices in Ladakh, you can get tentative new ranges.
hello dheeraj
i am visiting leh from 20 oct to 27 oct.i reach early morning by flight and fly out on 27 early morning.please help me to decide my itinerary.i want to visit pang gong,nubra etc.
thanx
Sahil, the season time by October gets over in Ladakh. Camps at Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri are gone by then and most of the hotels and restaurant gets closed in Leh. So, you will have basic facilities available during that time. Still, if you want to make a trip, you can refer a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 8 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
Hello Dhiraj
This is Rajesh from Jalandhar City, Me and My wife are visiting Leh from 22 August to 1 September. We will reach Leh on 22nd Morning, Can you suggest us our itinerary and good accommodation.
I want to hire a bullet in Leh, can you suggest me something regarding that also.
Thanks.
Rajesh, You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 8 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
You can add couple of rest days here and make a two day trip to Pangong Tso Lake as you have more days.
For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2014 – 15 & Reliable Shops
You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Thanks a lot Dheeraj.
Great information.
Me and my hubby want to visit Leh. Tell me what is the best way to reach leh? My budget is low. We’ll be starting from Hyderabad.
Thanks
It all depends how many days do you have for Ladakh trip?
Dear Dheeraj,
We are 3 friends, planning to drive our car to Leh from manali and returning back via kargil and srinagar. We are starting from manali on 15 august 2014 and wants to return back to srinagar on 22 August. We want to visit pangong, nubra valley, khardung la pass and local leh sight seeing. Please suggest where we have to stay and how we’ll manage to cover all these spots in given time.
Som, it is just 8 days you have. 3 days will be required to reach Leh from Manali and 4 days will be needed to return to Delhi from Leh via Srinagar. 1 day is must for rest.
Bro its a great job u r doing..
Need ur suggestions regarding some issues..
I have been to ladhakh 5 times but each and every time with friends, but this time in Sep I am planning to visit Leh and other nearby places with my grandfather & Grandmpother (age around 75).
Will it be possible for them to acclamatize with the climate in 2-3 days as I am planning for 10 days.
And my second problem is that I havent visited the Batalik sector yet,so can you please guide me from where should I proceed for Inner Line permit for Batalik.
Looking forward for your valuable suggestions.
Aman, you can get inner line permit for Batalik from Kargil DC office if you planning from Srinagar side else from Leh DC Office if planning from Leh side. AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any physical health condition. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say :D..please DO READ: Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization
Hi, Dheeraj i am bhanu from delhi we are 4 person planni to trip leh from jammu by taxi it will be vary helpful if you pls let us know the real taxi fare and also we are planning to hire the bullet bike to hang aroun on leh so pls tell where form we get them at best rent.
thanks so muchhhh
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2014 – 15 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2014 – 15 & Reliable Shops
myself reachin leh on 8th june 8 am and leaving on 11 th june 7 am.
plz suggest me route to cover pangong tso and nubra velly with local sights
Shailendra, with so less days without any acclimatization I cannot suggest you to cover any places in Ladakh. It is highly not recommended and would request you not to take a chance. AMS is fatal, so keep in mind and don;t risk your life. When you have more days at least 7-8 then make a ladakh trip.
hi dheeraj, nice blog…
m travelling to srinagar in sep 14.
i want to leave for leh on 5 sep n hav a return flight from srinagar on 14 sep morning. we r 4 ppl. can u suggest me a good itinerary. plz also suggest me how to reach leh from srinagar n how to book them ? i also wanna know how to hire a taxi in leh n there price also….
waiting for ur reply……..
thnx u soo much…
You have 9 days in hand and can follow the below itinerary:
Day 1 | Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zozi La – Drass – Kargil
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Drass is you are a vegetarian as sometimes it gets difficult to find veg. food at Kargil
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 2 | Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 5 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 7 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 9 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg
— Overnight at Srinagar
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2014 – 15 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
hi dheeraj, it seems u r very experienced me and my friends r planning to visit leh ladakh in first week of july… should we go via manali or srinagar ?? w r planning to stay or 4 nights.. plz provide me a hw much budget we should have… will go by bus till manali and then how to reach leh ??
Aman, how many total days do you have in hand from Manali and from where you will be returning?
Hi Dheeraj,
We are a people of three planing for Leh-Ladakh Trip. We are from Hyderabad and have one week time. Can you please suggest what are all the important places we can cover, given the one week span. Also approximate Budget would help us a lot.
Thanks in Advance!
Bhaskar.
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 8 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
Hi Dheeraj, I am travelling from Pangong to Hanle in month of July. Which will be a better road to enjoy nature- Via Rhongo Village or via Koyl which goes near LOC? Then i plan to travel from Hanle to Moriri via the Twin Lakes of Ryul and Chillin- Do i need permit for it? Will be grateful to have your inputs!
Route from Pangong Tso to Hanle via Chusul need permits. Even if you have permits Army will highly likely send you from Chusul back as for the last couple of years they don’t allow much tourist on this route. So, it has to be your lucky day. Also, for Koyul route, completely forget it. You will not at all be allowed by army, so in case you are allowed form Chusul and Tsaga, Rhongo to Hanle is your best bet.
Hi Dheraj,Nice to see your website & all other info inside.I will visit Leh in last week of July.I am going there for Stok Kangri Trekk.there are so many expedition agencies on net but I want to do that trekk with Leh Local Agencies.could you please suggests me that agencies..I am quite budget trekker & I have heard that Leh Market is always seeking such participents to join at the last moment & thus it would be cheaper.
Yes, best bet is that you go over there and stroll around in Changspa Market or Leh Main Market where people put lots of flyers at dine-ins, restaurants or cafes. Join that on the fly to make it most economic.
Thank you Buddy..Thanx for this info.
Hey I am planning a trip to Leh from srinagar for almost 7 days from 21ist of june 2014…is any body interested in joining with me..
DoW started an initiative last year under DoW – Himalayan Travel Community for finding Travel Partners or Companions, leave your message in Travel Partners section at the link: Ladakh & Zanskar – Travel Partners Section. There is also a DoW Travel Calendar linked here which can be used to easily and quickly spot a travel partner with similar dates of all the people looking for Travel Partners for their trips. May be you meet someone online going over the same dates.
Guys, Can anybody pls tell the pattern as in how to call at landline number in Leh from mobile?
i have tried various options but no luck… 🙁
Rohit, you need to add 01982 as STD infornt of the number if dialing from India. Otherwise, prefix +91 as country code too before this STD code if dialing outside India
Thank you for all the information shared Dheeraj, it is a great source and I appreciate the effort behind making the list.
I am visiting Leh in the beginning of July and am wondering whether it’d be ok to leave the accommodation to when there. I’m worried that the Kalachakra Initiation will attract a lot of people and by the time I get to Leh, all places will be full. Please let me know your opinion on that.
Shylock, I will suggest to book it in advance if you are traveling at the time of Kalachakra Festival. There will be lacs of people who will be present during that period over there and most of the good hotels are already booked.
Hi Dheeraj, we are so far 6 of us planning a trip from Manali to Leh and then to Srinagar. Do you think we can manage this in 15k?
I highly doubt brother that 15K will be possible. If you are not booking anything, going on the fly then may be 50:50 it is possible. But I think 18-20K is an optimum one.
hey thanks a lot buddy…:-) u really care a lot for all d visitors to leh…;-)
sorry for asking u so many questions… just d last one bro…! is june a gud time for cable car experience in gulmarg??
and yeah…all of us have strong desire to see snow in leh…will there be snow during june end??
Rahul, sorry bro but I have never done that cable car ride. Though I don’t find anything special in it as I prefer being on road than in skies 😉 … I have once done it in Auli and it was decent. June end will have some snow at the passes.
Hi Dheeraj,
As we have had a talk before , i have contacted Mr. Zakir for the entire most common itinerary you have posted at 55k which is fine right ?
Moreover he said , he knows the hotels and he would make all the arrangements and i have given him upper limit of Rs.800 for a double bedroom . I just want to know , i can trust with the rates and go ahead right .It won’t happen like he failed to gave us a hotel at last minute or gave us a cheap hotel at Rs.800 . The drivers there are reliable right ?
Regards.
Most of the people including drivers in Ladakh I have come across have been found reliable. You can always ask him to take you to another hotel in case you don;t like the one he takes you too. Don’t expect much of a luxury from Rs 800 room.
Hi,
I plan to visit Leh in early July. How do I book some of these guest houses? Most of them dont have a website. Is it by calling the names/numbers you have listed?
Thanks for the list btw. Really helps
Yes, you need to call them on the numbers mentioned.
Sir,
Thank you for your timely reply. Actually I don’t have words to express my gratitude for your wonderful service for the social cause.
Sir, My another doubt-
We have planned to stay at leh for three nights ( including our travel day from kargil to Leh)and two days.
Is it possible to plan for Nubra Vally visit in one day and Panang lake in another day along with local sight seeing at leh.
It will be very tiring with back to back long days. Also, for first day you MUST stay in Leh for acclimatization, IMHO. You can make a day trip to Khardung La and come back. Then next day you can make day visit to Pangong Tso. I will suggest to add couple of days.
hey u dint include rafting in d itenerary ? is it worth doing???
Rafting can be done any day after 2-3 days of reach Leh, even after coming from Nubra Valley, you can head for rafting.