How to plan a Leh Ladakh Trip in 9 Days in 2024

Ever since domestic tourism has boosted exponentially in Ladakh, the urge to make a Ladakh trip in 9 days or less by domestic tourists can be seen everywhere over the Internet. Of course, mostly due to the lack of leaves or lack of approved leaves from office, we, domestic tourists, are not left with any other choice than to make a short and hectic trip to such a heavenly place, Ladakh.

So, in today’s article, I will talk about how can you make a Ladakh trip in 9 days. I will share a common itinerary with you in case you are looking out to plan such a trip to Ladakh.

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More than 9 days for Ladakh Trip?

Of course, if you have more days you should always plan a trip to Ladakh at least with 12-15 days in hand in order to enjoy the beauty of the Ladakh and feel the nature at its ever best in trans-Himalayas.

You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 13-14 days at Most Common Itinerary for Leh Ladakh. However, if you are really short on time and do not have any other option, then you may go ahead with below Ladakh itinerary of 9 days.

The Leh Ladakh itinerary mentioned in this article does not include traveling on Srinagar Leh Highway as well because of a lack of days in hand. I have tried to keep a balance of best places to experience in Ladakh in 9 days.

Ladakh Trip in 9 Days | Most Common Itinerary

Before we check the itinerary in detail, I will like to tell you that it will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi with stopovers at Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi with stopovers at Sarchu/Jispa/Keylong, Manali. This plan makes it seven days. You need one day in Leh for acclimatization, which is a must to avoid AMS issues for the rest of the trip.

You are then left with just one day in which you cannot do much than to either make a day trip to Khardung La or you make a day trip to Pangong Tso. So, in the below itinerary I have suggested traveling from Manali Leh Highway to save another day which can be used for sightseeing in Ladakh to at least see a couple of places in Ladakh.

So, you can follow Delhi to Leh 9 days plan as mentioned in the article below.

Day 1 | Delhi – Manali/Solang Valley

• 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

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 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 in Leh to visit check my Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
• Overnight at Leh

Day 5 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder – Leh

• Leave very early morning at max. by 6 AM from Leh and cover Diskit and Hunder as Day trip from Leh
• 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 | Leh – Pangong Tso Lake – Leh

• Day trip to Pangong Tso
• Overnight at Leh

Day 7 | Leh – Taglang La – Pang – Sarchu

• Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
• Overnight at Sarchu or Pang

Day 8 | Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali

• On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the roadsides only
• Overnight at Manali

Day 9 | Manali – Delhi

• Return Home

Day 10 + 11 | Buffer days

• Keep some buffer day in case of road closure due to landslides or snowfall or perhaps you want to enjoy more.

Leh Ladakh 8 Day Itinerary

Well, if you are one day short and want to make a trip to Leh Ladakh in 8 days from Delhi, then, as you see in the above itinerary, you can skip either day trip to Nubra Valley or Day trip to Pangong Tso. This will save you one day. DO NOT skip the acclimatization day in Leh as it is important to not further get in trouble.

Leh Ladakh 10 Day Itinerary

If you have one more day and want to make a Leh Ladakh trip in 10 days, then you can make a three day trip to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso from Leh by taking the direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso.

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
• About 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between and at Khardung La

Day 6 | Hunder / Diskit – Shyok village / Wari La route – Pangong Tso

• Take the direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso either via Shyok village or Wari La pass whichever is open.
• In the last couple of years (as of 2018), the direct route between Nubra Valley – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso has been stabilized a lot. It is not that desolate in the season anymore as it used to be a few years back. 
• A lot of people do this route nowadays, so it should be fine for you to do that route as well. Just enquire at Agham village on the safer side or wait for a couple of cars to tag along on the route.
• Overnight at Pangong Tso.
• About 6-10 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between and route you take between Shyok and Wari La.

Day 7 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh

• Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey on return to Leh
• Overnight at Leh
• About 6-7 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between

Leh Ladakh Itinerary 12 Days

Now, if you have a couple of more days at hand then you can add Tso Moriri lake to your 12 days Leh Ladakh itinerary after continuing from the 10-day plan as mentioned above. When you make a trip to Leh Ladakh in 12 days, you can also consider visiting Turtuk when in Nubra Valley. This is how you can add Tso Moriri lake in the plan. 

Day 8 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang

• Cover Karzok Monastery
• Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
• About 7-8 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between

Day 9 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Moore Plains – Pang / Sarchu

• Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
• Overnight at Sarchu or Pang
• About 11-12 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between

Conclusion

I hope the above common itinerary of Ladakh trip in 9 days will help you in case you are looking out for the same answer and are suffering from most common things in Indian offices “lack of leaves or approved leaves” 🙂 🙂 …

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As I said, any Ladakh road trip less than nine days is not at all worth making the trip unless you want to be in the car or bike, touch a place, crash in bed and then move to another next morning. So, to make the best use of your money and your leaves, make sure to have at least nine days or more to make a Ladakh trip.

If you know your friends or family are planning a trip to Ladakh, do share this article with them to help them make a memorable Ladakh trip.