When the winters set in Leh Ladakh, the most important question for lovers of Ladakh becomes “How to travel to Leh Ladakh in Winters??“. The roads to Ladakh are closed in winter.
Traveling on the Srinagar – Leh Highway and Manali – Leh Highway gets very risky as you enter the end of October owing to snowfall at passes, black ice on the road which skids the vehicles making driving hazardous and above all extremely harsh cold conditions with not much shelter, and food at disposal, especially on the Manali – Leh Highway.
Hence, the only option to travel to Leh Ladakh in Winters after October is to directly fly to Leh from Delhi and then travel within Ladakh.
Download your FREE high-resolution version pdf copy of this Leh Ladakh Winter Trip day-by-day plan infographic guide. If, you liked it and found it helpful, please feel free to share it with your family and friends to help them too.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Winter Tourism & Responsible Travel
Winter tourism in Ladakh is always special but lately, it is rising like anything. Many senior travelers and lovers of Ladakh, including me, who used to love this once-upon-a-time remote place named Ladakh, now see much filth, garbage, and litter in the season time. Hence, many are trying to avoid visiting Ladakh in the summer.
Especially, owing to the rise of domestic tourists (forgive me for saying the bitter truth, but you know it is true, don’t you?? 😥 ) who litter like anything on the shores of pristine Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri, at remotest passes, in remote corners and where not they throw those plastic bottles out of their moving cars or those wafer packets which such morons eat, open the window and throw out – disturbs the ecological balance, flora, and fauna just for the mere show off of the 4×4 capabilities their supercars posses, for few 100 likes, smileys, RTs in Social Virtual Media???…
Does traveling to Ladakh in winter help?
Well to be very frank even winters are no longer that rosy and you will get such people in winters too nowadays. All thanks to the uncontrolled mass tourism and the age of Instagram. Confronting such idiots means getting into trouble, spoiling your mood, sometimes taking on punches, and spoiling your trip as locals have closed their eyes in the name of development, and they don’t come forward to beat the shit out of such morons… Aah, my heart bleeds as I write all this and more but anyway, let’s come back to topic 🙂 🙂 …
Still, do not believe me?? Read yourself in the article about how Ladakh is turning itself into an environmental disaster.
Many Responsible travelers who respect mother nature are ready to take on the hardships of Ladakh in winter to see this heavenly land not getting polluted in front of their eyes at every corner or not getting noise polluted by any drunkards playing loud music on the holy shores of such nature conservation land, I thought of completing the DoW Travel Guide of Leh Ladakh by adding the chapters on Leh Ladakh in winters. In the last article, I shared some important tips on making a winter trip to Leh Ladakh.
PS: You can help save this beautiful heaven from this filth & littering by learning, sharing, spreading and educating these key pointers about responsible travel in the Himalayas
Is Flying to Ladakh in Winters Safe?
Flying directly to a high altitude place like Leh (3500+ Mtr) can cause serious issues sometimes if proper care is not taken for Acute Mountain Sickness.
And when it is winter, there should be extra care that needs to be taken in order to help your body fight & cope with extreme cold plus high altitude together.
Hence, one must always be at least aware of the importance of Acclimatization and tips to better acclimatize to some extent before venturing to further high altitudes.
7 – 8 Days Itinerary for Leh Ladakh in Winters
I would like to sketch below one of the most common itineraries or travel plans for Ladakh in winter that you can follow on your adventures of snow-white Ladakh in winter.
This itinerary covers two of the three major tourist destinations of Ladakh including Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso Lake. The plan for Tso Moriri is provided as optional.
When you fly to such high-altitude places like Leh, you must give your body a chance to acclimatize a bit before actually getting started with sightseeing on distant high-altitude places in Ladakh. That is the precise reason why a road journey to Ladakh from Srinagar Leh Highway is more fun because it allows your body to adapt to the increase in altitude gradually. Hence, you acclimatize to the raising altitude day by day.
But, in winter the highways to Ladakh are closed, and hence, flying to Leh in harsh cold conditions is the only option one has on disposal. So, let’s take a look at how one can plan this, not so easy, adventure journey to Leh Ladakh in winters and also maximize the chances of enjoying the trip rather than just merely surviving on it.
Needless to say, you will need to carry proper heavy woolen clothing for the winter trip to Ladakh.
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh, Rest & acclimatization (By Flight)
- Check-in at the Hotel. Some hotels provide free pick and drop from the Airport. Ask while you book them.
- Take Ample rest as well as water or anything that keeps your body warm and hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE.
- Do not overexert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in its entirety, if possible.
- After 5-6 Hrs of rest, you can visit Leh Palace and see what is open in the Local Leh market. A little slow walk helps in acclimatization too.
- If you feel exerted, go back to the hotel, have dinner at the Hotel and take a rest. Avoid any exertion and getting hit by the cold.
- Go back to the hotel for an overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing
- Starting in 2021, you DO NOT need any inner line permits for Pangong Tso and Nubra Valley
- Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you. 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.
- Take the driver’s inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suit you best.
- Ask him to be with you guys starting the first day itself if required else do it on your own.
- Again DO NOT overexert and take little steps and slow walks only.
- If feeling OK then do Local Sightseeing in Leh Town
- 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 – Sham Valley Tour – Leh including Chilling
- Sham Valley includes Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, and Gurudwara Pather Sahib.
- Check my complete travel guide of Sham Valley.
- In winter, especially in November & December when there is dry cold in the absence of snow, the acclimatization of the body is a bit hard process in comparison to when things are much more favorable to the body in summer. Hence, you must keep this extra day for the Sham Valley tour so that you acclimatize much better before going to Nubra Valley.
- Take the road opposite Confluence towards the Zanskar river and travel to Chilling too. In case you visit in January or February, you can walk over the Zanskar River on this route as some part of the famous Chadar Trek where people walk over the Zanskar River as it freezes in winter from Padum in Zanskar Valley to travel to Leh.
- 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, if available in winter, which I doubt, at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
- Diskit has monasteries with the 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
If you have an additional day at hand, you can visit Turtuk Village in Nubra Valley as well.
Day 6 | Day trip to Pangong Tso
- Make a Day trip to Pangong Tso as it will be very very cold up there and there will not be any place to stay around Pangong Tso except Tangste about 34 KMs away
- Overnight at Leh
Day 7 | Fly back home / Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour and fly back home on Day 8
- Monastery tours may include Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey monasteries. They come on the route of Pangong Tso but as you will be doing a day trip, it will be a bit hectic to include them on that day only.
- Overnight at Leh
Or those who have 8 days in hand, can make a Day trip to Pangong Tso as below but that makes it a bit rushed / hectic.
Day 6 | Leh – Hemis – Karu – Chang La – Tangste, 34 KMs before Pangong Tso
- Checkout Hemis Monastery on the way to Pangong Tso
- Since at Pangong Tso it will be very very cold almost unsurvivable and there will not be any place to stay as well around Pangong Tso except homestay, it is better to stay at Tangste about 34 KMs before Pangong Tso.
- If you have time in the day left, you can go towards Harong Wetlands from Tangste on Erath – Nama – Chusul route from Tangste to explore some nice landscapes around there.
- If you are not interested in exploring Harong Wetlands then you can spend some time at Chemmery Monastery near Shakti and one more monastery near Tangste as Sasakul Monastery
- Overnight at Leh
Day 7 | Tangste – Pangong Tso – Tangste – Thicksey – Shey – Leh
- Cover Thicksey Monastery and Shey Palace while coming back from Pangong Tso
- Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Fly back home / Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping and fly back home on Day 9
- Overnight at Leh
Can I visit Tso Moriri in winter, too??
If you have a couple of more days at hand or in case Chang La Pass is snowed, you got yourself a couple of days then you can visit Tso Moriri as well. Please remember the order of visit must be like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and then Tso Moriri, in any case, to best acclimatize yourself.
Since there is no high mountain pass on the way to Tso Moriri from Leh, this is far more approachable but being very remote and lacking basic facilities, especially in winters nearby Tso Moriri, it is best avoided unless you are a serious hardcore traveler and enjoy such harsh cold conditions as an adventure 🙂 🙂 …
Day 1 | Leh – Karu – Upshi – Chumathang
- Chumathang, about 83 KMs from Tso Moriri is the place where you will need to stay as Korzok village will only have homestays to stay, but at 4500 Mtrs, the cold will be too much to survive easily with basic homestays, I believe. Though you may be lucky with Bukhari enabled room, if you are acclimatized well.
- Chumathang has a hot water spring, is low in altitude, and provides better resistance to cold even though the stay here as well is quite basic. There is a Chumathang Hot Springs Resort for a stay in winter near Tso Moriri.
- You can cover any of Hemis, Thicksey, Shey, or Stakna on the way to Chumathang in case you missed in previous days
- Overnight at Chumathang
Day 2 | Chumathang – Tso Moriri – Chumathang – Leh
- It will be quite a long drive but once you reach Chumathang after visiting Tso Moriri, the road is well paved all the way to Leh. So, this day is doable enough.
- In any case, the visit to Tso Moriri will be short and quick, owing to long day travel.
- Overnight at Leh
Video – Tips Ladakh In Winters
You may check this less than 3-minute video on Discover With Dheeraj YouTube Channel to know more on the 6 Special Tips for a Winter Trip to Ladakh. If you like my video, please do not forget to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.
LAST UPDATED: Dec 2023
This article has been updated with the latest information about making a winter trip to Ladakh. It is kept up to date every season to reflect the current status. Feel free to suggest any further updates you deem fit that I may have missed.
Conclusion
I hope this travel plan or itinerary for traveling to Ladakh in winter will be useful for you in planning your adventure trip. I will look forward to any questions or doubts in the comments section of this article.
Have a travel question?? You can subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave a comment to ask your travel questions about traveling to the Himalayas.
In case you have made a winter Ladakh trip and have any suggestions that can help other fellow travelers. Please feel free to share them with me, and I will be happy to put them in the article. Do not forget to share this article with your friends and family who are planning their upcoming trip to Ladakh in winter.
212 Comments
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Hello Dheeraj,
me and my wife are bit travellers, we are planning to visit leh in the month of feb 2019, can I see pangong tso, nubra, khardhungla and all at that time? can I get taxi and accommodation at that time in leh and tansgte ? and will it too much costly all the homestay and resorts?
please help me
Hi Dheeraj,
REALLY helpful blog/guide! Planning on making the most of the above in my trip to Leh in Late October/Early November this year. Just a quick question, is the Srinagar – Leh highway open late October for us to drive into Leh or is it likely to be closed?
About Zanskar River, is it going to be frozen by then or will it still be flowing? Would you recommend visiting it then?
Srinagar Leh Highway is mostly likely be open in later October and early November. As there will be ice on roads, please drive with caution and care.
No, Zanskar river starts to freeze in February
Hi,
I am Planning to go Leh in the month of October 17-21.From Leh we will visit Pangong and Nubra ,what is your opinion and any piece of advice.
You can surely plan to visit Leh in October by air and also you should be able to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. First two days you can rest in Leh after flying and then you can do a 3 day trip to Nubra Valley and PAngong Tso
Dear Dheeraj
I have visited Ladakh in Summers long back and I always wanted to be there in winters. I am flying to Leh with my wife on 25th Jan on a 4 days trip. Here is my itinerary:
Day 1: Land in Leh and take rest for whole day.
Day 2: Local sightseeing. Magnetic Hill, Zansakar Indus confluence, Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, etc
Day 3: A day trip to pangong. Get back to Leh by sunset.
Day 4: Visit Khardungla and nearby monasteries.
Have few questions:
1. Is it safe for a couple to travel alone to Pangong and nearby areas?
2. Do you recommend any change in the itinerary?
Thanks in advance.
-Himanshu
Sorry Himanshu, for missing out on it. It has been quite number of things going on in life, so could not reply to all questions
It’s okay Dheeraj. I had figured out things there. Booked a cab from Chamba on your recommendation and am not totally satisfied. No doubt he is very friendly and accommodating but we couldn’t visit Pangong as the cab he provided was not good enough to drive even on a micrometer of ice. The driver was not experienced driving in winters. He didn’t know how to put a chain on tires. We had to return from few kms from Chang La while all other vehicles easily crossed a small stretch of bad road where we were stuck for an hour while the driver was trying out useless stuff. My whole trip was ruined as the one of the big reasons to visit Ladakh in winters was to witness frozen Pangong.
That’s really sad to know Himanshu, you should write this review in the DwD Community too so that others learn from it and take caution or check for the tires before confirming the taxi. I will keep in mind to suggest people about taxi too. In case the driver is untrained, well, it all goes by the feedbacks one had with them.
Dear Dheeraj,
Planning another Leh trip in this February. (knew the weather condition :D,
this is the first winter visit and unfortunately short.)
February 3: Reaching Leh Airport and local sightseeing (just random walks, nothing much)
February 4: Leh – Pangong
February 5: Pangong – Leh
February 6: flying back
Is it possible to get any staying option there in Pangong?
What about the availability of drivers during these periods?
I knew that you might have answered these questions multiple times. But still.
regards
Jishnu
I will not recommend going to Pangong Tso directly on the second-day bhai and also it wont be possible to sleep at Pangong Tso in the month of February. Drivers will be available, that’s of no issue. It is a bit impractical and risky to attempt such a trip.
thanks for the reply Dheeraj.
What will be your suggestion then?
Leh-Chumthang-Tso Moriri-Chumthang-Leh? or something else
Jishnu, maximum I can suggest you is Lamayuru trip and sham Valley. Both Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso should not be attempted on second day of the trip and that too in winters when there will not be any facilities.
Hi I’m sahil from mathura in uttar Pradesh
Me and my family wants to go to the road trip to Shri Nagar to ladakh in December
Sahil, the roads to Ladakh are closed now and it is not recommended to travel to Ladakh by road now. The roads will again open in month of May and June.
Hi Dheeraj, I will be in Leh from 4th Feb to 10th Feb after completing Chadar trek. Just want to know if bikes will be available during this period? If not can I hire taxi ? And is it recommended to book hotels beforehand?
Hi Alok,
Some bikes are available at times but not 100%. It will be quite cold for the bike ride though and you may only be able to use them for local sightseeing. Hotels you should be searching upon reaching there as over phone you may get high prices. Check basic home stays if you are OK with basic facilities.
Hi. You have mentioned about Chadar Trek in your post. I am planning to do this trek this winter. I am thinking of booking with Bikat Adventures . Any other good trek operator you might recommend?
Check this out too: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/question/chadar-trek-2018/
Dear Dheeraj,
Your guidance is commendable. Your website and articles have been the main source for research for me and after reading everything, I have decided to write a comment asking for some help.
I am 37 and am planning a solo trip to Leh on the 28th November to 7th November. In the past I have experienced Winters and Snow in UK and Europe but nothing close to -20 degrees as this number keeps coming up. I have also done the Deoriatal Chandrashila 5 day Trek last year. I will be flying in and out of Leh.
1. If I am a single person, what would be the best option to follow your 8-day itinerary without breaking the bank? I am aware it will be extremely cold, is there a possibility, I can take the gear and try riding a bike to visit places or will this be outright foolish?
2. If the bike is not possible, what could be the next possible option to get around and see places that are listed on your itinerary?
3. I can hardly find any accommodation around Rs. 1000-1500 mark, even the accommodation you listed as 1000-1500 come up as 4000+ online. Will they offer such difference if I call them? I will be doing that right after this comment.
4. Should I book all my accommodation in Leh itself? I have read that booking can be done on the spot, how does that work? Do I take a cab from the Airport and ask him to take me to the best accommodation? Isn’t that how we used to get ripped off in the good olden days?
5. For your suggested 7 – 8 Days Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh in Winters, how much would it cost approximate apart from the air tickets, if possible and if you know it instantly, please give a figure, else, please don’t take the trouble of taking out time for this point. It would be nice to know approximately how much I will need to spend.
I have a million other questions but I will stop here. I have to thank you for the time you put into this website to inform travelers. You can only do this out of passion and not for monetary gains.
Thank you,
Jeewan
For better tracking, I posted it under Q&A section and replied as well: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/question/solo-ladakh-trip-in-winters/
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning for a 5 day trip in the first week of November. The plan is to land in Leh on 4 November at 10 am. and depart on 9 November at 10.am. Please suggest itinerary for the same including pangong lake and magnetic fields.
Will all routes be open for this? And will we find any place to stay during that time at those places?
Thanks.
Hi Shanu,
I will suggest you refer: How to make trip to Ladakh in 5 Days?
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning for a 5 day trip in the first week of November. The plan is to land in Leh on 4 november at 10 a.m. and depart on 9 nov at 10 a.m. What can be the suggested itinerary including pangong lake and magnetic hills ?
Will all routes be open for this? And will we find any place to stay during that time at those places?
Thanks.
Replied to your other comment.
Thanks Dheeraj for the itinerary, it’s really helpful. I still have one more question unsolved ” are all routes open for travel during this period ?” And “whether it is suitable time to visit Leh ? “
All the routes within Ladakh remains open all round the year barring few days of heavy snowfall. In case it is snowing on passes that very day, the route will be closed else open. It will be quite cold and dry, so go prepared. Do go through: Tips for Carrying Clothes for Ladakh Trip
Hi Dheeraj,
Your article is really helpful.
I am planning a solo trip to leh around 10 of December .from where can I get a complete package so that I don’t have to worry too much about the planning part .
Tejas, are you planning to fly to Leh? Because roads are closed. if you want to get in touch with tour operator, better connect with info@offbeatescapes.com than going ahead with some copy cats who may dupe people by copying names similar to other established brand names like ours.
Sir I want to experience extreme cold conditions in January
Which place should I visit spiti valley or ladakh
I had visited Russia in December in -25 degree
Both will be able to provide you extreme cold conditions Ladakh as well as Spiti valley.
It is the best post I have read about Leh-Ladakh itinerary. Thank you!
Thank you.
Hi dheeraj….
We are visiting ladakh in december 2nd week…and we want to have a bike ride there….will we be able to hire a bike there in december???? We have planned a 8 days trip
I really doubt any bike rental will be open in the month of December, peak winters. Even if they are open, are you really sure to ride a bike in sub zero conditions?
Yes ..we really want to drive in bike there..
Well, then you may have read the plan above and the tips for making a winter trip to Ladakh. Let me know inc ase there are any other specific questions.
Hi Dheeraj; would Turtuk be open in mid/end of October and would accommodation be available there for a night stay. Thanks..
Yes Nikunj, Turtuk remain open all round the year and yes, stay options will also be available. Most places in Ladakh, home stays are open almost all round the year including peak winter months.
Hi Dheeraj,
FIrstly, let me tell you that you are doing a commendable job helping people out with your fantastic advice (especially, for first timers like me). I am getting married in February next year and would love to visit (by flight) Leh-Ladakh with my better half for our honeymoon between 8th to 16th February next year. I read all your posts above with regards to the schedule and transportation in winter. Just wanted to ask you if you would recommend this trip in Feb. I love the snow and have thoroughly enjoyed my bouts with it in various parts of Sikkim, Himachal and Uttaranchal. But, I have concerns regarding the good sightseeing places in and around Leh becoming inaccessible due to snow, the colours of Leh not being there, most of the decent hotels and eateries being closed and the scarce resources in terms of food etc. Also, the chances of flight cancellations are there as well. That’s a concern since it’s our honeymoon and cannot be rescheduled. Please throw some light on these constraints. Also, all in all, what would I be missing or gaining (in terms of the pros and cons) apart from the colours in Leh if I choose to visit the place in mid-Feb rather than in the tourist season (not very fond of loud and noisy crowds littering their way to hell and spoiling the sanctity of these mesmerizing places). Would love it if you could advise me on the same so that I can take a well-informed decision.
Hi Akash,
I will not recommend at all planning a honeymoon trip to a harsh and unforgiving place in winters. There could be 100 things that can go wrong on a winter trip to Ladakh and I am sure honeymoon trip is not the one you would like to associate and then crib the whole life after. Honeymoon trip only happens one you know 😉 … I will recommend planning this adventure trip to Ladakh some other time and make a trip to more accessible place in mid-Feb which either offers comfort or comfort mixed with little adventure in case you are really interested in the adventure part of it.
hi ,
I visited leh on 17th may this year for first time. Had a breath taking experience i landed in leh visited nubra and pangong via agham and then to leh via changla. and leh to srinagar via road. Now I feel i wanna visit leh again during winter. Leh srinagar is closed at that tym. I plan to visit only leh if nubra and pangong are open will give a visit. My questions are
1. Is hotel accomodation available at that time ?
2. Shoudl I plan early december or last week of december ( i am free whole december)
3. If nubra pangong open hw can i visit , by hiring taxi or two wheeler ? will those be available
4. Is the cost of bike rent hotel same as summer or higher ?
I plan to stay for 10 days
Hi Srini,
1. Yes, hotels are available and Nubra only home stays and small guest houses run including the Habib Guest House. At Pangong Tso, it is recommended that you stay at Tangtse where accommodation will be available.
2. Late december will mean chances of snow, I will prefer on it. Coldwise it does not make much difference.
3. You need to hire taxi. Please read the article above
4. Cost of hotel is a bit more in winters or more or less same. More due to heating charges.
Hi,
I’m planning to visit Leh in the month of February with my family & 7 year old son. Can you please suggest me the Itinerary & feasibility for the same.
Hi Tarak,
Itinerary is already suggested in the article above along with the tips for traveling in winters to Ladakh.
Hi,
Sorry but I still dont understand the reference to winters in ladakh because there is no reference to when it starts.
I am planning a leh trip on December 23 to december tp 28 th. Would it be possible. Also would there be snow at the end of september or first week of October
Thanks
Hello Priyank,
Winters in Leh – Ladakh starts as soon as the season ends in late – September to mid October. Once, you cross mid – October mark, all hotels in Ladakh in remote places close and people either go to lower hills, cities or go to Leh or go back to their villages. Spending nights at Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri becomes very harsh and unforgiving. Late December is a time when dry winter is present in Ladakh. There will be no snow in end of September unless it snows a day or two around your trip only.
Hi Dheeraj Ji,
I wanna some information about timing of leh shri Nagar road. After this I wanaa go to Murgo & daulat beg Oldi(DBO). Is it impossible ? If it is possible then please mention the idea.
Ashutosh, those places are not possible to visit unless you have some army connections and they allow you to permit your visit. What do you mean by timing of Srinagar – Leh Highway? If Zojila pass one way traffic, it is decided every season when road opens.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning for a 5 day trip in the first week of May. The plan is to land in Leh on Day 1, head to Pangong on Day 2 and spend the night at Spangmik, head to Hanle and spend the night somewhere around there on Day 3 and back to Leh on Day 4. Return flight on Day 5.
Will all routes be open for this? And will we find any place to stay during that time at those places?
Thanks.
Sriram, please DO NOT undertake such a trip to Ladakh as you may end up in the hospital. Your body will not be able to cope up with such ahigh altitude. You have to take complete rest in the first two days after landing in Leh by flight. Post that you should make a two day trip to Nubra Valley and one day trip to Pangong Tso.
Sure, point noted. We felt the same too. Plans changed. 🙂
Good, best wishes for the trip. Feel free to share any further questions you may have for this trip.
Dear Dheeraj ,
I have been following your posts for 3 days now. Have read from a-z by far I found your articles to be the most helpful than any other glittery articles on internet.
I am 26 years male traveling solo to leh in March 14-25 by flight. Kindly suggest me a travel itinerary (would love to include turtuk as well apart from usuals) also please give some valuable advice as this is my first solo trip. Your valuable advice is awaited.
Thank you Syed !! 🙂 🙂 .. You made my day 😉
March is pretty harsh in Ladakh and I am sure you might have gone through the above article for winters trip to Ladakh. You can add days for Turtuk in the plan presented in the article above when you are in Nubra Valley. Being solo the challenge will be to find transport to these places as in March only few option will be available.
Hi Dheeraj,
Great job. The way you help the fellow travellers to plan their Himlayan trips is really amazing.
My wife and I want to visit Leh-Ladakh in the month of April (14th to 23rd). I’ve been to Leh once, but my wife is a first timer. We have about 10 days and we start from Bangalore. Could you please advise if it would be very cold in April? Also would it be possible for us to follow the itinerary in the article above and be able to vist – Leh, Pangong Tso/Tso Kar, Khardung la – Nubra valley, Sham valley, the monasteries? Is it possible/advisible to stay overnight at Pangong in April? We plan to fly to Leh and hire a cab to go around. Your advice would be of immense help. Thanks in advance.
– Jagadish.
Hi Jagdish,
Yes it will definitely be cold up there in April so go preaprely. Pangong Tso night stay will not be possible and better stay at Tangtse at that time of the year. You can follow the itinerary in the article above as it is meant for winter trip only which April mor or less is.
Can u lease guide,when does the lakes start melting.
Lakes start melting by end of April, first week of May. By mid of May to third week, they are melted almost fully.
Hi Dheeraj
Me 50 and my wife 46 have been twice to Leh with your guidance in June and August by road. Now we have booked our tickets from 26 to 31 Jan 2017. Please suggest the necessary preparations and clothing required
Harish
Sir, breif itinerary has been suggested in the article above. You can take it as two days complete rest in around Leh, followed by a trip to Nubra Valley and then finally if weather permits, a day trip to PAngong Tso. Rest please read: 6 Special Tips for a Winter Trip to Ladakh
Dear friend Dheeraj,
I have done a kishtwar Khillar, sach, keylong on a bike during October in snow and found it mesmirising. Have been dreaming of a bike trip in feb end to Khardungla, Nubra, sasoma, ODB, Pangang tso and tso mori. Am physiclally fit and feel confident of doing the trip. Are the army guys very insistent and strict about the permision for a bike trip through khardungla. Have heard from a friend that some army friends of his have done it on bike in FEB last year through the mentioned places.
Kumar, they do not allow biking over Khardungla and Changla when it is snowed. There had been numerous incidences and mishaps and hence, AFAIK they have completely stopped it. They don’t even allow in April-mid type too unless the roads are less slippery. There is a difference between riding in snow in October and riding the snow in Feb. You get hard ice snow in Feb which does not provide you any grip. Also, the places you ae talking about does not stand fatal as compared to the places you gonna attempt the bike ride now. Sach Pass cannot be compared to the altitude of these places. If you have to drag a bike for few feet on Khardung La, you will be gasping for breath in the lack of oxygen zone, which makes conditions worse.
Thank u Dheeraj for the prompt and correct advice. I will take the advice and postpone my trip to end of Nov as the beauty of seeing the valley cover in all white through a bike trip is unique and a fantastic feeling i believe.
November wont be having tons of snow. In case you want to see snow plan in March / April
Hi Dheeraj, great blog. I am wondering if it possible for to go to Leh-Ladakh in February, and what is the estimated cost (backpacking style) per person to travel there? Im a solo traveler with limited budget.
Sha, you should refer 6 Special Tips for a Winter Trip to Ladakh. If time is not a constraint, well, yeah in that case the trip can be managed mostly by shared transport as now a days you get to see tourist footprints in good number in Ladakh in winters. And since if time is not a constraint you can shift/adjust your schedule based upon public transport available during those days.
Hello Dheeraj, Is it recommended to rent bikes in mid February? I have planned Chadar trek from 2nd Feb to 9th and I have booked my flight from Leh on 12th, so was thinking of renting a bike there!
Well, bike may be available on rent but riding a bike in such cold conditions may not be practically feasible. Plus BRO will not allow you to travel over passes with snow on the roads as conditions are dangerous and slipper to ride a bike.
Thank you!
Best wishes for your trip 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
With your help i have already done LEH Twice 🙂 🙂
Need your help again.
We are planning again for LEH in March End or April Start. Is it a proper time to visit considering many of the guys with me are first timer and want to see the beauty of leh ?
Are Bikes available in Month of April or we compulsory need to hire cab ?
and last but not the least, are all the places like Hunder, Pangong, Tso Morriri , Khardungla Open at this time of Year?
Please help me on this
–Vikram Sharma
Vikram, if most of the are first timers, then I will not suggest as it wil be extremely cold in March and all the lakes will be frozen, hence they will miss the colorful beauty in Ladakh. Bikes are available but you wil mostly be limited to take them for a ride around Leh only because with snowy/skiddy roads BRO will not allo you to cross passes or even go towards passes on bikes.
Hi Dheeraj,
You are doing a tremendous job updating this site with so valuable information. I was planning to land at LEH on 13th Dec 2016 and return by 17th. My aim is not to explore entire LEH in 4 days but to experience snow, extreme cold (I have been in srinagar at -6 degree) and specially witness the frozen lakes 😀
Also, I would be interested in admiring as many landscapes as possible with my 4 day journey. Should I miss exotic places (which I may for sure, considering I ll be there for just 4 days), I ll plan to visit LEH again in april 2017 by road (preferably SRI Nagar-LEH highway).
Would you advice me to gear up for this mid december? Considering the fact I just want to BE there and experience winters, frozen lakes and landscapes.
~Mohammed Obaid
Hi Obaid,
Lakes freeze in January – Feb period only, extreme cold will surely be there in mid December and passes will have tons of snow. 4 days is too less to explore much in Ladakh as you will be fighting with AMS for first 2 days and cold does not help the cause with AMS as body needs more time to do so.
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 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
— 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
— Make a Day trip to Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Leh
Thanks a tonne for your kind attention and detailed response. Without which, I would have been in assumption that lakes freeze during December and probably be disappointed. After reading your reply, I have postpone my trip to mid Jan’ 2017 and also make it a 5 day trip and not 3. Thanks once again for this detailed response.
BTW, is it possible to rent self driving Bikes OR Cars in LEH? If so, can you please help me with relative information if you have any. 😉
No Obaid, bikes are not at all recommended during that time of the year and self drive cars are not avaulable. 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.
Hello Dheeraj, Is it recommended to rent bikes in mid February? I have planned Chadar trek from 2nd Feb to 9th and I have booked my flight from Leh on 12th, so was thinking of renting a bike there!
Replied you on the other comment.
Hi There 😀
I take pleasure to let you know that with your guidance, I along with 7 friends have booked flight to LEH, scheduled to land at IXL by 7:15 am of 16th JAN and will be there for a week.
I have no idea how this is going to turn out 😀 😛 as I have been hearing news related to heavy snow fall up in North (manali, simla and places).
I am feeling ashamed to seek your help again and again but I have no other option through which I can get relevant and useful information (other than Dheeraj the devil 😀 )
Do you have any of your friends or blog users who are currently in LEH and can let us know weather status. Is it like snowing HEAVY there blocking internal (local) routes OR are they good for Car transport (hope they are good for car travel)
Also, I have been through the drivers phone numbers and names and would like to know is there anyone in specific whom I can reach first to help us pick from Airport OR are all equally good? Also, can you help me with contacts were I can stay as paying guest (as I heard that the hotels will mostly be closed during winters) 🙁
It would be of GREAT help to me, if you can, with your experience, provide advice/guidance with respect to hotels/car drivers/current weather updates/car travel availability/clothes to be carried/boots and misc information that I am not even asking (due to lack of experience and relatively less knowledge about LEH)…
** Because, I hope we will not be sitting ducks in hotels / guest house due to harsh weather conditions and instead Enjoy our Trip to admire LEH freezing lakes/ freezing winters. 😀 😀
Wish me luck… and, special thanks in advance for your work ‘KUDOS’
hi Obaid,
That’s totally fine. We are here to help only 🙂
Right now 3 core team members of DoW are in Leh since last week and there isn’t much pouring in up there as snow but yeah snow is around places. They went to all the places within Leh and Tso Moriri is totally frozen as the pictures they sent in morning. They have been roaming in Leh.
Ringzin, Chamba, Sonam are all good drivers. Get in touch with Laksdup Guest House at Nawang: 09906806066, 9419988807.
Clothing: Tips for Carrying Clothes for Ladakh Trip
Hello , I’m planning for Ladakh in mid november for about 10 days , I want your detail suggestions on this trip and please give some details about good but bit cheaper hotels .
The above article explains alot about plannign a trip to Ladakh in winters. Let me know what more details do you need?
Hi Dheeraj,
I was just going through the internet and could not found another update better than yours on leh and Ladakh, seems you are the true enthusiast for Himalayas.
Kindly help us so that we could also enjoy our planed trip.
We are a group of 4 people all aged 24 from Delhi.
We are planning to visit Leh – Ladakh on 25nov 2016(start) – 29 nov 2016(return) Via Flight.
We have never been to this place before.
We have wish to visit Khardung La and pangyong So during this trip. Could you please suggest us the itenary for this trip and also the Do’s and Dont’s so that we can plan accordingly.
Also we have no idea of any good Hotel (cheaper option welcomed), kindly suggest the same and how would we travel there inside the leh(Khardung la and pangyong so) city to visit various places.
What would be the approx expenditure combined for 4 of us.
Will it be good to visit to this place on the mentioned days.
Kindly Help us and suggest the best option available.
Thanks and Regards,
Himanshu Dahiya
Himanshu, you just have 5 days in hand and in winters it will be too less to combat the cold and acclimatize yourself to easily visit places in Ladakh.
Still, you can try to follow below plan:
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
In case you flying out on Day 5, then make just day trip to Khardung La on Day 3 and Day 4 make day trip to Pangong Tso. Please note that going over to Pangong Tso requires traveling over Chang La pass which in winters can close due to snowfall for a day or two. You might have to miss the flight in such a case. So, check weather forecast before leaving from Leh to Panogng Tso.
Hi Dheeraj,
I must thank this site which is a beautiful creation of yours. It helped me deal during my journey. Sorry, coz you had advised not to go from Srinagar side owing to curfew and stone pelting situations, but you won’t believe we made it. Kashmir is such a beautiful place and i hope the rage ends soon so that bikers like me can enjoy 434 km ride again. Sad to say that only me Classic 350 MH-12 ME 6434 was the only bike on Srinagar-leh road.
The journey was a memorable one and thanks to DOW again for guidance.
Saket, that is awesome to know and glad to know that you had a safe and memorable trip. Always feels awesome when someone of the fellow travellers suggests that the info. present on the dow helped them plan their memorable trip 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
At the onset, I would like to express by thanks for the most comprehensive and wonderful detailing of trips. Haven’t seen any site till date which can match up to DOW! Congrats!
Based on your experiences and recommendations, I planned a trip to Leh in 2nd week of october..We are a group of 4 arriving manali on 10th and will be taking bullet on rent and start our journey on 11th…Will Take the first stop at pang…I hope there would be tented accomodation available at that period of time..The next day planning to drive off till leh…Rest some time and visit local market and other sight seeing spots…On 13th planning to go to Nubra Valley and take a Stay there itself…After that moving on the next day i.e. 14th to Pangong Lake and having a stay there…On 15th Will drive off to tso moriri and also planning if we can reach Pang the same day…On 16th Drive off Back to Manali…
Need your help for suggestions and any Upgrades if needed..
Also Need to Know…
1) Is accomodation easily available in leh,nubra valley,pangong & pang or should i book it in advance to avoid any mishapp…
2)How would be the road conditions there depending upon the weather ????
Is it possible to drive on bike ???
3)And Whether Manali Regd. Bikes can be used to Travel in Leh and other places i.e. Nubra Valley Pangong,Etc (V Imp)????
4)Any extra Things Required Apart from the List of things Post
It would be a great help to plan my road trip…Thanks In Advance
Hi Saurabh,
Thank you for warm words of appreciation.
1. Yes, stay options in off season should be available.
2. Roads will be in best state as compared to whole season.
3. No, you will need to hire Leh bikes for sightseeing
The stay at Pang is highly not recommended at all and that too such late in season. Secondly, traveling back from Manali – Leh Highway again that late in season, I never recommend. Please read: 5 Reasons to Avoid Manali – Leh Highway in October
Hi Dheeraj,
I am really grateful for your super useful blog, which provides me tremendous information about Ladakh. I and my friend will fly to Leh from New Delhi on 10 Oct and fly back on 23 Oct in the morning. So we have 13 days in hand. This is the first time we’ve been India in general and Ladakh also :). Could you pls help to suggest us a suitable itinerary based on weather during that time in general? We’d love to visit all special places which can not missing once being Leh. We’re travellers with cheap budget, so very much appreciate if you can recommend the best economical guest house/homestay and mode of transportation.
Thank you so much
Nhan
Hello Nhan,
You are choosing a period when it is off season, though you will get the stay options cheaper but there will be difficulty in finding the shared taxis and travel partners. The cost of private taxi is very high in Ladakh and with just two people it will dig deep holes in the pocket. Are you OK to spend about 40-45K on taxi split among both of you? If yes, I can provide you the itinerary and how to go about the trip in 13 days.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for your very quick feedback. We can’t afford for that cost on taxis. In case of being unable to find shared taxi and partners, we’re expecting to get a bike ride (maybe a Scooty will fit for us). Is it safe during this time. We very much need your advice and itinerary as well 🙂
Well, it is safe but it will be very cold out there during that time of the year. IT is matter of taking a chance in that case.
Maybe we should consider to take some days on taxi trip. We’re rather flexible in time, so if luckily, we can find some traveler partners hihi.
Ok pls help us to plan a 13 -day itinerary. Thanks in advance
Alright, then I will suggest you the flow and you can shuffle them as you like. Make sure you do not land in Pangong Tso or Tso moriri without going to Nubra Valley.
Day 1 | Fly to Leh and rest for the whole day. Drink plenty of fluids. It will be cold, so drink plenty of warm water including black tea
Day 2 | Rest, Local Sightseeing around Leh and get your protected area permits
Day 3 | Leh – Nubra Valley (Hunder, Deskit)
Day 4 | May be a day trip to Turtuk
Day 5 | Back to Leh
Day 6 | Leh to Lamayuru covering Alchi
Day 7 | Lamayuru to Leh covering Likir, Magnetic hills, Confluence
Day 8 | Leh – Shey – Thicksey – Chang La – Tangtse (34 KMs before Pangong tso where couple of guest houses will be open)
Day 9 | Pangong Tso and come back to Tangtse by evening or else you can go back to Leh as well in case there is nothing much to do in the day due to cold
Day 10 | Leh (Hemis and Stakna monasteries on the way back from Pangong Tso)
Day 11 | Leh – Upshi – Chumathang
Day 12 | Chumathang – Kiagar Tso – Tso Moriri – Leh
Day 13 | Rest day at Leh
Depending upon the vehicle availability and shared taxis or other transport you can move the days around.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am really grateful for your super useful blog, which provides me tremendous information about Ladakh. I and my friend will fly to Leh from New Delhi on 10 Oct and fly back on 23 Oct in the morning. So we have 13 days in hand. This is the first time we’ve been India in general and Ladakh also :). Could you pls help to suggest us a suitable itinerary based on weather during that time in general? We’d love to visit all special places which can not missing once being Leh. We’re travellers with cheap budget, so very much appreciate if you can recommend the best economical guest house/homestay and mode of transportation.
Thank you so much
Nhan
Just replied to other comment.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning a solo trip to Leh as I had always wanted. I started following your blog recently and needless to say you have been a great source of inspiration. I’ve booked flight tickets to Leh from Delhi on Sep 30 and from Srinagar to Delhi on Oct 10th(meaning I need to leave Leh on Oct 9th). I couldn’t make a proper itinerary yet and is kind of confused now on what all places I would be able to cover over these 10 days. I am hoping you could help me out here. I would definitely want to visit Khardung La, Nubra Valley, Diskit Monastery, Lamayuru, Magnetic Hill, Stok Palace, Hemis Monastery, Tso Kar, Tso Moriri, Pangong Tso lakes. It would be great if you can suggest me a day to day plan so that I would be able to visit and spend enough time at all these places. You could also suggest me some other great places if I am missing out on any. Also since I would be travelling solo, are there any specific things that I need to take in to account? Expecting a reply from you. Thanks in advance.
Hello Nirmal,
You can refer below plan of 10 days. Make sure that conditions in Kashmir are fine when you travel.
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 | 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 7 | Leh – Pangong Tso Lake – Leh
— Day trip to Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Leh – Kargil
— Stay overnight at Kargil
Day 9 | Kargil – Srinagar
Hi,
Thanks for your reply. But I guess you misunderstood my flight schedule. I am actually flying in to Leh from Delhi on Sep 30. On my return journey I am travelling to Srinagar and boarding flight from there.
Aah, oki, sorry about that. in that case you can rest and acclimatize for first two days and then venture to Nubra Valley and include Turtuk in your plan.
So that means we cant travel from manali to ladakh via road trip in winters ?
So, could you please tell me when can i have a road trip from manali to ladakh such that there would be snow and ice asides ? And can experience visiting that frozen lake in ladakh ?
When ll be the best time for the mentioned experiences ?
Yes, you cannot as the road from Manali to Leh closes by October end. You cannot do both things at one time. Lake starts to melt in late April and Manali – Leh Highway only opens around late May or first week of June. Best time to see snow around Manali – Leh is to start the trip as soon as the road opens in late May or June.
Your quick response is worth appreciating (y) !
So, some more ques i ve regarding this trip –
The best time to see snow will be late may or early june .. that means snow is not seen evn in the closing months like sep and late october ?
Andto see that frozen lake i ll have to go there through flight ? So when will it be the best time to see that frozen lake ?
Yes, snow is not at all present in the closing months of September and October. Yes, to see the frozen lake you will have to make a trip in February / March, which will be best time to see it in frozen moment.
Okay then um gonna make this trip next year !
Yeah, that will give you time to preapre s well for ladakh trip.
Hey, I was planning a trip from 27th dec and have new year in the moutains! Do you think chaddar trek can be done and lakes will be frozen by then?
Time to say a big thanks for sharing everything related to Ladakh trip. Followed your blogs thoroughly to prepare my itinerary for Leh Ladakh trip during end of April 2016. And it was awesome. We were prepared for everything as everything is there in this blog. Chamba arranged our cab and we had a get time on road while Oriental guest house was more than a home at Leh. Got a great deal even without asking for it. Sure I’ll be a better person like you if get a chance to spend more time with people of Leh/Ladakh 🙂 Thank you once again.
Joydeep
Thanks a lot Joyedeep. That is so glad to know brother, keep traveling and keep spreading smiles in Himalayas 🙂
Hi Dheeraj
I have a few questions with regards to the bike ride we are doing in the first week of July this year.
1. Is the route from Hunder to Spangmik (over Wari La) doable in one day by motorcycles? If yes, how much time would it possible take? Are there basic food options on this route?
2. If it seems difficult to do in a day, would Sakti be a good place to stop over night? Are are enough stay options here? We are about 10 friends.
2. Does Wari La need any permits for Indians?
3. Is the direct route from Pangong to Tso Moriri (over Chushul- Nyoma) a straight affair in terms of obtaining permits? Is there any way we can take the short cut instead of Kaksang La instead?
4. Also, this direct route, can it be done on motorcycles in one day, or would you recommend we stay the night at Puga maybe?
5. One last thing, does it still hold true that we cannot take bikes hired in Chandigarh to these areas mentioned above, and into Nubra? We have spoken to a rental agency in Chandigarh but he did not mention a thing about the same. So wondering.
Thank you so much in advance!
Hello Shubra,
1,2. Yes, route is doable in one day over Wari La but will be hectic. No food or help which will be there on the route in case you are stuck
3. No permits needed for Wari La.
4. May be straight in getting permits but army still send back lot n lot of people from Chusul. No shortcut. Also, DO NOT attempt Kaksang La on bikes unless you have backup of repairing the bike in case of break down. No one travels that route, so even if army allows you to take that route, consider twice.
5. Yes, you cannot use outside rented bikes in Ladakh for sightseeing. That guy in chandigarh is fooling you, dont fell in trap.
all the details about the direct routes of Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri and Nubra to Pangong Tso along with tips and risks which they pose are detailed under the articles:
Tips for Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso Direct Route AND Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route
Please read these articles and based on the details/risks highlighted, take a go-no-go decision.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks again. for describing details for a winter trip to Leh.
(Again because, In July/2015, I was on solo visit to Leh. Most of my journey on public transport. And info on DoW was very useful).
I visited Leh again (25th/Dec/2015 ~ 3rd/Jan/2016)
This time again, I could visit Tsomoriri, Pangong tso. (on clear and sunny day).
Also K-top. And spent few relaxing days in Leh. Got the chance to talk to many people(localites), as they really had enough time.
I stayed in Raiwa guest house on upper changspa(contact: +91-1982253206). I was the only guest.
I could have different types of local food in the guest house.
In summer too, I was staying in this same home stay. There were mostly foreigners.
It was little expensive trip(Not for the stay), but I had to take a taxi just for myself and couldn’t share.
Thanks to the list of drivers you have provided.
And I just wish, at least once, I will get a chance to visit Ladakh or some other places like Spiti, with you. So that, I can really listen to all your travel experiences 🙂 Thanks 🙂
Rohith, wonderful to read about it brother and yeah for sure,if god permits, we will travel together on one of the DoW Mega Meets we have annually for spreading the smiles in Himalayas 🙂 🙂
Thanks for sharing the review, I will put it under the list of good guest houses.
we r 3 in no……booked our tkt to LEY on 3 rd Jan’15 Return on 13 th…Can u please help me by making an Itinerary covering Psomorari;Panggong;Nubra. adx approx budget ……we r having experience in high altitude trekking(but no chadar) this time.
Amit, the plan shared in the article above is best suited for winters in Ladakh. You can add rest days in between in above plan to make it more easy for you as I see you have few days more.
thanks for ur information
Whatever someone can think of Leh Ladakh trip is already penned down here by you. Amazing! I am planning to visit Leh during mid April 2016 (hoping less crowd) for around 8 nights. Can I add Nubra valley to the itinerary presented by you. Would be really helpful if you can give some outline on the places that should be covered. Another thing, should I contact any driver and hotel now or can be done after reaching there.
Thanks in advance for all your help.
Joydeep
Thanks Joydeep, the above plan does have included Nubra Valley Day 4,5 in it. It covers most of the places you will be able to cover in less Winter month of April in Ladakh. You can follow the above plan by adding rest days beteen.
Thanks much Dheeraj. One quick question, is it feasible to have a night stay at Pangong Tso during end of April?
No Joydeep, it will e extremely cold to stay at Pangong Tso in April during that time of the year as the lake will surely be partially frozen if not fully frozen. You can opt to stay at Tangste as I did in april which was much warmer and ok to survive 🙂
Hi All!
I have a project in Tsokar in December, I am plannning to take a flight to Leh on 8th Dec. But, can someone suggest what should be the best option or is there such option available with me?
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hi dheeraj. we r planing to visit laddakh next year.I want to visit rejang la…so can u guide us route to there..?? and also we r planing to visit siachin base camp after hunder…do we need any special permission to visit there and also have u been there…?
Hi Mayur,
In order to visit Rezang La route, you need to take permission of Chusul route from DC Office in Ladakh. The permits will be available in Leh from DC Office and you need to get a taxi driver ready to drive you on that route. Here is the entire detail of process on how to apply permit: Ladakh Inner Line Permit Updates on Process & Download Form
For Siachen base camp, you need to get permission from Army Headquarters in Leh AFAIK.
Hello,
I am fan of Devil on Wheels as you guys have so much of information.
Last year i had gone on a road trip from Udaipur (Rajasthan) to leh and back .
I had got so much of information about roads , weather and place to stay .
Really hats off to you guys.
Now again i am planing to go to leh but with my parents ( senior citizens) and my extended family .
We are planing as follows .
2nd October 2015 -Reach Srinagar from delhi by air as flight reaches around 7 in morning . After breakfast leave srinagar for Kargil or Lamayuru.
3rd October 2015- Leave Lamayuru reach Leh covering the places on route and stay in leh for night.
4th October 2015 – Leave for Nubra and stay there for night.
5th October 2015- Leave nubra and stay at leh.
6th October 2015- Leave for Pangyong at stay there.
7th october 2105- Leave Pangyong stay Leh .
8th october 2015 – leave for Delhi by air in morning.
My Quires
1) Weather in first week of October at all the places we are visiting.
2) Road conditions between Srinagar and Leh ( Any snow or anything at Zozila Pass , Traffic (like one way or any other rules before Zozila Pass)
3) Changes in itinerary if any .
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks
Thank you Gunvinder !! 🙂 🙂
Day 1 stay at Kargil at max. After reching Leh, stay in Leh for a day to acclimatize. Do not rush to Nubra. Then do two day trip to Nubra and two day trip to Pangong Tso. This means add one day to the overall plan. Road conditions are fine during that time but it will be cold especially very cold at Pangong Tso.
Hi Dear… Your information is very useful. Am planning a trip with a friend on 9th Jan 2016. Do you guys make package plan .. ??
No Hanish, Discover with Dheeraj is a info. sharing travel platform dedicated to Himalayas, we do not sell any commercial or profit making tours or activities for travel on this platform.
HI Dheeraj sir,
My flight tickets are booked for Nov 8 to Nov 15th . Can you please suggest some stay options for Leh , Pangyong and Nubra , which are on budget and have heating facility?
How cold will it be during that time , will road travel to Pangyong and Nubra be any hindrance , which driver do you recommend.
I will be travelling with wife . Thanks in advance
Himadri, 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
Tso Moriri and Pangong tso stay will not be possible. Nubra as well some basic guest houses will be running. Pangong Tso, stay t Tangste about 34 KMs before the lake at Yakmik changla guest house or Dothuling guest house.
Hey Dheeraj,
firstly I must say thank you and really a nice blog.
My query is my trip starts from Srinagar.
Itenary is as follows:
23 August : Delhi to Srinagar: Srinagar local sight seeing
24 August : Srinagar to Pahalgam and back to Srinagar
25 August : Srinagar to Gulmarg , gondola ride and back to Srinagar
26 August : Srinagar to sonmarg night stay at sonmarg
27 August : sonmarg to Kargil night stay at Kargil
28 August : Kargil to Leh and Leh local sight seeing
29 August : Leh to pangong lake and night at pangong
30 August : pangong to leh and rest
31 August : Leh to Nubia valley
01 sept – Leh to sarchu
02 sept sarchu to Manali via key long
03 sept Manali to Delhi
If I am hiring taxi from Srinagar for my whole journey would it be possible?? Or I have to change my taxi at Leh?? And Manali to Delhi by taxi would be preferable or Volvo would be a better option??
And if I want to cover both pangong lake and tso Moriri will it be possible?? Is the road from pangong to Nubia valley open??
And can I go directly from Nubia valley to sarchu without wasting a day at Leh?
Vaibhav, you have less number of days to do both Ladakh and Kashmir. I will suggest to dedicate the trip to either place rather focussing on both as you are more or less being just on road only and then as well not worth for me. Let me know which one would you like to focus?
Hi Dheeraj,
Inspired by this post, planning a trip in the winters. Hope it is OK to travel in February. My itinerary is as below:
Day 1 Land at Leh and Acclimatization
Day 2 Acclimatization and local sightseeing
Day 3 Leh – Dah – Lamayuru
Day 4 Lamayuru – Chilling – Leh
Day 5 Leh – Turtuk – Diskit – Panamik
Day 6 Panamik – Leh – Thiksey – Hemis – Thukje (Tso Kar)
Day 7 Thukje – Tso Moriri – Puga – Hanle
Day 8 Hanle – Chumathang – Leh
Day 9 Return Flight
Pangong day trip seems too much effort and dependency on the weather.
Is it possible to visit Dah village, Turtuk and Hanle in winters?
Cheers!
Mohit, Panamik to Tso Kar will be long in fact sorry not possible as Taglang La is not opened. You can travel from the other side I believe but not from Taglang La. So come to Leh. Then from Leh to Hanle and then Hanle to Tso Moriri and back to Leh. It will be extremely cold, so be aware 😀
Thanks Dheeraj, Will keep in mind and change the plan.
Dear DHEERAJEE,
We are planing for LADAKH on 2-13 th Jan’15. Can you please suggest me whether i could cover PANGANG,NUBRA,SO MORARI at that time. kindly suggest me any driver name and phone no. for this trip.
Amit, your plan shall be based upon the plan mentioned in the article above. Yes, you can visit all the places in Ladakh in winters as roads remain open barring few days of heavy snowfall
Hi Dheerej,
First off, thanks a lot for your valuable posts, those are really helping us to prep for our trip for Leh.
I would really appreciate if you could give your inputs on my query .
We are working out dates on which all friends can get together and ride to Leh. As of now we have put together a plan to start our ride from Delhi on 30th Sep to Leh thru Srinagar (chose this route after reading your post on 5 reasons to chose Srinagar route) and return on 12th Oct thru Manali . I was wondering if both roads will be in riding condition during these dates; would you recommend this plan? If not what, should we reschedule our trip dates / chose alternative route ?
We are slightly flexible in terms of dates; all of us will reach Delhi by 23rd Sep and riding on RE Electra 350 & RE Thunderbird 350.
Thanks a lot for your feedback,
Regards,
John
Hi John
October becomes a risky affair on Manali – Leh Highway, read: 5 Reasons to Avoid Manali – Leh Highway in October
So, in this case either have couple of buffer days in case it snows ELSE do it in reverese so that you cover the tricky Manali – Leh Highway as early as possible before closure.
Dear Dheeraj,
Your website DOW is simply awesome and it provides the perfect insight to any amateur planning a trip to Ladakh.
I am planning for a bike trip for a Leh in October. I will be reaching Leh by flight from Delhi and from there on I am planning to take a bike for roughly 09 Nights/10 days from 15th of October.
I would like to know how to should I plan my travel itinerary as I want to Cover till lamayuru on the west till TSo Morili on the South East and Nubra Valley and Panamik on the North of Ladakh. Also it would be great if you let me know what will be the weather conditions in Mid of October .
I am a bit confused whether I will find tented accommodations in Hundar Sand Dunes , Pangong Lake and Tso Morili Lake and also let me know from which shop I will find bullets in very good conditions and if you have any personal contact over there please share .
Plus if you could provide me some valuable tips for what are the things for a road trip in ladakh.
I will be waiting for a prompt reply form your end .
Regards Suvojit Roy.
Hi Suvojit,
You will not find tented stay at these places especially Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso. They wind up by last week of September. You will face quite cold conditions during that time of the year especially at night and early morning. Regarding plan to follow, please refer: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air
You can add one day to the Sham Valley tour and go to Lamayuru to stay. While going and coming back from Lamayuru you can cover sham valley too. So, above itinerary in the link can be adjusted to suit you need in this way.
Regards
Dheeraj
Dear Dheeraj,
Thank you for your Valuable suggestions and your prompt reply.
I am sharing below my travel plan, please advice whether this would be fine as I have 09 Nights/10 Days in hand from 15th Oct and I want to cover the whole trip on bike.Please suggest whether I have to take a detour from the trip that I have planned or any additions to this is possible on the given number of days:
Day 1 : Delhi to Leh by Flight and day to acclimatize and take rest.
Day 2 : Leh to Alchi and Likir and en-route sightseeing of Hall of Fame, Magnetic Hill , Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and Sangam at Nimmu village.Back to Leh .
# Please advice whether Sham valley can be covered on the same day and we can get back to Leh.
Day 3 : Leh to Nubra Valley ( Hunder Sand Dunes ) via Khardungla and Diskit. Overnight stay at Nubra.
#Please advice whether tented or home stays are available near Hunder Dunes or have to stay in Nubra only and will this route be open.
Day 4 : Hunder Sand Dunes to Sakti Village via Diskit , Khalsar , Aagham and Wari La Top.
# Please advice whether home stays are available in Sakti Village and will the road be open in October.
Day 5 : Sakti To Pangong Lake – either to Spangmik or Man Village.
# Suggest which please would be the best to enjoy the lake out of the two and whether home stays are available in these places since you said that tents wont be available.
Day 6 : Pangong Lake to Sakti via Tangtse and en route sightseeing of Harong wet lands.
Day 7 : Sakti to Tso Morili via Chumathang.
# Suggest whether tents will be available or where can we get homestays near by Tso Morili.
Day 8 : Tso Morili to Leh via Pagu , Debring. Lato and Hemis. Overnight at Leh.
Day 9 : Local Sightseeing of Leh coverning Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace , Shey Palace and Thiksey Monastry.Overnight at Leh.
#Please suggest anything more we can cover on this day or we can visit some other destination by skipping this place and start for a different place from Tso Morili on the previous day and come back to leh by evening on this day which would be a bit offbeat .
Day 10 : Depart Leh
I will be eagerly waiting for your valuable suggestions once more and one request if you could answer my queries on day wise that I have asked it be very helpful as it will clear a lot of doubts and apprehensions.
Cheers,
Suvojit Roy.
Suvojit, except your plan to take the Wari La route all seems to be fine. I will strongly advice you NOT to take that route that late in the season. Come back from Nubra Valley to Leh and then from Leh go to Pangong Tso. At Pangong Tso, if you fine with cold then stay at some homestay else come back to Tangste to stay there. Even at Tso Moriri, there will not be any stay option except homestays. Also, I will not advice you the route from Tso Kar lake that late in the season to come back to Leh from Tso Moriri. Better follow the chumathang route only.
Finally, you will be riding mostly desolated due to off season and it can get bad in case of any exigency as traffic inflow will be low to these places. Consider the risk and then plan this trip especially when you plan to ride alone.
Dear Dheeraj,
Thanks again for your valuable advice.
I just have few more doubts so if you could solve my queries it would be great.
I have seen your article of tips of getting a bike in Leh and it throws a lot of light into hiring a bike in Ladakh.
I just wanted to know that the persons name whom you have mentioned for bike rental shops – Gurmat Namgial , Rinchen Olthang , Tsering Norboo….Specially Gurmat who knows you very well, so how much do they charge for security deposit and do they provide any biking gears as well( if we refer your name will he give some discounts of security deposit).
In case we want to hire a self drive car in Leh, is it available and in case of availability please share the details of rates and from where to hire if its in your knowledge.
And lastly I have listed down some stays in ladakh,please suggest whether we can go directly in October and book them on spot or we have to pre book them from:
Atisha Guest House, Leh
Yourdum Guest House, Hunder, Nubra Valley
Himalayan Wooden Cottages, Spangmik, Pangong Lake
Goose Homestay, Korzok, Tso Moriri.
Please suggest if any good home stays are available in Sakti village and what are the rates on double occupancy is in your knowledge.
I will be again waiting for your valuable suggestions and this is to inform you that I have joined DOW community.
Cheers,
Suvojit Roy
Hi Suvojit,
Gurmat knows me through DoW only and same here. We do not have any special rates for the DwD Community member defined for it. You may give it a shot and seee as a courtesy if he can but there is no such protocol. I do not think there is any self drive car you can get in Leh. Best shot is to ask your driver allow you to drive and you guys tip him in the end. In October either hotels will be closed or will be available for you on the spot. No need of prebooking.
Sakti does have homestays.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj,
At the onset, I would like to express by thanks for the most comprehensive and wonderful detailing of trips. Haven’t seen any site till date including tripadvisor, which can match up to DOW! Congrats!
Having said that, based on your experiences and recommendations, I planned a family trip to Leh from 25th April’15 to 2nd May’15. It was perfect, though due to certain reasons we had to curtail it by 2 days. We went ahead and hired the services of Punchouk, one of the XUV drivers whose name is mentioned and he turned out to be a gem. Recommend him highly, for his behavior, courtesy, knowledge and of course his car and driving skills.
Cannot comment much on hotels as we stayed in an Army mess in Leh, but did stay for the night at Hotel Pangong Inn, at Pangong Lake.
We experienced some variances in weather. Will about single digit temperatures in Leh in the morning to negative in the night and if it was windy, best to stay indoors. Also, please do not ignore suggestions given on acclimatization! We ignored suggestion from Punchouk to not stay for more than 10 minutes at Changa Pass, and we almost passed out after 20 minutes!
As they say, Leh is a cold barren desert. It is a major contrast from other hill stations one might have visited in the past. Rocky and will absolutely no vegetation except a smattering of some along the river, it is a sight to absorb.
Ladhaki people are very friendly and courteous and will not overcharge you. The food items available throughout were very limited….potato, onion, rice, Maggie. Though we did find a good restaurant on the last day…”Summer Harvest”, located in a small bi-lane on the main market in Leh, about 20 meters from J&K Bank’s main branch.
Dheeraj, once again, thanks for all the posts!
Cheers,
Ankit
Hi Ankit,
Thank you so much, that is quite a blessed compliment to get 🙂 🙂
Good to read about your experience and that you had a wonderful experience of Ladakh. Yeah, almost all Ladakhi people are gems and very true about the acclimatization part. A prime concern I always try to highlight every time in my posts or plans I suggest. It can get very ugly, very very ygly if ignored.
Regards
Dheeraj
Dheeraj,
I must mention that though the taxi union rate may seem high, given the tough conditions and the erratic business, I found them to be reasonable.
Having covered a fair bit of India, elsewhere the guys are there to get you. Though our guy, Punchouk offered us a 15% discount, I did not bother taking it. Rather gave him a little extra. He was an important element in making our holiday great!
Also, would like to post some pics, if allowed. Please let me know how.
Cheers!
Hey Ankit, that will be just amazing. And thank you for showing such courtesy. I also never ask for any discount and even if I get try my best not to take it but many of them know me so have to try more harder. But, I get them some gifts for sure. Once, you reach there connect with the environment and people then only you can understand and respect why the prices are so high and the experience you get out of it keeps you always calling back again and again !!
Regarding contribution, it will be a great to have you in our DwD Community. Please JOIN DoW – Himalayan Travel Community and you can share your Himalayan knowledge and experiences with other like minded travellers too and help us materialize the vision to help a Himalayan life & help travelers travel with a difference in various parts of Himalayas. Do read about our DoW Causes and so far what we have done in the past couple of years to spread smiles in Himalayas…
This article is a step by step guide to help you post your first travel tale or photo tale: How to Write a Travel Tale or Topic with Attached Images
Looking forward to your pictures in the DwD Community 🙂
Regards
Dheeraj
Dheeraj your help and comments are very useful. I am going leh for the first time . I am from pune and leaving on 30th apr 2015.
Replied to your comment here: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/about/comment-page-10/#comment-323609
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning a trip to Leh with my husband end of April for 4N/5D. Its our first trip to Leh.
Shall reach 24th April and fly back to Delhi on 28th Morning. Will be staying in Leh itself.
Would below itinerary be fine :
24th – Reach Leh around noon. Take rest
25th – Day trip to Either Khurdungla OR Nubra .. Any suggestions?
26th- Day trip to Pangong
27th- Any local mkt or monasteries you would like to suggest ?
28th- Fly back to Dellhi
Also, to travel around what would you advise- hiring a bike or cab or a local sightseeing tour?
Best Regards,
-Nimisha
Nimisha, 4 days are too less for a trip to Ladakh where first two days are to be done as mandate as 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
You are left with just 2 more days, may be on Day 3 make a day trip to Khardung La and Day 4 make a day trip to Pangong Tso.
Hi Dheeraj,
Appreciate your response very much !!
Regards,
-Nimisha
Hi dheeraj ,
i m leaving for leh on 2nd may and we are 3 friends we are goin for jst 3 days on 5th v have flight from leh itself
We ll arrive at leh aiport in the 2nd may early morning i hv few question to ask
We are planning to hire bikes there shud we go for 3 bikes 500cc/350cc solo or shud we take 2 bikes 500cc for pilion and 350/500cc for solo and ny relaible person from whom we can hire bike ?
In three days as i hv planned to leave from the first day itself to explore leh and stay in leh on 4th of may to catch nxt morng flight where should i start from shud i go to pangong lake or somewhere else ?
Is there permit required now as early it was but now i dont knw ?
Apart from pangong lake where else shud i go khardlunga pass or nubra valley ?
Shud i carry extra fuel wid me on bike as i ll not come back to leh on 2 / 3 nyts
Shashank, you need to do comeplete rest as mentioned in the article above for first two days unless you do not love your life and are fine with taking a life risk 🙂 … Must remember, AMS can be FATAL and every year people die of AMS, at least I am seeing i for the past few years now 🙁 🙁
Hi Dheeraj,
Appreciate your efforts on detail information, even an amateur traveller can start with confindence; after reading your blogs.
Thanks for sharing.
Abdul, thanks for the wonderful words of appreciation, helps alot in keeping the fuel running 🙂
fantastic forum and such a great work …. kudos to you.
we are group of eight families… age 40 to 6 yr range.
Is it possible for us to do a ladakh trip with families first time around ?( may-june))
or
Shall we ( all male) do the trip first (sept-oct) and then think of doing it with the family?
plan is to do the trip by road in our own vehicles and the time period is about 15 days.
we will be strating from kolhapur (pune) maharashtra
Bhavesh, it is completely possible to do it with families and lot of people do it in June – July. In case you want to do it by road then mid June – July or September is the good time else by flight, you can do it from mid may to September any time. 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.
Hi dheeraj,
In ur winter itinerary you havent mentioned lamayuru. Is it not recommended. Please let me know as i am planning next winter from now
Lamayuru isn’t something must do, in case you want to do it, then add a day as well. Day 2 and day 3 in that case will have a trip to Lamayuru and Sham Valley
Dear Dheeraj, I’m planning to visit ladakh from 1st April to 11th April 2015. Wanted to know if all d restaurants and hotels would b functional. Specially food availability is more concern. Will all d tourist spots b open n accessible? Will road to pangong b open? Possible to have night stay near pangong during that time? This is my first trip to Leh and I have selected the dates due to flight scheme. Hope to hear from u soon. Thnx in advance.
Anshu, I think I replied to you right?
Yes Dheeraj, we had talk on fb. Thnx for the reply.
Hi Dheeraj, I am Ankita from Pune. Actually we are planning a trip between 18th to 26th Apr 2015. So can you please provide some information on weather. Even wanted to know if we can go and come back on same day from Leh to Khardung la pass?
Ankita, are you planning in Ladakh? If yes, you can plan during that period of time. Weather starts to get a bit warm in April, lakes starts to melt too though it may not be completely melted by the time. It can snow too if weather turns bad one a day in April. All the routes will be open and you can easily do a day trip to Khardung La in April. You can read my travel tale from April starting from the article: My Never Ending Journey | Ladakh 2012
Hi Dheeraj!
First of all I wanted to thank you for such a thoughtful written article! I am travelling to Leh for 4 days in early March and it will be my first stop in India. I hope it is not to cold, I read somewhere it has highs of 7 and low of -10 for that time.
I was wondering if the monasteries would continue to function during winter. I am hoping to drop by for the morning prayers at Thiksey, would you have any other recommendations?
And would I be able to see yaks anywhere in Leh during winter?
Thank you!
Hi Karen,
It will still be quite cold in March up there in Ladakh. Yeah, -10 shall be there but the real challenge is chilly winds. Monasteries will be functioning and you can visit Hemis, Thicksey, Shey, Stakna, Stok, Phyang all in the near vicinity of Leh. You can also visit Alchi too.
Yaks, most likely yes, you will be able to see.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hey Hi, my name is purvi, (from Mumbai), wanted to know few things about Leh. I am planning to visit Leh in Mid-September. My budget is too tight, so thought would take your help as to things to cover with in 7-8 days. I checked all your articles featuring Leh, must say are of great help. I am planning this trip with my friend and a total of about 6-7 ppl max, so would like to know what will be the estimate cost for an individual including staying (a decent guest house for 800 per person/ night), decent places to eat (lunch/dinner), hiring bike for nearby sightseeing, hiring taxi for Nubra Valley, Diskit, Pangong, and other permits if required. So I have not included the flight charges which is coming around 11k per person. It would be great if you could assist me with this query. Thanks. 🙂
Purvi, 11K seems too less a budget. You have to keep about Rs 700-1000 for food and stay per day for decent food and decent stays. This means in case of a 10 dy trip, 7-10K will be gone for stay and food. Rest your commute which is the most costly part.
Hi Dheeraj,
Me and my husband are planning to visit Leh Ladakh in the month of May first week by flights. Can you please let me if this would be the right time to visit. I wanted to cover places Leh, Pangong Lake (with overnight stay), Khardungla Pass and Nubra Valley. Are there any chances to get now anywhere.
Also, will it be better to take package or arrange everthing on our own.
Thanks.
Anubha, yeah, it shall be the right time to visit though lakes like PAngong Tso, Tso Moriri will be partially frozen. Also, Pangong Tso will not be having any options of sleeping at night and you may need to stay at Tangste, 34 KMs before Pangong Tso. There will be loads of snow at Khardung La or Changla.
Hello Dheeraj,
I’m visiting Leh (mainly Hemis) in mid Feb 2015, not sure how cold will it be at that time. Need your advice on what to carry in terms of winter cloths. We are a group from Mumbai and this would be my second trip to Leh but first in Feb. So we all are unsure of what kind of clothing would be recommended.
Regards,
Prashant
Hi Prashant,
It will be quite cold up there in Ladakh. December to February are the coldest months and cold is quite harsh up there due to the presence of thin air or say lack of oxygen too. Your body needs to react to both cold as well as high altitude change, so go prepared and rest for at least 2 days in Leh itself.
Regarding clothes to be taken, you can check: Tips for Carrying Clothes for Ladakh Trip
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
Dear Dhheraj,
Nice to read the information. I am going to Leh for Chaddar trekking on 22nd and it will be finished by 30th jan. I have 4 days with me for ladakh visit .Can u suggest an itinerary for me in less budget. it is written that TAXI fare is same in winter , but can i find some fellow traveler at this time.?
Sarad, it will be quite difficult to get some companions in winter months and hence will be somewhat quite expensive in case it is for couple of person. May be you should get in touch with the group or the company through which you are going on Chadar trek if they can combine few fellow travelers for a visit to Pangong Tso or Nubra Valley.
Hi Dheeraj,
Planning to visit leh from 13th to 19th March, would you recommend booking a cab now onwards or should we book it upon reaching there…
I have planned for a day trip to pangong Tso lake, however i am contemplating if i should go there if it will be frozen..Would Magnetic hill make us experience the magical phenomenon in March while it is under the thick blanket of snow?
Awaiting your revert !!
Thanks in advance
Hi Pamila,
March is a lean season with only handful of people around, so you can book the cab on the spot too. There is no comparison between Magnetic Hill and Pangong Tso. Any day frozen Pangong will be much much beautiful than Magnetic hill 😉
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi!
our travel dates are-25 to 29 December to leh .We have booked a hotel which provides Central heating.. however i was reading somewhere that a sleeping bag is a must for winter trip to ladakh.. is it necessary even if central heating is available?
Also, can you advise as to how to keep the legs warm? will one pair of stockings – one pair of leg warmer and then jeans over it be enough?
Thanks in advance!
Tanima, If a central heating room is available and they provide enough quilts then it should be fine to travel up there. Sleeping bags are necessary in cases when people plan to stay at guest houses or home stays. However, keep in mind that it will be super cold up there, last day it was around -20
Hi Dheeraj great work…I really appreciate for your great work for guiding people in all possible ways and take lot of pain and time answering lots of peoples, thanks it find so useful guide traveling to leh…
So Dheeraj me and my friends group are planing to visit leh from 14june to 20th June.is this the right time to visit?
we have planned to come from Bangalore to Chandigarh via flight and then Chandigarh to manali by Volvo.And From manali to leh One way 2 Bikes and 2 Jeeps.Is it possible to get an open Jeep for rent from manali till leh?. And after that planning to take a tour package from leh, from 16th to 19th June.Kindly suggest a better tour package for 3 nights and 4 days.and from leh to Srinagar.one day tour to Srinagar and we will book a flight from Srinagar to Bangalore on for 21st June.
Kindly help us out with your better suggestions.
Sholden, thank you so much for all the appreciation, good to know that always people like you appreciating the efforts put in here 🙂 🙂
June is good time to visit Ladakh, however, the number of days you have in hand is a bit less. It takes 3 days to reach Leh from Chandigarh at minimum from Manali side and on stretch from Srinagar side provided you can make it to Srinagar on Day 1 itself which is difficult and long drive/ride. So, considering your plan you will reach Leh on 16th and then you need one day rest for acclimatization due to high altitude on 17th, you have just 18th to explore anything in Ladakh because on 19th you need to reach Kargil and 20th back to Srinagar to take flight on 21st from Srinagar.
Are you sure, you OK with such a plan?
Hi Dheeraj,
We are group of 6 planning for Chadar Trek in mid Jan 2015. Can you please let me know what options we have in travel to reach Leh. By any chance, will it be possible to reach Leh by road from either from Manali or Srinagar? or only option we have is to travel it via air.
Thanks in advance for your reply,
Kumar
Kumar, both Manali – Leh Highway and Srinagar – Leh Highway are closed. The only option is to fly in to Leh.
Reg. the plastic waste, you spoke my mind Dheeraj bhai. Chips packets near all the passes and plastic bottles in Pangong. Now I know, how the tourists treat the popular places and probably why the yesteryear hill stations no longer have any charm.
Modi ko leke jaana hain … Swach Bharath ke liye 😛
Ha Ha , yeah Sai bhai, you are very true about it. It is getting spoiled with each passing year.
Sorry forgot to mention the dates
6th Nov to 12th Nov
Thanks,
Gaurav
Replied considering you are focusing on Winters travel in this article 😉
gaurav….we shall b also there ..we are two brothers….whats the taxies cost you are paying….as mentioned in mine i shall be paying arround 18000 from 7th to 12 drop…
Thanks for the advice Dheeraj.
Satish yes same around Rs. 18,000 for the 6th to 12th Nov
Hi Dheeraj,
Could you please help us , a group of youngsters 25 to 30 years whether below Itinerary is fine ?
Day 1 – After landing at Leh rest for few hours then explore local leh
Day 2: Sham Valley with Alchi and Likir
Day 3 – Leh – Khurdungla – Nubra (Night stay at Hunder, Habib Guesthouse)
Day 4 – Nubra to Leh
Day 5 Leh – Pangong – Leh
Day 6 Leh – Monastery tour may include Hemis, Thicksey and Shey monasteries – Leh
Day 7: Leh to Airport drop
Its similar to yours just that 3 Days of your suggested Itinerary is clubbed in the first 2 Days, will it be fine ?
Thanks,
Gaurav
Gaurav, it is fine enough. Just that follow the instructions given for Day 1 and Day 2. Also, you may like to sway the Day 2 with Day 6 because Sham Valley tour will be more tiring & longer than Monastery tour and your body might not do well with it initially. Also, please do not take too much stairs or climb too much.
dheeraj can you suggest the best type of sleeping bag to have in leh…besides hows the conditions in hotel driftwood thongsal..i have booked the hotel…
Thongsal is quite a good hotel if it suits your budget. They will be having heating system in place, so no worries on that front and hence, sleeping bag will only be required for other places. You can check this sleeping bag: Quechua S0 Light Right Zip Adult Sleeping Bag
deeraj great work….you take lot of pain and time answing lots of peoples, thanks find so useful guide traving to leh…it looks now i have someone to guide and this tour will be a good one..thanks dow…..
Pleasure is all for DoW, glad it is proving useful to you 🙂 🙂
Hello Sir!
Another useful & excellent article.
Polluting The Himalayas is indeed a worrisome & non-human act. Nowadays, anyone who pollutes the earth seems like a poison to me. I will share one incident. I was in Ooty on bike, one sumo was coming from front with full pace & on my (wrong) lane. I was just getting to the extreme left to make her way But suddenly one bike in my lane in front of me stopped his vehicle. I salutes the man gut as the sumo was wrongly overtaking on speed & coming towards him but later stopped & got back in his lane & then the man moved forward. This man stood in b/w on busy morning to teach him a lesson & corrected his way But usually we all are in so hurry & we let these poisonous people pass. Everyone should stand still on that very instant & teach these people a lesson. We chase them, stop them but do not let them pollute or do any wrong doing.
Bhuvan, very true and I agree with your words. But, without local support any aggression or confrontation is of no use. Unless outsiders like these morons do not have fear of locals who will beat them up if they litter their home, nothing can be sorted out, IMHO and they will continue to litter the homes of others as much as they can because they just don’t care.
Good article and useful to me .I am travelling to Leh next week ^_^.
Best wishes for the trip, do let us know which hotels you found open in Winters and if they run all around year? It will help many others too.
Excellent article, just one thing to add
Accommodation will be expensive during winters. Checked with Salim of hotel panorama, he quoted Rs 2,500/- for the room we paid 800/- during September 2013
Gagan, thanks a lot for highlighting this point as I forgot. Added couple of more points into the tips. Hotels does charge more because there is demand as compared to functional hotels in Leh as well as they provide the heating facilities, some with central heating systems as well that comes at a price. Also, many a times hotel offers food/meals as well because it is not possible to walk in winters to nearby restaurants as most of the restaurants are closed. So, check with Salim if he is offering food in it or not? 3 times is outrageous if it is just room 😀
Don’t think meals are included and even if he does won’t be any good because you won’t be in the room all the time.
He said in winters there’s snow leopard trekking happening so lot of foreign tourists are travelling. He can offer rooms for same old price but without hot water & heater and that’s a suicide!
Taxi for pangong will be around 6-8k
Flight ticket was very economical around 11k for two people in January & April on fixed dates so I thought of travelling will only finalise if I find a better deal for accommodation.
Hmmm that is fine in that case Gagan but in night you have to get the meal up there and in morning too as times. I faced a lot of issues in April for breakfast and dinner, it was super damn cold all the time in morning and evening, with no food in guest house, it was quite tough 😀 😀
If you are fixing the deal in April towards end of it, then it should be fine and there is no need of heaters even. Just carry good sleeping bags and goo winter clothes. It should be fine in April without much issues. December to March is particularly tough up there and without heater, it wont be possible. Still, try to negotiate it better way. Talk to Shanti Guest House, the one just aside the Panorama Hotel else find on the spot up there with the help of drivers. I will suggest that you talk to Rigzin for taxi and ask him which hotels / guest houses will be operational. He will be able to help you a lot. His name is first in the drivers list link.
hi Dheeraj , planning to visit in April ,
1- any chance of snow fall that time ?
2- I am thinking below itenary
Day 1 – after landing at Leh rest for few hours then explore local leh
Day 2 – Leh – Khurdungla – Nubra – Leh
Day 3 – Leh – Pangong – Leh
Day 4 Leh – Tso Morari – Leh
Day 5 return flight
Hope this is doable ?
Pawan ji, this is not at all recommended. If will be quite tough as you land up there by air body will crave for acclimatization. You must spend at least couple of days within Leh to get used to the high altitude else you might suffer with AMS badly, due to cold around too. Then, you can make a day trip to Khardung La or Nubra Valley which ever you are comfortable with, though I will suggest stick to just Khardung La and finally a day trip to Pangong Tso. Tso Moriri day trip is not feasible any day, it is about 240 KMs from Leh one side.
You should be able to find plenty of snow right from South Pullu to Khardung La pass but for snowfall, all depends upon the luck. We did got snowfall towards the end of our trip in April and on passes too.
Hi Dheeraj,
Another excellent travel article with some very useful tips and bits of advice. I agree that with the ever-increasing number of tourists in Ladakh during the summer tourist season and the fact that some of them, unfortunately, seem hell-bent on leaving behind a right royal mess everywhere they go, a winter visit may soon become the only option to savour the tranquil serenity of the Ladakh we all so love.
Thank you for this article and I’m sure it will serve as a very useful resource, as all your articles are, for those seriously considering a winter visit to Ladakh. Though of course, I suppose one needs to be a hardy soul to be able to deal with the harsh weather conditions there during winters but the rewards of such a journey would I believe be well worth it.
Just one small thing in this article that you may want to quickly check – the link to the article “Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh” does not seem to be working. The page does exist but the URL has a double-quote (“) symbol at the end because of which when you click on it you get a 404 Page not Found error.
Best regards,
Hatim
Thank you so much for echoing the words and feelings and above all pointing to the incorrect working link, it is fixed now. I hope endeavors of DwD Community in promoting Responsible Travel in Himalayas may reap the fruits one day but to make it happen we need support for many more souls who can get educated of such practices and thereby spread them forward.
Awesome Dheeraj.
Taxi charges will be on higher side in winters I guess.?????
Any idea abt the fare
Thank you Pankaj, added couple of additional tips too for hotels and stay. Regarding taxis, they are not really costly even in winters. In any case they cannot charge beyond Taxi Union Price which is fixed for the year no matter what conditions. You can always complaint in taxi union if driver charges more from you or ask more from you. You should be able to get 15-20% discount I believe in winters, if you directly talk to drivers mentioned in the list above, try and get in touch with Rigzin as he is most famous for all winter excursions 😀 😀