I see a lot of queries that keep coming up from people directly flying to Leh – Ladakh and have about 7 – 8 days in hand to explore various places in Ladakh. Looking at the requests of many avid readers of the blog and so many like-minded travelers seeking guidance for their tour to Leh – Ladakh by Air, I would like to sketch below one of the most common itineraries for traveling to Leh Ladakh by air.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Flying to Leh Ladakh?
Flying directly to a high altitude place like Leh (3500+ Mtr) can cause serious issues sometimes if proper care is not taken to combat Acute Mountain Sickness.
Hence, one must always be aware of the importance of Acclimatization and tips to help acclimatize to some extent before venturing to further high altitudes within Ladakh. When you fly to such high-altitude places as Leh, you must give your body a chance to acclimatize a bit before actually getting started with the trip.
That is the precise reason why a road journey to Ladakh is more fun because it allows your body to gradually increase the altitude and hence, acclimatize to the rising altitude day by day, especially the Srinagar – Leh Highway.
But, let’s look at how one can combat most of the AMS issues with very basic tips and can enjoy his/her Leh – Ladakh journey for about 8 – 9 days.
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8 – 9 Days Itinerary for Leh Ladakh by Air
This itinerary of flying to Leh Ladakh covers all three major tourist destinations of Ladakh including Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso Lake, and Tso Moriri Lake.
If you are making a trip to Ladakh in winter, then better refer most common itinerary for a winter trip to Ladakh
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
- Checkin at Hotel. Many 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 hydrated enough. DO NOT OVERHYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
- 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, the Local Leh market, and Shankar Gompa.
- If you feel exerted, go back to the hotel, have dinner at the Hotel, and take a rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
- Follow the sunset by a stroll at Changspa Road and have a nice dinner on the varied cuisines offered around Changspa & main market road.
- Go back to the hotel for an overnight stay at Leh.
- Overnight at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing
Get the online Ladakh inner line permits stamped or get them in person from DC office in Leh. As of 2022, permits are not required for domestic tourists to travel anywhere in Ladakh including the Umling La pass. You only need to pay the environment/green/ecology fee and carry a receipt of the payment- Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you. Check the Leh – Ladakh taxi union rate list 2024 – 25 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh. You can get about a 10-12% discount by directly getting in touch with drivers. 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 DwD community members.
- Take his input 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 and charged reasonably 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. To know the about the places you can check my 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 the 11th Highest Motorable Pass Khardung La. DO NOT stay more than 10-12 minutes.
- Diskit has monasteries with the tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and a Bactrian camel safari.
- About a 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between and at Khardung La.
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.
- About 7-8 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
Day 5 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
- Cover either of Hemis, Thiksey, and Shey on the go toward Pangong Tso
- Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
- About 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between
Day 6 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
- Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey on return to Leh
- Overnight at Leh
- About 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between
Day 7 | Leh – Hemis – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
- Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey on the way toward Tso Moriri.
- Cover Korzok Monastery.
- Overnight at Korzok or near the banks of Tso Moriri.
- About 7-8 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
Day 8 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh
- Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh.
- Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey on the way towards Leh.
- Overnight at Leh.
- About 9-10 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
Day 9 | Rest Day OR Sham Valley Tour
- Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR
- Sham Valley includes Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib OR
- Overnight at Leh.
Are you interested in saving a day on Ladakh trip?
You can save a day by making a direct trip to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley as suggested below.
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Shyok village /Wari La route – Pangong Tso
- Take the direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso either via Shyok village or Wari La pass whichever is open.
- Since 2019, the direct route between Nubra Valley – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso has stabilized a lot. It is not as desolate in the season anymore as it used to be a few years back. A lot of people do this route nowadays, so it should be fine for you to do that route as well. Just enquire at Agham village on the safer side or wait for a couple of cars to tag along on the route.
- Overnight at Pangong Tso.
- About 6-8 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between and the route you take between Shyok and Wari La.
Day 5 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thiksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
- Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey on return to Leh
- Overnight at Leh
- About 6-7 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between
Alternatively, you can also make a day trip to Pangong Tso (if Shyok village and Wari La pass routes are closed) as below but that makes it a bit rushy/hectic.
Day 5 | Leh – Chang La – Pangong Tso – Chang La – Leh
- Make a Day trip to Pangong Tso via Chang La Pass.
- Overnight at Leh.
- About 10-12 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.
Additional Points
- You can add one more day or use the saved day to visit Turtuk village in Nubra Valley.
- For accommodation, check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate and cheap budget hotels.
- Any doubts related to the budget of the trip?? Don’t worry, check this complete guide on How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Conclusion
I hope this plan or itinerary for Leh – Ladakh when traveling by Air will be useful to travelers planning their journey, at least for the first time. I look forward to any queries, doubts, or valuable suggestions and inputs you have and would love to discuss your custom plan as well in the comments section.
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