How to make trip to Ladakh in 5 Days?

Ladakh is one of the top most popular adventure and family travel destinations in India, thanks to the Bollywood, especially “3 Idiots”. Every year 1000s of people plan their trips to Leh Ladakh to witness the barren landscape and beauty of this cold desert. As the number of domestic tourists is increasing, so as the urge of traveling to Ladakh in 5 days due to lack of leaves 😉 😉 …

Ladakh is well connected by air and many airlines run daily flights to Leh. So, thinking about making a trip to Ladakh in 5 days does not seem unnatural to me especially when you are unaware of the region.

What they say “Ignorance is bliss” 😀 😀 …

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Can I do a Leh Ladakh trip in 4-5 days?

The short answer is, yes, you can make a trip to Ladakh in 5 days by flying directly to Leh.

Every year I get 100s of questions where people are seeking a plan to make a trip to Ladakh in 5 days. In the early days, I used to get frustrated and confused about what exactly a person will do in just 5 days in Ladakh.

Over time I got used to it and today I am going to write an article that should serve as a base for all such questions. However, I will still suggest that if you are not short on time then do a comfortable road trip to Ladakh in 12 days, at least.

I am sure this article will help lots of people looking forward to making a trip to Ladakh in 5 days. So, if you are one of those people who are short on time and can spend money on flights to Leh, you can refer to the detailed travel plan mentioned below for your Ladakh trip in 5 days.

Itinerary for a trip to Ladakh in 5 Days

If proper care is not taken to combat Acute Mountain Sickness, flying directly to a high altitude place like Leh (3500+ Mtr) can cause serious health issues sometimes. Hence, one must always be aware of the importance of Acclimatization and tips to help acclimatize to some extent before venturing to further high altitude places within Ladakh.

When you fly to such high altitude, you must give your body a chance to acclimatize before actually getting started with the local sightseeing. This acclimatization is the precise reason why an adventure road trip to Ladakh is more fun because it allows your body to gradually adapt to the increase in altitude ad acclimatize to it.

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 in just 5-6 days.

Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight) – Rest and Acclimatization

• Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
• Take ample rest as well as water or anything that keeps your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. 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 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 the hotel, have dinner at the Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
• Follow the sunset by a stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
• Go back to the hotel for an overnight stay at Leh.
• Overnight at Leh.

Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization

• Hire a taxi from Leh. You can check the Ladakh Taxi Union Rates 2017-18. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on the phone always help in bargaining more.
• You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
• Take his 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 from the first day itself. Of course, if you require it and he is charging a reasonable amount 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 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. DO NOT stay more than 20 minutes.
• Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari.
• About 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between and at Khardung La.

Day 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 7-9 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between

Day 5 | Leh – Chang La – Pangong Tso – Chang La – Leh

• Make a day trip to Pangong Tso via Chang La Pass.
• Better to avoid overnight stay at Pangong Tso if your body is not feeling 100%. Because your body may not be acclimatized to sleep at such high altitude and already feeling wary, AMS issues can be encountered by further increasing the altitude. Take a call based on your health condition.
• Overnight at Leh.
• About 10-12 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.

Day 6 | Fly Back Home

• Flyback home

This concludes the plan for your 6 days Leh Ladakh trip. If you planning to get that Ladakh 5 nights 6 days package, try to match the itinerary pointers defined in this article.

An Alternate Plan for 5 Days Trip to Ladakh

Alternatively what you can do is to take the direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso on Day 4 and skip Panamik – Sumur. This will help you save the day and let you spend overnight at Pangong Tso instead of rushing it.

Of course, there will be a little risk of acclimatization as the body might not be fully acclimatized to sleep at Pangong Tso but many people have started doing it this way now.

Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso

• Take the direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso from Shyok village.
• The route is very scenic, a bit desolated but nowadays many people have started taking this route.
• You can inquire at Agham Village about the conditions and better wait for a couple of vehicles to join your convoy.
• Overnight at Pangong Tso.
• About 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.

Day 5 | Pangong Tso – Chang La – Leh with Hemis – Thicksey

• You can now plan to return to Leh from Pangong Tso via Chang La pass.
• You can cover few monasteries on the way back to Leh like Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey
• Overnight at Leh.
• About 5-6 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between.

Additional Points for a 5 Day Ladakh Trip

• For accommodation, check the preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh. (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate and cheap budget hotels as well
• Any doubts related to the budget of the trip?? Don’t worry, check: How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip

Leh Ladakh Itinerary 6 Days

Well, if you have an additional day and want to make a 6 day trip to Leh Ladakh, instead of flying back to Leh on Day 6, you can choose to either do a two day trip to Pangong Tso or Leh Monastery tour or Sham Valley trip on the last day.

Day 6 | Leh Monastery Tour OR Sham Valley Tour

• Monasteries around Leh includes Stakna, Shey, Thicksey, Hemis, Phyang, OR
• Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR
• Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib OR
• Overnight at Leh
• Flyback home on Day 7

7 Day Trip to Ladakh

Now, if you have a couple of more days at hand and looking for a 7 days Ladakh itinerary then you can add Tso Moriri lake continuing from the 5 day Ladakh plan as mentioned above. When you make a trip to Leh Ladakh in 7 days, you can also consider visiting Turtuk when in Nubra Valley. However, this is how you can add Tso Moriri lake in the plan.

Day 6 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang

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

Day 7 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Leh

• Visit Tso Kar Lake and Taglang La pass
• Overnight at Leh
• About 9-10 Hrs drive, depending upon the breaks you take in between

Video – Planning Weekend Ladakh Trip

Conclusion

I hope this plan or itinerary for Leh – Ladakh in 5 days when traveling by air will be useful for travelers planning their journey, at least for the first time. The other alternate plans should also help you in case you plan to stay longer or looking for such plans.

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I will look forward to your comments on any questions or doubts or valuable suggestions and inputs you have for making such a short trip to Leh Ladakh. I will also love to discuss your customized plan as well below in the comments section of the article if you have a question on them.

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