The direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso is getting popular among domestic tourists year after year. As of 2024, this route is the hot favorite among tourists, especially those who are short on days for an ideal Ladakh trip.
Today in this article, I will talk about some important tips and things you should consider when traveling from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso.
So, when you ask me:
Can I travel from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso directly?
The answer is “Yes”, you can travel to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley either from Diskit – Agham – Shyok village route or from Diskit – Agham – Wari La Pass- Sakti – Changla Pass route. So, two direct routes exist between Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso, the two most popular tourist destinations in Ladakh.
Let’s look at the answer in detail now 🙂 …
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso Guide
I get a lot of questions about how I can save a day in my plan for Ladakh trip, where people look to travel directly from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso instead of coming back to Leh.
If you need to understand more about the routes in Ladakh along with distances, you can also refer to our DoW – Maps of Ladakh | Nubra Valley & Changthang.
Before going into the details, I always suggest everyone keep in mind that all the remote routes in Leh Ladakh are a bit desolate and most of them are like dirt roads. The first and foremost tip I suggest is that you “better stick to conventional routes in case it is your first trip to Ladakh to avoid the uncertainties of different kinds on these unconventional routes 😉” …
Download your FREE high-resolution version pdf copy of this infographic guide for tips about traveling directly from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso. If, you liked it and found it helpful, please feel free to share it with your family and friends to help them too.
As you can see in the DwD maps of Ladakh there are two routes to travel to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley directly. I will talk about both of them in detail one by one.
Road Conditions of Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso
Let’s check both routes in detail one by one.
1. Nubra Valley – Agham – Shyok Village – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong Tso (Lukung)
This route has become very popular among tourists since 2018 and is now the de facto route in all standard Leh Ladakh road trip itineraries even though some symptoms of AMS can be felt at Pangong Lake. The road conditions have stabilized a lot on this route and a lot of people now travel on this route, especially when it is shorter than Wari La route and saves you a day in the overall Ladakh plan.
Some of the road sections between Agham & Shyok villages are kind of tricky and landslide-prone. Even though a lot has been improved on this route starting in 2016, it is still not an easy piece of cake, especially in the July – August time period.
Sometimes the water in the Shyok river swells and closes the road. Hence, it is important to ask at Agham village before you travel on this route. There are some sections, especially before Shyok Village (towards the Nubra side), which might be tricky to climb without a high-ground clearance vehicle even though most cars are able to manage now with careful and cautious driving.
Hence, you need to be a bit extra cautious when traveling on this route by a hatchback or sedan, IMO. People have done this route on all types of cars; it depends upon the person driving the car and how much they love their car. At one of the sections, we were moving, and one person kept clearing stones falling from above but that was like 10 years ago 😛 … A lot more road conditions are stable now.
Road conditions getting better now
YOU MUST keep in mind that this route is getting more popular year by year and is now majorly used by almost everyone traveling to Ladakh as of 2024. You will always get some cars or vehicles to accompany you when you are traveling alone in these parts of trans-Himalayas. You can tag along to have some company for peace of mind of being not alone. Having this company will help in case of any breakdown as others can help the person in need.
In case, you venture out on this route alone, you will find other tourist vehicles traveling everywhere now and then. If you are self-driving to Ladakh, it is better to carry the essential things for a self-drive trip to Ladakh.
Please take a sensible call for yourself and your loved ones waiting for your safe return. As of 2024, due to road construction going on the Shyok village route, cars with high ground clearance are preferable on this route. Always inquire about the road conditions either at Agham Village or Khalsar Village before taking the route from Shyok Village to Pangong Tso.
If you are traveling from Pangong Tso, then there is a GREF hut that comes after Shyok village from Durbuk side. You can inquire about the route status from them as well.
- Sedans/Hatchbacks = Drive cautiously!!
- High Ground Clearance SUVs (4×2) = Doable
- High Ground Clearance SUVs (4×4) = Doable
You can read my travel tale about this route in the article Adventures of Shyok Village Route & the latest travel report of this route from 2018 as Nubra to Pangong – Let the Adventure Begins
2. Nubra Valley – Agham – Wari La – Shakti – Chang La – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong Tso (Lukung)
The direct route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso from Wari La Pass is much longer than the Shyok Village route. It gets connected to the conventional route from Leh to Pangong Tso at Shakti/Serthi village.
So, that means you travel Nubra Valley to Sakti over Wari La and then traverse a major part of Leh to Pangong Tso route as well, including climbing the Chang La pass. It easily takes about 10+ hrs to reach Pangong Tso from Wari La route.
This route most likely be closed from December to April-May due to snowfall at Wari La pass and is not kept actively open by BRO as there is no urgency to do so. It is just an alternate route present. Hence, in the winter months and early season time, you should not travel on this route at all because it will most likely be closed.
As the Shyok village route which is much shorter, this Wari La pass route is not traveled by many tourists. It is better only to take the Wari La route in case the Shyok village route is closed. Otherwise, you will not find many people on this desolate route, and no help will be available in miles in case of any breakdown.
So, even if for some reason you take this direct route to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley, it is better to do it in a group of 2-3 vehicles at least.
The road conditions are mostly average with a dirt track in the majority of the route. There are a couple of water crossings, and at the top of Wari La, the vehicle with a small GC may struggle a bit.
- Sedans/Hatchbacks = Doable, at least the climb up/down for Wari La and then again to Chang La. A bit tough in the early summers.
- High Ground Clearance SUVs (4×2) = Doable
- High Ground Clearance SUVs (4×4) = Doable
Itinerary of Nubra to Pangong Tso Route
Given below is a three-day itinerary for planning a trip to Pangong Tso directly from Nubra Valley without coming back to Leh. I am assuming that you have already stayed a couple of nights in Leh for acclimatization and then only you are traveling to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso.
If you have more days at hand, then you can add the Turtuk village to stay in the below plan where you can travel to Turtuk on the first night. Then, the next day comes to Hunder and goes over to Pangong Tso.
Day 1 | 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 Khardung La Pass
- Diskit has a monastery with the tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and a bacterian camel safari
Day 2 | Hunder / Diskit – Shyok Village or Wari La – Pangong Tso
- Take the direct route to Pangong Tso via Shyok Village (shorter) or Wari La (longer) whichever is open
- Overnight at Pangong Tso
Day 3 | Pangong Tso – Leh, covering Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey monasteries
- Cover Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey
- Overnight at Leh
Permits of Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso Route
As of 2022, permits are not required for domestic tourists to travel anywhere in Ladakh including Hanle, Umling La Pass or even Demchok. You only need to pay the environment/green/ecology fee and carry a receipt of the payment.
Indians do not need any permits anymore in Ladakh for regular sightseeing. You just need to pay the Ladakh Environment Fee on the website and carry the receipt of it. Here is the link where you need to pay it: https://www.lahdclehpermit.in/register-as-domestic
Current Ladakh environment fees are broken down as follows:
1. Environment Fee = Rs 400 one time
2. Wildlife Fee/Something = Rs 20 per day
3. Red Cross Fee = Rs 50 one time but Optional, you don’t need to pay if you don’t want to.
DO NOT confuse the environment fee receipt with a permit. You just need to carry this fee receipt, hard copy, or soft copy. This receipt may be checked at some checkposts. Hence, people are confusing it with a permit but this is just verification that you have paid the fees.
You can pay the Ladakh environment fee for Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso online now.
Don’t have time to read the full article? Check video on Discover With Dheeraj YouTube Channel on these essential tips for traveling from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso directly. If you like my video, please do not forget to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.
Conclusion
In the end, make a calculated risk when traveling on direct routes from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso either from Shyok village or Wari La pass. Remember that it is always good to travel in a group on such unconventional routes in Ladakh, so even if you are alone, the vehicle waits at Agham village to travel in a group. Otherwise, you will be best suited to avoid them.
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I am sure with the details described in this article, you will be able to make a judgment call, about which is best the best route for you and your family. If you still have any doubts or questions about planning your trip from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso, feel free to post them in the comments section below.
I will be happy to hear from you on other suggestions about this wonderful route in Ladakh. Have you done this route?? Tell me what was your experience and help others travel better in Ladakh. Do not forget to share this article with your friends and family who are planning the trip to Ladakh.
347 Comments
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Hi,
I already travel to ladakh from Pune by my car 10 grand in first week of july in list year with my friends.
I have compleated the circle pune -amritsar- Jammu – shrinagar – Kargil – leh – Khardungla- leh- kharu – Pangong -kharu-sarchu- manali- pune without any failure.
I am planning again in next year i.e 2019 with my family. but i want to ask you can i use “Nubra Valley – Agham – Shyok Village – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong Tso ” rout by same car?
Please suggest
Hi Dheeraj,
Just one correction, We have completed our last leh tour in last yest first week of Jun.
That time we snowfall also we drive on snow also ;P
please suggest if this rout can i use for next year?
Shirish, it will be much difficult to travel by a hatchback from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri. I will recommend planning the trip carefully and carry the essentials. This will be desolate route a bit now. Confirm at Agham village about the road conditions or stay tuned to DwD Community for road updates.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the reply,
Actully i am asking for Nubra Valley to Pangong not Pangong to TSO Moriri.
I am sorry for the confusion, when I said wait for Agham I actually meant Nubra to Pangong Tso route only
Hi Dheeraj,
Can you tell me what is the distance between Diskit (Petrol filled) to Pangong Tso via Shyok Village?
Also, we are on planning to go ahead from Pangong Tso to Hanle and Tso Moriri and return via Manali route (Jispa last petrol filling station) so how much petrol we need to carry with us to avoid shortage. We have classic 350.
Thanks in advance.
Hey Ranbir,
Check this updated post from 2018 which has a distance and time map at the start itself: adventures of Nubra to Shyok
Also, refer the updated fuel availability article with distances of all these routes: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
My friend and I planned for leh. We both are 68 in good shape. Our Trip plan is
Day 1 and 2( Sept 4 and 5th) Srinagar
Day 3 Kargil Day 4 Alchi and halt at Alchi
Day 4 Leh Rest
Day 5 Leh Local tour
Day 6 Nubra velley and halt
Day 7 Nubra to Pangong and halt
Day 8 Back to Leh from PangonThg
Day 9 leh to Delhi by Flight
We have hired Inova, Is it OK, Do we need some extra precautions as we both are senior citizens. I s this a proper plan?
Also wanted to know about the local veg food in this journey
Da
Vinod sir, your plan is good and easy. You will enjoy the trip a lot. You are traveling slow, drink plenty of fluids and keep yourself hydrated. It shall be a good trip. You will find veg food all of the Ladakh, no problems with it.
Hi Team,
I have been following ur blog for months now reading everything about Ladhak. Finally I booked flight (up & down) to Leh (13-19Sep). I’m going with a very close friend & both of us will be renting Bullet at Leh.
My only concern is:
Will there be direct & safe route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake ? (I’m a fair rider with long highway rides but no experience on hilly areas).
Thanks
Well, you can see from the article that there does exist a route that takes you Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley. I have updated the conditions as well for this year and in fact, in September it will be in the best conditions of the season. So, just wait for few vehicles to come at Agham village and then tag along to have some company.
Hello Dheeraj Bhai…I am biking solo and require ur suggestion if Nubra to Pangong can be done directly in the last week of september and how safe it is for a solo traveller…Kindly advise
You can travel from Nubra to Pangong Tso directly and it can be done but do wait for a few vehicles at Agham villageto tag along so that you have company to travel on that route. There will not be much water in water crossings and road will be much stable.
Hi dheeraj
We are starting our trip from Srinagar to Leh by car with the local driver. We have 13 days in hand.
We want to do Srinagar to Leh then Leh to Nubra to Pangong to Spiti to Manali To Chandigarh fly back to Mumbai . We are renting bikes in Leh. What is the best would you recommend to cover the stretch.
We start our trip tomorrow night from Mumbai. Land in Srinagar then by car to Leh.
Also how feasible is it to get a bike from Leh & drop in Manali ?
You can get the bike from Leh to drop I believe up to Keylong but the pickup charges will be around 10K per bike.
Hi DHEERAJ,
I have gone through the blog written by you very carefully. very nice description. Is it possible to travel directly from Nubra to Pangong tso via Agam-Shyak road on 27th July this year by two 14 seater Tempo travellers ?
How much is the risk ? May we be able to overcome it ? Please reply.
Yes, Subhas most people are recommending going through this route as it is in working condition. Check the condition at Agham village and take a call. Always better to wait for couple of vehicles to join in and move
Hi there Dheeraj!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us here.
Well, after many years of waiting, we are getting the chance to finally go to Ladakh this year 🙂
Here is what I’ve planned based on all the reading / research i have done so far.
Please have a look and comment, if this all is feasible, sensible to do during beginning of July ’18.
We will start our journey either on 27th June or 4th July through either Scorpio / Xylo / high clearance car:
Day 1: Delhi to Manali
Day 2: Manali to Jispa (covering rohtang pass , lahaul valley)
Day 3: Jispa to Sarchu (covering baralachha pass)
Day 4: Sarchu to Leh (covering tanglang la pass, Thiksey & Shey Monasteries)
Day 5: Leh to Sham Valley to Leh (going to lamayuru monastery and backwards, likir, alchi, basgo, magnetic hill, nimmu, gurudwara)
Day 6: Leh to Nubra Valley (covering khardung la pass)
Day 7: Nubra valley to Pangong (covering Samstanling monastery)
Day 8: Pangong to Tso Moriri (covering upshi, korzok village)
Day 9: Tso Moriri to Tso Kar
Day 10: Tso Kar to Manali (covering keylong)
Day 11: Manali to Delhi
Looking forward to your comments, suggestions.
Thank you
Navneet, the plan looks fine to me except one thing of night stay at Sarchu. I will recommend that you do Jispa to Leh directly and don’t do a night halt at Sarchu because your body will not be acclimatized to sleep at that high altitude. Use that day to break the long journey of Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri at Hanle.
Thanks Dheeraj for replying.
Noted, for Jispa to Leh directly, we shall cover it within the same day.
On the other hand, wouldn’t Hanle be out of the way (from Pangong to Tso Moriri)? We plan to take the route of (Pangong Tso) tangste – durbuk – sakti – hemis – upshi – kiari – chumathang – karzok (Tso Moriri).
Lastly, for Nubra valley to Pangong Lake, we plan to take the route of Hunder – Khalsar – Shyok – Durbuk – Tangste.
Would you suggest for this route or instead suggest to take Nubra – Leh – Pangong?
Thanks
Hanle is about 54 KMs off the route from the route of Pangong tso to tso Moriri. However, it is worth the stay and worth the detour 🙂 …
You can take the Shyok route as many people have started taking this route in recent years. Just check the status at Agham village and take the final call.
Hi Dheeraj, We have been trying to plan a trip to Leh since ages and finally got some time and immediately booked the flights to Delhi and back from Delhi. We are sure we cannot do it anytime again. After reading so many articles now we are worried about the trip. Please suggest us an itinerary.
10th August 11 pm we are reaching Delhi and 19th August we would be leaving for home from Delhi at 5 pm
So effectively we have 11th to 19th 2pm available with us. We are planning for a biking trip. Please help.
We wouldn’t mind considering Spiti valley as well if that fits in well.
I will suggest you skip Ladakh unless you are ready to fly into Leh directly. Go for Spiti valley trip and the 9 days you have I will advice going from Manali side and only go from Kinnaur side if heavy rains are not predicted.
Sending you both plans from Manali side only and kinnaur – spiti – manali
Day 01 : Reach Manali and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization
Day 02 : Manali / Solang – Kaza
Day 03 : Kaza – Pin Valley – Tabo
Day 04 : Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake trek – Kaza
Day 05 : Kaza – Ki – Kibber/Kaza
Day 06 : Kibber/Kaza – Langza – Komic – Hikkim – Kaza
Day 07 : Kaza – Chandratal
Day 08 : Chandratal – Manali
Day 09 : Manali – Delhi
Day 1 | Delhi – Narkanda
Day 2 | Narkanda – Kalpa
Day 3 | Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Geyu Mummy – Tabo
Day 4 | Tabo – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Pin Valley (Mudh Village) – Kaza
Day 5 | Kaza Local Sightseeing
— Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang in the second half of the day
Day 6 | Kaza Local Sightseeing (Hikkim, Komik)
— Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit
Day 7 | Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal
Day 8 | Chandratal – Manali
Day 9 | Manali – Delhi
Hi there Dheeraj,
Is it likely that the road between Khalsar & Durbuk along the Shyok river will be over in the 1st week of July 2018?
If that road is closed, are we likely to be able to go via Agham & Wari La at that time of the year, or will the only option be to go via Khardung La?
We will be riding hired motorcycles from Leh.
Thx heaps
Both Shyok route and Wari La route are the options. In last couple of years, the Shyok route has remained open mostly and this year due to lack of much snow, I feel it should be OK to travel in July. However, nothing can be 100% certain when it comes to the Himalayas 🙂
is there any petrol pump between Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso direct road via Shyok?
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks a lot for maintaining such informative blog, I got inspired from your blog and traveeld to Leh in August’2015, but due to some bad luck coming in form of landslides was not able to cover Nubra & Pangong, So have planned again for the same, I have some doubts will be very thanfull if u clear them:
1.Will 15-24 June be a good time to visit Leh (mostly concerned about rains and landslides given my past experience 🙂
2.Our rought iteneray is like :
15th June : Morning 7am landing directly in leh
16th June : Start to Nubra valley and stay at hunder through bike
17th June : Start from nubra valley to pangong lake via Shyok Road through bike
18th June : back to Leh through bike
19th June : Rest in Leh
20th June : Leh to Sarchu via cab
21st June : Sarchu to Manali via cab
23rd June : Manali
24th June : Manali to Delhi and back to Hyd
Please suggest any changes if required.
3.I am mostly concerned about, will it be a good idea to travel from Nubra Valley to Pangong directly from Shyok Road in mid June, through bikes as we are a group of 3 couples.
4. As per the new rules do we need any permits for our route.
Please give your valuable advice
Regards,
Prabhash
Hey Prabhash,
Good to see you planning the trip again.
1. June is a good time to travel to Ladakh
2. I will recommend that you rest for two days in Leh before going to Nubra Valley. Rest plan looks OK.
3. Many people take this route now and have become more and more dominant every year. So, once you reach Nubra, inquire about the road conditions at Agham village or taxi folks or this forum where we post the status updates and then take a call.
4. Yes, you will need permit for Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso both
Hi, I am planning to travel to Leh alone on 30th Sept. and my itinerary is like…
Day 1 – Arrive in Leh & acclimatize.
Day 2 – Drive to Alchi. Enroute visit Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Confluence of Zanskar and Indus river. Visit Alchi Monastery and drive back to Leh. Just before reaching Leh, visit Ladakh Hall of fame.
Day 3 – Leh to Nubra Via Khardungla Pass
Day 4 – Nubra to Pangong to Leh
Day 5 – Leave Leh
Travel will be on either Scorpio, Xylo or Qualis.
My biggest concern is the route to take on Day 4.
Looking forward to your kind advise.
Thanks.
Bopanna, Day 4 does not seem realistic to me. Also, it is highly recommended to not travel on the direct route alone and have some company of vehicles as the route is quite desolated. Drop Pangong Tso or add a day to cover it.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are reaching Leh around 20th Sep. We have both Nubra and Pangong in itinerary. Travel agent has recommended to reach Pangong via Shyok from Nubra. Is the road good and safe now? Two ladies will be travelling.
Thanks,
Sri
Sri, Nubra to Pangong Tso is open now, so taxi driver will be able to take you on that route even though road conditions are not that good. It is always recommended to wait for few more vehicles at Agham village and travel in a group on the desolate route.
Hey dhiraj,
i am a regular reader of your blog and getting inspiration from your blog from the last two years finally i am going to leh on 17th september. we are two girls traveling there and have five days itinerary. we have our return flights on 21 of september. nubra valley and pangong lake are the two attractions that i surely need to include in my short trip. i need your help in making the perfect itinerary for the same. my plan goes like this 17-leh, 18-19 leh to nubra valley, stay at nubra valley, 19-20 nubra valley to pangong stay at pangong, 20- return to leh and 21 flight for delhi. Kindly give me the right direction for framing the perfect itinerary and also suggest the budget so that we make make our financial plans accordingly. please reply asap as i need to book stays there accordingly. thanks in advance
Hello Deepika,
I will strongly suggest to follow the plan mentioned in How to make trip to Ladakh in 5 Days?
Hi Dheeraj,
I have a bike trip to Leh this August. After having acclimatisation there, while return I have a plan to take a rout via Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tsomoriri, Tso Kar and then to Manali. I also intend to visit Khardungla but that’s not possible through this rout I guess..
How should I make an itinerary for this return trip.? Please advise.
Hey Tenzin,
Khardung La connects Leh to Nubra Valley, so when you travel to Nubra Valley you will pass Khardung La first. How many days do you have in hand?
I have around 10-12 days Dheeraj… That’s excluding stay in Leh…
You can easily do something like below:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local 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 – Turtuk
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Turtuk
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— enjoy the culture in the Turtuk Village
— do mention Turtuk on the permits
Day 4 | Turtuk – Hunder
— Spend whole day at Turtuk and reach Hunder by evening
— Overnight at Hunder
Day 5 | Hunder – Deskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
— Enjoy drive upto Panamik, visit Yarab Tso Lake and back Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 7 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR You can do tour to Sham Valley
— Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib
— Overnight at Leh
Day 9 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 10 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Moore Plains – Pang / Sarchu
— Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
— Overnight at Sarchu or Pang
Day 11 | Pang / Sarchu – Baralacha La – Jispa
— On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the road sides only
— Overnight at Jispa
Day 12 | Jispa – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the road sides only
— Overnight at Manali
Day 13 | Manali – Delhi
— Return home
Hi Dheeraj,
I think you got little confused with my travel. I am traveling by bike ride and for my whole trip I have around 15 days from the day I leave from Manali on the bike. And while return I want to cover Tsomoriri, Tsokar and then to Manali.
I wanna know the 12 days schedule that you’ve made for me (below) looks perfect but can I consider that same schedule for my bike trip as well, because I believe you thought i was gonna hire a cab.?
Yes Tenzin, you can follow the same plan and can refer for initial days as below
Day 1 | Delhi – Manali/Solang Valley
— Better stay at Solang Valley and avoid Manali as sleeping at Solang Valley does help in acclimatization
— If going by own car, get the permit made in advance to drive on Manali – Rohtang Pass road through hotel/travel agent in Manali
— Overnight at Manali/Solang Valley
Day 2 | Manali/Solang Valley – Keylong/Jispa
— It is always better to stay either at Keylong/Jispa so that you do not feel sick or hit by AMS.
— Avoid sleeping at Sarchu at any cost while going to Leh from Manali because your body will not be acclimatized by the time you reach there.
— I prefer staying at Jispa more because Keylong gives the feeling of a town while Jispa is more closer to nature having Bhaga river running just aside the Manali – Leh Highway at Jispa.
— Overnight at Keylong/Jispa
Day 3 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh
— Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Inner Line Permits
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— For more details on inner line permits process and to download application form read the link here
— Overnight at Leh
Once, you reach Leh and acclimatize then you can very much follow the plan I suggested previously by going to Nubra and rest followed.
Thank you so much Dheeraj for the very quick response.. Your tips and the schedule made are highly helpful. Thank you so much.
Best wishes for the trip !!
Hi Dheeraj,
Hope you are doing good.
I would like to understand the best possible route to reach tsomoriri and tsokqr from leh.
And also please advise me whether can I head back to manali from tsokar?
Your assistance herein is grwtly appreciated.
Day 1 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 2 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh
— Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
OR
Day 2 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Moore Plains – Pang / Sarchu
— Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
— Overnight at Sarchu or Pang
Day 3 | Pang / Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the road sides only
— Overnight at Manali
Hi dheeraj,
Greeting,
My plan as follows
Day 1– land leh in morning and acclimatize
Day 2 — leh – pangong
Day 3 — pangong — diskit via shok route
Day 4 — diskit — tyakshi — diskit
Day 5 — diskit – summor – leh
Day 6 — leh – magnat hill – leh
Pls also tell about pangong diskit route via shyok
No Faisal, you must plan for two days if rest and acclimatize in Leh after landing in Leh. Then you have 4 days at hand, make two day trip to Nubra Valley first and then a two day trip to Panogng Tso.
Thanks for reply,
Please tell me about pangong diskit route via shyok, how much time taken
Pangong Tso – Nubra via Deskit takes about 6-6.5 hrs depending upon breaks taken in between.
thanks Dheeraj fr providing continuously support.
i just would like to know what is inner line permission, whether we need this for travelling pangong and nubra valley
Yes Failsal, Inner Line Permits are again required from this year for Indians and they can be applied online. Use the link: Ladakh Inner Line Permits Available Online. Once applied, take the print out and pay the fee at Tourist Info Center in Leh or DC Office in Leh.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for being so helpful to people to plan their trips for Ladakh
My Journey is as below
July 27th – Land in Srinagar and Local
July 28th – Gulmarg and back to Srinagar
July 29th – Srinagar to Kargil
July 30th – Kargil to Leh
July 31st – Local sighseeing at Leh
Aug 1st – Leh to Nubra
Aug 2nd – Nubra to Pangong
Aug 3rd – Pangong to Leh
Aug 4th – Fly back from Leh
I planned to book a private Innova/Xylo for the entire trip and we are 6 adults. Couple of tour operators said that I cannot plan for Nubra to Pangong directly. They just said a blank “NO”because roads will be in bad shape in August. Few others are fine. Whats your suggestions? Personally I don’t mind taking that bit of stretch!
Thanks in advance
Bhavik, best will be to tell once you reach the Agham village and then take a call if the route is too dangerous or even open. Shyok river swells during monsoon and some section becomes closed or too difficult to cross. I will recommend that you drop Gulmarg trip and do two day trip to Nubra and two day trip to Pangong tso.
Hello Dheeraj sir please provide me some tips on below route:-
we are going to leh second time. this time our progrmme is via manali its own vehcles, sir it is possible we are going to pang to tso moriri lake, tso moriri to pangong and pangong to nubra valley. please tell me how many days to be spent on this route.
No Ravinder, you should avoid taking a direct route to Tso Moriri from Manali. Best is to reach Leh from Manali and then make rest of the trip as rest in Leh, then two day trip to Nubra Valley and then Pangong Tso, Pangong tso to hanle, Hanle to tso Moriri and tso moriri to manali
we are agree with your advice,
we are very thankful to sir,
Best wishes for the trip.
Hello Dheeraj,
My friends and I are planning a tour from Manali to Srinagar as per below itinerary in 01JULY (6 people 3 bikes)
Day 1 – Manali to Keylong/Jispa to Sarchu
Day 2 – Sarchu to Pangong Lake
Day 3 – Pangong Lake to Leh
Day 4 – Leh to Kargil
Day 5 – Kargil to Srinagar
We have very limited number of leaves but we figured its now or never. Would really appreciate your expert feedback on the below .
Can we ride the above itinerary with bikes rented in Manali or is there any restrictions in Leh . Would really like to know your detailed thoughts and advise on the route from ” Sarchu to Pangong Lake ”
Thanks
Marzu, the above plan will most likely land you up in hospital or will put you or your friends very close to near death experience. When we travel from Manali to Leh, we have to take care about acclimatization which is not at all present in above plan. At minimum to make a bit safer trip by road to Ladakh, you will need to have at least 9 days from Delhi for Manali route and 10 days if you choose to do the circuit of Manali – Ladakh – Srinagar.
Thank you Dheeraj bhai for the clear advise much appreciated !
I guess since we are flying in from Dubai to Manali we were trying to do as much as we can in the short leave.We are comparatively fit and used to riding but dont have any experience on high altitudes hence the plan 🙂 . Would you please help us to replan the below itinerary for seven days.
You can remove Srinager and Kargil if its not advised
Day 1 – Manali
Day 2 – Manali to Keylong/Jispa to Sarchu
Day 3 – Sarchu to Pangong Lake
Day 4 – Pangong Lake to Leh
Day 5 – Leh to Kargil
Day 6 – Kargil to Srinagar
Day 7 – Srinagar
We are planning only ONE way trip so we can drop of the bikes in Leh or Srinagar. Or would you recommend travelling from Srinager to Manali.
Looking forward to your advise .
If you have 7 days in hand, can you fly to Leh? If yes, you can do following:
Day 1 | Leh and acclimatize
Day 2 | Leh rest day, local tour light rides
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Nubra Valley
Day 4 | Nubra Valley – Pangong Tso
Day 5 | Pangong Tso – Pang/Sarchu
Day 6 | Pang/Sarchu – Manali
Day 7 | Fly back
Dear Dheeraj ,
Thanks a lot for your inputs will try to plan our itinerary as advised by you..
Just one clarification how do we do the Pangong Tso – Pang/Sarchu route .Couldn’t find any clarity in any forum about this route.
How much is the distance and how long does it take. Could you please give us more details so that we can plan accordingly
Thanks in advance.
Pangong Tso – Chang La – Karu and then take the left to Manali – Leh Highway instead of going back to Leh. You will have to leave around 6 AM from Pangong Tso to reach Sarchu in time before sunset.
Sir,
Is it possible to go from Pangong Lake to Nubra Valley via Wari La by a High GC vehicle like Quanto on 2nd weak of June this year? Please suggest.
Saurav, it is better to take Shyok – Agham route instead of longer Wari La route. Qaunto is capable enough to do both the routes. Just make sure you are joined by some vehicles on these desolated direct routes.
Sir,
It is my honour to here you. I have a little confusion about the route you said. In DoW map you marked this route in red line that means this route is for 4×4 vehicle with high GC. Will my vehicle Quanto will be able to cover this route though it have a high GC? Please suggest.
Regards,
Saurav, the map is a bit outdated, 3 years old, things have settled now and most of the taxis do it which are 4×2 only. Of course, it wont be easy but higher GC will help you pass through tricky sections.
Sir,
I want to discuss with you about out tour itinerary. We are 6 adults travelling together from Durgapur, West Bengal in my Quanto vehicle. Day wise itinerary will be as follows:
2nd June, Day 1: we will start from our home at 2 AM and expected to reach at Etawah, UP by 8 PM (982 km as per google map). Night stay.
Day 2: Etawah to Pathankot (803 km) starting at around 7 AM. Night stay at Pathankot.
Day 3: Pathankot to Sonamarg 407 km. (your suggestion needed whether we can do it)
Day 4: Sonamarg to Kargil.
Day 5: Kargil to Leh.
Day 6: Leh for procuring the permission. If possible we will go for local sight seen.
Day 7: Leh to Pangong Tso. Night Stay.
Day 8: Pangong Tso to Diskit / Hunder via Shyok – Agham route (as per your suggestion).
Day 9: After visiting the local sight seen and Turtuk we have a plan to go to Sumur. Night stay at Sumur (your Suggestion needed).
Day 10: Sumur to Upshi via Khardung La after visiting hot spring at Panamik.
Day 11: Upshi -Kiari – Chumathang – Korozk (Tso Moriri).
Day 12: Korozk – Sumdo – taking left turn Polokung La – Pang – Sarchu (night Stay).
Day 13: Sarchu – Keylong – Rothang – Manali. We want to proceed further and stay at Bhuntar. Is it possible?
Day 14: Bhuntar – Pinjore / Ambala (here we need your help, we don’t want to stay at chandigarh). Please suggest.
Day 15: Your suggested place to Kanpur.
Day 16: Kanpur – Home.
Can I travel with 6 adults in my vehicle at those roads? We have a plan to remove both side footrest and back door footrest to get better GC.
If you think that we need to change some portion of the tour plan for safety and betterment of us please suggest.
With best regards,
Inputs below:
— You can do Sonamarg to Lamayuru or Alchi instead of staying at Kargil.
— You must do Nubra Valley before sleeping at Pangong Tso.
— Make sure you have company on direct desolated route to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley via Agham – Shyok. Avoid goind alone
— Skip Sumur and Panamik, keep it limited to Hunder, deskit, Turtuk
— From Pangong Tso, return to Leh and next day do Leh to Tso Moriri and exit from Sarchu to Manali route
— Sarchu to Bhunter should be manageable
— You can directly reach around Delhi from Bhunter or nearby instead of staying in between and cut short route to Kanpur
Sir,
Thank you for your valuable tips. Can we do the day 12 trip through Polokung La? Is there any stay option at Lamayuru or Alchi? Can you provide me the Hotel numbers over there? And the most important thing – is it possible to get your cell no? You can sms me at my no also 09851020200. So that, in case of any problem we can contact with you for your suggestion because you know the enter region like your palm.
With best regards,
Yes, you can do that route. Yes, there are stay options at both Lamayuru and Alchi. Just land there and find to your budget and liking. Not many people stopover, so you will find on that spot.
Sir,
Sorry to disturb you again. We have a confusion, We are 6 adults and my vehicle is 1500 cc with a output of 100 bhp. Can we complete the whole trip including Leh to Manali on that vehicle ? Your suggestion is strongly needed.
Regards,
Saurav
Saurav, I believe you should be able to do it and the only issue I see if fitting so many people with luggage and all for such a long days of road trip journey. It will surely cause discomfort.
Hi
Our plan is
13th July – reach Leh by 10, acclimatisation and rest till afternoon and if feeling good visit Leh palace shanti stupa and local bazar over night stay at Leh
14 th Leh to nubra valley via kardulgla pass
Over night stay at nubra valley
15 th nubra to pangong
Overnight stay at pangong
16 th pangong to Leh on the way visit hemis shey and ṭhiksey monastery
Overnight stay in Leh
17 th Leh to Kargil visit magnetic hill river gurudwara on the way
Overnight stay at Kargil
18 th Kargil to sonmarg
Any corrections needed pls advise
And also we are vegetarians so pls give tips for that also
We all are in age group of 22-25
And one person age 44
Hi Akshay,
I will strongly recommend that you skip the part of driving down to Srinagar and do Leh at ease. You should be doing 2 days of rest and acclimatization after flying to Leh. Then you should do two day trips each to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso else it is going to be hectic but in case you want to go with it at least have one more rest day in Leh because 36 hrs of acclimatization is at least required to travel to high altitude places.
We will be visiting amarnath holy cave before reaching Leh by air so need your advice that still we need time to acclimatisation holy cave ll be at 14500 feet
HI Dheeraj,
Shall we first visit Nubhra valley or Pangong lake taking acclimatization in mind.
You must visit Nubra Valley first
hi dheeraj can u tell me if this itinerary is doable in the month of may
5th may =mumbai to leh
6th may = leh local sight seeing, magnetic hill, zanskar n indus river confluence
7th may = leh to nubra valley, stay in nubra valley
8th may = nubra valley to pangong lake ( only if u suggest because we are only 2 guys and will b travelling on bike ) i dont know much abt the road conditions and safety on this route. Your detailed inputs needed on this
9th may = pangong to tso kar. stay in tso kar because going to tso moriri will take 12-15 hrs (330 km ) from pangong, and only one of us will b riding the bike fr whole trip
10th may = tso kar to tso moriri. stay in tso moriri.
11th may = tso moriri to leh
12th may = leh to mumbai
Now i wanna know wheter all roads and s destination will b open as i am travelling in the start of may . also pls suggest if u think i shud make any necessary changes in the itinerary.. regard , piyush
Hi Piyush,
8th may = nubra valley to pangong lake
— It is a desolated route and one must have company with him/her on these routes. If you have couple of more bikers to tag along that way at Agham village or couple of cars that can come handy in need of the hour, then only go for it.
9th may = pangong to hanle should be done on this day, Tso Kar is in a different direction. Refer: DoW – Maps of Ladakh | Nubra Valley & Changthang
10th may = Hanle to tso moriri.
You will need inner line permits to travel to these places and also make sure that you are carrying enough fuel to cover this circuit.
What all Inner line permits are required to visit Leh. (Khardungla, Nubra and Pangong).
How to get them and how much it costs us?
Hi Aditya,
You should refer: Ladakh Inner Line Permit Updates on Process & Download Form
Hi dheeraj
Can you suggest if the below itinerary is good to travel on taxi in julu:
Day 1 : leh
Day 2: leh
Day 3:leh to nubra
Day 4: nubra to pangong
Day 5: pangong to tsomoriri
Day 6: tsomoriri to leh
Day 7: leh
It is quite hectic and you will need permits for this trip to travel from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri. Better skip Tso Moriri this time.
Is it better to skip pangong or tsomoriri considering the crowd & scenic beauty. And how long would it take tsomoriri from Leh.
Tso MOriri to Leh is about 8-9 hrs. Well, skipping for crowd? Then skipping Pangong tso makes sense as Tso MOriri, not many go 🙂
But do both pangong & tsomoriri are equally beautiful? Which one do you suggest to visit?
Yes more or less. I prefer Tso Moriri, it still has charm and not lost in crowd.
Thanks for your reply dheeraj. Can the below itinerary be worked out:
Day 1 – reach leh
Day 2 – local sight seeing on bike
Day 3 – leh to nubra on taxi
Day 4 – nubra to Pangong on taxi
Day 5 – Pangong to leh
Day 6 – leh to tsomoriri
Day 7 – tsomoriri to leh
Day 8 – depart from leh
And also will therebe any public transport available in july to travel to nubra or pangong
Looks fine to me. Public transport will be available but frequency to these places is not good. You may check shared taxis though in Leh in case the dates matches for you.
Hi dheeraj
Apart from leh local sight seeing, nubra and pangong, can u pls suggest some offbeat destinations near to leh which can be visited in 1 or 2 days? TIA
You can include Hanle in your plan which can be covered with Tso Moriri trip. Also, there is Dah Hanu Villages which is also couple of days trip from Leh.
I’m coming in june month with my group, kindly suggest me where and how i have to take and apply for inner line permisissions.
Hitesh, what is the route you are planning? You do not need permits as Indians anymore for conventional routes to Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Nubra.
Hi dheeraj,
We are planning ladakh trip in July 2nd week for 7days which includes nubra and pangong. How much would the taxi cost for the entire 7 days trip. Is it possible to book in advance? Any contacts available,?
Thanks in advance
Hi Sandeepya,
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more. You 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.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank for the valuable information to all travelers. Do you have any idea about following information:
1) when Srinagar to Leh road will be opened in 2017?
2) when Manali-rohatang pass to Leh road will be opened in 2017?
Thanks,
Swapnil
Please subscribe to Manali Leh Highway Status 2017 and Srinagar Leh Highway Status 2017
Hello Dhiraj, We are 15riders riding on RE350 & 500CC. Our iterniery is
22june Chandigarh
23june Jammu
24june Shrinagar
25june Kargil
26june Leh
27 june Leh
28 June Nubra valley
29 June Pangong Lake
30 june Leh
31 june Sarchu
1 july Manali
2 july Chandigarh
My question is this route is fine na? And which route will be fine Wari La or Shyok while Traveling from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso? We don’t have any backupvan.
Please guide & Thanks in Advance.
Abhijit, the route you are planning to take looks fine to me and your plan too. Go with Shyok route as you will have multiple bikes which can come for rescue in case there is any need of it.
Thanks a lot Dhiraj Bhai for ur very much valuable information. Will take Shyok route.
Best wishes for your trip to Ladakh, feel free to post any further questions you may have for your trip.
Thank you so much Bhai.
Best wishes for your trip, feel free to post any further questions you may have for the trip 🙂
Hello dheeraj sir, we r a group of 6 boys wish to leh in October 17. Following is the itinerary I have made . Plz correct me if I m wrong.
Day 1 : Rest n local sights
Day 2 : magnetic hill n pather sahib n acclimatization.
Day 3 : leh to nubra
Day 4 : nubra to pangong via Agham
Day 5 : pangong to leh
Day 6 : Return
We don’t have much experience of riding bikes in mountains . Is this good to go nubra n pangong on bikes for us.
Plz reply soon.
Thanks
Hey Rajat,
Do a day trip on Day 2 on bike ride and then decide. You will surely feel challenges on these roads especially near the passes, so depending upon how comfortable you are with cold conditions and riding bike, please decide. A small injury can lead to fatal results in such remote places, so keep that in mind always. Also, in case you are riding first time, avoid Agham-Shyok route.
I have done khardoongla in 2014 n didn’t face any problem what so ever. Yes my friends r visiting leh for the first time.
Is my itinerary fine ?
Your plan looks OK, make sure you have company in case you are taking Agham – Shyok route. It is a desolated route as mentioned in the article above.
Thanks a lot. Plz tell me the distance :
Leh to nubra valley
Nubra valley to pangong via Agham
n pangong to leh.
Rajat, please refer: DoW – Maps of Ladakh | Nubra Valley & Changthang
Hello Dheeraj,
Amazed by the extensive research you have and the time and effort you have put in to collate all the information and help others! A hearty thanks! While, I will reach out to you for your comments once the itinerary is shaping up, I wanted a quick response from you
1) For the feasibility to Travel to Pangong Lake from Turtuk without touching Leh. Is there an alternative place that we can take a night around Khardung Village and not double up back and forth. Or will you suggest to get back to Leh and Plan Pangong seperately
2) Suggestion for visiting Tso Moriri. Since this is our first ime in the Ladakh region, is it worth visiting both the lakes or any one of them? and if there is a way to do so without back and forth from Leh.
Thanks in advance.
Thank you Srey !! You made my day 🙂
1. As you read in the article about, there are two direct routes to reach Pangong Tso. Now a day Agham – Shyok route is doable and if you have company of vehicles better take that route to reach Pangong Tso by evening from Turtuk
2. Well, in case you have luxury of days, better visit Tso Moriri lake as well because journey to the lake is also beautiful 🙂
Hi Dheeraj
Would like your advise on Nubra Valley – Pangong Tso route options.
Around 15 Jun 2017….Self driven Scorpio (04 Passengers ; 02 M + 02 F)
Is it advisable to do it without getting back to Leh.
Regards
Sharad
Sharad, as suggested int he article, the routes are desolated. Please confirm from locals before going into these routes about the present conditions and also, make sure you have company along the route just in case something goes wrong, there is some help.
we are also planning the trip aroun 15 june and we are also thinkng about the same route ……
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning to visit Leh-Ladakh-Nubra with a team of 11 members(6 M,5 F) in August as per following plan:
Date Day Plan
Saturday, August 12, 2017 Day1 Meet at Srinagar
Sunday, August 13, 2017 Day2 Srinagar to Sonmarg via Pahelgaon
Monday, August 14, 2017 Day3 Sonmarg to Kargil via Drass
Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Day4 Kargil to Leh via Lamayuru
Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Day5 Local Leh sightseeing
Thursday, August 17, 2017 Day6 Leh to Hundar via Khardungla
Friday, August 18, 2017 Day7 Hundar to Turtuk,back to Sumur
Saturday, August 19, 2017 Day8 Sumur to Warshi,back to Khalsar/Agam
Sunday, August 20, 2017 Day9 Khalsar/Agam to Pangong via Wari La/Agham Shayok Road
Monday, August 21, 2017 Day10 Pangong to Hanley via Chusul
Tuesday, August 22, 2017 Day11 Hanley to Tso Moriri
Wednesday, August 23, 2017 Day12 Tso Moriri to Sarchu,Tso Kar
Thursday, August 24, 2017 Day13 Sarchu to Manali
Friday, August 25, 2017 Day14 Backup day at Manali
Saturday, August 26, 2017 Day15 Manali/Shimla to Chandigarh
Sunday, August 27, 2017 Day16 Checkout
How does it like?please share your views
Thanks
Your plan looks fine except Pahalgam which might be too much. So, please drop it. Rest you will be having taxi so fuel he will be managing and then for direct route to Hanle from Pangong tso, you will need inner line permits from DC office in Leh.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are a group of 5 (4M, 1F). We are planning for12 nights Leh Ladakh trip . In this trip, we also want to cover Hemis festival (03rd and 4th july, 2017). We are starting from Kolkata. Below is our itinerary,
30th June Kolkata – Srinagar(Flight)
1st July Srinagar – Kargil via Sonmarg
2nd July Kargil – Leh
3rd July Hemis Festival
4th July Leh – Nubra Valley
5th July Nubra Valley – Pangong Lake
6th July Pangong lake – Leh
7th July Local sightseeing
8th July Leh – Tsomoriri Lake
9th July Tsomiri lake -Tso Kar – Sarchu
10th July Sarchu – Manali
11th July Manali – Delhi
12th July Delhi – Kolkata(FLight)
Is it look good?
Also, we have planned to not pre book hotel or cab. So I just want to know will those be available at that time? What can be the expected expenditure?
Thanks in advance,
Dipmala
Dipmala, you plan looks good and balanced to me. It would be much better if you come back to Leh from Nubra Valley or spend that local sightseeing day in Turtuk in Nubra Valley. Yeah, if you are OK to search few hotels here and there, it should be fine to get the hotel on the spot.
Thank You Dheeraj for such a quick response. Let me check how I can reshuffle those days to manage the sightseeing at Turtuk.
Going for a 12 days trip without a pre-booked cab is a wise decision? Or I need to rethink on it?
I think if you have a pre-booked cab and do not have too much preferences to stay at specific places and aren’t tooo choosy on places to stay, it should be perfectly fine and cabbie will help you always in finding a decent, clean place to stay.
hello Deeraj,
i’m susy from indonesia with a group of 5person, planning to visit leh direct from kathmandu.
we’re planning to rent a car with the driver. so
i need your suggestion from our itinerary as we only have limited time.
we’ll be arrive in leh at may 8th and leaving to delhi from srinagar at may 14th
we’d love to visit nubra valley then pangong n moriri
after that we’ll leaving to srinagar with overnight in kargil/mulbekh
could you give us some suggestion with our plan below :
may 8th : Leh in the morning
may 9th : Leh – Nubra Valley Take direct route from Nubra Valley to pangong, overnight in pangong
may 10th : Pangong – moriri – leh
may 11th : Leh – Kargil/mulbekh
may 12th : Kargil/mulbekh – sonnmarg overnight in sonmarg
may 13 : sonmarg – srinagar overnight srinagar
may 14 : srinagar – delhi
pls review and if there’s any better route you could suggest, we’ll love to change our plan
thanks in advance
susy
Hello Susy,
You do not have enough days in hand to make such a trip. I will suggest you under take following travel plan for better acclimatization
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
— Do not plan to stay overnight at Pangong Tso as you will not be acclimatized and may fall sick. So, make a day trip only.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 7 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg
— Overnight at Srinagar
Thank you very much for your reply….
I have another question nubra valley and moriri
1. Is it worthy to skip nubra n adding moriri as new destination ?
2. Is it possible to do?
I don’t mind to skip 1 of between nubra or pangong. Got interesting too much to moriri
Which one that you think it’s better to skip?
I saw all the pictures and all beautifull, then i started confused to decided which one i should choose in my first trip to leh.
Will be back again after this trip to visit the places that i skip
Need more advice from you…
Thx before ^^
Hello Susy,
I will suggest to keep Nubra and skip Tso Moriri as you may be visiting Pangong Tso lake any how. If first trip, go with Pangong Tso and Nubra
Hi Deeraj 🙂
forgive for my late respon…. been a while with another trip…
already decided some place to visit as your suggestion, but also combine with the driver(guide) advice.
i will write again after got the perfect plan with the guide.
thank you very much for your advice, will be back soon with my report 🙂
Sure, feel free to post any further questions you may have for the trip. Always here to help 🙂 .. You can use our newly introduced “Ask a Question” section to keep a track of your questions/replies to it and also receive email notifications when the reply is made on your question 🙂
Hi Dheeraj
Need you advise for below Itinerary.
Day1. -Arrival in Srinagar. stay overnight at Srinagar
Day2. -Srinagar – Sonmarg – Kargil.
Day3. -Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh. Visit Alchi, Sangam,Gurudwara Patthar Sahib and Magnetic Hill. Visit Lamayuru monastery enroute.stay overnight
Day4.Leh – Nubra Via Khardungla Pass.stay overnight at the camp at Nubra.
Day5.Nubra-Pangong Lake.
Day6.Pangong – Tsomoriri,Chumathang hot springs, Mahe and Puga Sumdo.
Day7.Tsomoriri – Jhispa,Stay overnight in Jispa
Day8.Jispa – Manali
Day9.Manali-Delhi.
Please suggest if i need to shorten the trip which i need to drop, Pangong/Tsomoriri?
The date is from 29thApril to 9th May.
Thanks
Anindya
Your plan is too hectic without any buffer days or rest days. You do not even have a mandatory acclimatization day in Leh. I will not suggest going through this plan. Better add couple of more days to ease out journey.
Dear Dhiraj,
I am planning to visit Leh-Ladakh in June 2017. We are a group of 10 persons, basically 3 families with ladies and children (all above 10). The tentative itinerary is as follows :
Jun 4 : Srinagar to Sonamarg. Night halt
Jun 5 : Sonamarg to Kargil. Night halt
Jun 6 : Kargil to Uleytopko. Night halt
Jun 7 : Uley to Leh. Night halt
Jun 8 : Leh local sightseeing
Jun 9 : Leh to hunder. Night halt at Hunder
Jun 10 : Hunder to Leh (Here we were thinking of the alternative direct route from Agham-Shyok, not Wari-La to save an additional day. According to this report, yogeshsarkar.com/blog/2017/01/27/how-to-travel-from-nubra-to-pangong-tso/, this route is now doable. Please comment whether we should risk it. )
Jun 11 : Pangong to Tso-Moriri. Night halt at Tso-Moriri (Here my question is whether visiting Tso-Moriri is worth visiting after staying a night at Pangong-Tso. Wont the 2 vistas be similar. Also would we be acclimatised enough for spending the night at Tso-Moriri and Pangong).
Jun 12 : Tso-Moriri to Leh
Jun 13 : Leh to Jispa ( Would the Manali-Leh highway open at that time)
Jun 14 : Jispa stay for rest and natural beauty. (Is a days stay here worth it?)
Jun 15: Jispa to Manali
Jun 16 : Manali to Chandigarh
Hello Mayoor,
You started with a easy pace but then you picked up too much for families. The road is pretty much doable now from Nubra to Pangong Tso via Agham. However, the problem will be desolation and with families, it scare even more. If you can find some vehicles to accompany you can attempt that route to reach Pangong Tso. Once Pangong Tso, come back to Leh on June 11. Now on June 12, start for Tso Moriri after filling up the tanks. June 13, make Tso Moriri to Jispa by starting early in the day else in worst circumstances you can stay at Sarchu. Spending a day in Jispa shall be fine.
Dear Dhiraj,
Thanks a lot for the reply. I think we would drop Tso-Moriri as one of the families has a senior person with high BP (though he is well-controlled with medicines). He was concerned about spending a night at such high altitude. Would spending a night at Pangong with the easy schedule of acclimatisation that we have selected cause any problems. If so, can we return to Leh on the same day. I was very keen to spend a night at Pangong.
Mayoor, there is little difference between Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri. So, if you are able to spend night at Pangong Tso, you should be good with Tso Moriri too but if you want to avoid that is fine. In case you feel something at Pangong Tso, you guys can get down to stay at Tangtse which is 34 KMs from Pangong Tso towards Leh. That shall help as well.
Dear Dhiraj,
We will be skipping Tso-Moriri, but since the route from Pangong to Tso-Moriri passing via Man, Merak, Chusul is very scenic, instead of going towards Lulung can we go via Man, Merak, Chusul & then take a turn to reach Tangste and then on to Leh. How many hours should it take us to do the journey. Can we do this journey in a day. Do we need to take Permits for the same
It is a very tiring and bumpy journey as well. Yes, you can take the route from Pangong tso to Chusul and back to Tangtse for night stay but you cannot reach Leh the same day.
And yes the inner line permits will be required for it.
I think we will go directly from Pangong-Tso to Leh. We have one extra day with us–should we take a rest day in Leh before starting for Jispa or spend an extra day in Jispa to explore the natural beauty there. Also, how good would be a day journey to Turtuk from Hunder. If so, do we have to spend an extra day in hunder. Sorry for bothering you too much but really appreciate your prompt replies and indepth explanations
Yes Mayoor, better that you spend an extra day and visit Turtuk Village, it is a nice village offering good views and culture. And it makes sense to return to Pangong Tso and then spend an extra day in Jispa, a quaint & offbeat village.
Thanks Dhiraj. We will spend 2 nights at nubra so as to do a day journey to Turtuk. And also spend an extra day at Jispa. We will probably have a lazy walk along the bank’s of the river. We don’t want to drive long-distance on that day. Any place worth visiting within a few kilometers drive from Jispa
May be try to go towards Shingo La pass from Darcha. You need to go back to Darcha and then travel towards Shingo La which is just now open last year by BRO and when connected fully, it will connect Padum in Zanskar Valley to Darcha on Manali – Leh Highway. Darcha to Shingo La pass is about 40 KMs. Jispa to Darcha is around 7-8 KMs. But keep in mind that road will be bumpy.
Thanks Dhiraj. Will take a call regarding Shingola pass on that day depending on how tired we all will be after the drive from leh to jispa and how the road condition of Shingola pass is in mid June after talking to locals and drivers in jispa. Thanks for your input
Yes, that will be the best option. Talk to the guys at the checkpost at Darcha when you make an entry in the police register there. They should be able to give you some knowhow else check with hotel guys at Ibex or Padma Guest house.
Dear Dheeraj,
We had finalized our Ladakh Itinerary starting from Jun 6th and returning via Leh-Manali road on Jun 18th. The last few days planned were as follows:
Jun 15: Leh to Jispa
Jun 16: Jispa (??Shingo-La pass or Trilokinath, maybe rest day)
Jun 17: Jispa to Manali
Jun 18: Manali to Chandigarh. Catch plane in evening for Mumbai.
A situation has developed wherein our return flight from Chandigarh which was due at 6.00 PM in evening has been preponed to 12.25 PM. All evening flights have been rescheduled on that day due to Airport maintenance work. Now it is not possible to leave from Manali and reach Chandigarh before 12.25 PM.
We have 2 options now.
1. Skip extra day at Jispa ( skip Shingo-La) and return one day earlier to Mumbai
2. Instead of Jispa to Manali on Jun17, leave early from Jispa & reach Mandi for night halt. Next day morning leave early from Mandi at about 5 Am to reach Chandigarh by about 10. 00 to 10.30 AM to catch afternoon flight.
Is option 2 feasible as this would entail no extra charge for change in flight tickets or would it be very hectic & touch-and-go. Since we are not very sure about Manali-Chandigarh road conditions, should we take a chance by going for option 2 or just skip extra day at Jispa.
Pl advice and Thanks in advance.
Mayoor, plan 1 is ofcourse a better less stressful bet but in case you opt for plan 2, it is much better to go over and sleep at Sissu or Khoksar as close to Rohtang Pass as possible. Next morning leave from there and try to reach Chandigarh the same day or at least reach Bilaspur/Swarghat that day to ease out into the flight. Many things can go wrong in the mountains, so always plan for contingencies.
HI , Dheeraj..
Hope ur doing good! Firstly thank you so much for all your suggestions and guidance your giving to fellow travellers .
SO here are is my query
planning to visit leh-ladakh this september 14th 2016 with my husband..we are also planning to travel from leh-Hunder by bike..So please tell me first ..is it safe for a couple to travel by bike from leh-Hunder(so long ..i believe distance is approximately 140KM)..so suggest us on this plzzz.i’m extremely nervous to travel ,as its just two of us ….
leh-Kardungla-HUnder
Thank you Priya.
Yes, it is fine and alot of people do it every year. If you guys are OK and comfortable riding bikes for about 6-7 Hrs then you can make the trip. Also, make your you have good experience of riding bike and then only take a chance to ride up there.
Hi
Did the shyok route on 13th Aug 2016 on RE 500 bullet There wasn’t much water on road (if you choose to call it that) but there were 2 nasty stream crossings. Not to mention lose rocks, round stones, sand, mud on the road. Sand was the most treacherous part for me.
But the route is doable if you have a convoy of around 5-6 bikes at least. Otherwise it’s just insane.
BRO has started asphalting the road again but it’s a matter of time that it gets washed away again.
Cheers
Mandar
Hello Dheeraj,
We are a group of 6 and travelling to Leh in september and have 6 days and below is how we have planned
Day 1: Local Leh
Day 2: Leh – Nubra Valley
Day 3:Take direct route as above from Nubra Valley to pangong
Day 4: Pangong – Leh
Day 5:Leh – Kargil
Day 6: Kargil – Leh
We reach Leh from Manali by bus and we take a flight to Srinagar on Day 7.
We did not have Kargil in mind,but learnt about the direct route from nubra to pangong from a local taxi driver who also helped sketch out this itinerary and agreed to this plan for a decent price.
Would be happy to get some suggestions from you and also about the feasibility of plan.
Suhas, you must rest for first two days in Leh OR make your Day 5 and Day 6 as Day 2 and Day 3. Then do three day trip to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso
hi ..we are even planning to go in septemebr .please let us know the dates..so even we can join .Thanks .
Check the DoW Travel Calendar and post your entry as well. Also connect with others planning the route.
Hi, I am also planning to go in mid sept.
What are your days for travelling? If our dates collide we can go together from Nubra to Pangong.
Prashant R.
Hi prasanth….we as couple are even planning to visit in mid-septemebr[14th to 22nd] .please let us know the dates.. we can join you guys if our dates are matching ..please let me know .Thanks .
We are reaching Leh on August 20. Will it be possible to visit Turtuk and Pangong by bike? We return on August 27
Yes, the roads to Turtuk and Pangong Tso are open and you can travel it.
Hi Ajish, my dates are also matching yours and planning to visit local places on bike. I can be reached at 9581380777, do drop in if you are interested
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning to travel from nubra valley to pangong, so which would be suitable route to travel on bike.
please advice.
Thanks,
Mayur.
Mayur, if you have couple of bikes or supporting vehicle/accompany cars/taxis with you then better try to take Agham – Shyok route but confirm from the locals about it current condition. If open, use that else try Wari La pass. Please note that, it is desolated and so as Agham – Shayok route.
Thanks Dheeraj.
We are planning to go in September. Which road is best from nubra to pangong
Best is to go from Nubra to Leh and then Leh to Pangong Tso. Rest pros and cons of other direct routes are mentioned in the article.
HI Reshma,
I have planned my trip in mid sept. and planning to go from Nubra to pangong directly. We can accompany you guys on that route. We will also get the company on that difficult route.
Thanks,
Prashant.
Hi Reshma ..we are even planning to this month (sep 14th to 22 nd september) .please let us know the dates..we can join you guys if the dates are matching .Thanks .
Hello Dheeraj,
My friend and I are planning a Leh/Ladakh Tour from Hyd and below are our options:
Option 1:
Aug 12 — Rest at Leh hotel
Aug 13 — Leh – Nubra Valley
Aug 14 — Nubra Valley – Pangong Lake via Wari La
Aug 15 — Pangong Lake – Leh
Aug 16 — Check out Leh
Option 2:
Aug 12 — Rest at Leh hotel
Aug 13 — Leh – Khardungla Pass-Magnetic Hill-Leh
Aug 14 — Leh- Pangong Lake
Aug 15 — Pangong Lake – Leh
Aug 16 — Check out Leh
Please review and advise which one is better considering this is our first trip.
Thanks,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I will say you do below:
Aug 12 — Rest at Leh hotel
Aug 13 — Local Leh, visit Magnetic Hills
Aug 14 — Leh – Khardung La – Leh
Aug 15 — Leh – Pangong Lake – Leh
Aug 16 — Check out Leh
Further to my point no 1& 2 above:
3. We tried Kargil Batalik route firstly I thought we need to take inerline permit but kargil police station catagorically told us that this was needed two three years back but there is no need for any permit for Indians now. Unfortunately they did not have any information about the road condition neither the Army posts in that route stopped us umtill we reched all the way to Dah village. The Army check post before the bridge told us that we need to go back through Kargil route only as the road has been completely washed out near Bhiama village and approx five feet water is there on the road itself which should take at least seven days to repair after water reseeds but the Army personnel were very nice to guide us about the local Home stay availability. Locals told us that this problem is there for last couple of years when glacial mealt swept out a mountain side village as well. Therefore after three four sunny days we may expect heavy water flow on the road
Therefor one must start very early to cover this route to keep enough time in hand to go back to Kargil again and start a fresh for Leh if the situation calls for that.
Thank you so much Neelabh for all the updates on the routes in Ladakh. Glad to know about the experience.
Dear Dheeraj,
Thanks for your support and some of the very handy guidance available in DOW which enable us to accomplish our recent Leh Ladakh tour during 12th Jun 16 to 26th Jun 16. Some of the routes and road condition I would like to mention:
1. We did Nubra to Pangong via Shyok village in our Liva 169 GC after consulting Mr Jamshed (Jamshed guest house in Hunder) a very nice person having very good local knowledge one of his son is president of local taxi union and other one is in local Police. He confirmed that the road is under much better shape than three years back but Offcourse 20 odd km are really bad. Please note regular work is in progress and some of the streaches for which 4×4 was suggested to takle may have been flaten a lot now at least during the month of June and Sept there should not be much problem but one must consult and carry local advise because some of them are regulars in those routes.
We also consulted with some of the local taxi drivers but they had mixed opinions. One nice gentlen Mr Karma with his scorpio told me that “if you live early around 5.30 to 6 am there will be no problem in the month of June and even if you get stuck some where take my word I will take you to Pengong what may come as I will follow the same rout but around 11 am. He also assured that now a days some of the taxi operators are regularly travelling in that route.
I must mention with special thanks to my netive Ghaziabad team whom we met en route to Pengong in their Scorpio lead us all through the difficult streaches.
En route we found some of the bikers also and lots of BRO people at Agham one team told us to go slow and there will be no problem and we shall get more such teams to help us if need be. We found one big BRO unit on job in a bad steach.
2. We came back from Leh Manali route which had no issues as well en route we found some cyclist doing the same route from the opposit direction and they confirmed us the water bodies en route are very must under control but off course one must drive with coution. Otherwise there were cases of torned up chambers of innova also.
Thank you again Neelabh for the wonderful updates
Hi Neelabh,
Thank you for the info.
Could you please let me know how to book Jamshed Homestay in advance?
Any contact no or person of contact or mailing address.
Thanks,
Rahul
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m planning the trip in July
Could you please advice. Itinerary Below
Flight from New Delhi
Day1 Leh – (Rest) – visit Leh Market // Hotel at Leh
Day2 Nubra valley // Over night at Nubra valley
Day3 Pangong Lake – Leh // Hotel at Leh
Day4 Lah-Srinagar (via Zojila pass) visit Lamayuru – Kargil -Sonamarg // Hotel at Srinagar
Day5 Pahalgam Day Trip // Hotel at Srinagar
Day6 Srinagar – Flight Srinagar to Delhi
Can I do this itinnerary?
Best Regards,
AIDA
Revise
Flight from New Delhi
Day1 Leh – (Rest) – visit Leh Market // Hotel at Leh
Day2 Nubra valley // Hotel at Leh
Day3 Pangong Lake – Leh // Hotel at Leh
Day4 Lah-Srinagar (via Zojila pass) visit Lamayuru – Kargil -Sonamarg // Hotel at Srinagar
Day5 Pahalgam Day Trip // Hotel at Srinagar
Day6 Srinagar – Flight Srinagar to Delhi
You can only do below:
Day1 Leh – (Rest) – visit Leh Market // Hotel at Leh
Day2 Leh Rest day // Hotel at Leh
Day3 Leh day trip to either pangong tso or nubra valley, one of them
Day4 Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
Day5 Kargil – Sonamarg – Srinagar
Day6 Srinagar – Flight Srinagar to Delhi
Thank you for your suggestion
I ‘d like to ask you about
Day 2, I can’t to go to Nubra Valley/ Khadrung La day trip right?
Thank you very much
No, you should rest in Leh for acclimatization only.
Hi Aida,
On Day 3 you were at Nubra Valley but you said Pangong Tso to Leh. Unfortunately, yuo do not have sufficient days to make this trip. First 2 days compelete rest is required after taking flight to Leh and then 2 days trip is required to reach Srinagar from Leh
Hey Dheeraj,
I am on my second motorcycle trip to Ladakh and my third in the Himalayas, Nepal being my second. I want to take my motor-cycling to an extreme. Here is what I am planning. I know it sounds crazy, but I want to know is it crazy enough 😛 Do let me know if this is feasible at all 🙂
1 Bangalore Delhi – Jalandhar
2 Jalandhar Tissa, HP
3 Tissa Kishtwar
4 kishtwar Dras
5 Dras Rangdum
6 Rangdum Zanskar
7 Zanskar kargil
8 Kargil Leh
9 Leh Nubra Valley
10 Nubra Valley Pangong Tso
11 Pangong Tso Leh
12 Leh Sarchu
13 Sarchu Manali
14 Manali Delhi
15 Buffer
16 Buffer
17 Delhi Bangalore
Vinayak it is all over the places and would not be possible. You need to ease out initial days. Tissa to Killar, Killar to Kishtwar, Kishtwar to Srinagar, Srinagar to Kargil, Kargil to Padum, Padum, Padum to Rangdum, Rangdum to Lamayuru, Lamayuru to Leh, Leh to Nubra, and rest follows
Hi vinayak me murali also from bangalore visiting leh on 1st sep 2016 planning to rent a bike and visit leh – nubra valley – pangong tso – leh
Hi Dheeraj, we’re planning the trip in the end of august.
we’re flying in from Mumbai to Srinagar on 29th Aug, and here’s the itinerary.
Could you please advice on the same. thanks
29th Aug – Srinagar to Mulbekh (via cab)
30th Aug – Mulbekh to Leh (via Cab)
31st Aug – Leh (acclimatize & Rent bikes)
1st Sep – Leh to Nubra via Khardung-La (bike)
2nd Sep – Nubra to Pangong Tso (bike)
3rd Sep – Pangong to Leh (bike)
4th Sep – Leh To Tso Moriri (bike)
5th Sep – Tso Moriri to Leh (bike)
6th Sep – Leh to Jispa (rented car/cab)
7th Sep – Jispa to Manali (rented car/cab)
8th Sep – Manali to Delhi (bus)
9th Sept – Delhi to Mumbai (Train)
10th Sep – Reach Mumbai
how is the itinerary according to you?
Also i was planning to visit Tso Moriri and not come back to Leh (this would save another day)
is there any way to do that, on bike?
any other inputs from your end.
we’re 5 friends planning the trip.
Your plan looks OK to me. Since you are on rented bikes, you should not take chance about Tso Moriri.
so what is a feasible option for Tso Moriri? is it worth it?
or i should skip that and move ahead to go to Manali for my onward journey?
Also i wanted to try River Rafting in Ladakh, where and on what day can that fit, if feasible?
Thanks
You should have more days in hand to visit Tso Moriri
Hi mustafa me murali also from bangalore visiting leh on 1st sep 2016 planning to rent a bike and visit leh – nubra valley – pangong tso – leh
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are 6 friends ,planning for tripbto leh.
We are reaching leh on 20june @4pm by self rented car & must have to reach manali/rohtang by 25jun in evening(any how).
We want to visit nubra,pangong,tso moriri using rented bike(as our self rented cars not be allowed, ryt??)
So pls prepare our itenary for the same
Also pls suggest any thing further to add or drop any place in such short trip.
Thanks
Lavish
Hello Lavish,
You do not have suffcient days in hand so you can follow something like this:
21: Rest day in Leh to acclimatize
22: Leh – Nubra Valley/ Khadrung La day trip
23: Leh Pangong Tso day trip
24: Leh – Sarchu
25: Sarchu – Manali
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for your reply!!
just 1 query related to 22 Jun,u said one day trip for Nubra.
Is it feasible to travel from leh to nubra and back to leh in one day??
and on 23 Jun,is it ok to travel from nubra to pangong direct??
Thanks
Lavish
and also 1 more thing,as i am travelling from srinager to leh,so can we visit magnetic hills in lamayaru using self rented car??
Yes, all these places are right on the road so you can visit them
Yes, it will take about 11 Hrs to do the day trip to Nubra Valley.
Regarding Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso route, in order to take Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok village, you need not need any permits. However, with such a small distance it appears tempting to be done BUT just to analyze the difficulty I will strongly suggest that you read:Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route. The report is from couple of year back in June & in July/August, most likely the route is washed away. Similar, reports are there from last year as well. So better confirm first, analyze the high risk involved and then only attempt it or better avoid it unless very much sure.
Next possible way is to attempt Wari La route, which is also a bit desolated but doable enough. If your driver agrees to travel on this route then take the Wari La route to Pangong Tso. Remember that any help required on both these routes will be HARD to find in miles of distance. If you have couple of vehicles then only take this route otherwise best is to avoid it.
Hi Dheeraj,
Your articles are great to go through to get an idea of each and everything. Just went through most of your replies and they were so detailed that I can’t stop myself from posting a comment. I am planning for a road trip on bullet classic 350 from 2-August-2016 to 10-August-2016 along with a group of riders. Below is the itinerary for the same which we have planned. Two of the riders are first timers for such a long trip so could you please suggest whether the itinerary is feasible or not.
• Day 1 -Mohali-Hoshiarpur-Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur-Patnitop(402 Km)
• Day 2- Patnitop – Banihal-Anantnag-Srinagar-Sonamarg(261 Km)
• Day 3 – Sonamarg – Zoji La-Gumri-Dras-Thasgam-Kharbu –Kaksar-Kargil-Mulbek-Namika La-Fotu La-Khalsi-Alchi(285 Km)
• Day 4 – Alchi-Leh-Thicksey-Upshi-Pangong Tso(178 Km)
• Day 5 – Pangong Lake-Upshi-Wari La/Shyok village-Agham-Khalsar-Nubra(240 Km)
• Day 6 – Nubra-Khalsar-Khardung La Pass-Leh(150 Km)
• Day 7 – Leh-Thicksey-Upshi-Rumptse-Taglang La-Debring-Pang-Lachung La-Nakee La-Sarchu(260 Km)
• Day 8 – Sarchu-Bharatpur-Baralacha La-ZingZingBar-Patseo-Darcha-Jispa-Keylong-Tandi-Khoksar-Rohtang La-Manali(222Km)
• Day 9 – Manali-Kullu-Mandi-Kiratpur Sahib-Mohali(300 Km).
You are doing a great job. Thank you in advance.
Hi Dheeraj!
I am planning a trip to leh in June. This is draft of my itinerary. Can you please tell me if its okay or are there any more places of interest?
Itineraries
04th June – Reaching Jammu at 1:40 PM and Travel to Patnitop (130km, 5hr), Stay at Patnitop
Day1 Jammu-(85)-Uhampur- (50)-Patnitop
05th June – Patnitop to Srinagar (185km, 6hr), Stay at Srinagar
Day2 Patnitop-(45)-Ramban-(40)-Banihil-(20)-Jawhar Tunnal-(2)-Titanic view point-(9)-
Quzigund-(20)-Anantnag-(60)-Srinagar
06th June – Visit Dal Lake & Local Sight Seeing, Stay at Srinagar
Day3 Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Mughal Gardens (Shalimar, Nishat, Chashma Shahi), Pari Mahal,
Shankaracharya Temple, Hazratbal Mosque,
07th June – Srinagar to Kargil (200km, 8hr), Stay at Kargil
Leaving Srinagar by 8and stopping in between for pics and all. Reaching Kargil by 5/6 PM
Day4 Srinagar-(80)-Sonmarg-Zojilai pass-(65)-Drass-(55)-Kargili
08th June – Kargil to Leh (130km, 8hr), Stay at Leh
Leaving Kargil by 8 and stopping in between for pics and all. Reaching Leh by 5/6 PM
Day5 Kargil-(40)-Mulbekh-(70)-Lamayuri-(60/70)-Alchi/Likir-(65/55)-Leh
09th June – Local Sight Seeing, Stay at Leh
Day6 Shanti Stoopa, Leh Palace, Thiksey Gompa, (Sangam, Hall Of Fame,Pathar Sahib,
Magnetic Hill, Spituk Kali Mandir, Sankar Gompa –Leh Market)
10th June – Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Nubra Valley (175km, 4hr), Stay at Diskit
Day7 Leh-Phyang-(39)-Khardungii La-(31)-Khardung Village-(30)-Khalsar-(23)-Sumuri-(20)-
Panamic-(60)-Diskit-( )-Hunder
11th June – Deskit to Pangong (230km, 6hr), Stay at Pangong
Day8 Nubra Valley – Agham – Wari La – Shakti – Chang La – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong
Tso (Lukung)
12th June – Pangong – Leh – Phey – Nimo (175km, 4hr) (confluence of Indus & Zanskar rivers),
Rafting day, Stay at Leh
Day9 Leh-(12)-Phey-(rafting)-Nimo (36from Leh)
13th June – Leh to Kargil (130km, 8hr), Stay at Kargil
Day10
14th June – Kargil to Srinagar (200km, 8hr), Stay at Srinagar
Day11
15th June – Srinagar to Jammu (298km, 8hr), Stay at Jammu
Day12
Looks OK to me but better will be instead of Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso direct route, better come back to Leh and try conventional routes.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are two persons planned to visit leh on first week of july. We planned to rent a bike from manali.
Kindly find our plan. Is it ok or we need to do any changes?
30-June-16 Day 1 Chennai -> Delhi->Manali
1. 12.00 AM – 12.30 AM – Should be in Airport
2. 4.15AM – 7.00 AM – Indigo 6E-386 Chennai – > Delhi
3. 7.00 Am – 11.30 AM – Finish Breakfast and to reach ISBT Kashmiri Bus stand (21 Kms)
4. 11.30 Am – 11.30 Am Bus to Manali. 643 RS yet to book.
5. 8.00 Pm – Reaching Manali. Check In Hotel (Hotel Dream,Manali) and Long Sleep.
=================================================================================
01-July-16 Day 2 Manali
1. 8.00 Am – Complete breakfast in hotel and go for bike searching and oxygen cylinder. Also cover Manali Mall Road, Hadimba Temple, Manu Temple.
2. 1.00 Pm to 2.00 PM – Lunch
3. 2.00 Pm – Slang valley until EOD (Advneture sports, Vashith Temple (Hot water springs), Naggar Castle.
4. 6.00 Pm – Naggar castle to Hotel. Get bike ready and other items ready for leh road trip.
5. 7.30 PM or 8.00 PM – Finishing Dinner and Good long Sleep. Need to start early next day (Checking out) – 2 Nights in manali.
=================================================================================
02-July-16 Day 3 Manali – Sarchu 226 Kms
1. 5.00 AM – Starting from Room – Need to cross Rohtang Pass Toll (52 kms from manali)to avoid Traffic
2. 8.30 AM – Breakfast at Sissu 34 Kms, Packing Some lunch in Sissu or Tandi
3. 9.00 AM – 10.00 AM – Sissu to Tandi 29 Kms – Fuel not available after Tandi – Refilling and getting it on 20ltr Can
4. 11.00 AM – 2.00 PM -Tandi- Baralach La 85 Kms
5. 2.30 PM – 4.00PM – Baralach La – Sarchu 32 Kms
Bike need to be checked before Stay in Sarchu
Evening and Night Stay Tent in Sarchu – either booking or Own tent
=================================================================================
03-July-16 Day 4 Sarchu – Leh 251 Kms
1. 8.30 AM – 09.30 AM – Sarchu to Gata loops 32 Kms – Starting after Breakfast and packing Something for Lunch and eatables from Sarchu -15 mins in Gata loops
2. 09.45 AM – 11.45 PM – Gata loops to Moray Plains 53 Kms– 15 mins in Moray Plains
3. 12.00 PM – 1.30 PM – Moray Plains to Taglang la Pass 54 kms – 30 Mins in Taglang la Pass ( Finishing Lunch)
4. 2.00 PM – 3.30 PM – Taglang Pass to Upshi 61 Kms – Refill Petrol in Upshi
5. 4.00 Pm – 5.00PM – Upshi – Leh – Night Stay at Leh 48 Kms– Hotel Chk-IN
=================================================================================
04-July-16 Day 5 Leh Local
1. 8.00 AM – 11.00 AM Starting from Hotel,heading towards Stok (16 kms from Leh palace)
2. 11.00 AM- 12.00 PM – To reach Leh and finishing lunch.
3. 12.00 Pm to 5.00PM – Cover Leh Local (Leh Palace, Shanti stupa, Main market)
4. 5.00 Pm – Reach Hotel and Bike needs to be checked. Refill petrol in 20 litres can and full tank in bike. Take a good long sleep for a long ride.
=================================================================================
05-July-16 Day 6 Leh – Diskit 140 Kms
1. 7.00 AM – 9.30 AM – Checkout Hotel, Start to Khardungla Pass(40 Kms from Leh) and to reach by 9.30Am. If possible finish breakfast in leh itself.
2. 9.30 AM – Small halt in Khardungla Pass for photographs
3. 10.30 AM – Head towards Diskit (78 Kms). Slow Reach with Photographs
4. 1.00 Pm – Lunch at Diskit either packaged or what we get there (If we go very early will cover sumar and panamik)
5. 1.30 Pm – Buddha statue, Diskit
6. 2.30 Pm -6.30 PM– Hunder Sand dunes Camel safari and other adventures sports in diskit.
7. 6.30 PM – Night Stay at Diskit –
Sand Dunes Guest House – Diskit or AO Camping Gardens or A O Guest House – Hunder
Diskit to Sumar = 31 Kms & Sumar to Panamik = 21 Kms
=================================================================================
06-July-16 Day 7 Nubra Valley – Pangong Lake 239 Kms
1. 8.00 AM Starting from Nubra valley after Breakfast – Packing for Lunch too with Snacks
2. 8.00 AM – 10.30 AM – Nubra Valley – Agham ( 48.2 Kms Checking Route which one will be good , for safer side will take Sakti Route )
3. 11.00 AM – 1.00 PM – Agham – Karu via Sakti (79 Kms)– Finishing lunch in between and refilling Petrol in Karu and in Can
4. 1.30 PM – 4.30 PM – Karu – Pangong Lake 116 Kms
5. Night Stay at Pangong Lake tent – either booking or Own tent
=================================================================================
07-July-16 Day 8 Pangong Lake – Sarchu or Pang 335 Kms
1. 8.00 AM Starting from Pangong Lake after Breakfast – Packing for Lunch too with Snacks
2. 8.00 AM – 10.30 AM – Pangong Lake to Karu – Refilling Petrol 116 Kms
3. 11.00 AM – 5.30 PM – Karu – Sarchu 217 KMS – If can’t make it Tent in Pang – Finishing lunch in between
4. Evening and Night Stay and Dinner Tent in Sarchu – either booking or Own tent
==============================================================================
08-July-16 Day 9 Sarchu or Pang Pang – Manali 226 Kms
1. 8.00 AM – Starting from Sarchu or Pang after Breakfast
2. 8.00 AM – 12.00 PM – Sarchu to Tandi 117 Kms , If possible need to reach Manali as early as Possible
3. 12.30 PM – 4.00 PM – Tandi to Manali 110 Kms
4. 5.00 Pm – Checkin hotel and Paying rest of the amount and returning bike in Manali. Finish dinner and take good rest.
Also we are planning to take royal enfield thunderbird for our ride.
Kindly provide your feedback on our itanary, bike and stay.
Thanks,
Karthick
Hi,
I am looking forward to the below route this year, first week of August:
Leh
Khardung La
Tsati
Shyok
Durbuk
Tangste
Pangong
Chushul
Thukje
Tso Kar
Meroo
Pang
Keylong
Khoksar
Chhatru
Batal
Kunzum La
Kaza
Sarahan
Shimla
Delhi
Any suggestion, well what I am really worried about is the water streams on the road. I will on a Royal Enfield, will be hitting this route and will take a tent so I can camp wherever I want.
Please comment.
Hi we’re family of 12-15 planning for Leh. Including 6yr girl and 12 yr boy. Can u pls suggest an itinerary of 8 days from srinagar and back to srinagar.
We would like to visit pangong, nubra & moriri.
Thanks.
Hello Sandy,
Just tick of 4 days in travel from Srinagar to Leh and back to Srinagar from Leh. Then one day to rest in Leh for acclimatization. You are just left with 3 days in which you can make a 2 day trip to Nubra Valley and one day trip to Pangong Tso
Hi,
Please suggest if the below is doable on Motorbikes. We have harley and bullet and a car.
27-Aug Gurgaon- Jalandhar
28-Aug Jalandhar- Patnitop
29-Aug Patnitop -Sonmarg
30-Aug Sonmarg- lamayuru
31-Aug Lamayuru- Leh
1-Sep Leh – Leh
2-Sep Leh- Nubra
3-Sep Nubra -Pangong Tso
4-Sep Pangong -Tso Karu
5-Sep karu -Tso Moriri
6-Sep Tso Moriri -Pang
7-Sep Pangong- Tso Keylong
8-Sep Keylong – Manali
9-Sep Manali- Delhi
Hi Amit, except direct routes from Nubra to Pangong Tso and Pangong Tso to Tso moriri, rest it looks OK. Regarding Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso route, in order to take Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok village, you need not need any permits. However, with such a small distance it appears tempting to be done BUT just to analyze the difficulty I will strongly suggest that you read:Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route. The report is from couple of year back in June & in July/August, most likely the route is washed away. Similar, reports are there from last year as well. So better confirm first, analyze the high risk involved and then only attempt it or better avoid it unless very much sure.
Next possible way is to attempt Wari La route, which is also a bit desolated but doable enough. If your driver agrees to travel on this route then take the Wari La route to Pangong Tso. Remember that any help required on both these routes will be HARD to find in miles of distance. If you have couple of vehicles then only take this route otherwise best is to avoid it.
Regarding Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri route or Pangong Tso to Hanle, the permits to Man – Merak – Chusul – Tsaga or remote Changthang routes are being given by DC office in Leh at ON and OFF basis, so keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best if they start issuing the permits by the time you visit or issue you on your lucky day. Also, even if the permits are given then as well there is no guarantee that you will be allowed to cross Chusul Post or not because since last year several such incidents happened and people with permits also had to return via same route. The story is same this year too and only handful of people have passed through Chusul this year too on their lucky days. Then this is completely a dirt track all the way with quite a bumpy ride upto Tsaga. That churns most things in your stomach 😀 … Finally, totally isolated with no one around you in miles. All this will mean that you will have to risk it for at least a day getting wasted if you are not allowed because there will be no guarantee until you cross Chusul and Tsaga post. Otherwise, you have to take the traditional routes only via Upshi – Chumathang.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are three ladies travelling to Leh via Kargil by hired taxi throughout our trip. The tentative Itinerary is as follows:
13th May – Reaching Leh by evening.
14th May – Rest—-Evening Local Bazar
15th May – Local Sight seeing
16th May – Ley-Khardungla Pass – Diskit – Hunder (Stay)
17th May – Panamik-Sumur – Shyok river – Agham – wari la – Shakti—– Tangste (Stay)
18th May – Tangste – Pangong Tso – Tso Moriri\Sarchu (stay)
19th May – Sarchu – Manali (Stay)
20th May – Local Sightseeing at Manali
Have flight from Delhi to Goa at 10.35 am on 24th May. So we have 3 buffer days.
We want to visit Turtuk Village. Kindly suggest how we can do it and where to stay or do you have any better suggestion.
We also want to do River rafting at Leh.
Also kindly guide whether we need to stay on our route on 18th May – Tangste – Pangong Tso – Tso Moriri\Sarchu (stay).
Varsha, it is doing too much in too little time. Regarding Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso route, in order to take Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok village, you need not need any permits. However, with such a small distance it appears tempting to be done BUT just to analyze the difficulty I will strongly suggest that you read:Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route. The report is from couple of year back in June & in July/August, most likely the route is washed away. Similar, reports are there from last year as well. So better confirm first, analyze the high risk involved and then only attempt it or better avoid it unless very much sure.
Next possible way is to attempt Wari La route, which is also a bit desolated but doable enough. If your driver agrees to travel on this route then take the Wari La route to Pangong Tso. Remember that any help required on both these routes will be HARD to find in miles of distance. If you have couple of vehicles then only take this route otherwise best is to avoid it.
Regarding Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri route or Pangong Tso to Hanle, the permits to Man – Merak – Chusul – Tsaga or remote Changthang routes are being given by DC office in Leh at ON and OFF basis, so keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best if they start issuing the permits by the time you visit or issue you on your lucky day. Also, even if the permits are given then as well there is no guarantee that you will be allowed to cross Chusul Post or not because since last year several such incidents happened and people with permits also had to return via same route. The story is same this year too and only handful of people have passed through Chusul this year too on their lucky days. Then this is completely a dirt track all the way with quite a bumpy ride upto Tsaga. That churns most things in your stomach 😀 … Finally, totally isolated with no one around you in miles. All this will mean that you will have to risk it for at least a day getting wasted if you are not allowed because there will be no guarantee until you cross Chusul and Tsaga post. Otherwise, you have to take the traditional routes only via Upshi – Chumathang.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are 2 families, planning for 7 day trip to leh-ladakh.
We are reaching leh on 6th may morning by flight and leaving on 12th may mornig.
We want to visit nubra valley, pangong lake and tso moriri lake.
Please prepare our itinary for the same. Also please suggest anything further that can be covered in such short trip.
Thanks
Arvin, you have just 6 days in hand and you should only follow this 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
Day 6 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour OR Sham Valley tour OR Fly back home
— Overnight at Leh
— Monastery tour may include Hemis, Thicksey and Shey monasteries. They come on the route of Pangong Tso but as you will be doing day trip, it will be a bit hectic to include them on that day only.
— Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib
thanks alot 🙂
hi dheeraj,
we are three friends from tamilnadu planning a 10 day trip to leh from manali from 2nd of june 2016. is it advisable to take the nubra valley – pangong tso lake route, so that we can save a day. ll it be accessible.
can you suggest any reliable bike rentals from manali.
thank you.
Regarding Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso route, in order to take Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok village, you need not need any permits. However, with such a small distance it appears tempting to be done BUT just to analyze the difficulty I will strongly suggest that you read:Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route. The report is from couple of year back in June & in July/August, most likely the route is washed away. Similar, reports are there from last year as well. So better confirm first, analyze the high risk involved and then only attempt it or better avoid it unless very much sure.
Next possible way is to attempt Wari La route, which is also a bit desolated but doable enough. If your driver agrees to travel on this route then take the Wari La route to Pangong Tso. Remember that any help required on both these routes will be HARD to find in miles of distance. If you have couple of vehicles then only take this route otherwise best is to avoid it.
Hi Dheeraj , Your write- ups are extremely detailed, informative and very helpful. The photographs are a delight and they’ve got me all excited for our upcoming trip in June this year. Thanks for sharing them .
Needed your feedback on the following itinerary – We r a family of 4, (my boys are 10 and 13yrs and we’re planning to do the following itinerary Between 1st- 15th June – for 12 days) With extended stay at Nubra and Pangong, I feel this is doable. Your thoughts and inputs please.
Day 1. Srinagar
Day 2. Kargil
Day 3. Leh
Day 4. Leh
Day 5. Leh – Nubra
Day 6. Nubra
Day 7. Nubra – Pangong
Day 8. Pangong
Day 9. Pangong – Tso Moriri – Overnight @ Tso Moriri ( Korzok)
Day 10. Tso Moriri – Leh
Day 11. Leh
Day 12. Fly out of Leh
What would be the realistic driving time between
Nubra – Pangong ( via Shyok)
Pangong – Tso Moriri
Tso Moriri – Leh
Apart from the local leh sightseeing is there anything that I’m missing? Any recommendations? Depending on how we feel once we get to Leh , I might want to explore places around Nubra and Pangong while staying there. Also plan to do Tso Kyogar, time permitting and if we are not too exhausted. How much extra petrol should we carrying to safely see us through this route.
Thanks
On second thoughts my plan has three continuous nights of high altitude. Day 8, 9 and 10 – Might result in unnecessary physical stress.
Day 1. Srinagar
Day 2. Kargil
Day 3. Leh
Day 4. Leh
Day 5. Leh – Nubra
Day 6. Nubra
Day 7. Nubra – Pangong – Overnight
Day 8. Pangong – Tso Moriri – Overnight @ Tso Moriri
Day 9. Tso Moriri – Leh
Day 10. Leh
Day 11. Leh
Day 12. Fly out of Leh
Or alternately return to Leh from Pangong and make a separate trip to Tso Moriri from Leh and back. What do u think?
I will suggest the latter one, come back to Leh and make next day trip to Tso Moriri.
Hello Divya,
I hope you have read the articles and word of cautions mentioned in them for trying the direct routes.
Nubra – Pangong ( via Shyok) = 6-7 Hrs, with only one vehicle and family on board, I will never recommend to do it
Pangong – Tso Moriri = 10-12 Hrs depending upon breaks you take in between
Tso Moriri – Leh = 9-11 Hrs, if you take route from Tso Kar and depending on time you spend on Tso Kar
Hi Dheeraj,
Please check my itinerary to visit ladakh. Please give you suggestions as it is first time we are visiting leh.. very excited 🙂
Day 1 Delhi – Jammu / Patnitop: 9 Hrs 602km stay in jammu
Day 2 Jammu / Patnitop – Srinagar: 8-9 hrs: 269 km dal lake
Day 3: Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zozi La – Drass – Kargil: 4 Hrs 206 km drive, meal in drass,
Overnight at Kargil, Hunderman village
Hotel : Kargil Tourist Camp/ Royal Gasho/ Greenland Kargil
day 4: Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh: 8-9 hrs: 233 km Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery,
Lunar Landscapes. Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
Long Maitreya Buddha Hall of fame,
leh- confluence of Indus & Zanskar river called sangam: 45 min
Hotel: Overnight stay- Hotel Ratna Residency/ Om Ladakh, Leh
Day 5: Leh Local Sighseeing : visit Shey & Thiksey Monastery with Leh Palace, Spituk
Monastery, Hall of fame & Shanti Stupa , Druk white lotus School.
stay in leh: 2 night stay in leh
day 6: Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder–sumur-Nubra valley: 179 km 5 hr
Overnight stay in nubra valley
Day 7: Nubra valley-hemis-pangong lake: 182 km 5 hr
Overnight stay in pangong lake
Day 8: Pangong lake – tso morariri- pang : 169 km 4h
Day 9: Pang-sarchu-jispa-keylong-manali: 308 km 9h 21 min Baralancha-la, Chandratal Lake, Tanglangla, Moore Planes
& Upshi,
Day 10: Manali- delhi: 554 km 11h
Do suggest best route so that we can have memorable trip to leh-ladakh!!
Thanks.
Ankita, are you going through some travel agent? The days below looks crazy:
Day 7: Nubra valley-hemis-pangong lake: 182 km 5 hr
Overnight stay in pangong lake
Day 8: Pangong lake – tso morariri- pang : 169 km 4h
Day 9: Pang-sarchu-jispa-keylong-manali: 308 km 9h 21 min Baralancha-la, Chandratal Lake, Tanglangla, Moore Planes
& Upshi,
I will suggest that you come back easy from Nubra on Day 7 to Leh. Day 8 make a day trip to Pangong Tso on Day 9 do Leh to Sarchu, Day 10 Sarchu to Manali
Thanks for your response.
So I should leave tso morariri lake visit.
And in this itinerary we will be requiring permit? If yes then where.
We are planning this trip in mid of may.
And anything else which you suggest we should visit if we are going to leh.
Thanks.
Yes, you should leave Tso Moriri. You will not need permits for remaining part of the trip.
hi dheeraj we are 12 person with family having a plan to visit leh from 11th may to 17th may (depar to mumbai flight at 10.30) we travel throught srinagar early in the morning on 10th may then stay at kargil and on 11th may at night entered in leh please suggest me how to plan between 12 may to 16th may
You have 5 remaining days in hand, you can follow below for rest of the 5 days
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 – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 8 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Dear Dheeraj,
Kudos to all the work that you have been doing. That’s pretty amazing.
I’m getting a mixed signal about moving to Pangong Lake from Tso Moriri. Only one hotel manager suggested that the roads between Tso Moriri and Pangong Lake is closed and we have to go to Leh first, from there we have to go to Pangong Lake. Is this accurate?
This is my itinerary. Please advise if this is feasible.
Day 9, Jun 14, 2016 (Tue) – Srinagar-Sonmarg-kargil. Stay overnight in Hotel Zoojila residency in Kargil.
Day 10, Jun 15, 2016 (Wed) – Kargil-Lamayuru-Leh. After Breakfast drive Kargil to Lamayuru 128 Kms (6 to 7 hours) en route visit Pather Sahib, Magnetic hill, Confluence of Zanskar – Indus river, the mesmerizing Moon Landscapes and the Lamayuru Monastery (one of the oldest Monastery in Ladakh ). Proceed to Leh for overnight in Leh.
Day 11, Jun 16, 2016 (Thu) – Leh city tour – hemis,thiksey,shey,stok palace,sindhu ghat, 3 idiot school, Hall of fame, Zoraver singh fort & Leh market. Stay overnight in Leh.
Day 12, Jun 17, 2016 (Fri) – Leh-Nubra valley. Stay overnight in Nubra valley camp.
Day 13, Jun 18, 2016 (Sat) – Nubra valley-Leh. Stay overnight in Leh.
Day 14, June 19, 2016 (Sun) – Leh – Tso Moriri. Stay overnight in Tsomoriri camp.
Day 15, Jun 20, 2016 (Sun) – Tso Moriri – Pangong lake. Overnight in camp in Pangong Lake.
Day 16, Jun 21, 2016 (Tue) – Pangong-Leh. After breakfast leave to Leh. Enroute visit Tsemo Gompa, Shanti Stupa. Overnight stay in Leh.
Day 17, Jun 22, 2016 (Wed) – After breakfast drop to Leh airport.
Regarding Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri route or Pangong Tso to Hanle, the permits to Man – Merak – Chusul – Tsaga or remote Changthang routes are being given by DC office in Leh at ON and OFF basis, so keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best if they start issuing the permits by the time you visit or issue you on your lucky day. Also, even if the permits are given then as well there is no guarantee that you will be allowed to cross Chusul Post or not because since last year several such incidents happened and people with permits also had to return via same route. The story is same this year too and only handful of people have passed through Chusul this year too on their lucky days. Then this is completely a dirt track all the way with quite a bumpy ride upto Tsaga. That churns most things in your stomach 😀 … Finally, totally isolated with no one around you in miles. All this will mean that you will have to risk it for at least a day getting wasted if you are not allowed because there will be no guarantee until you cross Chusul and Tsaga post. Otherwise, you have to take the traditional routes only via Upshi – Chumathang.
I will suggest you do in the direction of Leh to Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri because Pangong Tso required Chang La to be passed, which have possibility of getting closed and you may miss the next day flight in that case. So, if you do this way round Leh – Tso Moriri route is in general through and you have couple of alternates as well, so risk is less.
First of all, thank you very much for taking time to write me back.
I’m sorry, you lost me here. Are you are suggesting that I avoid going to Tso Moriri via Chusul and rather go via Upshi – Chumathang.
This is the itinerary suggested by the hotel manager.
15th June come to leh from kargil.
16th move to nubra valley crossing the highest motorable road in the world.
17th back to leh.
18th move to tsmorri lake.
19th back to leh.
20th move to phangong.
21st back to leh.
21 visit local like Shanti stupa, leh palace, market.
22drop to airport.
Do you think it is advisable to go Nubra Valley in Day 2? 1st day being drive from Kargil to Leh.
Thanks a bunch.
I am suggesting something like this:
15th June Kargil to Leh
16th June Leh rest day
17th Leh to Nubra Valley
18th Nubra Valley to Leh
19th Leh to Pangong Tso
20th Pangong tso to Tso Moriri
21st Tso Moriri to leh.
21 visit local like Shanti stupa, leh palace, market.
22 drop to airport.
OR much much better will be
15th June Kargil to Leh
16th June Leh rest day
17th Leh to Nubra Valley
18th Nubra Valley to Leh
19th Leh to Pangong Tso
20th Pangong tso to Leh
21st Leh to Tso Moriri
21 Tso Moriri to leh.
22 drop to airport.
Thank you for your reply.
Unfortunately there is only one 21 in June. 🙂
You suggested
21st Leh to Tso Moriri
21 Tso Moriri to leh.
Or you are talking about same day trip to/from Tso Moriri from/to Leh?
I copied your dates only brother assuming you meant 22nd there 🙂 .. Anyways in that case, you do not have sufficient time to adjust Tso Moriri like this and will have to do either day trip to Pangong Tso or make direct trip from Pangong tso to Tso Moriri.
My original itinerary was
21st back to leh.
21 visit local like Shanti stupa, leh palace, market.
It just said return to Leh and see the local trip on the same day. 🙂
So it is realistically possible to visit Nubra Valley on Day 2? I have made several bookings based on this assumption.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I enjoy conversing with you.
I could not digest it because doing 240 KMs of Tso Moriri to Leh in 9 Hrs and then doing Local Sightseeing in Leh, it seemed unrealistic to me. Glad to know you are sorted now. First three days have to be like below only to avoid AMS and avoid commit some these common mistakes of Ladakh trip: 9 Mistakes People Commit on a Ladakh Trip
15th June Kargil to Leh
16th June Leh rest day
17th Leh to Nubra Valley
18th Nubra Valley to Leh
Well, based on the itinerary provided by the hotel manager, 20th we are staying in Pangong and not Tso Moriri. So that one should give some time in visiting local places in Leh. If not, I don’t sweat about it.
My only concern is exactly about AMS. But someone also suggested that since Nubra Valley is in lower elevation than Leh and also coming from Kargil, the body should adjust by then. I’m just going to talk to my physician and come prepared.
Its not that I’m adamant but I would want to miss Nubra Valley, Tso Moriri and Pangong Lake.
Hi Dheeraj
I am planning a trip to Leh this June and was wondering if I need ILP to go beyond Khardung la? Also, instead of coming back from Nubra to Leh, I was thinking of going to Pangong Lake via Shyok, is this doable and will I need any permits for this route as well?
I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank!
Adi
Please let me know wht you think abt the itinerary, we are thinking of starting on 4th or 11th June. Also, we were thinking of carrying our own tents n camp at Hunder/Diskit, Lukung and Sarchu and anywhere else if necessary. From security standpoint, do you suggest camping on our own or we can get decent accommodation in these locations.
Day 1 | Delhi – Jammu | Overnight at Jammu
Day 2 | Jammu – Srinagar | Overnight at Srinagar
Day 3 | Srinagar – Kargil | Overnight at Kargil
Day 4 | Kargil – Leh | Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh Local Sighseeing | Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Leh – Khardung La – Sumur – Panamik Hot Springs – Nubra Valley – Sumur – Diskit – Hunder | Overnight at Hunder / Diskit
Day 7 | Hunder – Agham – Shyok Village – Durbuk – Tangste – Pangong Tso (Lukung) | Overnight at Lukung
Day 8 | Pangong Tso Lake – Sarchu | Overnight at Sarchu
Day 9 | Sarchu – Manali | Overnight at Manali
Day 10 | Manali – Delhi
Your suggestions will be of great value.
Thank you!
Adi
Plan looks doable but quite hectic. Regarding taking Agham – Shyok route, I have already replied your other comment.
Adi, being Indian, you do not require any permits to travel to Nubra Valley and Pangong tso anymore. Regarding Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso route, in order to take Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok village, you need not need any permits. However, with such a small distance it appears tempting to be done BUT just to analyze the difficulty I will strongly suggest that you read:Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route. The report is from couple of year back in June & in July/August, most likely the route is washed away. Similar, reports are there from last year as well. So better confirm first, analyze the high risk involved and then only attempt it or better avoid it unless very much sure.
Thank you so much Dheeraj, highly appreciate your help. The trip report link shared by you is showing some error, maybe you could help.
Thanks once again, I must say that there is so much to read here, very helpful and encouraging!
Cheers!
Adi, you can check: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/road-status-conditions/nubra-pangong-tso-from-shyok-route-conditions-t2710.html
Sorry for the broken link
Thank you so much! Looking at all the experiences, it sounds exciting and very challenging. I will be able to make the final decision once we are actually there. Let’s hope I am able to add something and help other travellers.
Thank you so much!
Best wishes for your ladakh trip.
Hi Adi, we are planning to do Srinagar Leh on 4th June with overnight at Kargil and reaching Leh probably by 5th evening. How are you traveling from Srinagar to Leh. We are a family of 4 with 2 boys 13 and 10yrs.
Hi dheeraj,
Thanks a lot for the post.
I have travelled to leh 3 times on bike. This time I have my friends to accompany me. I wanted to ask if I could take the wari la route . As per my itinerary I would be there on 9th June ’16. I am taking this route for the first time but want to explore it this time as I have done the conventional route 3 times. Also suggest some stays at nubra valley, I was planning to take a stay at diskit.
Again thanks a lot for all your posts. You doing a fabulous job.!!
Darshan, well Wari La mostly opens by mid of June or towards late of June mostly. This year there was less snow so it might open early BUT please esnure with local taxis first before venturing towards it. Also, as stated in the article if you have more than 2-3 vehicles in convoy then only make a trip to these isolated places.
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
Hi Dheeraj
Will it be worth visiting Pangong Lake in Winter ? Im asking this because I am planning for Chadar Trek on Zanskar lake. Even thts going to be a frozen place.
Apart from trek itinerary I will have 2 or 3 days extra. What all places would be suggested by you to visit in these days.
Ashi, yes, for sure, seeing the beauty of white frozen pangong tso is an experience in itself. Make a day visit to PAngong Tso or else sleep at Tangste
Thanks so much. I wanted to in winter will Khardung La Pass, the highest motorable road be open for a visit ?
Yes Ashi, that can also be done 🙂 BTW.. in reality Khardung La is lesser in altitude than Chang La that comes on the way to Pangong Tso. Here is the mythbuster: Top 12 Highest Motorable Passes or Roads in the World – The Myths & The Realities
Hi, I wanted to inquire about a detailed route from Delhi to Leh via Manali. I want to travel through local transportation. Delhi to Manali by volvo abut not sure about bus services from Manali to Leh. Would I be able to enjoy and see all places if I travel through bus?
Hi Pravesh, please read: Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
and How to plan a journey on Manali Leh Highway
Hello,
I am planning a trip to Ladakh from Bike in this May. I have planned the below mentioned Jouney.
manali to warshi to leh=804 km
if we plan to visit tso moriri = 110 km exta
leh-pangong lake-LEh=280km
leh to srinagar= 430km
srinagar to manali = 550 km
Can you please advice the best route to cover all the places ? how many days are require for such trip?
Mohammad, how will you reach Warshi Village from Manali?
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.
Thank you for your help. I checked your blog and found it very helpful. But Hanle is missing on that trip, can I able to go to Hanle by spending one more day. Also is it ok to start a reverse journey. I mean from Manali-Srinagar-Manali. But I guess it will take two more days one for Hanle and other for Pangong lake.
I have decided to follow Srinagar route. But just now one of the guy told me that private number bikes are not allowed on srinagar-leh highway. Is that true?
That is totally false. There is no issue with that and on Srinagar – Leh Highway nothing is banned. Within Ladakh only the rental bikes and self drive cars are banned for sightseeing. You can still reach on them to Leh and get out from Leh. Bike shall be under your or your father name else they will not treat it as your own bike.
I never recommend Manali to Leh, You can read link 5 Reasons to choose Srinagar – Leh Road over Manali – Leh Road
Regarding Hanle, while going from Leh to Tso Moriri, you can like
Leh – Hanle
Hanle to Tso Moriri
Tso Moriri to Sarchu
Sarchu to Manali
I hope you are planning to carry fuel to suffice about 700-800 KMs of travel with fuel pump
“I hope you are planning to carry fuel to suffice about 700-800 KMs of travel with fuel pump” Is there any stretch of 700-800 Km with out petrol pump. How much fuel we at least need to carry.
” Within Ladakh only the rental bikes and self drive cars are banned for sightseeing. You can still reach on them to Leh and get out from Leh. Bike shall be under your or your father name else they will not treat it as your own bike”
But we have decided to hire bikes to visit there. Are we able to make the entire trip I have discussed with you from Hired bikes?
I am planning to hire Thunderbird 500 and we are 2 people on one bike. is that fine.
1. Yes, please check: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
2. Outside rented bikes are not allowed within Ladakh. You have to hire Leh registered bikes to do sightseeing within Ladakh. Do read: 5 Tips to Rent Bike in Leh – Ladakh and Ride with Pillion
Hello Sir,
Thank you so much for all your help. Your articles are fantastic, very detailed and helpful. I have read about lots of things.
In Night we have made a little change in our trip we plan the same trip but want to add Gurez in it because it is the only location which I wanted to visit from last 2 years. I went to kashmir last year in March but it was not possible for me to visit there due to some reason. I have heard that now we don’t need any special permit to visit Gurez and it can be accessible for travellers.
Below is the route as per your suggestion I have just added Gurez and Hanle. these are the only places where we have decided to stay. Can I able to make this entire trip in 3 weeks.
Delhi
Patnitop
Srinagar/Bandipora
Gurez
Srinagar
Kargil
Leh
Turtuk(Nubra Valley)
Warshi(Nubra Valley)
pangong tso (Spangmik)
Leh
Hanle
Tso Moriri
Sarchu
Manali
Delhi
Can you please give me some valuable advise for such trip. Also if you can provide me a little more information about Gurez Valley. Thank you so much in advance.
Well, sorry Shariq, I have not been to Gurez so cannot comment in detail,but I will suggest that you post info or query in DwD Community Itinerary Advice forum and ask there to get more info. You need at least 2-3 days to explore Gurez at a bit ease not just one day. But, within 3 weeks it shal all be fine including Gurez and Hanle
Hi Dheeraj,
As you mentioned, there is a bann on self driven car for sightseeing.Is it applicable on private cars also ?
No Hardik, Self drive rented cars and taxis outside Ladakh are not allowed to do any sightseeing within Leh – Ladakh. You can use them for getting to Leh and getting out from Leh but not sightseeing. So, the self drive cars you are taking must have private number plate, mostly should be under your name, your wife name or your father name otherwise you will have to again hire a taxi within Ladakh and pay for your local taxi without using it. You can read: Rented Self Drive Cars in Leh – Ladakh Banned “FORCIBLY”
Private cars DO NOT have any issues.
One more question can i take my friend or relative bike up to Leh with out any restriction. In Leh i will rent bikes from there only. Is it possible?
It should be in your name or your father name or a relative name which you can prrove with some documented proof.
so I think paper of bike is enough for that and ID of person on whom it is registered.
Is this enough or we need any thing else ?
How does that person relates to you? If he is a relative and you have a document justifying the relation ship, which I dont think we have for apart from father,
No, I mean to ask. Is it possible to take our relatives or friend bike to leh then we can hire another bike for sight seeing in nubra valley and Pangong lake and after that we can pick our own bike from leh for the rest of our journey.
Yes Sheri, you can do that very well. It is just sightseeing places which are banned rest you can take the vehicle to Leh and come out from Leh
I’m all set for my trip. I have the last question to ask
One of my friends will come back in the middle of the trip he has an exam.
He will not able to visit Nubra valley where we were going to spend two days, but he wants to visit Pangong lake and/or Tso morriri when on a route.
Can he able to visit Pangong lake and Tso morriri lake after staying two days in Leh.
You will be ataking a chance, it may work or may not work. AMS would surely be an issue.
So it’s a No. It is mandatory to spend a night in Nubra valley to visit any of the two lakes.
Yes bro.
We are 6 guys and decided to ride 3 or bike 2 person per bike. is it fine or do we need a separate bikes for every person?
Please read the article and decide: 5 Tips to Rent Bike in Leh – Ladakh and Ride with Pillion
Hello dheeraj we are planning bike trip to leh via spiti on 4th june.day 1 hisar-kufri. Day 2 kufri-kalpa day 3 kalpa-kaza. day 4 kaza-keylong. day 5 keylong -sarchu day 6.sarchu -taso kar day 7.taso kar -nubra. day 8 nubra leh day 9 leh rest day n back via srinagar route…kindly suggest is it would be easy from rumtse to nubra or we ride directly from taso kar to leh n then go nubra..
Surya,
It is fine up to Tso Kar but then beyond that I feel Tso Kar to Nubra is somewhat taxing on body. In any case you are just on road on from Hisar to Nubra for whole day, every day except Sarchu – Tso Kar.
Is it possible to travel from Nubra to Pangong via Wari la in April 4th 2016 and stay at tangste then 5th April toward Lamayuru on the same day and stay there.
No Anup, Nubra to Pangong Tso via Wari La is not an opton in April as the route is closed.
Thanks Dheeraj,
Then Agham and Shyok village in April 4th.
Yeah, you can try that BUT PLEASE understand the risk of going through such a desolated route. In case only one vehicle is there in your convoy, then dont take that route
Hi Guys, what’s the condition of Manali Leh Highway is it raining and is it fully opened as I am planning my travel in just two weeks as in Delhi its raining daily and thanks for the answer of my last query. Saurabh Kataria
Saurabh the roads are open and weather too is OK up there as per last two days.
Hi Saurabh,
Are you riding on bike in Leh area? I am also looking for company.
Hi Dheeraj
We intend to cover this route on 15th of September (Nubra to Pangong)
we are planning to start early 6-7AM and have though of two ways one is directly via wari la (in which case will there be water crossings (around mid september)?
also will it be possible for us to do Nubra to Leh to Pangong the same day ? (Lunch at Leh) or will that be too much drive for a day ? Google maps shows additional 100 KMs added to the journey ( but i am guessing road will probably be better this way.
One more thing we have thought of is leave nubra early by bike reach leh by Noon and get a cab from Leh same noon for pangong, will that be possible?
again date of journey is mid september
Hi Mayank,
Still, the Wari La route is closed and Agham – Shyok route too is closed as per the news from last week itself. There are no chances of opening quite soon. If you travel from Leh it will be quite hectic around 12-14 Hrs it might take to do it.
Regards
Dheeraj
I am coming to leh on 25/08/2015 to 27/08/2015 by flight. I just want to explore more and more. Please suggest the travel plan to where to go or where to not. What i thought on 25/8/2015 my flight land on 8 Am. then we will go to pangong lake directly and stay in tents that night. next day come back to ladakh and visit some local places.
Vivek, in case you want to commit suicide then only try to think and attempt of such a place. AMS is fatal and if you move to high altitude on first day itself, you may face very severe or even fatal outcome. Better not attempt such a crazy or rather insane plan. You have to take complete rest in Leh for two days before moving out to any sightseeing places in Ladakh so that body is acclimatized for the altitude of Leh 😀
Hi dheerajs, how is the flood conditions in ladakh now? Its showing ladakh is worstly affected on tv,nubra also,so which areas r in good condition, is there any worry we r reaching at leh on 12the August, we r on bike pls help.
Jasmeet, it is under control. all roads are open now within Ladakh except Leh to Tso Moriri which is open from Tso Kar side.
i and my 6 other friends have planned to visit leh in the month of september 2015
after acclimatize for one day .. we have decided to visit nubra and from nubra to pangong..
so my question is… (We have decided to complete our journey on BIKES)
1. what all problems could we faced while going to Pangong from Nubra?
2. it is good to come back leh from nubra and then move to pangong on next day ?
3. which is the best route from nubra to pangong. where we can feel safe to drive and enjoy.
(we have 5 days in leh and we have planned to visit only nubra and pangong in this 5 days)
Hi Irfan,
1. Everything is documented in the article above for going to Pangong Tso via Wari La or Shyok
2. I always feel this is a better way especially if it is a first trip
3. Wari La is much logical than Shyok but desolated for sure.
Hi Irfan, we will be there in the month of september too, 2-5 people with bikes thinking of going to pangong directly from nubra, though we have more time but we intend to cover everything so Nubra to Pangong is the only tough part of our journey as of now.
As of now we have planned 15th sept for nubra to pangong. Let us know if we can go together.
Mayank, as suggested above both direct routes connecting PAngong Tso with Nubra Valley are closed.
Hi dheeraj, is it accessible to leh via manali- leh highway due to monsoon? How is the road conditions? Again we have to get permit at manali. How long is the process? After tandi where will we find petrol pump? Is there motor garrage available in this route. We ate reaching manali on 10 the August. If we take Srinagar- leg route on 11_12th, will there any bandh or political convenience. How is the road conditions in this route at baltal due to rain?
Regarding permit process for Rohtang Pass: Rohtang Pass Rules & Restriction of Vehicles – Demystified
It is monsoon time in general up there in North and at some parts of Manali – Leh Highway (like before Baralacha La) and Srinagar – Leh Highway (like before Kargil) you might need to face monsoon hassles but once you get closer to Ladakh, then Ladakh being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains, though rains does reach Ladakh now but to minimum and mostly it might remains overcast conditions. There is no thumb rule of certainty about weather conditions but above is generally common pictures seen over last few years except ugly 2010 …
No mechanics are not available except Sarchu and Darcha if I remember correctly.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the post 🙂
We were planning to go to Pangong from Nubra, but now we are going back to Leh 🙂
Good decision Shilpa, leave it for some other day. Last heard in this week both these routes were closed due to landslides and water crossings
What is the status of the road from Nubra to Pangong(both via Wari La and Shyok)??????????
We are trying to travel by the same route on 23rd July, 2015………….
Information would be helpful……………….
Shyok, must be washed away by now, confirm the day you reach there. Wari La could be feasible.
Hi Dheeraj,
Is it possible to travel from Nubra to Pangong on bikes, as you mentioned only cars as a mode of commute?
TIA
Pulkit, yes it is possible to travel by bikes too 🙂
HEllo Dheeraj,
Vikram Here again 😛
We are 6 guys (3 Bikes) and we will reach Nubra Valley on 17th AUG.
So can we plan to Pangong TSO directly from HUNDER in one day via WARI LA Route ? or will it take two days ? or should be come back to LEH from HUNDER and should go back to PANGONG TSO from LEH ?
But coming back to LEH makes no sense as all the roads we traveled will be repeated twice and no new roads will be covered 🙁
Please help us out !
and thanks in advance !
Appreciate your help in DoW and helping people to discover the wanderers in them 🙂
Hi Vikram,
Yes, you can go to Pangong Tso via Wari La from Nubra Valley in one day. I hope you have read the risks described in the article above regarding taking the route to Wari La and are OK with it.
hi dheeraj,
very useful notes/ links from your blog 🙂
we did the nubra to pangong direct via the shyok river in a XUV 500 (not a 4 X 4) this june end. as mentioned by you, it had its interesting moments, but the amount of time saved definitely made it extremely worth it.
2 places we had small water crossings. 50 metres of pure stone/ pebbles road, landslides, a few kms of off roading. but definitely doable and extremely scenic road
also, enjoyed the road from pangong to tso moriri and then direct to sarchu via tso kar was amazing too
rgds
rajesh
9821233155
Good to know that Rajesh, you were able to do the direct route through Shyok route. Now the water crossings will start swelling up and soon in mid July or August it will become tough to cross.
Did this mean you did’nt gone via warila?? Is it via agam-shyok village-durbuk route.? If yes then how much time it takes?? We are also planing the same route in mid june2016. Will be thankfull much if tou reply.
Somnath, did you read the article above? If yes, most of your queries shall be answered if not then please let me know what doubts/queries do you have? Which route you refering for the time?
Hi Rajesh, Thanks for sharing your experience here. It’s always encouraging to read positive updates about these formidable less traveled routes.
We are planning to do Nubra – Pangong – Tso Moriri – Leh over 6days this coming June tentatively between 6th – 12th.
I’ll be driving from Srinagar to Leh via kargil (stay overnight) and be in Leh 2-3 nights before going to Nubra.
How much time did u take driving from
Nubra – Pangong ( via Shyok)
Pangong – Tso Moriri
Can I trouble u with a few queries on whatsapp if I need a quick response on something. But I’ll understand if u don’t want random queries and would prefer to communicate here or over email.
hi divya,
though dheeraj is the expert here 🙂 …….. i would be happy to share my experiences on the same ……do feel free to get in touch with me on 9821233155.
rgds
rajesh
HI – from the Landscape / Natural Beauty point of view is there really any benefit of taking the Wari-La pass route directly from Nubra to Pangong if number of days is not a problem ? Do you see anything special in this route that’s worth the bumpy ride for 10 long hours ? I am almost thinking that we will not take this route as we also have a 5 yrs old with us, but just trying to evaluate if there is any rewards we would miss had we taken this direct route ? Thanks a lot Simanta.
Simanta, the problem is the desolation of this route. In case there are few vehicles with you on this route then only take it. There is no point in risking alone on this route.
Hi,
We are planning a trip from Delhi to Leh from 10th to 19th July. We are planning to book a cab from Srinagar to Leh, then another can for sightseeing at Leh and then from Leh to Manali by bus.
Do you have any idea of the cost of the both the cabs?
Thanks
Also, could you please let us know if 9 days would be enough for the trip.
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2015 – 16 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are group of 4 and planning to use this route during 3rd Aug15 to 6th Aug15. We would be riding BULL 500 so considering its excellent fuel economy do we need to carry Fuel with us.
Are their any petrol pumps on this route?
Regards,
Sujit
Sujit, there are no fuel pumps as Deskit petrol pump is most non-functional. Are you taking Wari La route? or Shyok route? Shyok route will most likely be washed away by swollen river.
Thanks . have plans to use Shyok route however it is out of question now.
I do not have any question right now, only applause. 🙂
Good to know that there are alternative routes but as a first timer I’ll stick to the regular ones as suggested by you.
Thank you Nisha !! And yeah, alternative routes are meant for subsequent trips at least for me. I am sure you will soon be planning the next trip to Ladakh as soon as you return back home 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank for providing such a useful resource.
I have read some posts on DOW, still have following doubts.
1) Bikes from other states are not allowed for Leh sightseeing.Does it also applicable for cars/SUVs (Delhi registered & rented)?
2) Do we have to take any kind of permit for visiting Pangong Tso/Nubra valley/Tso Moriri if I am taking hired car from Delhi?
3) I will be travelling on 1st week of july so direct route from Nubra valley to Pangong Tso is safe or not?
Hi Aditya,
1. Bike rule is new, taxis of yellow number plate outside state are already banned since start I guess for sightseeing in Ladakh
2. No you do not need any permit in case all are Indianand you are following normal routes. As suggested in 1, outside taxis are not allowed to visit these places. You will need Leh based taxi.
3. Should be OK but I hope you have read the article as the risk of desolation is always there on this route.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj
Greetings. Me and my brother are planning a road trip to leh. Since this is my first trip to leh I want to make sure I am planned thoroughly.
Day 1.
0950 -1245
bangalore to chandigarh (by flight )
1300 –
chandigarh to srinagar
Day 2
– 0400 Reach Srinagar
entire day rest and local sight seeing around srinagar.
Day 3
0800 -1200 srinagar to kargil
Sight seeing at kargil
Day 4
0800 – 1200 kargil to leh
Sight seeing at leh
Day 5
0800-1600 leh to Nubra valley via khardungla
Camp at Nubra valley
Day 6
0800-1600 Nubra valley to pangong Tso
Camp at Pangong lake
Day 7
0800-1600
Pangong lake to Sarchu
Camp at Sarchu
Day 8
0800-1500
Sarchu to Manali
Stay at Manali
Day 9
0600 -1400
Manali to chandigarh
1600-1900
Chandigarh to bangalore
My queries are as follow
1. Is it possible to start from chandigarh at 1400 hours and reach srinagar at 0400 hours in morning. Any restriction on driving at night ?
2. Can I do Nubra valley to a Pangong lake in one day ? ( since I am going between 10th June to 18th June , can I do the direct route or have to go via leh ). if via leh is it still possible to do it in a day .
3. How much time does it take to do Pangong lake to Sarchu ? I am planning to leave Pangong lake morning and tech Sarchu in the evening and camp there. What is the best route to take for this section ?
1. Chandigarh to Srinagar will take about 14-15 Hrs, yeah there could be possibility that Jawahar tunnel be closed for passage at night, though I am not 100% sure. Will not advice night drive on Jammu – Srinagar highway as there are some bad sections after last year floods.
2. I doubt you will be able to do Pangong Tso – Nubra direct route because Shyok route might be open but will be risky. And Wari La will most likely be closed during that time.
3. Pangong Tso to Sarchu will take around 11-12 Hrs.
I am traveling to leh in an innova. Will be a couple alone. Need to confirm about wari la rout to pangong from nubra.i want to take this route for the first time otherwise i have been to leh five times from normal rout .this year I also want to visit hanle from pangong.my query to you is…
Is innova vehicle good for this route
I am carrying fuel for 1000kms wil it be sufficient for leh nubra pangong hanle leh
Any other guidance or tip from you
Thanks
Sunil SOOD patiala
Innova shall be fine to handle the route, I hope you going after June as in early June Wari La may be closed and bad in shape with slush. I hope you have gone through the article above. Regarding Pangong Tso to Hanle without comeing back to Leh, you can refer: Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route
Dear dheeraj ji
I am planning the trip on6june will it be possible to visit nubra-warila-pangong-tsagala-hanle leh route
Thanks
Sunil, Wari La in most likely condition will be closed during that time of the year.
Dear dheeraj ji
I am planning the trip on6june will it be possible to visit nubra-warila-pangong-tsagala-hanle leh route
Thanks
Sunil ji, already suggested that Wari La most likely wil be closed and for other route read my reply: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/tips-for-nubra-valley-to-pangong-tso-direct-route/comment-page-1/#comment-329414
Dear dheeraj ji
And what about pangong hanle if I opt pangong from leh
Thanks
Sunil ji, in case you opt for Pangong Tso to Hanle, you will need to get Inner Line permits and then as well not army does not guarantee the passage from Chusul and can send you back from there to Leh. Then you have to go to Hanle from Leh – Chumathang route. Read more at: Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route
Dear Sharma
I am planning for leh on 1st week of November by Air with my spouse.PL.suggest about budget hotels & site sceen including Nubra.Is it suitable time to visit? The trip is for 5days only. Shall get shared car for site sceen & cost? Need your valuable suggestion please.
Pradipta, most of the hotels close in October. Only home stays and small guest houses will be there. Also, it will get quite very cold up there during that time.
Hi Dheeraj,
I m going with my wife and an adventurous 9 year old son…I m reaching leh morning by flight on 11 th morning…11th and 12 th night Leh..13 th night Nubra…14 th night leh… 15 th night pangong tso… Now pangong tso to tsomoriri via Tsagala route with a night stay in between somewhere… 17 th night tsomoriri and back to Leh on 18 th night… I can arrange stay in army mess and Innova … Pls guide me where to stay coz we will b starting from everyplace by 11am as we want to enjoy all the stays and drive…I have to book my accomodations now…
Manish, all looks fine but I will suggest that you read: Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route
11 AM is too late, in such terrain princinple shall be start early sleep early. At least start 9 AM for sure to all the places.
some of my friends are planning to go to Leh in Mast week of May 2015 with Maruti Ertiga. is it safe to go by Maruti Ertiga. it has 185MM of ground clearance, Please advice
Yeah Ertiga is capable of doing the circuit. I will strongly suggest that you go through and read my series on Ladakh Self Drive tips at the links below:
7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh, Routes and Road Conditions In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips, Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips
HI Dheeraj
Nubra to Pangong direct route, on Motor bike it is possible???
Very much possible, just read the article to know about the risks of traveling on this route.
May i request you to Please share your details of travel from Nubra valley to pangong lake on a bike. We are a group of three and intend to do tis particular stretch on 05july 15.
Hi Narendra, we are a group of 4 guys, from siliguri. We are also planning to do the same stretch. So is ur date fixed. since we will reach Leh on 5th july eve.
Accompanying each other would be great, wat say ?
Narendra, above article is applicable for both bike and car 🙂
Hi Dheeraj!
I am planning a trip to leh in June(around 13th) for at least a week. This is draft of my itinerary. Can you please tell me if its okay or are there any more places of interest?
Day Travel Plan
1. a. Delhi to Srinagar – Flight : 8:45 am to 10:15 am
b. Start from Srinagar to Leh
Srinagar to Sonamarg (80) to Drass (65) to Kargil (55)
c.Night stay at Kargil
2. a. Kargil – Mulbekh (40) to Lamayuru (70) to Alchi & Likir (55 to 75) to Leh ( 65) Maitrey at Mulbek
On way – Lunar Landscape, Confluence at Nimmu, Fotu La, Magnetic Hill
3. Leh – Local Site seeing- Leh Palace, Hall of fame, Shanti Stupa, Namgyal Tsemo Gompa, Spituk Monastry/ Gompa, leh market
4. Leh- Nubra Valley
I am thinking of staying at Nubra Valley(overnight) and then I can’t decide whether to go straight to Pangong Lake or first go back to leh and then go to pangong lake the next day. And also, what would be the best route to visit Tso Moriri. Straight from Pangong Lake or from Leh??
Wishing for a quick reply!!
Best Regards,
Anukriti
P.S Amzing Blog!! 😀
Hi Anukriti,
Since it will be your first trip, I will suggest that you stay overnight at Nubra Valley and then head back to Leh. From Leh go over to Pangong Tso covering Hemis and on the way back do Shey – Thicksey. Finally, from Leh do again a two day trip to Tso Moriri going via Mahe – Chumathang and coming back from Tso Kar – Taglang La route.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thank you so much, Dheeraj. Btw. you are talking about going to Pangong lake from leh the next day( after coming from nubra valley), right??
Yes, Anukriti I am talking about the conventional routes to these places which should be explored by first timers in general.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning a 4N/5D trip to Leh in end of April.. Planning to cover Pangong and Nubra both?
Appreciate your suggestions.
Also, if you could suggest an itinerary ?
Best Regards,
-Nimisha
Just replied on your other comment: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/leh-ladakh-in-winters/comment-page-1/#comment-322907
Hey your article is very helpful, m planning my trip on 25th april n its a short one i.e arrival on 25/4 and dep on 29/4 do you suggest that we go via conventional route or try direct route from nubra to pangong or is it better to skip one ad the time is very short?
Saurabh, 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
In September end nubra to pangong tso route wari la and shyok river would be opened or closed ?
Wari La route will be open Ravi but Shyok most likely will be closed.
If it takes 10 hours via Wari La, then better to travel via Leh in a single day which may take another 2 hours but without any hassle. What do you think Dheeraj?
I second that too. It is just that you do not spend night at Pangong Tso. Hence, only in case you planning to take the route from Wari La because you have already done the other route, it shall be given preference.