Pangong Tso lake in Changthang region of Ladakh has emerged as one of the most wanted places to visit among domestic tourists in recent times especially after the Bollywood blockbuster “3 idiots”.
Now, in India, one can see a lot more movies and advertisements being shot around this mesmerizing lake. A huge number of tourists visit Pangong lake in the summer months, making it one of the top travel destinations in India.
This slat water, a beautiful ocean-like lake, is about 5 km wide at its broadest point and about 134 km long with about 60% of the length extending into Tibet. During winters the lake freezes completely, which itself is a great sight to witness if you have seen the other aqua / blue colors of this pristine lake.
Since it is near to the Line of Actual Control, you need to get Inner Line Permit to visit Pangong Tso, both as an Indian and foreigner.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Pangong Tso Lake Leh Ladakh
The beautiful multi shades of blue color offered by this lake along with a picturesque landscape around give this place an extremely romantic feel as shown in Bollywood film songs. However, sitting behind the TV, it looks so, but in actual reality, the place is harsh and difficult to survive especially in winters 🙂 🙂
There are only a couple of cemented accommodation available around the lake and the facilities like electricity, medical aid, hot running water, western toilets, etc. are luxury in itself. The lack of oxygen makes survival difficult if your body is not properly acclimatized to its high altitude. Hence, one needs to plan his/her journey extremely carefully to avoid acute mountain sickness.
So, even though Pangong lake tourism is at its peak, it is important to plan your trip to this high altitude place properly. This travel guide will help you with it.
Location
Pangong Tso lake is located about 170 KMs from Leh town of Ladakh district in Jammu & Kashmir. You can make either make a day trip from Leh to Pangong Tso which will take you about 13 hrs of travel, or you can make a two day trip to Pangong Tso from Leh.
Altitude
Pangong Tso lake is one of the high altitudes lakes of India Himalayas at a staggering altitude of 4350 Meters or 14270 Feet and is the biggest of all lakes in Leh Ladakh.
Best Time to Visit Pangong Lake
In general, the best time to travel to Pangong Tso lake is in the summer months when the Ladakh peak season is in full flow.
Similar to what we learned about the best time to travel to Leh Ladakh, in the months January to March, Pangong Tso remains mostly frozen, has extremely cold conditions with no options to stay around the lake except few basic homestays in Spangmik and Man – Merak villages.
In April, the lake starts to melt and starts transforming into the beautiful palette of multi shades of blue colors.
Then May to September is the peak tourist season. Tourists flock to the shores of the Pangong Tso lake in these months. In this summer period, you can witness a large number of birds around the lake including the most common Bar-headed goose and Brahmini ducks.
Come late September and early October, the tourists start to reside as the cold starts to set in and accommodation tents start to pack up. In my opinion, this is by far the best time to visit Pangong Tso to see the full glory of beautiful shades of blue color in this lake. The colors are purely magical at this time of the year, and with less number of tourists comparatively, you get better deals and enjoy more.
Pangong Lake in Winter
After mid-October up to December, all the accommodation packs up, and the only nearest place you can stay is either in some homestay with basic facilities to fight the harsh cold or in some guest house at Tangste, about 34 km away from the lake.
Tangtse has few guesthouses having much better facilities to fight the cold and provide comfort in winter months. If the sun is shining and you do not mind the hard cold winters, then also you can make a day trip to Pangong Tso from Tangste to see magical shades of blue color at this lake. However, do not forget to check the weather conditions before leaving Leh.
How to Reach Pangong Lake
You can reach Pangong Tso lake from Leh by road via Karu – Chang La pass. Pangong Lake is also connected from Nubra Valley directly by the Shyok Village route and by the Wari La pass route.
Let us look at the different routes that you can use to travel to Pangong Tso from Leh town or Nubra Valley which will help you in
Route from Leh to Pangong Lake
Well, Leh to Pangong lake distance by road using Karu – Chang La pass route is 170 km. This route to Pangong Tso is what most people take to visit this beautiful lake in Ladakh. You can reach in about 5 – 6 Hrs depending upon the number of breaks you take in between the journey. The route along with the distance between the subsequent places is as follows:
Leh – Karu (36 KMs) – Sakti (10 KMs) – Chang La (34 KMs) – Durbuk (32 KMs) – Tangste (9 KMs) – Lukung (34 KMs) – Spangmik (16 KMs) = 171 KMs
You can cover Thiksey, Hemis, and Shey monasteries while going through this route. This route provides the best road conditions for all other routes. So, if you are one of those who prefer relaxing vacation and do not want to rush through places then, I will suggest making a two day trip to Pangong Tso lake via this route from Leh.
Of course, I assume your body has been acclimatized properly by staying for a couple of nights in Leh and spending a night or two in Nubra Valley before attempting to sleep near Pangong Tso. If you are short on time, then you should make a day trip to Pangong Tso via this route only because it is best in road conditions in comparison to other routes and hence fastest of all.
Route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso Lake
Many of the domestic tourists are short on leaves and also do not want to miss the opportunity of sunrise/sunset at Pangong Tso by making a day trip. Hence, when they visit Nubra Valley (always recommended for better acclimatization) first, most of them seek some route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso directly without going back to Leh. For all such people, there exist two routes from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso:
Nubra Valley – Wari La – Pangong Tso
This route goes via mighty Wari La pass, one of the remotest passes of the Ladakh region and retakes about 11-12 Hrs depending upon several interim breaks you take. The route is long and rough and hence requires you to leave very early from Nubra Valley so that you reach Pangong Tso (Lukung or Spangmik) before the sun goes down.
If you are planning via Wari La route, then do check the conditions at Agham village before ascending towards it. It is a remote region, and you will hardly find any tourist or vehicle going past by you. Hence, in case required, help will not be easy to find.
You do not need any special permit for Wari La pass route and permits for Nubra Valley & Pangong Tso are sufficient for traveling on this route.
The route along with the distance between the subsequent places is as follows:
Diskit – Khalsar (19 KMs) – Agham (31 KMs) – Tangyar (11 KMs) – Wari La (28 KMs) – Tathok (25 KMs) – Sakti (4 KMs) – Chang La (34 KMs) – Durbuk (32 KMs) – Tangste (9 KMs) – Lukung (34 KMs) – Spangmik (16 KMs) = 243 KMs
Do not attempt this route in the early season because firstly, Wari La might not be open being low on priority for BRO, and secondly, the roads are not stable in the early season. So, being a remote place, any help might be hard to find.
You may carry spare fuel from Leh to cover about 425 – 475 km because the Deskit petrol pump in Nubra Valley may not have fuel. Well, since 2016, the fuel availability is much better now at the Deskit petrol pump. If you do not find it then you will be covering Leh – Nubra Valley – Wari La – Pangong Tso – Leh without any other petrol pump.
Nubra Valley – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso
This route from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso goes from Shyok Village and has become quite popular among tourists with fewer days in the past couple of years, as of 2019.
It is much shorter than the Wari La route, takes about 6-7 hrs from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso, and hence will save more time and energy. But, again, there are some landslide-prone stretches on this route, and sometimes you may have a couple of nasty water crossings to tackle.
So, leave early in the day from Nubra and confirm about route conditions at Agham village. If you are alone, it is better to wait for a few vehicles at Agham village to tag along with them.
You do not need any special permit for the Shyok Village route and permits for Nubra Valley & Pangong Tso are sufficient for traveling on this route.
The route along with the distance between the subsequent places is as follows:
Diskit – Khalsar (19 KMs) – Agham (31 KMs) – Shyok Village (48 KMs) – Durbuk (18 KMs) – Tangste (9 KMs) – Lukung (34 KMs) – Spangmik (16 KMs) = 175 KMs
You also need to carry spare fuel from Leh to cover 350 – 400 KMs because many times the petrol/diesel is not available at Diskit, Nubra Valley petrol pump and you will be covering Leh – Nubra Valley – Wari La – Pangong Tso – Leh without any other petrol pump.
Route from Tso Moriri Lake to Pangong Tso Lake
There exist a route between Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso as well. In most general cases, you will always be doing it from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri because you can exit Ladakh from Tso Moriri towards Manali Leh Highway after visiting Pangong Tso without coming back to Leh.
Secondly, Tso Moriri is higher in altitude than Pangong Tso. So, as per the acclimatization schedule, you must stay at Pangong Tso before spending a night at Tso Moriri. However, for informational purposes, you can go to Pangong Tso from Tso Moriri directly via the remote and ever beautiful Changthang region.
The drive between Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri is one of the most beautiful drives in the entire Ladakh region. You need a special permit from Leh DC office to cross Chusul to travel on this route.
The route along with the distance between the subsequent places is as follows:
Tso Moriri (Korzok) – Sumdo (53 KMs) – Mahe (10 KMs) – Nyoma (25 KMs) – Loma (22 KMs) – Tsaga Village (23 KMs) – Tsaga La (20 KMs) – Chusul (33 KMs) – Kakstet (24 KMs) – Merak (4 KMs) – Man (12 KMs) – Spangmik (9 KMs) = 235 KMs
Though highly unlikely but if at all you are doing in this order then you also need to carry spare fuel from Leh/Upshi/Karu to cover about 600 – 700 KMs because you will be covering Leh -Tso Moriri – Nyoma – Loma – Pangong Tso – Leh without any other petrol pump.
You can check the detailed Pangong Lake map. You can download this detailed map of Leh Ladakh by right-clicking & then select the option: “Save Image As…”
Road Conditions and Preferred Vehicles
The higher ground clearance vehicles are preferable, and 4×4 ones would be helpful, especially between Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso as well as Nubra Valley – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso route. However, quite a few people do it in hatchbacks and sedans as well which depends upon your skills to drive and road conditions.
In general Leh to Pangong lake road condition via Karu – Changla route is good enough for any type of the car including hatches and sedan.
It is always recommended to carry important essentials when you self drive to Ladakh.
Video – Pangong Tso Tourist Attractions
Suggested Itinerary
Generally, at least a one-night stay is preferable to truly witness the mesmerizing beauty of this blue colored saltwater lake. Of course, one night’s stay will help you watch sunrise and sunset over the picturesque landscape and increase the charm of your vacation to a great extent. Most people, generally do:
Day 1 | 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 2 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
- Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey on return to Leh
- Overnight at Leh
You can also check our Most Common Itinerary for Leh Ladakh
Where to Stay
For a comprehensive list of accommodation options or hotels or camps around Pangong Tso lake, you can refer these good stay options nearby the lake. Please keep in mind that starting from 2018, LEH DC has issued a ruling to vacate all of the illegal Pangong lake hotels and camps. Make sure you double-check with your hotel or camp folks before making the deal.
You cannot do camping near the shores of Pangong Tso lake as it a Ramsar site wetland reserve, which means you cannot camp nearby the lake.
Medical Facilities Nearby
The nearest basic medical health center is at Tangste Village about 50 KMs from Spangmik village and 34 KMs from Lukung village. You can get basic first aid including Oxygen doses at some of the tents/camps, I guess else you can carry your own oxygen cylinder with you.
Where to Eat
Being a remote place, you will either be eating in the homestay at Spangmik Village or at the camps/tents you might be staying overnight. The options of eating places at Pangong lake is fairly limited to roadside shacks, homestays, and camping sites.
You should always carry your water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and your step in this direction can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂
Mobile Connectivity
Mostly, you will not find any phone or mobile signals at Pangong Tso lake. However, there is a BSNL tower setup at Lukung as of 2018, and it does work many times. You need to carry a postpaid BSNL or MTNL connection to get some connectivity in Ladakh.
Petrol Pumps near Pangong
Nearest Petrol Pump is at Karu about 135 KMs from Pangong Tso and comes on the way to Pangong Tso from Leh. I will suggest that you top-up the fuel from Leh itself and then drive/ride up to the lake.
ATMs
You will not find any ATMs near Pangong Tso lake and hence, it is always better to carry cash from Leh (the only place where you find ATM in Ladakh) itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let us look at some of the most frequently asked questions about Pangong lake. In case I have missed to cover any question in this article, feel free to give me a shoutout and I will answer and add to this list.
As per taxi union rates of 2018, Leh to Pangong lake taxi fare is Rs 10566 for a two day trip and Rs 8653 for a day trip to Pangong from Leh.
There are two buses that travel from Leh to Pangong Tso every Saturday and Sunday of the week. The Leh to Pangong Tso bus leaves at 6.30 AM on every Saturday and Sunday from Leh bus stand. You can read all about Leh to Pangong lake bus service.
Conclusion
Pangong Tso lake is a great place to visit, and I am sure if you visit Ladakh, this one surely is not the place you would like to exclude from your trip plan. I hope the information in this travel guide for Pangong Lake in Ladakh will be useful for your upcoming Leh Ladakh trip.
It is a humble request that you help in not making a Pangong Tso an environmental disaster.
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Please feel free to post any questions or doubts you might have in planning your trip to Pangong Tso in the comments section below. If you have been to this beautiful place, kindly share your thoughts and other information you might feel will be worth sharing with other fellow travelers and prove helpful to them.
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510 Comments
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Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you very much in advance for providing most useful information.
I’ve got clarification for most of my doubts by looking at your blogs related to Leh-Ladakh journey. But need clarification on one thing.
We (4 people) are visiting Leh from 4th to 8th June on bikes. We are planning to take direct route from Nubra velley to Pangong lake via Agham Shyok road.
1. How is the road condition in this route. I heard that, the road is better in recent years. Also can we make it with rented bikes?
Thansk,
Srinivas
I hope you meant July, the road from Nubra to Pangong Tso via Agham – Shyok route is pretty much fine this year.
Thank you Dheeraj for the reply. It was a mistake. It is July 4th to 8th.
Srinivas
HI, I m going to leh on 31 july on flight and my return flight is on 7 aug, can u suggest me best itenary for 7 days/nights in leh.
Are you flying in to Leh?
Yes Dheeraj i am going by early morning flight. on 31 july
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 9 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
Hello Dheeraj,
I have a very imp query. please help
Currently we are in manali and tomrrow i.e. 9th june we will reach Jispa
10th june.try to reach leh.
now we have to complete the trip before 19t june.
After leh ,we want to go to pangong.could we complete it on same day because of ams at pangOng.please suggest best possible itenery after leh
You should do it like:
10: Jispa to Leh
11: Leh rest, sightseeing and inner line permits
12: Leh – Khardung La – Nubra Valley (Hunder)
13: Hunder – Pangong Tso via Shyok village
14: Pangong Tso – Leh
15: Leh – Sarchu
16: Sarchu – Manali
17: Manali – Delhi
So, you still have two days left. Hence, you can either go from Srinagar side after coming from Pangong Tso to Leh or You can visit Tso Moriri on the return to Manali by Leh – Tso Moriri, Tso Moriri – Sarchu, Sarchu – Manali
I’m coming on 11th May morning at 07:00 am at leh air port and back on 14 th May 07:00 am.what can I see beautiful place in this three days? Please guide me.
Dashrath, best will be to take rest in Leh in first two days and then make a day trip to Khardung La top on Day 3.
DHERAJ ji,
We are a couple in leh right now. Im planning to visit hanle(on share taxi), but no one is here to wish to go.
So individual taxi costs 15500.. so
1*it is worth to visit
2*Im having normal permit.Then if i go can able to view the sky through the telescope..
3*Preferrable time to be in hanle..
Hello Bala,
1. Well, 15,500 if you can afford may be but coming from single pocket may be leave it for some other day
2. You have to get Hanle permit from DC office and you will not be allowed to see the sky using telescope.
Hi Dheeraj,
Me and my wife are planning to visit Leh during 29 Sept – 03 Oct.
We have thought of the following itinerary :
Day 1: Reach Leh. Take rest or local sight-seeing by foot.
Day 2: Local Leh sight-seeing by a cab (mainly the monasteries and/or the Leh palace).
Day 3: Diskit, Nubra. Stay at Nubra.
Day 4: Nubra to Pangong. Stay at Pangong.
Day 5: Pangong to Leh.
Please share your views regarding the above itinerary.
Also, is it possible to book a cab for the entire trip after reaching Leh itself ? Will it be comparativey cheaper ?
The plan posted above is completely doable. Yes, you can book the taxi on the spot. For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2017 – 18 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 more comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
Thanks a lot for your input Dheeraj. Just wanted to clarify, whether it is advisable to stay at Hunder instead of Nubra on Day 3 and then continue from Hunder towards Pangong on Day 4.
Hunder is in Nubra Valley only and better place for stay than Deskit in terms of scenic beauty and closer to nature.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are a couple travelling to Ladakh in coming week. Our itinerary is: –
Day 1: Fly in to Srinagar.
Day 2: Sringar to Kargil, Drass or somewhere before leh (Kept open to have flexibility)
Day 3: Kargil, Drass/from Somewhere to Leh
Day 4: Leh stay, sightseeing
Day 5: Leh to Nubra
Day 6: Nubra to Pangong
Day 7: Pangong to Chushul early morning drive(Or Tso kar & Morey Plains), then back to leh
Day 8: Fly back from Leh
My ques are:-
1) Will it be better to stay at Drass in 2nd day itself, considering the height of Drass is more than Kargil?
2) Do you think Day 3, leh sightseeing can be a skip to accommodate Tso kar & Morey Plains?
3) WIll Deriphyllin medicine work if we detect any breathlessness or something
4) Is it possible to cover Tso Kar & Morey Plains in the above itinerary? What would be the best option to cover?
5) Apart from Leh, no stay is booked, so we have the flexibility to change plan.
6) Latest feedback of Daspa Guest House, Kargil will surely help
Just replied to your question at: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/question/covering-tso-kar/
Hi Dheeraj,
Looking through lot of websites and finally found this one. Even though it is very late, your inputs might help us. We are a couple flying directly to leh. Landing on 11th of July, spending a day there. Then on 12th July traveling to nubra Valley staying there and going back to leh on 13th July. 14th July going to pangong starting there and cooing back to leh on 15th July. Will this plan is easy to execute? Also please help us in places to visit along the way to nubra Valley and pangong.
I will highly recommend that you make at least two days stay in Leh for better acclimatization and then move to 2 day trips to Nubra and Pangong Tso each. In case you have just 5 days only, then make a direct route to Pangong tso from Nubra to save that day. But first two days must be as per 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 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
Thank you so much for your inputs.. It is really helping us now..
Cool, keep sharing the updates on your trip and helping each other fellow travellers 🙂
HI Dheeraj
What is the condition of Nubra Valley – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso road is it compatible for going by motorcycles . or we should take the wari la route
Last I heard the road was blocked last week. The road conditions are bad to average. I will recommend checking the conditions after reaching Agham village and then taking a decision.
Hi Dheeraj
I am just home after travelling through Nubra-Shyok-Pangong Tso. The road is officially closed but we went ahead. Except for 2-3 occasions when we had to get off the vehicle and put in some stones in the mud to get going, the road is totally fine.
You would have first obstacle based on the status of July 4,2017, about 23 KMs before Agham village and then another 2 after 10 Kms from it.
Thanks
Hi Dheeraj,
First of all, thank you for all your helpful advice !
I have planned to visit Ladakh from the 2nd of July till the 8th and I have some questions.
1. On the 3rd of July, I’d want to visit the Hemis monastery during the festival, is there a bus from Leh to go and return in one day ?
2. I have planned to rent a bike and visit the Nubra Valley for 2 days and stay one night in Diskit before coming back in Leh, is 2 days enough to do that ?
3. I booked a night in Spangmik on the 6th but I don’t know yet how to reach Spangmik from Leh. What is the best option to go there when you are travelling alone ?
Thank you again, and I hope you will be able to answer my questions.
Axel
Please find my comments below Axel:
1. Not really on a daily frequency, you may need to rely upon shared taxis running from Leh during festival time or hiring a bike or private taxi.
2. Yes, two days is fine to cover Nubra Valley. Just stick to Hunder and Deskit only and skip other places of Nubra Valley to have a relaxing ride.
3. You can either opt for a shared taxi of tourists which would be available through agents or banners/flyers posted in cafes or restaurants in Leh. Or else take the rented bike as you are already doing Nubra on rented bike.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj,
Your well researched inputs are highly helpful for travellers like us and makes a great deal of difference when so many doubts are dispelled. We have resorted to your pages again and again during our course of planning.
We are a group of 7 travelling to Leh via srinagar during 29.07.2017 to 06.08.2017.
Our Itenerary, which seems little different from all others we came across, is as follows:
Day 1, 29.07.2017: Reach Srinagar by noon. Check into Hotel and explore some local attractions of Srinagar.
Day 02, 30.07.2017: Morning After breakfast leave for Kargil, by visiting Sonamarg, Zodjila pass, Drass Village, Kargil war Famous Peaks (Tiger, Tololing) from Vijay war memorial hall site, reach Kargil by evening. Overnight stay at Kargil.
Day 03, 31.07.2017: Morning after Breakfast leave for Leh, enroute visit Mulbek, Giant Living Buddha Sculpture on Rock Mountain, Lamayuru Monastery of Ladakh and enjoy the view of Moon Landscape. Reach Alchi, visit Likir Monastery, Magnetic Hill, Pathar Sahib Gurudwara, Kali Mata (Temple of Guardians in Spituk monastery) and Hall of Fame museum. Also visit Sangam (confluence of Indus & Zanskar Rivers)Reach Leh by evening. Overnight stay at Leh.
Day 04, 01.08.2017: After Breakfast do local sightseeing at Leh by visiting Hemis, Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace,Stok Palace Museum and visit to Shanti Stupa.. Overnight stay at Leh.
Day 05, 02.08.2017: After Breakfast leave for Tso moriri via Tso Kar covering Chumathang hot springs, Mahe and Puga Sumdo. Overnight stay at Tso Moriri.
Day 06, 03.08.2017: After breakfast leave for Pangong Lake via Noma, Lyoma and Chusul . Enjoy the color changing lake and the sun set on the banks of lake. Overnight stay on the banks of Pangong Lake.
Day 07, 04.08.2017: Early morning enjoy the view of Sun rise on lake. After Breakfast drive to Nubra Valley via Chang La and Wari La. Arrive at Hundur by late afternoon. Explore Deskit, Sumoor, Hunder Villages and camel Safari in Sand Dunes between Deskit and Hunder Village. Overnight stay at Nubra Valley.
Day 08, 05.08.2017: After Breakfast visit Turtuk and Deskit Monastery while heading back to Hunder and drive back to Leh by crossing Khardungla Pass. Overnight stay at Leh.
Day 09, 06.08.2017: Transfer to the airport and fly back to Home.
Wanted to confirm with you if this is okay and not cramped or not doable as we have planned in consultancy with a local contact that we were referred to (Mr. Arif Khan, tour operator/ driver).
Further, we have booked accomodation at Srinagar and Leh so far. Is it okay to not go for advance booking at the other locations, namely, Tso Moriri, Pangong, Hunder and rather rely on spot booking as any uncertainity of weather/road may render a change in the itenerary.
How would be the road conditions in Pangong to Agham trip via Wari La? We are travelling by Xylo.
How cold it would these locations be(for packing related concerns) during our travel time i.e. July 29th to 6th Aug?
Hi Kajori,
This is not how Ladakh trip is planned. You must follow the acclimatization schedule to some extent by doing Nubra, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri in that sequence only. So, please reverse that leg. You will also needs inner line permits in Leh as well.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the reply.
As I have mentioned we planned like this only when advised by a local tour operator else our itenerary was like:
Leh Local
Leh- Nubra- Leh
Leh-Pangong Leh
However, as regards acclamatisation, please correct me if I am wrong:
Leh Altitude: 11480 feet
Tso Moriri Altitude: 14836 feet
Pangong Altitude: 14280 feet
Nubra Altitude: 10000 feet.
So if one can go directly from Nubra to Pangong, Let to Tso Moriri is even lesser of a difference in altitude.
Moreover, we are giving 2 days for Srinagar to Leh and further 1 more day at Leh for acclamatisation.
Is that not enough?
Please guide.
Please drop that tour operator in that case as he is not even knowing basic principles of acclimatization. You may have ended up in hospital after spending the night at Tso Moriri directly.
No its not enough. High altitude starts around Kargil and then as you move beyond Kargil. So, about 36 hrs are required for acclimatization in Leh. Hence, you must rest the night you reach and next night in Leh only. Then do Leh to Nubra, Nubra to Pangong and Pangong Tso Tso Tso Moriri in that very sequence.
Even after using the above schedule it is not possible to acclimatise properly and people face issues because even this change in altitude does not comply with acclimatization rules.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning for family tour 4 adults + 1 child 6 years age and have following itinerary in mind.
Tentative Start Date : 12-Jun’17
Day 1 & 2 @ Srinagar : 2 Night – Extrusion for Gulmarg & Paragliding at Harwan Dhara Srinagar (Excl. Fees for paragliding)
Day 3 :Srinagar Kargil : 1 Night Stay at Kargil
Day 4 : Kargil to Leh : 1 Night Stay at Kargil
Day 5 : Leh to Nubra Valley : 1 Night Stay at Nubra Valley
Day 6 : Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake : 1 Night Stay at Pangong Lake
Day 7 : Pangong Lake to Sarchu : 1 Night Stay at Sarchu
Day 8 : Sarchu to Manali : 1 Night at Manali
Can you provide your feedback on this itinerary is doable? I don’t want to return back to leh after visiting Nubra Valley or Pangong lake instead continues moving one place to other.
Also can you suggest tour agents to organise this.
Hey Purvesh,
Considering you are traveling with family the plan above is very hectic and it does not even include a day of acclimatization and rest in Leh before moving to Khardung La. Road from Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso is quite desolated, so make sure you have company to tag along before you take this route as any mechanical failure will mean, you are stuck there and help will be no where to find.
If you are looking for competitive and customized Ladakh tour and packages, you can connect with info@offbeatescapes.com as most of the readers in the past couple of years have had very good feedback about them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to Gaurav, the guy who runs it. He knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer him the DwD Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot of this reply here.
Hey Dheeraj,
Firstly thank you so much to you for putting all the information together here in DoW. We made our draft plan for the upcoming leh-ladakh trip with the help of DoW & other sites. So thanks once again for such kind help.
We have some doubts regarding our plan/trip. At the beginning I will share our plan:-
24th Sept:- Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zozi La – Drass – Kargil
25th Sept:- Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh
— Covering Lunar Landscapes, Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Leh
26th Sept:- Leh Local Sightseeing + Monastery + Acclimatization
27th Sept:- Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Covering Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
28th | Hunder / Diskit – Panamik – Pangong Tso Lake
— Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Pangong Tso Lake
29th Sept:- Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Overnight at Leh
30th Sept:- Leave Leh.
Doubts are:-
1) We contacted Regzin bhaiya(all thanks to you for providing details). He is really kind enough while I was talking to him. He is so kind that he told he dont want any advance for the booking. That’s why I am worried (Note: I am not doubting him). How he can remember our dates?! He just told me to send a message; but how can he remember our plan which is far away!! please guide.
2) We are planning to stay on the bank of pangong lake at Royal Camp as it looks most economical. Whether this decision is right? I mean is it recommended to stay at camp during the end of Sept? or it is better to stay in guesthouse? Our purpose is not to miss sunrise at pangong. So wanted to stay at camp rather than a guesthouse so that we can watch sunrise very easily, but temperature is worrying us. Please guide for a comfy stay near pangong so that we need not to travel 10-20 Kms to watch sunrise. looking for a clean & comfy(not luxury) & economy stay
3) More or less we have finalsed our stay at leh which is Tukchu Guesthouse. But could not finalize stay at Kargil, Nubra & of couse Pangong. Please suggest some home stay kind near kargil & nubra. requirement is should be clean, hygiene but easy for pocket.
4) If any changes is required in planning?
Any further doubt will put here once it comes in our mind
Cheers!
Hi Pralay,
1. Mostly it is common with all drivers. They do not commit, you have to keep reminding them 🙂
2. It will be cold in September but manageable. You can also try Himalayan Wooden Cottages being of plywood, they save a bit more from the wind.
Few readers/members of DoW have suggested below options:
Aaman Guest House (just 3-4 kms after entering Kargil check post), it was a homestay and stay and food was awesome.
Daspa Guest House (confused it with other) near bypass bridge. Name: Mr. Gulam Mohammed; Mob: 09469730240.
Paradise Guest House in Kargil is a decent place to stay
For Nubra, please read: Habib Guest House – Hunder, Nubra Valley
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you so much for your reply. Actually we are going as couple, so was wondering if Regzin bhaiya forgets & committed to other parties also or he forgets the rate at which he accepted. Again I am telling I am not at all doubting, so many readers feedback cant be just wrong. But its natural human tendency that he may forget the dates or rates. So on that case what will be solution? Do you think I can get other recommended cabies of DoW on spot there in september??
Thnks for the Information of kargil
Now, coming to pangong.. Do you think it would be great miss if we dont stay in a camp? I mean I do understand that its different experience, but don want to spoil the trip for any health issue!
Cheers!
Pralay
Yes Pralay, in such a case get the numbers of listed drivers printed with you and call them upon reaching Leh. Mostly it does not happen and to be very frank now a days Rigzin has 3 cars, he can’t drive them all so in case he is not coming he will send one of the car to you for sure. But, still carry the printout and you should be good. Yeah, I will say it is OK to miss on part of health issues. If you stay at Tangtse you can head back again in morning if required.
Hey Dheeraj,
Finally made the deal final with Rigzin, & hoping for a great time. Dude can you please help us for the stay option in Kargil. Looking for a budget but clean stay. Most of the hotel range is Rs 2500-3000 & above for two(incl breakfast & dinner). is it possible for a stay at 1000-2000?
Or else what do you say, shall we try to stay at drass??
Few readers/members of DoW have suggested below options:
Aaman Guest House (just 3-4 kms after entering Kargil check post), it was a homestay and stay and food was awesome.
Daspa Guest House (confused it with other) near bypass bridge. Name: Mr. Gulam Mohammed; Mob: 09469730240.
Paradise Guest House in Kargil is a decent place to stay
Hi Dheeraj,
Im flying from Mumbai to Leh on March 28th to April 4th this year. Im wondering what you think is good to visit in this time period. Id like to see one of the monastery(perhaps Spituk Gompa) and maybe visit Pangong Tso lake. Do you think this is possible? Is it easy to hire (and safe) to hire a taxi to take us to these places? Do you recommend anywhere to stay? I’m actually visiting from the UK, so this will be my first experience of India! Thanks for your help and advice
Sunil
Sunil, the roads within Ladakh remains open all round the year barring few days of heavy snowfall. Hence, you should be able to visit Ladakh. Be prepared for very cold conditions especially at Pangong Tso. I will advice you read: 6 Special Tips for a Winter Trip to Ladakh
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to cover Ladakh in the month of June. I have 2 questions and hope you are the best person to answer those,
1) Will Pangong Lake be frozen in the month of June. I have few friends went last year in the end of june and they said that it was little frozen.
2) From Pangong, i would be heading to Sarchu, so i need to stay somewhere in between, probably in Upshi or Rumste(Don’t want to go back to Leh). Do you know contacts in Upshi or Rumste?
Hi Sachendra,
1. Not really, it starts to melt in May and gets mostly melted by June.
2. Well, best will be if you want to stay on Manali – Leh Highway, you can easily reach now Pang considering good roads between Pang – Moore Plains – Taglang La – Upshi. So, try to head to Pang.
Hi dheeraj
My tickets for leh is booked for march 23rd and would be back by 29th. Am heading for Dha and hanu. Followed by pangong tso. Will the road to pangong be open during this period?
Barring few days of heavy snowfall BRO keeps all roads in Ladakh open. So, in case there is heavy snowfall around the days or on the day you plan to visit Pangong Tso, it will be closed else open.
Hi Dheeraj
Mid May it is off to Leh. Am still fine tuning the itinerary. Was wondering if it is possible to go to Pangong via Tao Mori and Chusul and approach Khardungla fro Pangong rather than the other way around. Is it doable in terms of roads and approach and also altitude?
Leh to Tso mori
Tso Mori to Pangong via Chusul
Pangong to Khardungla
Khardungla to Leh
What would you advise?
Best
Gowri
Hi Gowri,
As per acclimatization principal and general recommendations, you should start from Nubra Valley cover Khardung La and follow the route in direction from Nubra to Pangong Tso to Chusul to Tso Moriri. I recommend it only but in case you want to take a chance with acclimatization and OK to abandon the trip or miss some part in case you or any member fall sick, well, you may attempt it in that case.
Thanks Dheeraj. I get the point you are making. Our program is as below. Of course all depends on our coping ability and weather Gods ! I would like the itinerary to evolve as we go there and start to move .
15th. Arrive Leh
16th and 17th Visit Leh Palace,
Shanti Stupa
Leh Market
Just walk around for acclmatiSation
18th leave Leh for Lamayaru
Visit Alchi enroute
Stay at Lamayaru
19th return to Leh
20th Leave for Nubra valley
Enroute Diskit Hunter and Panamik
Stay there where accommodation available
21st Leave for Pangong. Stay at Pangong
22nd Leave for Tso Mori via Chusul and Chamantang
22nd Stay near Tso Moriri
23rd Leave Tso Moriri for Hemis via Tso Kar and Upshi
Stay near Hemis
24th Visit Hemis, Thikshey and Shey
Return to Leh on 24th
( If sufficiently acclimatised and no health issues, then The programme from 22nd works other way round, that is Leh to Shey, Thiksey, Hemis etc. Number of days remain the same )
25th Rest day at Leh
26th Leave for Dharamshala via Srinagar
Or
Spend more time in Leh and leave for Chandigarh via Srinagar or Manali on 29th to catch flight to Mumbai on 31st from Chandigarh.
We are flexible about remaining in Leh or moving on to Dharamshala. so please do suggest more options in Leh.
Thanks and Best
Gowri
Hi Gowri,
I will recommend that you drop the Lamayuru options and on Day 3 start for Nubra Valley and do the days as below:
Leh – Nubra Valley
Nubra Valley – Pangong Tso via Agham Shyok in case you have vehicle company
Pangong Tso – Hanle via Chusul, will need permits from Leh DC office
Hanle – Tso Moriri
Tso Moriri – Leh
Then decide upon to spend remaining days either as day trip to Lamayuru or as Sham Valley trip or may be use that day to visit Turtuk in Nubra Valley
Thanks for the suggestion and will follow it. Makes sense.
Turtuk is on the agenda.
Great, have a wonderful trip to Ladakh, feel free to post any further questions you may have.
Sorry my earlier post didn’t mention the month. Trip is from 15th May onwards
Best
Gowri
Just replied to your other comment.
Hello Mr Sharma,
I am planning to go Leh , and visit Nubra , Pangong Tso , Tso Moriri, and other nearby places .
I am going by april 18 to april 28 2017
please advice is this time is ok, i know there will be cold weather.
please suggest any hotel in pongong , moriri and nubra valley
Thanks in advance
prasann
Prasann, it will be too cold to stay overnight in Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri during that time of the year. I will recommend that you put up at Tangtse 34 KMs before Pangong Tso and Chumathang for Tso Moriri. You will easily find the hotel on the spot whichever is open as there will not be too many tourists.
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m planning to travel for 9 days starting next Friday with 3 of my friends. Appreciate if you can give comments and provide necessary advice whether our planned itinerary is possible or not 🙂
Day 1: New Delhi – Leh
Day 2: Leh – Khardung La – Diskit Monastery – Nubra Valley – Leh
Day 3: Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
Day 4: Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
Day 5: Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar
Day 6: Srinagar – Dal Lake – Nishat Bagh – Shalimar Bagh – Chasmashani – Pahalgam
Day 7: Pahalgam – Aru Valley – Betaab Valley – Chandanwadi – Dabyan Valley – Baisaran – Pahalgam
Day 8: Pahalgam – Jammu – New Delhi
Day 9: New Delhi – Agra – New Delhi
Nasri, it is not at all safe to travel Kashmir at this time of the year due to unrest and all happening up there. Better plan a trip to Ladakh only: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air
Thank you for the info Dheeraj. We are planning to spend more time at Delhi then.
By the way, is it doable for below trips? Can we do a day trip to both Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso Lake?
Day 2: Leh – Khardung La – Diskit Monastery – Nubra Valley – Leh
Day 3: Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
Nasri, it is highly recommended that you take ample of rest for first two days in Leh. Then you can make trip to Nubra and Pangong Tso. Both the above trip excluding monastery visit will require 12 Hrs of travel. Better to split them in two two days.
Dear Dheeraj,
I am planning to Visit Leh during 6-11 Oct 2016 with a friend of mine. We shall be flying to LEH and then doing road trotting. Please suggest an Itinerary for the time period. I intend to visit the following places:
Nubra Valley
Khardungla Pass
Magnetic Hill
Monasteries in Leh
Pangong Lake
and Possibly Kargil is Possible.
May kindly suggest the accommodation. If needed, we can stretch the tour by one more day.
Hi Rahul,
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
Hello Dheeraj,
I am planning a trip to Leh. Request if you can help clarify a few queries around the same:
1. Is the time between 25 Sep to 15 Oct, 2016 (8 days between the provided date range) fine for travel, I mean as per the weather.
2. I want to bring along my 5 yr old son, is it ok for children to make this trip. What challenges can I face.
Best Regards
Anuj, I hope with 8 days in hand you are planning to travel by air to Leh and coming back the same way. Road trip will be very difficult in just 8 days. The sooner you plan, the better it will be as it is end of season by that time.
Hello Dheeraj,
Yes, I am planning to travel by air both ways. Any pointers on point 2. Is it ok for children to travel.
Best Regards
In general, it is fine to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say :D.. The issue with children is that they tend to exert the body considering it the same kind of place they belong to and this elevates the chances of getting struck with AMS. Secondly, they are not much expressive about their uneasy feelings, so it is parents who need to watch out and take care that the child is not suffering from uneasy feelings, headache or nausea and is behaving properly. With 5+ year child, I think he/she would be able to convey the uneasiness with little efforts. If you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling then please do not ascend anywhere, either descend to lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight and if symptom increase then start descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!
HI Anuj, I am Planning to Visit Leh during 6-11 Oct. Will be taking flight from Delhi to Leh and return via same. Pls confirm, if u got some info that if the lake shall be open during the time ? Pls contact at my mail rahul.goyal018@gmail.com.
Yeah Pangong Tso is accessible all round the year barring few days of heavy snowfall.
Hi Dheeraj,
I plan to take shared taxi from Leh to Pangong Tso and stay overnight there. Next day, travel back to Leh.
My question is Am i able to get shared taxi from pangong tso back to Leh?
May i know what is cost for one way shared taxi?
Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.
You are alone/couple and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
Is that posible to make Protect Area Permits (PAP) and ride alone in Ladakh? cuz I have information for do PAP must have at lease 2 travellers,
thank you
Print, this year onward, the rules has been eased and as an individual as well you can apply for permit and ride alone. The rule is in effect AFAIK as it was introduced in last month. If not, you can walk to any travel agent in Leh and he will club you with other groups and hand over the copy of the permit to you as well. Then you can ride alone. But, I think you should be able to get the permit alone as well with this new rule.
Dear Dheeraj ,
I am planning to reach Leh on 8th sep 2016 at 7.15 Am with my wife.
My return flight is on 12th morning .
Will you please advise some nice itiniary as wish to visit the famous lake also.
But we will like to go as per ur advice.
Deepak, wish you had more time so that you can enjoy the trip. With just 4 days in hand I can only suggest 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
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Leh
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
Day 4 | 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
Dear Dheeraj,
Thnks for your reply.
will you advise to go to Pangong Tso on day 3 and come back to Leh on day 4.?
Further , can u suggest some good hotel ( 2k to 3.5 K / day or some good home stay as we have in southern India) ?
regards
Deepak
No Deepak, ideally it is recommended to go to Nubra Valley on Day 3, 4 and then do Pangong Tso on Day 5,6
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
Dear Dheeraj,
Thnx for ur reply.
But we have only 4 full days there. 5th we have to back.
Hence we have to chose either of the two.
please advise accordingly.
Regards
deepak
Already suggested you the plan. In case you have to choose between Nubra and Pangong tso, since you will not be acclimatized to sleep at Pangong tso, I will say go for Nubra Valley
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to leave for Leh from delhi on 25th August 2016 by flight.
So my Plan is like…
Day 1:- Reach leh morning and rest, arrange for bike, stay overnight.
Day2:- Start for Khardung-la and Nubra valley and stay overnight.
Day3: Nubra valley to leh back.
Day4:- Leh to Pangong tso and stay overnight.
Day5:- Pangong Tso to Leh.
Day 6: Leave early morning for Hanle Village. (It will take 5-6 hours to reach Hanle I guess or maybe more than that) stay over night
Day7: roam around hanle and go to observatory and stay overnight.
Day 8:- Ride back to leh.
Day 9: take rest and Roam around leh.
Day 10:- Leave for delhi early morning..
Can you please let me know the if this plan will work or it needs modifications.
And what would be the approx. cost of this trip like rental bike 350cc bullet, accomodation,fuel, misc expenses…. (excluding flight tickets). and I am travelling alone, becoz couldn’t find the partners (friends couldn’t join due to there personal reasons).
Thanks in Advance.
Shaurya
You must have two days of rest in Leh before going over Khardung La to Nubra Valley. So, please plan first two days of acclimatisation in Leh. Rest seems OK. Leh to Hanle will take about 9 Hrs easily. You should add Tso moriri as well from Hanle.
For doubts related to budget for Leh – Ladakh trip, I am sure the link below will help you alot for getting an idea of overall budget:
How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Hi,
I am planning bike trip with couple of my friends Leh – pangong tso , pangong tso – leh, leh – Nubra valley, nubra valley – leh (4 days)
Which is better ? first pangong tso lake or Nubra valley ?
Can some one suggest good bike rentals contacts in Leh?
This willbe of great help
thanks,
You should visit Nubra Valley first and then Pangong Tso lake so that your body is more acclimatized. For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2016 – 17 & Reliable Shops
I have planned fr 7 days tour with my wife.
1. Delhi to leh via flight and check in the hotel and rest
2. Leh local market, gurudwara pather sahib, megnatic hill etc
3. Pangong lake and return to leh
4. Nubra valley and stay there
5. Return to leh via khardungla pass
6. Explore leh and near places
7. Return flight to delhi
I have some questions in mind, need advice
1. Round trip to pangong lake is doable or not ? Is there any adventure to explore at pangong ??
2. Should I get taxi from leh to nubra valley and at what cost. Or is there any other mode of transportation ??
3. I need bullet on rent while exploring Leh, should I get the same from leh ?
Hi Mukesh,
You should alter as below:
3. Leh to Nubra Valley
4. Nubra Valley to Leh
5. Leh to Pangong Tso
6. Pangong Tso to Leh
1. Just enjoy the nature as suggested above
2. Cost of two day trips above for both will be around 20K
3. Yes, you can hire the bike in Leh
Hi Dheeraj
I am planning a 7 day trip to leh by flight in mid july.
1st day – Leh local
2nd day -going to pangong and return
3rd day nubra
4th day return from nubra
5th day -tso moriri
6th day -return from tso moriri
7th day return flight
Is this proper? and should i stay 1 night at pangong or nubra i am confused in that.
Is overnight bike driving safe from leh to pangong and return.?
I am a solo traveller and planning to do a bike journey to pangong and nubra.
I have no booking at tsomoriri so i will get a good camp at a cheaper rates like 400-500 reaching der ??
Thanks in advance.
Hello Nihar,
I will request you to drop Tso Moriri, first two days rest and then followed by two day trips to Nubra and PAngong Tso. Else you will fall sick the way you have planned your trip.
Thanks Dheeraj
Tsomoriri I am going by JKrtc Bus on 20th july.
Then is it fine ?
Also let me know is it safe to drive bike late night from pangong to leh ?
No, it’s better to drive in day light. Roads are in worst condition.
Hey there, I’m planning on traveling to the area soon and had a quick question. Is the road from Leh to Pangong Tso safe to travel on a motorcycle in late June? Thank you!
Yes, 1000s of people take that road in June. Mostly the snow gets away from the roads, so things are much better
Hi Dheeraj,
We are 6 of us planning to travel in this September, our plan is as below. Need your suggestion on this
Day1 Friday -Bangalore to Delhi reaching Delhi by 11pm then travel towards Manali
Day2 Saturday-Reaching Manali and over night stay
Day3 Sunday -Manali to Jipsa, over night stay in Jipsa
Day4 Monday- Jipsa to Leh over night stay in Leh
Day5 Tuesday- Leh to pangong lake, night stay in pangong
Day 6 Wednesday – leave early morning from Pangong to Leh then to Nubra valley via khardungla pass over
night stay in Dikshit
Day 7- Start early from Dikshit to Leh then to Kargil on same day night stay in kargil
Day 8- Kargil to Gulmarg night stay in Gulmarg
Day 9-Gulmarg to Srinagar night stay in Srinagar
Day 10 -Flight to Bangalore
Is this plan looks practical? Traveling from Pangong lake to Leh then to Nubra valley?
and next day from nubra to Kargil?
Please let us know ur view on this. We will be booking private taxi for travel
Hi thank you for so helpful information. Please could you suggest if we should really cover Tso morari lake? We are going for Leh ladakh via a tour operator for 10 days (Delhi-Sri nagar-Leh Ladakh-Manali-Delhi) but to cover Tso morari lake he is asking for additional day plus 17k and we are already tight on time.
Shruti, it is always a matter of time. With just 10 day in hand, it is very difficult that you fit Tso Moriri as well in the plan
Hi Dheeraj,
Google maps has much shorter distance times to the ones you’ve stated. For example Nubra Valley to Spangmik via Wari La is 5 hours 40 minutes and 233 kms. I’m assuming they’re incorrect? How long would it take on a motorcycle? Also what is the condition of the Shyok village route nowadays? We’ll be going in early July. We dont have a complete itinerary yet but at this point it’s basically Amritsar – Jammu – Srinagar – Day off – Kargil – Leh – Day off – Nubra Valley – Pangong Lake – Continue on down to Manali. How does this look to you? The distances for each of these legs online are all roughly 4-5 hours. is this correct? Thanks.
Yes Alex, they are. Google does not take into account the roads/dirt tracks and speed on it and some part of sightseeing too. I have included a realistic number which is normal when we drive/ride on these trecherous routes.
Cars and motorcycles does not matter much as the speed is more or less the same, may be 10% here and there. Shyok village route is OK but you should be careful and not venture in there without any other vehicles
hello Dheeraj,
me and my friend(both male) are planning a 7 day trip to ladakh in june. we will fly to leh from delhi. So,
day 1 – leh
day 2&3 pangong lake
day 4&5 tso moriri lake
day 6&7 nubara valley
our budget is 20k each excluding flight to leh. is it possible to cover all these place.
Rahul, it should be like:
Day 1, 2 = Leh rest and acclimatization
Day 3,4 = Nubra Valley
Day 5 = Pangong Tso day trip
Day 6,7 – Tso Moriri
Hi Dheeraj,
We three friends are doing Srinagar and Ladakh trip in July. Our itinerary looks something like this
Day 1- Arrival at Srinagar, Visit to Gulmarg
Day 2- Leave for Kargil
Day 3- Leave for Leh
Day 4- Leh -Pangong
Day 5-Pangong to Tso moriri
Day6- Tso moriri to Leh
Day 7- Leh-Hemis (the Hemis Festival)
Day 8- Leh-Nubra
Day 9- Nubra-Leh
Day 10- Flight
Now the question is: will we face Acclimatization issues if we go straightaway to Pangong Tso on day 2 of reaching Leh? I designed the itinerary like this because I do not want to miss out on Tso moriri and Hemis Festival, and on day 10, we have an early morning flight. What do you say?
Nidhi, it is a recipe of disaster. Do it like
Day 4- Leh rest
Day 5-Leh 0 nubra
Day6- Nubra to Leh
Day 7- Leh-Hemis (the Hemis Festival)
Day 8- Leh-Pangong tso
Day 9- Pangong Tso -Leh
Oh, so its like I thought, acclimatization is an issue. I guess we need to skip Tso Moriri 🙁
But, its better to be safe than sorry. Thanks Dheeraj 🙂
we are planing to visit leh on 20th of oct . so can u guide us the climate conditions.
Vikram, are you planning to take road trip to Ladakh in October?
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for a wonderful blog. Appreciate such detailed posts and responses. Easily the best primer on a trip to the Himalayas.
This is my first time in the hills and wanted your advice on the itinerary. I’m jotting down the broad outlines of my trip. Just wanted to know if it has enough precautions against altitude sickness. And whether two days will be a bit too much at Pangong.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Day 1: Srinagar to Kargil
Day 2: Kargil to Leh
Day 3: Leisurely exploration of Leh
Day 4: Leh-Lamayuru-Alchi-Leh
Day 5: Leh-Nubra
Day 6: Drive back to Leh and overnight at Leh
Day 7: Leh-Pangong
Day 8: Whole day and overnight at Pangong
Day 9: Drive back to Leh
Thank you Chandra.This looks perfect. Rather what you should do is that you start Nubra Valley on Day 4, and use what you have Day 4 to visit Turtuk on Day 5 in Nubra Valley. Lamayuru and Alchi will be covered while coming to Leh from Kargil. So, this way you can make 3 day trip to Nubra Valley including Turtuk
Hi Dheeraj ,
I was going through above comments & i need your input on my upcoming Leh trip.
I will reach to leh by road way from Srinagar
I am planning to visit Numbra valley , Pangong and TSOmoriri from Leh on july 1st week and 2nd weeks . can you suggest me the best itinerary and routes to cover all this places
my friend suggested me below route
Day 1 : Leh to Numbra
Day 2 : Numbra to Leh
Day3 : Leh to Pangong
Day 4 : Pangong to Leh
day 5 : Leh to Tsomoriri
day 6 : Tsomoriri to Leh
can you suggest me if there is any other way to cover all the places in the 6 days
your suggestions will be appreciated
Varma, this is a good plan. However, you need one day rest in Leh after reaching Leh from Srinagar, so add that day as well.
Hi Dheeraj,
can we cover above 3 places in 5 days instead of 6.if yes plz suggest the routes
You will have to make a day trip to Panogng Tso and then you can do so.
We are coming on 8th may
We will be traveling by bike from leh to pangong…so the question is can we any technical support behind us or its easy to reach there..
Get ^^
You can keep the support vehicle if you are OK with the cost otherwise it ia tourist route and if the condition of the bike is fine, it shall be OK to travel.
i got a news that roads are already opened from srinagar and manali route that connects leh? is it true Dheeraj Brother ? Because i have planned to start my trip from May 7th so..
Sandy, totally false. No roads from Srinagar to Leh or Manali to Leh has been opened yet.
Thank you Dheeraj.. When can we expect the roads can open for traffic ?
Sandy, Srinagar – Leh is expected to open by mid of April or third week of April and Manali – Leh by thrid week of May
Hi Dheeraj
Is stay at sarchu acclimtize me for visit to Tso Moriri
I am Planing to vist there in start of june
No Guneesh, most people have trouble even at Sarchu itself, we never recommend sleep at Sarchu while going from Manali to Leh
I am planning a trip to Ladakh during the terminal June. In the article, you have written the following route between Tso Moriri and Pangong-
Tso Moriri (Korzok) – Sumdo (53 KMs) – Mahe (10 KMs) – Nyoma (25 KMs) – Loma (22 KMs) – Tsaga Village (23 KMs) – Tsaga La (20 KMs) – Chusul (33 KMs) – Kakstet (24 KMs) – Merak (4 KMs) – Man (12 KMs) – Spangmik (9 KMs)
Can I follow the same route but in the reverse way?
If yes the possible itinerary will look like this.
Day 1-Leave Leh in the morning (after 1-2 days of acclimatization beforehand) and reach Pangong Tso lake. Stay over there in the tent.
Day 2- After watching the sunrise in Pangong and early breakfast, head for the Tso Moriri lake (through the above route i.e. Changthang region). Stay over there for the day.
Day 3- Similarly, watch the sunrise, have an early breakfast and travel back to Leh. On the way, visit the Hemis monastery and the other monasteries too.
Will it be feasible? With time and exhaustion?
Do advice.
Thank you.
Arihant, yes it can be done, you will need permits and then luck that army allows you to pass chusul post.
Hi Dheeraj, seeking your help again after a year.
I would be travelling to Leh, primarily to attend 10-days Vipassana discourse. However, I have few days with me to either cover Pangong or Tsomoriri. I am reaching Leh on 14th May early morning; intend to rest for entire 14th and 15th. I then plan to visit either of these two lakes with an overnight stay on 16th and 17th before joining vipassana on 18th. I would prefer Tsomoriri as I have already been to Pangong. Wanted to know your view, specially on acclimatization. Also, would you be able to share with me any contacts there to assist me with Accomodation and cab bookings.
Thanks in advance.
Nikunj, it is all about taking a chance. Your body for sure will not be acclimatized to sleep at the altitude of Tso Moriri or Pangong Tso for sure on the third day of the trip !! IMHO, you should not do an overnight stay. May be what you can do is, on Day 3 leave for Tso Moriri but stay at Chumathang and then next day leave from Chumathang early to reach Tso Moriri and spend half a day there and then return back either to Chumathang OR back to Leh. If you stay at Chumathang on second day as well, you can join your course next day any how but that will give you more time to enjoy Tso Moriri. This makes more sense to me rather sleeping at Tso Moriri in May and that too on thrid day of the trip.
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.
Hi
Please tell me if i go to leh in April 1st week , what are chances that i could visit pangong & tso moriri and experience beauty of these two lakes?
Vaibhav, all routes in Ladakh are open all round the year barring few days of heavy snowfall. Hence, it all depends upon your luck in case it snows heavily the route will close for Pangong Tso else it will be open. Tso Moriri remains open all year round mostly too. There will not be any stays and due to extreme cold in April, you may not be able to stay at homestays which will be very cold too with basic facilities.
For PAngong Tso, you should opt to stay at Tangste and for Tso Moriri, stay at Chumathang Hot Spring Resort or Mahe Monastery. Most likely both lakes will be frozen with white color only. However, they usually freeze by this time of the year which unfortunately this year they have not frozen. So, you might be lucky this year to see colors but do confirm first.
Hi Dheeraj,
We, family of 4, travelling to Leh in May 1st week. Here’s our itinerary:
30 April: Arrival in Leh early in the morning.. Rest and some local sightseeing.
1 May: Local Sightseeing in Leh
2 May: Leh-Pangong.. Night stay in Pangong
3 May: Pangong-Nubra.. Night Stay in Nubra
4 May: Back to Leh
5 May: To Srinagar
Can you please let us know how much will be the cab fare approximately for this tour, starting from picking us up from the airport to drop us at the airport on 5th May? Is there any way I can book the cab before reaching there? I don’t want to opt for any tours and travels..
Also, feel free to drop your suggestions on our itinerary.
Thanks..:-)
Hello Zil,
Your pln for first 4-5 days must be exactly the same as presented under: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air
regarding cab fare for the 5 days mentioned in article I shared it should be around 18K-20K and it does not incude drop to Srinagar
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the reply.
One more thing I’d like to ask you: What are the chances that Leh-Srinagar highway will be open by May 1st week? Should I book a flight from Leh to Srinagar or should I hope for the best?
Thanks again.
Chances are 50:50, sometimes it opens around that time and sometime it takes time to open. All depend upon the amount of snow which this year is suprisingly less so far but you never know what will happen in coming two months.
Hi Dheeraj,
I stay in Bangalore. i am planning for a ride from Leh to Pangong Lake on my bike. at present i am a single one that is planning for this. my main requirement is for this ride from Leh to Pangong. i have one week of time during May. can you please suggest me a suitable itinerary. and if i want to do this on my own bike, can you please suggest me how to proceed. i have my bike in Bangalore.
Thanks,
Pradeep
Pradeep, are you planning to fly to Leh and then from there rent a bike to ride to Pangogn tso? any experience of driving in hills?
Hi Dheeraj,
I am trying to plan a tour for mid june 2016 for lahul spiti including chandratal, i wish to do pangong and tso moriri too. Can you suggest me any suitable itinerary?
My conditions are
We are a team of 8 adults age ranging from 19 to 58.
Have a total of 10 days in hand from chadigarh to chandigarh.
Wish to opt for standard and/or delux accomodation.
Do not want to go upto leh if possible.
Want to have night stays at kaja , kalpa, nako,sarahan,pangong,and tso moriri..
Any suggestions regarding the whole tour will be warm heartedly appreciable.. thanks in advance.. 🙂
Hello Imon,
With just 10 days in hand, you will be barely able to do a Spiti Valley tour only not Ladakh in it. Are you open with that idea?
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Spiti Valley followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 10-11 days: Most Common Itinerary for Spiti Valley.
Hi Dheeraj,
Great help for the bikers
I am planing to ride from mumbai to manali and from manali would like to choose this route
1)MANALI-ZING ZING BAR——————– —171KM
2)ZING ZING BAR-TSO KAR——————- —-195KM
3)TSO KAR-TSO MORIRI————————- –87.8KM
4)TSO MORIRI-PANGONG TSO(MERAK)—— -160KM
5)PANGONG TSO-LEH——————————-178KM
6)STAY
7)LEH-NUBRA—————————————–116KM
8)NUBRA-LEH—————————————–116KM
9)LEH
10)LEH-KARGIL VIA DRASS—————————211KM
11)KARGIL-SRINAGAR———————————202KM
And from Srinagar would like fly to Mumbai or travel by train.will there be a requirement for permit. If yes the then from where can i get
You should not do Tso Moriri while going from Manali to Leh because first the taxi from Manali will not be allowed to visit Tso Moriri. Even if you manage Leh taxi or going on your own, then you will not be acclimatized to sleep at such high altitude so early in the trip and may cause some ugly AMS issues for you. Highly not recommended, because any help if required will be very hard to find in case you get hit with AMS.
I am going on my Thunderbird. so if you are not recommending directly to Tso Moriri from Manali. Then can i go from manali to Tso kar and stay there for a day then move towards Tso Moriri. or else can I follow this route
1)MANALI-ZING ZING BAR——————– —171KM
2)ZING ZING BAR-TSO KAR——————- —-195KM
3)TSO KAR-LEH————————- –————-153KM
4)STAY
5)LEH-PANGONG TSO(MERAK)—— ————-178KM
6)PANGONG TSO-TSO MORIRI——————–160KM
7)TSO MORIRI-LEH————————————-220KM
8)LEH-NUBRA—————————————–116KM
9)NUBRA-LEH—————————————–116KM
10)LEH
11)LEH-KARGIL VIA DRASS—————————211KM
12)KARGIL-SRINAGAR———————————202KM
AND IS THERE ANY NEED TO GET PERMIT TO GO TO TSO KAR FROM ZINGZING BAR
Jagan, please do not use Upper Caps as it is meant to shout on public forums or stress upon something which I feel you do not want here. I will suggest following plan to you
1)Manali – Jispa
2)Jispa – Leh, long drive but you have to do it to acclimatize best and avoid AMS
3)Leh Rest and Acclimatization
4)Leh – Khardung La – Nubra Valley
5)Nubra Valley – Leh
6)Leh – Pangong Tso
7)Pangong Tso – Leh
8)Leh – Tso Moriri
9)Tso Moriri – Leh
10)Leh Rest day
11)Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil
12)Kargil – Drass – Srinagar
Thankyou so much dheeraj for your help. And i would like to apologize for using upper case as i had no idea that using it means shouting in a forum. I had just copied and pasted it from my word doc. And thanks once again for letting me know this as it will be useful for me in future if i need to post any content in public forum
Jagan, no worries it is just to inform you so that every one not start following same thing 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
Me and my wife arrived Leh by air on 03rd October and our traveling plan as per bellow, can you help us with your valuable advise is that OK?
03rd Oct Arrive Leh around 10:00 AM, whole day rest in Leh
04th Oct going to Nubra and night stay in Nubra valley
05th Oct returned to Leh, some local sightseeing in leh if time and body permitted
06th Oct (Main Issue) we plan to day trip for Pangong Lake, is that possible, if yes what is the preferable time to start journey
07th Oct return flight from Leh
Kindly advise with your valuable suggestions
Thanks
Sunny, you have to rest first two days in Leh only before making a trip to high altitude places. So, first two days should be rest in Leh and then third day it should be Khardung La day trip and last day it should be Pangong Tso day trip starting latest by 7 AM in the morning.
Hi, Mr Deeraj Sharma i have inform you that i went to pangong lake to Nubra valley through shayok route on 15/09/2015 and it was connected and Ladakh festival was held on 20/09/2015 till to 27/09/2015. I have few picture and time table of festival if you need.
Thank you Karma ji for the update. Julley !! 🙂 🙂
Yes, sure you can send us the picture on Facebook page or read this to post in community. In order to need help in posting topics to DwD Community, you can read the step by step guide: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/himalayan-travel-tales/how-write-travel-tale-t3.html
Hello Dhiraj,
Can you please tell me is Pangong lake accessible in April 1st week from Leh?
I am planning a trip in around november 2nd week 2015 for 8 days including Leh local sightseeing , Pangong , Nubra and Alchi side .
1.What kind of weather can I expect during that time ?
2. Is there any chance of snowfall leading to roadblocks in Pangong tso region ?
3.Is there any facility for hiring bike for 5-6 days in Leh for my trip ? We are two persons and hiring a car would be expensive
Hi Arkapal,
1. Weather will be very cold and dry during that time of the year.
2. In case it snows at Chang La then yes possible
3. Bike ride will be extremely cold experience, not sure if you are open for such extreme conditions or not.
Day 1- Arrive at Jammu Tawi | Bike Clearance From Cargo | Overnight at Katra
Day 2- Katra-Srinagar | Srinagar Sight-Seeing | Overnight at Srinagar
Day 3- Srinagar-Drass/Kargil/Mulbekh | Camp at Mulbekh village.
Day 4- Mulbekh-Leh | Permits Work | Rest
Day 5- Leh Sight-Seeing
Day 6- Leh-KharDungLa-Diskit-Hunder-Turtuk
Day 7- Turtuk Village-Leh
Day 8- Leh-Pangong-Leh
Day 9- Leh-Tso Moriri
Day 10- Tso Moriri- Sarchu
Day 11- Sarchu-Rohtang-Manali
Day 12- Manali-Chandigarh
Day 13- Leave For Bombay
Would be great to have a suggestion / go-ahead on this break-down from you.
P.S- I’ll be travelling solo on my Avenger 220! 🙂
Omkar, this looks fine to me. You can go ahead with it. I think permit work might need to be moved to Day 5.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are a group of 6 traveling to Ladakh starting 12th September. We would like to include Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri in our schedule. Would like to understand from you which would be the better option during Mid September – Leh-Nubra-Pangong-Leh-Tso Moriri-Leh or Leh-Nubra-Leh-Pangong-Tso Moriri-Leh options. Your suggestions will be most welcome.
Karthik Arun
Karthik, I will prefer the second one any day for my first visit to Ladakh but you might be forced as both routes to Pangong Tso – Nubra connectivity are closed for sometime now and will remain so for sometime. Regarding Pangong Tso – Tso Moriri, you will need inner line permits and even after that it will be quite difficult.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the tip! I guess we will take the second option. And by difficult do you mean the terrain and the drive? We are looking to get a good 4×4 taxi to take us around and not be driving ourselves. Hope that will help…
Karthik Arun
Difficult means, I was refering that even if you get permits then as well army many a times send you back from Chusul post and not allowing to pass through.
Hello Dheeraj,
Thanks!! For the great article. I see that “Nubra Valley – Wari La – Pangong Tso” route you have mentioned about mentioning the same in ILP. Is it really required.
Same for “Nubra Valley – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso” ?
AFAIK, Technically not required because Nubra Valley is exempted from permits to Indians since 2014.
Hi, Dheeraj,
What a superb website and a nice instruction of Pangong Tso.
I was told that there was limited access for some foreigners from certain countries such as P.R. China to go to Pangong Tso. Could you please let me know it is true or not?
Rgds,
Helen
Yes Helen that is true. You can read the entire detailed article on: Protected Area Permit in Ladakh for Foreigners
Hi Dheeraj,
I am travelling from Delhi. Below is my iternary. Can you please suggest anything which is not doable/difficult. Also I am travelling from Aug14-23 so Leh- Manali is it going to be troubled by rains?
August 14- Delhi to Leh flight. Local sightseeing in Leh, magnetic hills if time permits
Aug 15- Leh to Nubra
Aug 16- Nubra to Leh
Aug 17 – Leh to Pangong
Aug 18 – Pangong to Leh
Aug 19 – Leh to Tso Moriri
Aug 20 – Tso Moriri to Sarchu
Aug 21 – Sarchu to Manali
Aug 21 night travel by bus / Aug 22 day- Manali to Delhi
Replied here: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/most-common-itinerary-for-leh-ladakh/comment-page-11/#comment-346308
hi Dheeraj…:-D,
first thanks for responding so accurately for all the querries. after reaching Leh we are planning to visit khardungla n back n relax for the rest od the day. Nxt day we are planning to make a day trip to pangong tso lake n back. can we make it..? if so pls help us to asy when to start from leh.. any stops nrrded if any or go for it directly..
Thnx
Sreeraj, if you are catching the flight to Leh, then you need to rest couple of days in Leh only and then follow the plan as you said for Khardung La and Pangong Tso. In case you reaching by road then rest in Leh for at least one day.
a flight…. not at all… we are gonna hire a ride from manali to leh.. in that case can we make it… if so pls help us in the timing for the ride to pangong tso for a day trip.
In that case, best is that you stay for one day in Leh to acclimatize a bit and get off the tiredness. Then go for a day trip to Khardung La and finally next day go to day trip for Pangong Tso
Hello sir,
I have a question regarding my stay in tangtse village.I am planning to stay there in the month of oct-november is it advisable to camp at this time? What do you recommend.
also this is my first time at a high altitude terrain,though I have a rough plan on how to be acclimatised and things related to clothing as I want to stay for a long spell I was confused about the clothing I should carry.I would like to accept some advice from you.
Thank you sir.
aran mehrotra
New Delhi.
Aran, I will not suggest to camp during those days unless you are experienced with camping in chilly conditions and harsh weather at night. There are couple of guest houses in Tangste by the name Dothuling and Yakmik Changla, may be you can stay with them.
Can we actually stay BY the lake overnight?
Stay at the shores of Pangong Tso is not allowed as it is ramsar wetland reserve site.
Dear Dheeraj ji, thanks for your guide. can u tell me How to reach Pangong tso during winter..any how???
Amitabha, you can make a day trip to Pangong Tso from Leh in winters or may end up staying at Tangste. Roads are mostly open in winters as well barring few days of heavy snowfall.
Hello Dheeraj,
Before I ask my questions, I would like to thank you for this post and keeping us updated / answering our questions appropriately! We are planning a bike trip to Leh from Pune and I have prepared an itinerary for which i would request you to guide me if you see any issues.
Route Distance
Day 1 Pune to Indore (Manpur) 585 kms
Day 2 Indore(Manpur) to Ajmer 532 kms
Day 3 Reserve day / Ajmer
Day 4 Ajmer to Hanumangarh 420 kms
Day 5 Hanumangarh to Amritsar 286 kms
Day 6 Reserve day / Amritsar
Day 7 Amritsar to Udhampur 242 kms
Day 8 Udhampur to Srinagar 232 kms
Day 9 Reserve Day / Gulmarg
Day 10 Srinagar to Kargil (via Dras) 204 kms
Day 11 Kargil to Leh 210 kms
Day 12 Reserve Day / Leh
Day 13 Leh to Nubra via Khardungla Pass 115 kms
Day 14 Nubra valley to Leh 115 kms
Day 15 Leh to Pangong Lake via Changla pass 160 kms
Day 16 Pangong to Tsokar Lake via Keylong road 220 kms
Day 17 Tsokar Lake to Jispa via Manali Highway 226 kms
Day 18 Jispa to Manali 138 kms
Day 19 Manali to Chandigarh 291 kms
1. Apart from this I have a friend from Belgium riding along with me – please also let me know if there are permits required for me as well as for my friend?
2. Recently there is a news that two-wheelers are banned on Manali -Leh highway and has created a lot of confusion in my mind. Please let me know if you could provide me the latest update on this. Note: I’m returning from Leh to Manali.
Thank you so much!
Anubhav
Hi Anubhav,
Your plan looks good to me. Regarding queries:
1. Your friend will need permits to visit Inner Line area in Ladakh. You can check the article: Protected Area Permit in Ladakh for Foreigners
2. Since, you are traveling from Leh to Manali, that rule is not applicable on you.
Thanks Dheeraj!
Unfortunately, i had to re-work on my itinerary due to leave issues, the new plan is as below – Is this still doable, I have removed Tsokar Lake – is it worth considering the cut short of plans:
S.No. Route Distance
Day 1 Pune to Indore (Manpur) 580 kms
Day 2 Indore(Manpur) to Ajmer 532 kms
Day 3 Reserve day / Ajmer
Day 4 Ajmer to Hanumangarh 436 kms
Day 5 Hanumangarh to Amritsar 287 kms
Day 6 Reserve day / Amritsar
Day 7 Amritsar to Srinagar 468 kms
Day 8 Reserve Day / Gulmarg
Day 9 Srinagar to Kargil (via Dras) 204 kms
Day 10 Kargil to Leh 210 kms
Day 11 Reserve Day / Leh
Day 12 Leh to Nubra via Khardungla Pass 115 kms
Day 13 Nubra valley to Leh 115 kms
Day 14 Leh to Pangong Lake via Changla pass 160 kms
Day 15 Pangong Tso to Sarchu 205 kms
Day 16 Sarchu to Manali 230 kms
Day 17 Manali to Chandigarh 291 kms
Thank you!
It seems doable to me.
@Anubhav Day 15: Are you sure Pangong Tso to Sarchu is 205 kms? Google maps shows a massive distance of 410.
Omkar, please refer DoW Ladakh Maps of Changthang 🙂
Dheeraj,
I did take a look. Just re-confirming.
Is Pangong-ChangLa-Karu-Upshi-Rumtse-Debring-Pang-Sarchu, the route that you’re asking me to look at? 🙂
If yes, well I’m going to tweak my itinerary a little bit.
Yes, that is the route only. It should be somewhere around 330-340 range not 400+ at any cost.
Has anyone completed the Nubra Valley-Wari la- chang la-Pangon Tso route this season?? Hows the road condition?? We will be hiring a local taxi for this route, how easy or difficult is it for the local drivers???
Nikhil many people have done, road are OK in shape. It should be fine for the local drivers, please take a note that it is a desolated region and any help will not be easy to find in case required.
Hi Dheeraj Bhai
Thanks for helping all of us for being supportive. We are planning for Ladakh trip. Can you clarify which way is better for reaching from Pangong Lake to Tso Moriri.
1. Pangong – Tangste – Chushul – Tso Moriri (253 km)
2. Pangong – Hemis – Chumathang – Tso Moriri (303 km). I have heard this is more scenic.
If you can help on this, that will be a great help.
Akash
Akash, I will suggest that you go with option 2 as option 1 requires you to get the permits first to travel on that route and then as well Army can send you back from Chusul post in likely situation. So, there will always be uncertainty even after having permit.
Thanks Dheeraj Bhai
Just little more help required.
As we are planning to go from 18th till 29th August, we are little concerned about rain.
1. Can you just look at our plan, and suggest if we require and changes to itenary and permits any where –
(i) Chandigarh to Srinagar
(ii) Srinagar to Kargil (Via Leh)
(iii) Kargil to Leh (Via Likir Gompa)
(iv) Leh to Khardung La and then to Hunter
(v) Back to Leh
(vi) Leh to Pangong
(vii) Pangong to Tso Moriri (Via Chumathang)
(viii) Finally from Tso Moriri to Manali (Via Zing Zing Bar via Jispa Via Rohtang Pass)
2. Please also suggest, that will it be safe to travel from Tso Moriri to Manali keeping rain setting in at the time. (Road condition, riverlets)
3. Will, Rohtang be ok to travel from at that time.
Please help on above issues.
Below are my inputs:
1. Your plan is quite hectic. There is no rest day in Leh which will expose you to get hit with AMS. Then Pangong Tso to Tso moriri via Chumathang will be quite longish. Then Tso Moriri to Manali again is very very longish.
2. Till Keylong it wont be an issue in case it rains else if it is raining then Keylong and till lower hills it will be issue
3. Again if it is raining it will be slush and all up there
Hello Dheeraj, thanks for a great post. Do you know how much petrol we’ll need to cover Leh-Pangong Tso-Leh (in 2 days) by Enfield bike? The rental shop people say we’d need a full tank (15 liters) plus 5 liters in a bottle just in case. I am curious to know what is your experience. Cheers!
I agree with them because it will be a round trip of about 340 KMs. It is better to carry spare fuel rather than being stuck up there.
we are planning to visit leh ladakh on 21.6.2015, is there any permission required to visit pangong lake
No neeraj, domestic tourists does not need any kind of permissions to visit Pangong Tso lake.
Hi again Dheeraj….
Had this discussion with you last time in the other post where i asked you if it was possible to cover leh-manali in 1 day if we leave early in the morning and you told yes it was but then it would be one hell of a ride.. and yeah to save us from that i tried to make a slight change in the itinerary.. please help me! First i will type the original itinerary which had leh-manali in 1 day and then the revised one… i want your advice on my revised one…
The original itinerary (Extract)…
27-06-2015 – Leh – Nubra Valley (Overnight Stay)
28-06-2015 – Nubra Valley – Leh
29-06-2015 – Leh – Pangong Tso & return the same day
30-06-2015 – Leh – Manali
01-07-2015 – Manali – Delhi…
The Revised one (Extract)…
27-06-2015 – Leh – Nubra Valley (Overnight stay)
28-06-2015 – Nubra Valley – Pangong Tso (via Shyok Village, as it is the shortest route)
(Overnight Stay at Pangong tso)
29-06-2015 – Pangong Tso – Jispa (via karu) ( After a fuel up at karu)
30-06-2015 – Jispa – Delhi
01-07-2015 – Jispa – Delhi
Now please help me the following queries…
1) is it advisable to travel from nubra valley to pangong tso via shyok village, given that i will be fueling up at leh as the approx distance between leh and nubra valley is 150 kms and then to pangong tso via shyok village is 175 kms which totals to around 325 kms. say 350-400 kms and also from pangong tso – karu is around 200 kms so around max to max 600 kms before we get the next petrol pump at karu after the previous fuel up at leh. We will be carrying extra cans and bottles though. so is it advisable?
2) To travel via the shyok village will a permit be required as i read the other post about the permits not required post may 2014 but i could not find anything regarding this route! so do we have to take any Inner Line Permit to travel via the shyok village route from nubra valley – pangong tso
3) Is there any place for accommodation between pangong tso and jispa on the leh-manali highway, or is it directly available at jispa only? Also, between karu and jispa are there any small joints to eat like any small time snacks or anything?
4) The last 2 days we will be adjusting the place so i have typed the same for the last 2 days…please help with the above….
Regards,
Mahesh…..
Also one small thing, is the route via the shyok village safe? As you have suggested some caution on that route.. It is the first time for us but we would like to try it.. Hope we don’t need a separate ILP for going through the shyok village as asked in point 2 above…
Mahesh, please check to see how tough and risky it can get to take the Shyok Valley route and when exactly you should take it: Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route 2015
Mahesh, I have already suggested you about the Shyok route on other comment, how risky it is and what cann happen up there. Read the thread to udnerstand the situation and then take the risk.
2. No permit required for Shyok route
3. Do Pangong Tso to Sarchu, Jispa might be too much again
4. do Sarchu Manali and then Manali Delhi
Hello Dheeraj….
Well i read everything.. it is quite risky and instead of saving time if we are lost we might end up wasting more time..
1)Could you please suggest an alternate solution to our problem… you know the 2 proposed itineraries.. days can’t be added as we are on leave from our respective work places and a big leave, so an extension is like asking for a suicide.. you know how it is :P.. basically could you please suggest an alternate itinerary that we could undertake so as to reach Delhi anyhow by 01/07/2015… or else we will have to do that heavily tiring one day covering of the Leh – Manali Highway… i.e follow the 1st itinerary that i typed above..
2)I Am anyways going to discuss this route and its risk with my friends who are travelling with me and then decide.
3)Suppose, we finally decide to take this route via the Shyok village, there is one thing i wanted to ask, are there any directions or boards on the route to tell you that we are on the right way. How do we come to know when there are no roads and just a stretch of stones (as i saw in a few pics), that we are on the right track?
4)Also, we will be staying mostly at hunder in nubra valley, so how do we know which road takes this route to Shyok village from hunder…
5)Wari La route is not preferred because the distance is more and our last fuel up would have been in Leh and the next fuel up option would be only in Karu after we leave from Pangong Tso for Sarchu i.e after a distance of nearly 600-700 kms. Basically it would be risky even if we have extra diesel.
Please help on the above points 1,3 & 4…
Regards,
Mahesh…
P.S. Even though the route via the Shyok Village looked dangerous, to be honest, it was love at first sight.. I mean the view… the landscapes..the river… beauty….absolute beauty…. But yeah.. I would rather take your advice and then an informed decision and not be a Romeo… 😛
Hi Mahesh,
Do it as below:
27-06-2015 – Leh – Nubra Valley – Leh
28-06-2015 – Leh – Pangong Tso
29-06-2015 – Pangong Tso – Sarchu
30-06-2015 – Sarchu – Manali
01-07-2015 – Manali – Delhi
Regards
Dheeraj
Superb!!! What an idea Sirji!!! 🙂
By the way if we do Nubra valley in one day , then will we be able to cover the visit to sumur and panamik in that day itself after also covering diksit and hunder? As Diksit and Hunder are on top of the priority list…
And what’s the preferable time to leave in the morning to cover Nubra Valley in a day and return to leh?
Cover only Deskit and hunder. Panamik, sumur does not offer that much when you have time constraint. Leave by 6-7 AM max.
Also, i read in one of the comments below that, outside commercial vehicles are not allowed for sight seeing in ladakh.. We have booked a Zoomcar.. Will that be allowed?
As per the rule, only yellow number plate is banned for sightseeing and both white and black plates are allowed. This is the basic rule, in case Ladakh taxi union has started creating nuisance about black number plate as well recently I am not aware but by the rule book upto last year black number plates were allowed and I did not read any bad instance for such matter though there could be but not in my knowledge.
Okay i just enquired with zoom car, they said they have a black background and the numbers are written in yellow… so its not purely yellow number plate like the tourist vehicles.. And when i asked what to do if the union creates a problem, the guy said nothing can be done… so what do you suggest in such a case.. our whole plan will go haywire if we are not allowed with the car we are taking… please help!!
Also, how to handle the situation? Can they be convinced as we cant afford their taxis given their sky high rates… so in case they force us, whats the best thing to do.. As the rule if its is only yellow plate, will it be okay if we avoid them and do what we want and carry on with our trip, i mean they wont get violent and all hopefully! As legally we are not going against their rules.. Please suggest!!
Mahesh, there is no silver bullet to it. Rule I have already described, regarding self-drive car to Ladakh, this year a lot of queries I am seeing on the questioning of self drive cars being allowed or not allowed. Seems I need to take a try myself or wait to hear from someone else experience before the season end 😆 😆
Okay then.. if there is a problem we will try sorting it out by explaining them..hopefully we can… Anyways that would be it… thanks a lot for all the help.. In 10 days we start our trip.. Bless Us.. And thanks again for everything….
Regards,
Mahesh!!
Best wishes for the trip and if in case you happen to be happy to spread smiles, please execute our initiatives of DoW Causes on your own when you travel there, in order to help the local community up there in remote Himalayas. You can check more details about them at: DoW – Causes | A Step Towards Responsible Travel and can execute them on your own.
Hello Dheeraj.
Im planning to arrived to Delhi on the 3 july and i will love to got to Leh. Im travelling by muself so try to find a tour that doesnt want charge a heaven for it is almost impossible.., I was thinking to adventure myself and do it myself.
I know i can get to leh by road and reading your blog have give me hope that is possible however I have a big questions and is after I got to Leh how difficult and expensive will be go around leh ( i mean pangong lake) and the other nice places.. Obviously without to pay a fortune a. As well until now is not too much of a itinerray i have but having in account my situtation what you will suggest.
thanks for your time and waiting for your answer
Johana
Hello Johana,
You are alone and private taxis are very costly in Leh but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
Now to travel to Leh, you can consider the buses options: Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh if you are comfortable in traveling in buses.
Regards
Dheeraj