Since Ladakh tourism has boomed a lot of families have also started traveling to this high altitude cold desert. The questions like “Can I make a family trip to Ladakh with Kids?” or “Is it possible to visit Ladakh with Infants?“, etc.. have increased tremendously as people from all walks of life are planning Leh Ladakh trip every year.
In this article, let us look at some of the answers to such questions, general know-how, and tips on planning a vacation to Leh Ladakh with Kids.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
New Born Travel Warning
First and foremost, it is highly recommended that you DO NOT PLAN and completely avoid ANY travel, be it to a high altitude place or a low altitude or just in plains, if your baby or infant* is less than 3+ months old, STRICTLY.
Traveling to a high altitude place like Ladakh or Spiti Valley or any remote place in the world with such young infants or newly born babies or pre-mature born babies is a BIG NO NO.
Well, my personal choice would be to at least wait for any travel until your baby is not at least 12+ months old. Then based upon the place you choose to travel, you can decide if that place is safe for travel or not.
This article is not any medical advice and should not be treated one. At any stage PLEASE CONSULT your pediatrician before making any decision for traveling with infants or kids.
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What about traveling to Ladakh with infants?
Kids or Infants* or Babies* more than 3+ months old may similarly react to high altitude as an adult. They have similar tolerance to high altitude. It is because, as per medical advice, after three months, all the organs, including lungs, which helps in the respiration, are grown of the normally born healthy babies. But the case is different for premature babies or babies with some health problems.
Always keep in mind that it will be difficult to identify signs of AMS in babies* or infants* or kids less than five years old due to lack of communication. Hence, you need to be vigilant of your baby’s or kid’s behavior all the time while traveling to Ladakh or other high altitude places.
Although the guidelines or tips for acclimatization mentioned in the article Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization are applicable for kids or infants* as well but in addition, you can further follow below guidelines when traveling to Ladakh with infants* and children.
Tips for Traveling to Leh Ladakh with Kids or Infants* or Babies*
Let us look at some of the important tips for traveling to Ladakh with babies or children.
1. Gradually increase the altitude
When visiting Ladakh with children, you must ascend or gain altitude slowly to allow proper acclimatization. For example, while going to Rohtang Pass (3990 Mtrs), you can have proper acclimatization by staying one or more days at Manali and then one or more days at Solang Valley as well before visiting Rohtang Pass and further regions of Lahaul and Spiti Valleys.
It will help acclimatize you as well as your baby’s or kid’s body. For the first few days, the night stays must be between the 8000-9000 feet mark, then a couple of days at 10000 feet, and then gradually increasing the night stays about 1000 feet each alternate day. Ladakh’s altitude is high enough to cause AMS issues.
When traveling to Ladakh with infants or kids, always travel from Srinagar Leh Highway with an overnight halt at Kargil and Alchi before reaching Leh. This will ensure proper acclimatization before reaching Leh and will help a lot in making a successful Leh Ladakh trip.
2. Keep yourself & kids adequately hydrated
When traveling with kids to Leh Ladakh, you must keep yourself and your kids adequately hydrated (not over-hydrated in any case) by taking care of proper liquid intake and feeding including water.
An adequately hydrated body is key to the acclimatization for both adult as well as kid’s or infant’s* body. Do not over hydrate. (read below warnings)
3. Protect the infants or kids from cold
You must keep your kids or infants protected from the cold conditions by a sufficient amount of warm or woolen clothes. Make sure you carry inner thermals for them along with other required clothing for a Ladakh trip.
The kids or infants* must be protected from the cold by enough warm clothes because many of them tend to catch a cold easily. If they catch even minor cold, then you can (REPEAT you can) find yourself in a difficult to find a proper cure and care for him/her in remote villages of Ladakh.
One of the common dangers in Leh Ladakh is its remoteness and lack of accessibility to the proper medical care, we people are used to in our day to day lives. Hence, it is always best to protect babies or kids from the cold by getting them dressed in extra warm or woolen clothes.
DO NOT casually or lightly take the common cold of your baby or kids in Ladakh or other remote high altitudes places in the Himalayas.
4. Protect the soft skin of kids or infants or babies
You must cover your kid or infant well enough from rounded hat to protect his/her soft skin from the sun rays which may cause skin burns. Eyes too must be protected from the reflection of sunrays from snow using the shades because the reflection from snow may cause some irritation in kids or infant’s* eyes.
Similarly, the arms must be covered with full sleeves, feet with warm socks and shoes, hands with gloves. In any case, you need to protect the kid or infant* from the sun rays and UV rays which are strong at high altitude places like Ladakh and Spiti Valley.
Check with your doctor about sunscreen lotions that you can use for your kids or infants traveling to Ladakh with you.
5. Avoid staying longer at high altitude
Keep your visit or stay at a very high altitude as short as possible. For example, while going to Khardung La with an infant* you must stay for let’s say about 5-10 mins max, keeping the stay to a bare minimum. Similarly, you can avoid the night stay at Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri lakes.
Do not forget the period that may get wasted in traffic jams at such high altitude tourist places. The idea is to keep the stay as short as possible to minimize any chances of altitude sickness.
This clearly WARNS that traveling on Manali Leh Highway with kids or infants or a baby is definitely not something you want to undertake. Same applies to many other high-altitude remote or desolated places including sleeping at Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri if the body is not thoroughly acclimatized
6. Keep an eye on the weather
When you travel to remote places like Ladakh with baby or kids, you must keep a check on weather updates. If the weather seems bad on a particular day, when you plan to visit a high altitude tourist attraction (above 10000 feet), then please avoid the travel on that day and stay at the current altitude only. Take extra care to keep the baby or kid warm with woolen clothes on such cold days.
7. Be very vigilant about your kid’s physical conditions
If you notice that your baby or kid is crying too much or having any breathing distress or vomiting or his/her color is changing then IMMEDIATELY DESCEND and get medical help as soon as it is available.
This is why it is important to always consult your kid’s or baby’s doctor at home for the medication in such cases before you start the Leh Ladakh trip with your kid or baby. Carry those medicines from the hometown itself and keep them always with you while sightseeing in Leh Ladakh even on day hikes or day visits to tourist places.
Words of Caution – Again
As long as you follow these guidelines along with general AMS tips linked in an article above, you will minimize the chances of altitude sickness getting hit your kid or infant* (above 3+ months age)… Still, make sure you consult your doctor before going on the Ladakh trip with your kid or infant*.
A hydrated body is of utmost importance not over Hydrated (read below) I guess, up to 8000 feet (like up to Manali) there aren’t any major or apparent issues that can be seen with regard to altitude sickness but beyond that altitude (>8000 feet) it is always advised that the body should undergo proper acclimatization be it adult or kid or infant.
Corrections made after valuable suggestions from the pioneer, Vistet linked here (post #12):
I have several reservations on the advice in the linked post at # 8, starting with the dangerous idea of forcing children to drink when they are not thirsty. At best, they will vomit (which will force you to descend ); at worst, they’ll start to develop cerebral edema – either only from water intoxication or as a mixed result from this and altitude sickness. See, for example, Peter Hackett (Everest-climbing doctor and co-author of the CDC altitude advisory ) on this: “Too much water is harmful and can dilute your body’s sodium levels (hyponatremia) causing weakness, confusion, seizures, and coma.”
Last note on Oxygen
Being high in altitude, you will face the oxygen problems in Leh Ladakh. Small oxygen tanks of even medical grade oxygen provide a false sense of security. They will at extreme best last for an hour or two. For the value of cheap, portable oxygen solutions see here, # 5 and #7, check here.
It is better to carry a medium-sized oxygen cylinder that can help you in case of any exigency for a sense of safety. You can read about my article on how to carry an oxygen cylinder on the Ladakh trip.
Having said all that, it is still recommended that you CONSULT A DOCTOR or PHYSICIAN before you take your kid or baby* to Ladakh or any other high altitude region just to ensure everything is in right place. Again, the tips in this article are just my suggestions based on my very limited or negligible knowledge of AMS or mountain sickness but I will definitely suggest you that you consult some physician/pediatrician before going on the Ladakh trip because I am not any of them. For more details on this topic, you MUST READ the links mentioned in the references which explain it in better details.
FAQs – Trip to Ladakh with Children
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.
Let us look at some of the common questions about making a family road trip to Ladakh with kids that I keep answering to readers of my blog.
Can I make a trip to Leh Ladakh with a 2-year-old kid?
It depends on person to person to take the children of such an age group because AMS does not matter concerning age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness, I shall say. Personally speaking, I will not take such a young child to Ladakh.
With less than a five-year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant, and if you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling, then please do not ascend anywhere. You should either descend to a lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight. Of course, if symptom increase then starts descending immediately.Can I travel to Ladakh with a 4-year-old kid?
In general, you should be OK to take a 4-year-old kid to Ladakh after consulting with the doctor. AMS does not matter concerning age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness, I shall say. With a 4-5-year-old kid, I think he/she would be able to convey the uneasiness with some efforts.
Is it safe for a 6-year-old kid to travel to Leh Ladakh?
In general, it is fine to take the children of such an age group because AMS does not matter concerning age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness, I shall say. With a 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. If the symptom increase then starts descending immediately.
Can I make a trip to Leh in December with kids?
Winter in Ladakh is pretty harsh, and I will not recommend that you plan a winter trip to Leh Ladakh with kids or babies. Even for adults, traveling to Ladakh in winter is a challenge in itself.
Is traveling to Leh Ladakh safe for kids?
In general, it is safe to travel Leh Ladakh with kids, but certain precautions need to be taken as a parent before you plan such a trip. Of course, you must consult your pediatrician before making any bookings for your Ladakh trip. Rest, the tips in this article will help in making a safe family trip to the Ladakh region.
Don’t have time to read the full article? Check this short video on Discover With Dheeraj YouTube Channel on these essential tips for making a trip to Leh Ladakh with kids. If you like my video, please do not forget to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.
References
- Travel to High Altitude with Young Children
- Is it safe to travel at high altitudes with a young child?
- Altitude sickness and kids or babies
- Holidays at high altitude with Childs
- How to Help a Baby Sleep at High Altitude
Again: *Infants or babies with age GREATER than 3 months and who are not born prematurely and who do not suffer from heart or lung or any other illness, should only be considered for any kind of traveling, be it to a high altitude or sea or plains. My personal preference or suggestion is that baby or infant or kid with age greater than 12 months and not suffering from illness shall only be considered for any kind of travel.
Conclusion
I hope the information and tips mentioned in this article about traveling to Ladakh with babies or kids will be helpful for you. After going through the above article along with reference links, you can wisely decide whether or not you can make a Leh Ladakh travel with your baby or kid or infant*.
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If you know your friends or family are planning a trip to Ladakh, do share this article with them to help them make a memorable Ladakh trip.
Please feel free to share your valuable thoughts and inputs and suggestions. I would be looking forward to your responses as comments below.
148 Comments
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Hii Dheeraj,
We are planning for a tour to manali.our group includes 2sr. Citizen( One having heart problem though fit and one is asthematic) and one 2year child. I have hotel booking is Manali so spending night at Solang will not be possible as suggested in your article.
Do you suggest to drop plan to visit Rohtang.
Also suggest alternative to Rohtang which is equally beautiful.
Regards
Prateek
Prateek, I will suggest that you consult a doctor. Manali is not considered as high altitude but I will say doctor will be able to best guide you with the situation. Rohtang Pass, yes, people do suffer from some sickness, so, better you avoid it. But again, consult the doctor.
Hi sir I am planning to Leh Ladakh 8 may with my family I have daughter of 6.5years old can we plan and go and what precaution we have to take
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!!
Rest everything is explianed in the article above.
Hi, Dheeraj
We are planning next year june 3rd week to visit kaza via shimla-sangla-kalpa-tabo and return via manali- kullu from Kolkata . We are 6 person (3 family and a 3 year old child). I want some suggestion from your end regarding this matter that
1. Is it safe to travel with 3 year old child in this region.
2.What type of clothes and accessories should we pack.
3.Normal drinking water is safe or we have to carry mineral water in this total tour.
4.What type dry foods should we carry with us .
5.How much cost per person in this tour.(lower-mid budget tour).
6. This time is ok for this journey.
Please suggest.
Avijit.
06.07.2017.
Avijit, I think I replied to your questions either in some other comment or in the community forum or in Q&A section of the website. Didn’t you get it earlier?
Hi Dheeraj,
Where to catch Neelgrath / baltal buses in srinagar. I m visiting Amarnath yatra by helicopter at 6 am from Neelgrath. My worry is if I stay in baltal ( I heard Neelgrath is 12kms before baltal on srinagar – baltal route or are there any accomodations in Neelgrath ? ), how to catch the bus from baltal to Neelgrath helipad at very early morning as reporting time will be one hour earlier (in my case it’s mentioned 4.45 am ) to departure time. I am sure no buses run at that time. How other yatries do overcome this issue who travel in public transport like me ? Any suggestions / guidance from other fellow travellers as well are also most welcome and commendable !
I am really sorry Deepak but I have not done this route on buses or public transport.
Hi Deepak,
I am planning to travel Lahol spitti on in the 2nd week of June along with my 3 year son . Pls tell me the best and safe route and also tell me the itinerary as soon as possible
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.
You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.
For stay options in Kinnaur and Spiti, check the link: Some Good Options of Stays in Spiti Valley / Kinnaur Valley.
You can keep an average of 900-1200 per person per day for food and stay on the tour to Spiti Valley.
It depends on person to person 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… 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 less than 4 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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, we are travelling with kids aged 9 and 6. We intend to go to spiti via kinnaur. We leave chandigarh and reach kaza the third day. Our 6 yr child is on antiseizure medicine. And seizure are well in control for last two years. So do think we should take up this tour or just go to kinnaur and head back. We plan to return from kaza. We dont intend to do chandrataal also.
Hmm, I will suggest you better talk to his doctor. Also, please make sure you stay overnight at Tabo before sleeping at Kaza to better acclimatize.
Hi Dheeraj we r traveling with our 2 yrs old daughter to leh n laddhak from 9th to 14th may 2017..
We will be traveling from delhi to leh by air..i need to know, will it be ok for her to acclimatize coz we will be reaching leh in an hour from delhi..
Kindly reply soon
It depends on person to person 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… 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 less than 4 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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 starts descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!
I never took my child to Ladakh when he was less than 5 yrs old.
Ok thank you..
Hello Dheeraj – this is all very useful information! We are planning a trip to Sangla and Spiti in Mid October with our 3 year old toddler. The plan is to spend a night at Shimla, 2nd night at Kalpa, 3rd night at Tabo and then 3th night at Kaza. We will spend 3 nights in Kaza and visit Sangla on our way back. Do you see this to a problem for the kid? Is it safe to take him to Kibber (14K feet) and other high altitude places in Kaza?
Thanks in advance!
Sreoshi
Hi Sreoshi,
The plan looks OK to me as far as acclimatization is concerned. You will have to go slow and exert less, it should be OK.
It depends on person to person 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 less than 4 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
Thanks Dheeraj! One last question. We have been to Ladakh twice and I dont think I would take my 3 year old to Ladakh. When you compare altitude of course Kaza is at a higher altitude than Leh, but is it true that for whatever reasons you are more likely to end up with AMS in Ladakh than Kaza (and do note we dont plan to do Chandratal).
Well, yes, if you travel from Manali side to Kaza, you are more likely to face same symptoms as in Ladakh. Again, if you increase the altitude very quickly and do not give enough rest even after traveling from Kinnaur side, you will end up in same symptoms. The fact that you go slow over NH22 with night stay first at Kalpa/Sangla and then Tabo, helps you a bit. It does not mean that it is 100% proof, you can still get it. Another advantage in Kaza is you can quickly descend to Tabo or further to Chango, which helps a lot.
Hi Dheeraj !
I have forwarded you a mail and again writing to you here.
I have been planning a trip to Manali in the month of September (last week) . Was surfing online whether i could somehow include better options than delhi simla route . when ni came across your post . Certainly a delightto my eyes and mind. I wanted to take up a plan immediately but then i would be travelling with my daughter who would be jus 27 months (2 and half years) old . But after reading the above mentioned comments i think it is possible.
I just want you to suggest (feed) my mind a proper schedule for my trip ; just keep in mind my daughter .
We would love to travel to scenic places and some snow would be an icing on the cake . My trip dates are not yet fixed . I just want a perfect plan for my trip to exhilariting scenic places . We would be 4 people maximum + my kid .
Looking forward for a reply .
Oki, I got your comment here and will reply.
Well, there is no snow around Manali in September and all the snow gets melted by that time of the year. I have travelled to most of the Himalayan places with my kids when he was around 18 months we started and have been going there since then with him. Manali does not have such an high altitude to effect anyone and so as Shimla. The problem comes when you visit Rohtang Pass which has altitude issues but tree line is not that far from Rohtang PAss too and you do not feel much scarcity of oxygen there. However, since it is still high altitude spending more than an hour or two with kid is not advisable.
The main challenge we faced traveling with the kid was his motion sickness in long drives for which his pediatric recommended us to keep windows a bit open and also shared a medicine too in case required. You can consult your pediatric too but should give medicine only in case you know she is prone to motion sickness.
You should check out the plan: How to Plan a trip to Shimla and Manali?
But then manali and shimla is not what i want to visit in September . It fizzes out during that month. I want to go from home—-> leh —-> manali —–> home .
That is the trip i am asking insight on .
And let us be on this page only .
Kindly do not take my answer as arrogance . I just wanted to clear the things.:)
I replied to your other comment on the other thread or page. Let’s keep the discussion to that page only.
Deeraj ji,
Namaste. Need your help in my plans to go to Rehtag pass along with family with an infant of 1.8 years in the 1-2 week of May from Bangalore. I have about 8-10 days. Can you please suggest me the itinerary? We want to spend some time Manali both on the way up/ down to Regtang or higher.
Regards,
Pravas
Sorry for misspelling your name Dheeraj ji
That;s fine, I understand it 🙂
Julley Pravas, you can plan for the trip like below:
Day 1 – Leave from Delhi by overnight Volvo for Manali. Get down at Aut/Bhunter near Kullu next morning (Day 2) where you can get to reach Tirthan Valley (about 40-45 KMs from there)
Day 2 – Tirthan Valley – Relaxing day besides Tirthan River
— Stay at Raju Bharti Guest House (you will need booking well in advance, so finalize it ASAP) other you need to stay at some other property. Raju is a pioneer in that region, so will say do not miss the stay there as it is quite an experience in itself.
Day 3 – Tirthan Valley
— Enjoy the walks in the GHNP. There are two Waterfalls nearby Raju GH in the woods.
Day 4 – Tirthan Valley – Naggar Castle (about 50 KMs)
— Stay at Naggar Castle and enjoy the place. Very romantic with great views and food. Visit Roerich Musueum, Art Gallery and do not miss the hike to ancient Krishna Temple at the top
— It is one of the most romantic places in Himachal
Day 5 – Naggar Castle – Manali (about 30 KMs)
— Manali Local sightseeing including Manu Temple, Hadimba Temple, Local Monastery, Shopping at Mall road etc etc
Day 6 – Manali – Marhi/Gulaba Snow Points towards Rohtang Pass – Solang Valley – Manali
– You can enjoy the first half of the day at snow point MArhi/Gulaba (whichever is accessible) and if interested may also visit Solang Valley snow point for other adventure activities
Day 7 | Manali – Delhi by overnight Volvo
— Relax in Manali by evening and leave from Manali by overnight Volvo.
You can add more days within above plan for further rest and all.
Hi dheeraj
I am planning for ladakh leh trip with my family having 2 children’s ages 8 and 14 wife and me and another family ages 60/56/18/17
Will you please guide about the iternary where we are planning 27 may to 6 june 2017 . In short I planned for 27 in Srinagar halt, then moving to leh via kargll stay at kargll next day after sightseeing moving to leh then 4 days halt in leh then sarchu halt and moving towards manali then to delhi then to pune . Will you please guide me about leh climate for my children’s. Then I am totally confused about the trip for taxi for 8 persons hotels over there can I hire a taxi (innova / suv / scorpio)from Srinagar to manali all sightseeing. People’s are giving very different rates. e leh manali highway will open in first week of June . Is it good to take children’s family go through that way Please guide me about all this things.
Regards
Mahendra
Hi MAhendra,
If you can postpone your trip by at least couple of weeks, I will say it makes more sense to travel Manali – Leh road by then. However, with family of children and adults, Manali – Leh Highway opened in early days can pose some threat of freezing cold conditions and being open/close in early days as it takes sometime for roads to get stabilize. Else either travel back from Srinagar side or better take flight from Leh itself.
Regarding taxi, you either will need two taxis (costly) or small tempo traveller or winger to have 8 people in it.
Hello Dheeraj ji,
Planning my 2nd trip to leh laddakh in end of May 2017 this time with family having 2 kids (9yr and 4 yr). We will drive in our Xylo from Delhi and stay at Srinagar. Kindly advice if it is possible to reach lamayuru in 1 day starting from Srinagar? How many hrs. journey it will be..? Also, please advice if we can plan to visit pangong lake starting from leh and come back to leh in same day..? Generally, how much time it takes to reach pangong lake from leh..? We want to do so bcoz I do not have enough leaves in hand from my office…Kindly help suggesting..!
Best regards,
Naveen
Naveen, it is best that you stay only at Kargil after Srinagar for better acclimatization and do not rush yourself. It may do harm rather any good to the rest of the plan considering you are traveling with family.
Day trip to Pangong Tso will be at least 12 Hrs out on roads and sightseeing around Lake. With kids on board, it may be difficult I feel.
We are planning for a trip to Sangla-Kalpa-Nako-Tabo-Kaza,kunzum,manali with family which includes my 5 yr daughter. Please let me know the feasibility.
When are you planning the trip? If it is winters, I wil suggest against it and will advice you to make plans for spiti in summers.
Thanks Dheeraj, actually I am planning for end of September. Do you think I should avoid that time?
September end should be good time to visit it.
Hey
I am planning to visit leh ladakh from 8th may to 16 may with my 9 years brother is it OK for him??? Coz I heard that the temperature of ladakh in may goes -17 degree
Can u pllzz suggest me tha places where we can go nd
Anjali, yes the agewise it is fine. However, please note that it will be too cold to spend a night at Pangong Tso and hence, will recommend that you spend the night in Tangtse about 34 KMs before Pangong Tso during that time of the year.
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.
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
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.
can I travel with my kid 1.4 years old to Pahalgam and srinagar, kashmir in mid june? Is it safe for the kid?please reply.
Amit, though you should consult a doctor but in Kashmir most tourist places are not high altitude so in general it shall be OK
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning for trip to Leh with wife and kids (daughter 11 yrs & son 6 yrs). We will start from Delhi & take the Jammu-Srinagar-Kargil-Leh route and return via Manali. Total trip will be over 14 days in a self drive car. My daughter generally has vomitting tendancy in the hills, hence, is it advisable to do this trip with her? Also will this routing help? I am aware of AMS and the precautions about taking adequate rest and acclimatization and will take proper care but am just worried if this is too much for my daughter to handle. Will appreciate a quick revert as we plan to do this in first week of June.
Sanjeev, in general what you are talking about is Motion sicknesss. What happens in Ladakh is acute mountain sickness due to hig altitude. Make sure you go from Srinagar side and may be stay at Alchi before sleeping at Leh. Do ensure that body remains hydrated in case she is puking too much. You can consult the doctor for motion sickness medicines. There are bands of acupuncture available too which my wife uses alot and they are effective but not sure if they are available in Indian stores.
Hi Deheeraj,
Thanks for your prompt response and really appreciate your blogs and the useful information that you provide.
I just had one more query! Is it possible to by-pass Srinagar on the way from Delhi to Leh? The current militancy situation is highly spiked with news of several terrorist infiltrations coming in. I do not want to do Delhi – Manali – Leh with the kids, however, Srinagar seems to be dampner.
Thanks.
I want to know whether tangste have some good temperature at night then pangong.
Yes Harmit, tangste is much warmer than Pangong Tso and also have decent guest houses as well.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am traveling to leh on 19th May. I have planned to stay at tangste on 24th during my Pangong trip . I want to know whether tangste have some good temperature at night then tangste & what approximately will be the minimum temperature by then.
Yes Harmit, tangste is much warmer than Pangong Tso and also have decent guest houses as well.
Hi Dheeraj,
Feels great to get bk to ur page again!
I remember how we had decided to go to Tirthan Valley reading your take on it and am so glad that we did. It has been one of my best experiences of travel till date. The best part was when we got to meet u and ur family at Raju’s Cottage bk there in 2014 😀
Anyway, we are planning to visit Manali over the coming week but this time we’ll have my niece who is almost 2yrs old travel with us. Do you think its fine? I mean we are worried about the long travel from Delhi to Manali basically. Is it doable? Would be great if you could revert bk.
We will be reaching Delhi from Kolkata on the 22nd night by air. And then we are planning to travel on the 23rd from Delhi to Manali by car and would get bk by the 26th to Delhi again. We fly bk to Kolkata on the 27th. Our intention is to cover Manali along with Solang Valley. Please do let us know your views.
Also, if you think this sounds a bit difficult, please do suggest any other places where we could go to during this period.
Thanks 🙂
Regards,
Jaysmita.
Hello Jaysmita,
Great to connect with you again and well yeah I do remember meeting up back there at Raju’s Cottage 🙂
Manali is fine for children with respect to altitude, when you go to Rohtang PAss or towards it, avoid spending more than 2-3 hrs at the top rest lower hills shall be fine. Rohtang Pass might actually be not open yet so nothing much of worry, still I will say even for Marhi keep time check of about 2-3 hrs atthe top and then come back.
Regarding travel time, well, I am not sure how much the child is accustomed to the long travel but surely you wanna consult the doctor to prescribe the motion sickness syrup for small child. That is where the small kids struggle most. If you feel there is too much of issue, then you can halt at Mandi for a night and then head to Manali next morning.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj,
Came across your posts while searching for the Srinagar Leh Trip, which we are planning for May, 2016. Couldn’t find ways to post a direct comment hence posting from a reply option ..
Can you pls review our itinerary as well as suitability considering the kids we have ??
We are two family planning for a Srinagar – Kargil – Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh – Manali. We have 3 kids, a 2.50 year old and 8 year olds.
Tentative Itinerary is as below:-
May 12 – Landing at Srinagar from Delhi – Sight Seeing for 2 days including Pahalgam
May 15 – Start for Srinagar to Leh road trip – Self Drive Vehicle – Stop over at Kargil ( Do you think this is the best place to stop or would you suggest some thing else , any suggestion on the accommodation)
May 16 – Arriving at Leh – Half day for acclimatization & site seeing ( if feel so )
May 17 – Start for Pangong Tso – Self Driven Vehicle- Stay for the night there (Suggestion for a good stay place for families – Seen one Pangong Inn….looks decent ….what your comment on the same ?)
May 18 – Go back to Leh…. ( I believe there are few monasteries to visit during Leh – Pangong Tso and back…. can you suggest which one to go for ….. )
May 19 – Visit to Khardung La
May 20 – Start for Manali – Self Driven Vehicle – ( Haven’t see much here….need to some R&D )
May 21 Arrival at Manali – One day at Manali
May 22 – Back to Delhi
Thanks a ton in advance,
Nitin M
Hi Dheeraj,
Awaiting your valuable feedback dear.
Thx,
Nitin M
Will be replying today for sure.
Hello Nitin,
1. Yes Kargil is a good place to halt.
2. You will arrive in evening, so just take rest
3. On May 17, take complete day rest in Leh and acclimatize. DO NOT go for sightseeing at all.
4. On May 18, 19 – Do 2 day trip to Nubra Valley
5. On May 20 – Do 1 day trip to Pangong Tso
6. On May 21, 22 – Do Manali – Leh Highway journey and sleep at Jispa by leaving at 5 AM in morning from Leh.
I will NEVER suggest to take a 2.5 yr old child on such a journey with such tight schedule. Please consider especially the Manali – Leh Highway that early in the seasonly will be terrible decision at any given day.
Thanks a lot, Dheeraj.
Just one quick question….normally you are suggesting for 2 day trip to Pongong Tso in your suggested Leh Itinerary in DOW, any reason why you suggested one for us ? Because of Kid or already tight schedule ?
As of now I have booked my tickets now for 19th May to Srinagar…. Fingers Crossed 🙂
Thanks,
Nitin M
Yes because of the Kid and you have a really tight schedule.
Ok.
Thx again,
Nitin M
One more quick question…
I wanted to book the bus from Manali to Delhi on the same day when we are expected to reach there from Leh.
Do you think we shall be able to reach by 3 – 4 PM, so that I can go ahead and book the buses which are available for 5PM departure ?
We are planning to take a over night break at Sarchu the previous night. Or you think we should stop over at some other place to ensure to catch the evening buses.
Thx,
Nitin M
Hi Nitin,
I will suggest that you take the bus as late as possible because you can never predict the delays there might be due to landslides which are common only. Futher it will be much better if you plan to night halt at Jispa instead of Sarchu to ensure there is no last minute panic.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
Sure.
Thx,
Nitin M
Hi Dheeraj,
Kindly suggest a suitable itineray for 7 days visit in 3rd week of May to Leh, with Kids of 3 years, 13 years & 16 years old.
Are you sure you would like to travel with a 3 Yrs kid to Ladakh? Are you planning to fly in and out?
Dear Dheeraj,
Yes, I have already booked the flight ticket. Kindly suggest the itinerary .
Any issue with 3 years kid please?
Regards,
Ashish
Ashish, It depends on person to person 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 less than 3 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
Regarding plan:
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sighseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain with taxi driver and you can refer the thread for a comprehensive list of drivers: List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – 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 6 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 7 | Fly back home
Many Thanks Dheeraj
Hi DOW, I am planning for a road trip with my kids 4 & 3 years old in July this year. My wife and daughter are sinus patients. Please suggest precautions and suggest which all places I can take kids
Hi Ravi,
It depends on person to person 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 less than 3 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
Also, PLEASE read the article: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies. This article covers this topic in complete detail.
can i plan trip to leh by car from vadodara to leh ladakh in 3rd week of may 2016 with my 18 months old child
Nirav, please read the article above carefully before you make a call to take an toddler to Ladakh and that too when roads just open.
Hi Dheeraj,
I want ot plan manali and rohtaang trip with my 1.7 year baby….is there any Hram…?
Please suggest.
Zeeshan, it should be OK to travel Dont spend too much time at Rohtang Pass though. Manali shall be fine anyhow.
Hi DoW – Some great posts actually!! I & my husband plan to reach Leh by flight next month for a 7 day trip, and have a 2 year kid with us. I was checking that the taxi prices are quite expensive.
Is it practical to hire a bike, and do sight seeing of the most common tourist spots (Nubra valley, Pangong lake etc.) with a 2 year old kid? Or the near-extortionary taxi the only option. Any option that avoids burning a hole in the pocket will be great to hear of.
Please, could you suggest?
Cheenu, please do not do that it will be quite tricky with 2 yr old to ride in Ladakh especially in case you do not have experience of riding in high altitude. It depends on person to person 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 less than 3 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
Thank you so much DoW!
So basically it means hiring a taxi for local sightseeing is the only option, with the baby?
If I were to stay in Leh for ~7 days and plan to visit say 3 tourists spots (Nubra Valley, Pangong Lake, and one more), will it be right if I assume the cost of taxi will be 20,000?
It might be a monotonous task answering the same questions so many times and just wanted to express gratitude for the awesome job you are doing!
Yes, advisable is only that you take a taxi. One destination cost is around 10-11K for a two day trip. So, you can get that from there. Two day trips to Pangong tso and Nubra cost around 20K.
Dear dheeraj,
I m planning to go leh via flight with my Spouse and 2 child 2 years and 5 years in November month will you please suggest me that this is right time to. go or should I cancel my trip
thanks
Pankaj singh
Pankaj, november is not an ideal time to visit Ladakh in case you plan to spend a family vacation. June to September is the good time to travel as season time. Only a bit hardcore travelers should visit Ladakh in those months as stay options are a bit less and at lakes it is freezing with very basic homestays running for stay
We are 2Adult with two children 6&12yrs planning to going Leh from Ludhiana byroad which vehicle your suggest
I will suggest taking an SUV to Ladakh for peace of mind.
hi
i am going to leh from srinagar by road with my 3 year and 5 years old children. and return to srinagar by road
can u tell me the journey of that is safe for my childs. my travel date is 27/05/2015,
Pradeep, everything is explained already in the article and comments above. It depends on person to person to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any physical health condition. 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 less than 3 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
dear sir
we are planning to go to shimal on 24/05/2015 with a 3 months baby and one 5 years child.will it be ok to go there up to rohtang. please suggest
thanks
kumar rohit
Rohit, Rohtang Pass is near Manali not Shimla. Also, I will not suggest to travel with a 3 month baby as described in the article.
my child age 5 year she traveling Srinagar to leh via kargil on road & 5 days staying for sightseeing (pangon lake,sumuriri,nubravally) & back to Delhi by plain.can you advice my daughter have to do this plan route.
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 physical health condition. 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!!
Read the article above and consult the doctor too 🙂 🙂
Hi Dheeraj.
Thanks for the very informative blog specially for parents with small kids. I have been through almost all the posts here and need your help in fixing itinerary with kids aged 6 and 20 months. We will reach Leh via plane on 17th morning and return on 22nd morning.
Can you please suggest a suitable itinerary for us along with places where we should visit and stay at night (if possible) ? We would like to avoid travelling more than 4-5 hours by road in a day and plan to be in Leh for initial 2 days to acclimatize.
Are home stays would be more comfortable than hotels? any recommendations on accommodation will also be helpful.
Thanks,
Ashish
Ashish, I am sure you must have gone through the above article for the risks involved in taking child such young in age. First two days you are resting in Leh for acclimatization, then I will suggest that you make a day trip to Sham Valley: Sham Valley Ladakh | Sightseeing and Travel Guide
Post that you should make a two day trip to Nubra Valley and then return back home on 22.
Dheeraj,
Thanks for a quick reply. I realise my earlier post is a bit ambiguous w.r.t the age of children. First one is 6 yrs and second is 20 months. I will finalise Sham valley and Nubra as suggested by yourselves.
Can you suggest some accomodation at Nubra and Leh suitable for kids?
I hope going to Nubra shouldnt be an issue though we pass through very high altitude if we dont stop for more than an hour at the pass?
Lastly, shall we book accomodation and taxi before reaching Leh?
Regards,
Ashish
Ashish there are many options in Leh. In Nubra Valley you can stay up at Sten Del: Hotel Sten Del, Diskit, Nubra Valley, Ladakh | Hotel Review
For Leh you can check: Moderate Budget Hotels or Accommodation in Leh – Ladakh
Dear Dheeraj, During July 11th to July 20th we are planning to visit Leh. My family (2 adults with 1 kid of 3.5 yrs) will travel from Ahmedabad by flight to Srinagar. Stay there for 2 days. On 13th 2 families (4 adults with 2 kids (1 of 3.5 yrs and another one of 5 yrs) will travel to Leh by road. On 13th Overnight stay at Kargil. 14th resume journey to Leh. Rest at Leh on 14th and then local sighseeing on 15th at Leh. On 16th travel to Nubra Valley through Khardung La pass stay at Nubra on that evening and return to Leh on 17th.. rest at Leh. On 18th Travel to Pangong Lake and overnight stay… return to Leh on 19th.. rest at Leh.. On 20th return from Leh.. if possible overnight stay at Kargil/ or else direct to Sringar depends on physical/mental fitness on that day..:) Now my questions 1) Do you find this travel plan advisable for our family with kids of 3.5 yrs and 5 yrs old 2) Whether overnight stay at Nubra valley and Pangong Lake (tent) is advisable 3) Taking kids to Khardung La pass (wont spend much time there) 4) Finally whether the duration of our journey is fine.. (you know we got problems with leaves…..:)
Hello Sibi,
I hope you MUST have gone throught he article above and understand the risk of AMS while traveling with Kids. Rest in Alchi on 13th, it is just 60 odd KMs before Leh and will help you more with acclimatization. DO NOT forget to keep your bodies hydrated all throughout.
Have you considered weighing in the fly out option v/s coming back to Srinagar, paying for taxi and for overnight stays + food.?
Regarding your queries:
1. As I said, you must have understand the risks in the article above and constraints of traveling with kids less who cannot speak out their health issues.
2. The itinerary seems OK to travel. Nubra is never an issue as it is below altitude of even Leh.
3. Age, sex, fitness, etc.. nothing matters when it comes to AMS. May be kids will do perfectly fine and you will fall sick due to AMS. So, do not be under this myth 🙂
4. Should be fine with only issue that you will be traveling same route back rather I will suggest to fly out of Leh if there isn’t too much of difference.
Regards
dheeraj
Thank a ton….
DoW nd u are doing a gr8 job
Suggested this site some of my friends too…
All d best..
Thank you Sibi, happy to help 🙂
Dear Dheeraj,
Compliments on this article and website. Its very helpful. Although, we do drive aound a bit with our son who is a year old now. We are planning on the “big one” in the month of July this year – from Assam to the Ladakh region. By that time our child will be about one and a half years old- so here are a few questions for you if i may – would you suggest that we take this journey? What route would you suggest? Lastly we really want to visit the lahaul spiti region as well- do you reckon this will be doable? Oops forgot to mention we will be overlanding in our vehicle, with three other cars.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Many thanks,
Best regards
Roja
Roja, It depends on person to person to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any physical health condition. 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 less than 3 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
Please go through all the points in the article and consult your doctor as well. Regarding visiting Spiti Valley, it depends how many days you have in hand.
Thanks a bunch for your answer Dheeraj. My question about spiti valley, was actually: will it be lesser in altitude than approaches and ladakh itself? Hence if it is so will it be easier with the child instead of ladakh, in spiti valley side?
Roja, Spiti Valley is no lesser in altitude, in fact Kaza is higher than Leh. However, the route from Shimla to Spiti provides gradual ascend and body acclimatize in case carried out in suggested manner. Then you can exit towards Keylong / Jispa and further to Leh. However, this will add at least 5-6 days.
Great article and very helpful response to readers.
Thank you Shilpa, glad you liked the info. present here on DoW Blog.
Hi Dheeraj,
My Family planing to visit manali on Christmas eve but my confusion is that I have 8 month old baby …is it safe to visit manali with baby or should we avoid trip ..please advice …..
Sonia, it will be very cold for sure up there and there are always chances of snow too. Though there isn’t any danger of high altitude in Manali and Rohtang Pass is closed too. However, I am not sure if a journey that long and winding in hills will be fine for the infant. I took my kid first on mountains when he was more than 15 months old and he struggles for motion sickness.
Hi, I m planing to manali and rohtang, my daughter 2 years old,
Please suggest
Sandeep, it should be fine to visit Manali and snow point towards Rohtang Pass. Rohtang Pass if officially closed. Please take heavy woolens for your family with you.
hi dheeraj, i read all your valuable suggestion. its nice and fantastic. here i am planning to visit manali in may15 also wish to visit rohtang pass. is it suggested to take my 2 and half year old kid there. pl post your valuable advice.
Kannan, as you have read the article and reference links in this article, you will agree it is OK medically but please take the precautions as mentioned above in the article.
Hi dheeraj,
Me and my family are plannin a holiday to manali-dalhousie in dec end with baby of 1.3 yrs old.Is it ok to take her along i m really worried plz help
Neha, technically/medically as written in the article and references, it should be OK to travel but since Dalhousie and Manali are separated quite a much I will suggest to restrict the travel as less as possible. So, choose one among the two places. Also, consult for sure your pediatric before you leave and take his advice specially on motion sickness among infants due to long hour travel.
hi mate
i am planning to visit Leh & Ladhak on 1st September till 4th September, our travel includes nubra valley and some high altitude lake, i am accompanied with my 11+ months daughter normal born. kindly suggest should i take the trip or not.
regards
Madhur
Madhur, PLEASE DO NOT undertake this tour. I will not suggest to undergo such a tour with an infant and that too just for 4 days. Very high risks. PLEASE AVOID.
We want to go Leh via Kashmir around 14 June 2015 withkid having age of 7 yrs (pre-mature) 10 yrs and 12 yrs. Is it possible, Please advice
It is fine to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any physical health condition. 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!!
Read the above article.
Hi Dheeraj
We are planning a trip to Leh/Ladakh on the 7h of Aug 2014 for 7 nights. we are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 boys aged 6 and 4 yrs)
I have read most of the comments here but im still unsure whether it is safe to take them there..also we are planning a package with the Grand Dragon hotel in Ladakh and the package calls for a one night stay at Nubra Valley- Resort Desert Himalaya and one night at a camp in Pangong Lake…I await to hear from you if I should be even considering this…Thank You so much!!
Shiney, as you have gone through the article and comments, I am not sure what to say more here. It is a call of a person 🙂 … It should be fine enough if you follow the above tips and suggestions to the extent possible. Regarding package, I am not sure about it. That place is too costly, there are other good luxury options of stay as well in Leh much lesser price than it. Check with info@offbeatescapes.com too if they have good luxury options of stay and better cost package on similar lines.
Thanks for reply we will be there for 7 nights and will be staying for 6 nights at leh and for one night at nubra valley. We will travel to pangyong and return to leh same day. We planning to take package from make my trip. We will be travelling delhi to leh and back by air
Kindly advise what precaution shall we take while stay at leh especially with regard to kids aged 14yrs and 9yrs
Vinay, in that case it should be fine enough. Just keep the precautions or tips mentioned in the article above in mind. You should be good to go. Be vigilant about your child’s behaviour and if anything fishy try to dig and descend down. Keep first two days activities to minimum and complete rest should be done with ample of fluids intake in the form of ORS soluted Water, Juices, Tea, etc..
We are planning to go manali through road on may end. my son at age of 3 month old in this month. So please tell me, it is safe for my son.
Just traveling to Manali? I will suggest that you don’t make a trip as you see in the article above till 3 months body parts take time to fully develop. Ahead of Manali is a BIG NO NO but even for Manali, if I were you, I would not have taken. I took my child to hills when he was almost 1.3 years of age.
Hello
We are planning to visit leh through flight on 19th May 2014
We are family of four i.e. husband wife and 2 kids aged 14yrs and 9 years.
Kindly advise whether it is the right time to visit leh and what sort of precautions to be taken
Vinay, time is good to go. Just that nights will be cold at Pangong Tso, Tso MOriri and you will find snow at high mountain passes. So, go prepared with heavy woolens. How many days do you have in hand?
hello,i am planning to visit ladakh with my 30mounts older kidsand my travel plan is from sreenagar to leh and night stays at pangong lake and tsomoriri lake and back from manali,can it is safe to travel with my 2.5years daughter,please give me some advice,thanks.
Hello Chiranjit,
It is fine to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age. It can happen to anyone of any age. 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 2+ year child, I think she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and 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!!
Do READ this article above which covers this topic in complete detail.
I hope this helps. Please let me know in case you have any queries or doubts.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
hi dheeraj,,
i am planning to visit srinagar including gulmarg and pahalgam from 25dec to 1jan,,, with my elder son (5 yrs old) and younger son (3 months old)….. will it be a safe journey for both my kids??? i have already consulted my doc,,he said its absolutely fine,,, but i am still very much confused!!!!! plsss suggest asap….
Hello Yashika,
Well if the doc suggests it shall be OK. However, I will say that you plan NOT TO stay at Pahalgam, may be a day trip (which will be long) or do it towards end of trip if at all. Above all keep your baby well covered with heavy woolens. Check the tips above in article related to cold and sunshine or reflections from snow to cover the eyes properly for both of them. Follow points 3 to 7 above properly.
The biggest problem here is not high altitude except Pahalgam BUT is nausea while moving around in car that cannot be predicted for babies.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
Hi,
pls suggest what precaution i should take for following trip:
We group of 10 ppl planning a trip from mumbai to
13th dec at Delhi
and 14th to 18th dec we will b at Shimla kulu n manali.
I elder son is 4 years old and younger one will b 4 months old by then,
younger son is healthy n have no serious illness.
So will there be any health issue if we travel in the above mentioned dates n places with 4 months old baby.
Pls suggest precautions n provision that will help us to hv a safe journey.
Pls do reply as i will seriously follow all rules n we cant cancel the plan as the tickets are already booked.
Rupal, your query is already replied in the DwD Community Itinerary Advice at the link here
I want to fly to let with my 2yrs 2mths old daughter,had been to rohtang pass when she was 1yr 2months.kindly advice.
Hello. I have planned a vacation to leh via Manali by road by end of June. I have a baby who is 19 months old and he also is with us. We are travelling in a group of 8 members. Please suggest weather we proceed ahead. Also please suggest itinerary on route Manali-leh-srinagar.we have 10-12 days in hand.
Bhavesh, I will suggest do it from Srinagar side and see how baby behaves. I personally do not suggest that you take hime along but it shall be upto you because technically you can.
AMS do not matter with respect to age. It can happen to anyone of any age. 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 < 2 year child, will not be able to convey the uneasiness. 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!!
Hello sir
we are going to manali – rohtang velly with my family and children one os 4 years old and onother one is 8 years old and my wife is suffering with thyroid problem heavy weight so plz. tell me that is there any prob. to my wife and my children we are going in june month for 6 days
Hi Anurag,
I will suggest that you take proper advice from your doctor. It is just OK to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age. It can happen to anyone of any age. 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!!
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
PS: Sorry for the delayed response, I was traveling to Spiti Valley for past 10 days.
Dear Sir,
we are planning to visit srinagar-leh-ladakh and manali. with entire joint family in the month of june. total family member will approx 22 with 2 small child (one is 8 months old and second is 1 year+). and we plan to travel leh-manali highway. my worry is that only is can we travel that road on month of june with two little child age of 8 months, what kind of precaution we have to take care for the 8 month old child. please kindly advise.
Thanks
Manish – ahmedabad
Manish, I will seriously not recommend infants for traveling over to Leh – Ladakh and especially the Manali – Leh Highway. Please plan the trip once they grow up
hi,
thanks for the info. I am planning for a trip to Leh in June. MY kid will be 2 yrs, 3mnths. Am confused about taking her to Nubra valley. What would you recommend? As such, she is a healthy child, but I am unsure of the altitude.
Hi Avani,
AMS do not matter with respect to age. It can happen to anyone of any age. 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. 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!!
I will advise that you consult the doctor/pediatric also. Personally, I have a kid too but I do not think to take him there unless at least he becomes expressive enough.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
pls guide me as m planning to tke by baby in the month of march-april.the baby will b approx. 2-2.5 months old.i vl b staying in leh for almost a period of 6-7 months. what precautions should i take to ensure the good health n growth of my baby.
Well, Shweta I cannot comment much on this. First of all I see that time is not a major concern for you but going in March April means, you will be flying in to Leh. I fear of acclimatization aspects for the baby. You should definitely consult a good doctor or pediatric or child specialist before taking the baby to such a high altitude suddenly. I feel it is too early for a baby to be taken to Leh. My baby is about an year old and I am still afraid of taking him to Leh – Ladakh.
Please consult a good doctor or pediatric or child specialist who knows about the AMS and High Altitude sickness issues with children.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
2012 may 30 my daughter and my wife visit to rani nala,my daughter at age of 8 years,this year, she feel unconfortable, last time she visit rohtang age of 2 and half years old,but at that time she not express her feeling,but she seems happy in pictures.
Hi Vinod,
Indeed brother this is infact the dilemma in which I into to take my one year old kiddo to Zanskar or not. Mind says I can plan in easy fashion it but heart says I should wait for time when he can start expressing his feelings… It is always an important question while traveling with kids to High altitude places. Thanks for sharing your experience as well 🙂
Regards
Dheeraj sharma
PLease guide me whether there is any scarcity of resting places along the way to Leh from Manali. Also, whether it is feasebl to cover whole up and down to Leh from Delhi in one week, starting Monday, 25th n returning 1st or 2nd July. Also, travelling with us will be 2 kids of age 8 and 9. V r 5 guys n 2 kids hiring a Xylo or Innova for the journey.
N.B. I have been to manali with my son when he was 4 years old, and v did travel to Rohtang Pass also. He didn’t give ne troubl at that time. )
Hi Sachin,
7 days are not enough buddy, you need at the very least 9 days. Also, you have to plan the journey on the way to Leh as Manali/Solang to Keylong/Jispa and then leave early morning by 4 AM from Keylong/Jispa to Leh. Do not sleep anywhere in between unless you are forced by the circumstances. Sleeping anywhere higher than Keylong/Jispa will elevate the chances of getting hit by AMS. On the way back, you can take the chance with Sarchu.
Do increase the number of days!!
Rohtang is nothing as compared to harsh terrain of Manali – Leh Highway.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
thanks bro….i was wondering whether u can plan road trip to leh ladakh, z i have one or two friends only who are interested in going there. So, if u can settle a tour of like minded people, i m sure v vil surely enjoy there with your company. also, whether it;s advisable to visit there by end of this month???
Hello Sachin,
It would have been so great but my office commitments only allow me to get two 9 day offs in an year and one of them I have already utilized in this year's April Ladakh trip 🙂 … So, now do not have much options left but yes, I do post the group or open tours (other than my family trip) on Facebook Page or Tweetline where you can always join in. I am also just a mere explorer nothing so no guarantee of enjoyment or surprises on the trip 😀 ..
By this month's end, monsoon would be in full glory and at some parts of Manali – Leh Highway (like before Baralacha La) and Srinagar – Leh Highway (like before Kargil) you might need to face monsoon hassles but once you get closer to Ladakh, then Ladakh being rain shadow region is least affected by monsoon rains.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
thanks Dheeraj
Will follow your advise…. strictly and absolutely. We are now stopping at Jispa fr 2Nts so that kids get acclimatised….is it okay?
regards
Kavita
Hi Kavita,
Sorry if it confuses you, but I will say instead of spending two nights at Jispa prefer spending two nights in Leh which will help you get acclimatized to higher altitude. The issue is most of the Manali – Leh highway runs over 14000 Feet and Jispa is about 10-11K feet only approx. As per acclimatization schedule, one has to climb only 1000 feet a day after 10K feet, so even if you sleep two nights at Jispa it will not help you much. Rather I will suggest stay one night at Jispa, do Jispa – Leh run next day by starting 4-5 AM in the morning and then better tae rest for two days after reaching Leh.
I hope this helps. Let me know incase you need more info. or have any queries or doubts.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
hi dheeraj,
we are 4 adults and 2 kids aged 6 and 10yrs planning to visit Leh from 21jun-1jul starting from Delhi. Our proposed Itinerary is 22nd night-Manali,23rd night-Jispa,24th night-Sarchu, 25th/26th night-Leh,27th night-Pangong tso,28th night-Leh,29th night-Sarchu,30th night-Manali,1st jul-back to delhi. Please advise if any changes are required and can we stay at Pangong with children?
Hi Kavita,
I storngly advice that you guys go via Srinagar – Leh Highway and comeback via Manali – Leh Highway as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here
Now, as per plan, you should not sleep at a place like Sarchu while going to Leh as your bodies will not be acclimatized to its height. Yes, on the way back you may be able to manage well enough at Sarchu. Also, you have just 10 days and this journey is very long and you guys will mostly be on road rather than sightseeing. If I were you, I would keep a 2 year old child away from Manali – Leh Highway and with overnight at Pangong Tso. Also, I would first do Nubra Valley and then Pangong Tso if I were to spend overnite there.
I hope this helps. Let me know incase you need more info. or have any queries or doubts.
Regards,
Dheeraj Sharma
thanks dheeraj for your valuable inputs,but the kids are 10yrs and 6 yrs,as per your advise we are dropping Sarchu Both ways.
But we are a little apprehensive about disturbances in Kashmir Valley…sudden strikes being called and all that, we dont want to get stuck
Hmmm… Kavita, yes that is the problem there and you never now which day things could be good to bad and bad to worse. Better avoid Sarchu on the way, may be you can manage without much issues on the way back as you would have acclimatized bodies by then. Doing two days of 14+ Hr journey would also be tough. So, keep it for one day only. Just ensure you talk with the kids every now and then to ensure they are feeling alright. Rest follow above tips and you shall be fine. Just do not let them exert in the initial few days.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma
i am planning visit leh-ladakh & one night hold on pangong lake with my two child, 4&6 years age. it is safe or not & what precausion will be take.
Hello Manish,
Well, at first say I will not advice you to stay overnight at Pangong Tso lake with children, though nothing proven practically but still to avoid any trouble. I am not even sure about your itinerary as well, so directly cannot surely say. The best bet is to be acclimatized as much as possible first, and then only try to stay at Spangmik or Lukung. You can try a stay at Tangste first night before you plan to stay at Spangmik or Lukung. Let me know your itinerary and I will advice accordingly. But, my gut feeling will always say that make a day trip to Pangong Tso lake only if you are with kids unless you are following a good acclimatization schedule.
Regards
Dheeraj Sharma