🇮🇳 Ladakh
Ladakh, with its spectacular Himalayan landscapes, ancient monasteries, unique culture and warm hospitality, offers an adventurous and spiritual travel experience. Enjoy the high natural beauty and authenticity of this region of North India.
Here are some photos of Ladakh:
Itinerary preview
🗓 9 days
DAY 1: Leh
DAY 2: Leh - Lamayuru - Alchi - Likir - Leh
DAY 3: Leh - Khardung-La Pass - Nubra Valley
DAY 4: Nubra Valley - Turtuk - Nubra Valley
DAY 5: Nubra Valley - Pangong Tso
DAY 6: Pangong Tso - Tso Moriri
DAY 7: Tso Moriri - Puga - Tsokar - Thiksey - Leh
DAY 8: Leh
DAY 9: departure from Leh
🔗 Useful links
💸 Cost
(for 2 people)
🚗 Tour: €1270
✈️ Flights (Qatar Airways and IndiGo): €1600
💊 Insurance: €90
💰 Miscellaneous expenses: €100
Total: €3060 (€1530 per person)
✨ Essentials
👕 Dress in layers, the weather changes very quickly
🕵🏻 Bring a waterproof jacket
🥾 Hiking shoes, above the ankle if possible
⛰ Beware of altitude sickness, always follow local directions
Trip features
Features of this itinerary based on our real experience:
🔹 9 days
🔹 Road trip
🔹 Organized with local agency Ladakh Travel Hub
🔹 Travel as a couple
🔹 Beginning of September 2023
In this itinerary you will find:
🔸 List of the places visited every day
🔸 Links to Google images of every place
🔸 Link to daily map on Google Maps
🔸 Link to accommodation on Booking.com
🔸 Tips and impressions of every day
🔸 Useful links for this trip
🔸 Total cost of the trip (for two people)
🗓 Day 1
Arrival in Leh, Ladakh, with IndiGo domestic flight from New Delhi
🚗 Meeting with our guide and transfer to the hotel
Relaxing day to acclimatise to the altitude
Tips
💡 Acclimatization in Ladakh is essential because of the high altitude. Spend a few days in Leh to gradually adapt to the rarefied air and prevent AMS (Altitude Sickness). Drink plenty of water and tea, avoid strenuous exertion, follow the advice of locals, and consult a doctor in case of persistent symptoms.
💡 During our trip, we were accompanied by a driver from Ladakh Travel Hub, who carried oxygen cylinders in the car in case of need and who accompanied us safely throughout the tour. Fortunately, we did not need the oxygen.
🗓 Day 2
Tips
💡 Visiting the monasteries around Leh offers a unique cultural and spiritual experience. You will admire ancient Tibetan architecture, discover rich Buddhist history, observe traditional rituals and prayers, and have the opportunity to interact with monks and nuns. The monasteries are located in spectacular settings, offering breathtaking views of the Himalayan mountains.
🗓 Day 3
Tips
💡 Going from Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardung La Pass offers an adventurous and scenic experience. Crossing one of the highest passes in the world, with breathtaking scenery, adds an element of challenge and satisfaction to the journey. The panoramic view of the Himalayan mountains is spectacular.
💡 Beware of staying more than about 20 minutes at Khardung La Pass (5,609 m.) because of its extreme altitude. We experienced dizziness, nausea, feeling faint, and pressure and headaches.
💡 In the Nubra Valley, one of the most wonderful places on the trip, you can visit Diskit Monastery, an ancient Buddhist monastery with a large statue of Maitreya Buddha, take an exciting hike or a camel or quad ride in the spectacular Hunder sand dunes.
🗓 Day 4
🌙 Night at Summer Castle Camp
Tips
💡 Turtuk is a remote village that belonged to Pakistan until 1971. Its Tibetan culture and architecture, together with the friendliness of its inhabitants, make for an exciting trip. Around Turtuk one can visit other very small villages bordering Pakistan such as Tyakshi and Thang, but tourists cannot get to the real border between India and Pakistan. Also, despite its proximity, it is not possible to see K2 from this point.
💡 If you have enough days, the hike to Tuktuk is nice and the journey to get there is full of majestic mountains and military areas. On the other hand, if you have the right days, personally this would be the hike I would eliminate from the tour because, with the mark of time, I enjoyed other things more than Turtuk.
🗓 Day 5
Tips
💡 For me, Pangong Tso was the most incredible and fascinating place of this trip. Definitely my favorite of the two lakes we visited during the trip, this one and Tso Moriri. This lake shares its deep blue, crystal clear waters with Ladakh and Tibet and is the highest salt lake in the world. It is located at 4225 m. and the views to get there are absolutely stunning. This lake will leave you breathless, and not because of the high altitude. If you are lucky enough to see it with a sunny sky, the reflections of the sun will give you incredible water colors.
💡 Because this lake is at a high altitude, it is cool even in the summer months. If you visit it during the summer, bring a windbreaker, a neck warmer, and a sweatshirt and/or 100g jacket anyway.
💡 Accommodations in this part of the region are all very spartan, and there are no other alternative. However, the spectacular scenery is worth all the lack of comfort.
🗓 Day 6
🌙 Night at Tso Moriri
Tips
💡 The road from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri is very long but equally spectacular. The mountains, valleys, small lakes and colors will make you happy.
💡 Tso Moriri is a beautiful lake surrounded by majestic mountains. The colors of the water are less impressive than Pangong Tso but it is still fantastic. This lake is located at 4,522 m., and this is the highest altitude at which we slept (actually we felt it).
💡 The same point about accommodations applies to this lake as well: in this part of the region they are all very spartan, and there are no alternative options. However, the spectacular scenery is worth all the lack of comfort.
🗓 Day 7
Tips
💡 Day of lots of driving, but still fascinating scenery. On the way to Leh, we crossed Puga Hot Spring, Tsokar Lake and Taglang-La Pass, a mountain pass at 5,328 m.
💡 Before arriving in Leh, we stopped at Thiksey Monastery (my favorite for me). It is the only monastery in which we were allowed to take photographs (without flash) and in which we saw more monks (even children, awesome!).
💡 Once we arrived in Leh, we had a mega shower (we were looking forward to it after two nights in so-so accommodations) and evening walk in the beautiful Leh market.
🗓 Day 8
Tips
💡 Woke up before dawn at 4:45 a.m. to go to Thikley Monastery again to participate in the prayers of the Buddhist monks beginning at dawn. It was very exciting and I highly recommend doing it.
💡 After the prayers, we returned to the hotel to have breakfast and then devoted the day to visiting Leh. We were fortunate to attend the Ladakh culture festival: prayers, dancing of local masks by monks, local food, concerts, etc. Also, Thinley, from Ladakh Travel Hub, was nice enough to treat us to 100% local lunch (samples at the different street food stands and lunch at the local little restaurant most popular with locals). Thanks again, Thinley!
🗓 Day 9
✈️ Departure from Leh. Until next time, Ladakh!
