Ladakh, India
Ladakh — land of high passes
A lake that changes colour by the hour, dunes at 3,000 m, monasteries older than most of Europe's cathedrals — and rest days built in, because 3,500 m is not a detail.
🏔️ Roof of the country
Leh sits at around 3,500 m. Pangong is at 4,350, Tso Moriri at 4,522 and Khardung La above 5,300. You fly in from Delhi, where the air is at sea level, and step out into roughly two-thirds of the oxygen you are used to — which is why the single most important thing in a Ladakh itinerary is not what you see but when you see it.
Every trip we write starts with two full rest days in Leh. Not sightseeing days — rest days. After that the route climbs in stages: the Indus valley monasteries first, then Nubra, then Pangong. It costs two days at the front and it is the difference between a holiday and a headache that lasts a week. We will not shorten it to fit a tighter booking.
Pangong, Tso Moriri and Tso Kar on the Changthang.
Thiksey, Hemis, Diskit — working gompas, dawn prayers.
Hunder's sand and Bactrian camels, at 3,000 m.
The frozen river becomes the road — the Chadar.
Pangong Tso — 4,350 m
Thiksey — dawn prayers
Nubra — Hunder dunes
Lakes, passes & gompas
From the lake everyone comes for to the monastery nobody found for four centuries. Filter by what you want out of the trip.
Iconic lake
Eastern Ladakh
A 134 km saltwater lake at about 4,350 m that shifts from deep blue to green to grey as the light moves. Two-thirds of it lies across the border. Camps at Spangmik and Merak, and nights that get properly cold.
Desert valley
North Ladakh
Sand dunes at Hunder with double-humped Bactrian camels on them, the Shyok and Nubra rivers meeting below, and Diskit Monastery's 32 m Maitreya looking down the valley toward Pakistan.
High pass
Leh district
The crossing to Nubra at over 5,300 m, prayer flags, a tea stall and a sign that has been photographed a few million times. Do not linger — twenty minutes at that height is plenty on your first crossing.
Viewpoint
Leh town
A white dome on the hill above Leh, built as a Japanese–Ladakhi peace project and finished in 1991. The best sunset view over the town and the Indus valley, and an easy walk on an acclimatisation day.
17th century
Leh town
Nine storeys of mud and timber built by Sengge Namgyal in the 1600s, modelled on the Potala at Lhasa and abandoned when the Dogras took Ladakh. Empty inside, but the roof terraces are the reason to climb it.
Mini Potala
Indus valley
Twelve tiers of whitewashed buildings climbing a hill, with a 15 m Maitreya Buddha inside the newer temple. Get there for the dawn prayers — the horns, the butter tea and almost nobody else around.
Largest gompa
Indus valley
The biggest and wealthiest monastery in Ladakh, tucked into a side gorge where invading armies never found it. The June Hemis festival brings masked cham dances and, every twelve years, an enormous thangka.
Roadside stop
Leh–Kargil highway
Put the car in neutral on the marked stretch and it appears to roll uphill. It is an optical illusion created by the slope of the horizon, and knowing that does not make it less fun. Ten minutes, on the way to Sangam.
Ramsar wetland
Changthang plateau
Less visited than Pangong and, to a lot of people, better for it. A freshwater lake at 4,522 m on the Changthang plateau, a Ramsar site with bar-headed geese and black-necked cranes, and Korzok village on the shore.
No destinations in that category yet —
The valley beyond
One of India's most isolated valleys — reached over a pass in summer, and across its own frozen river in winter.
In summer, Zanskar means a long road over the Pensi La from Kargil into Padum — gorges, Karsha gompa, villages that see a handful of outsiders a week. In winter, the road shuts and the river itself becomes the route: the Chadar, walked for generations by Zanskaris carrying goods out to Leh. Both are real trips we run, and they suit very different people. The Chadar in particular is an expedition with medical clearance, a permit cap and temperatures below −20°C — we would rather talk you through it properly than sell it as a holiday.
Remote valley
One of the most isolated inhabited valleys in the country, reached over the Pensi La from Kargil. Padum, Zangla, Karsha gompa and gorges that go on for hours. The road is open roughly June to October and there is very little on it — which is the point.
Winter expedition
The same river, walked on. For a few weeks each January and February the Zanskar freezes hard enough to carry you through gorges no road reaches. Eight to ten days, −20°C or colder, mandatory medical clearance and a daily permit cap. A genuine expedition, and we brief you honestly before you commit.
Season planner
Flights run to Leh all year. The roads do not, and the difference between June and February here is not a matter of comfort.
| Section | Best months | Also good | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leh town & Indus monasteries | May–Sep | Year-round by air | Thiksey, Hemis, Shanti Stupa and Leh Palace stay accessible all year. Winter is cold but clear and almost empty. |
| Pangong Tso | Jun–Sep | MayOct | Camps operate in summer only. Nights drop near freezing even in July — carry more layers than you think you need. |
| Nubra & Khardung La | Jun–Sep | MayOct | Khardung La is kept open most of the year but can shut for days after snow. ILP mandatory for Nubra. |
| Tso Moriri | Jun–Sep | May | Changthang road is rough and remote. Korzok has limited stays, so this needs booking further ahead than Pangong. |
| Zanskar by road | Jun–Oct | — | Over the Pensi La from Kargil. Closes completely with snow, and there is very little accommodation along the way. |
| Chadar Trek | Jan–Feb | — | Only runs while the river holds. Medical clearance mandatory, permits capped daily, and −20°C is normal rather than exceptional. |
| Manali–Leh highway | Jun–Oct | Late May, weather permitting | Two days with an overnight at Jispa or Sarchu. Crosses several passes above 4,800 m, so it is hard on acclimatisation. |
| Srinagar–Leh highway | May–Nov | Apr, weather permitting | Opens earlier and climbs more gently, which makes it the kinder of the two routes if you are driving in. |
Why Ladakh
Five reasons people come back from this one saying it was different from every other trip.
Pangong shifting through blue and green, Tso Moriri empty and still, Tso Kar white with salt.
Manali–Leh and Srinagar–Leh — the two rides almost every Indian biker plans for at some point.
Thin dry air at 3,500 m and no light pollution. Hanle now hosts India's dark sky reserve.
Thiksey, Hemis, Diskit, Lamayuru and Alchi — some with murals over 900 years old.
Hemis National Park is among the most reliable places on earth to actually see one, in winter.
Before you book
Altitude, permits, road seasons and who each route suits — answered the way we answer them on the phone.
June to August is peak season — every road open, Pangong and Nubra fully reachable, and the most settled weather of the year. May and September are the better months if you want the same access with fewer vehicles and easier bookings. January and February are for the Chadar Trek and snow leopard expeditions only. Flights into Leh run all year; the two highways do not.
Seven to eight nights minimum for Pangong, Nubra, Khardung La and Leh itself, and that already assumes two full rest days at the start. Adding Tso Moriri takes it to nine or ten. Zanskar by road adds three or four more. The Chadar Trek is a separate eight to ten day winter trip. Anything shorter and you are spending the whole holiday acclimatising.
Yes. Indian nationals need an Inner Line Permit for the restricted areas — Nubra, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Hanle and Zanskar's border stretches. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit, which takes longer and needs passport copies well in advance. We file all of it as part of the trip; you will not be queueing at the DC office on your first morning.
For a few weeks in January and February the Zanskar river freezes hard enough to walk on, and the Chadar — the sheet — becomes the route Zanskaris used for generations before there was a road. Eight to ten days through gorges at temperatures that drop to −20°C or lower. It is a genuine expedition, not a holiday: mandatory medical clearance, acclimatisation days in Leh first, and a strict daily limit on permits.
From Delhi it is a direct flight of about an hour and twenty minutes into Leh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe airport — and flying is what we recommend for anyone with limited days. From Shimla, the practical route is a three-hour drive to Chandigarh and a connecting flight. By road, the Manali–Leh highway runs roughly June to October and takes two days with an overnight; the Srinagar–Leh route opens around May and is the gentler of the two for acclimatisation.
Serious enough that we build the itinerary around it. Leh itself sits at about 3,500 m and Khardung La is above 5,300 m. If you fly in, the first two full days are rest days — no excursions, no Khardung La on day two. Drink far more water than feels necessary, skip alcohol early on, and talk to your doctor about Diamox before you travel. Every Ladakh itinerary we write has those rest days in it, and we will not remove them to fit a shorter trip.
Leh town, the monasteries along the Indus and Shanti Stupa are manageable for most ages with a slow first few days. Pangong, Tso Moriri and Khardung La are above 4,300 m and are not suitable for young children or anyone with heart or breathing conditions. If that describes someone in your group, tell us at enquiry stage — we will plan a lower-altitude version rather than route them high and hope.
Send the dates, how many of you and whether anyone in the group has a heart or breathing condition. You get a written itinerary with rest days built in, stay names and an itemised price.
