Leh & Ladakh
High-altitude desert, turquoise lakes and monasteries older than most nations — Ladakh needs slow days and a doctor's nod, not a rushed itinerary.
Ladakh is unlike anything else we sell out of Ahmedabad. Leh town sits at 3,500 m and the passes and lakes we visit go higher still, so this is the one trip where the itinerary is built around the body, not the sightseeing list. Two clear acclimatisation days in Leh before Khardung La or Pangong is not a suggestion — it is how we avoid altitude sickness ruining the holiday.
Once the body has settled in, the landscape is extraordinary: the moonscape of Sham Valley, the sand dunes and double-humped camels of Nubra, the impossible blue of Pangong Tso, and gompas — Thiksey, Hemis, Diskit — that have stood on these hills for eight hundred years. Vegetarian food is easier to find than most people expect in Leh town itself, though it thins out fast once you are camping beside a lake. We run this trip May to September only; the rest of the year the passes are shut.
What to see in Leh & Ladakh
Leh town and Leh Palace
A nine-storey 17th-century palace modelled on the Potala, overlooking the town; walk the old bazaar and Shanti Stupa at sunset for your first evening at altitude.
Khardung La
One of the world's highest motorable passes at 5,359 m, the gateway to Nubra Valley; a 15–20 minute photo stop is enough, the air is very thin.
Nubra Valley
Sand dunes at Hunder with double-humped Bactrian camels, the river confluence at Diskit, and Diskit Monastery's 32 m Maitreya Buddha looking down the valley.
Pangong Tso
A 135 km-long lake straddling the India–China border, changing colour through the day from deep blue to green; the Shyok road via Nubra is the route we use, avoiding Chang La on the way in.
Sham Valley monasteries
A gentle low-altitude loop from Leh covering Magnetic Hill, the Sangam of the Indus and Zanskar rivers, and the monasteries at Likir and Alchi, good for the first acclimatisation day.
Thiksey and Hemis Monasteries
Thiksey, built like a mini-Potala 19 km from Leh, has the best morning prayer session; Hemis, Ladakh's largest and wealthiest gompa, hosts a major masked-dance festival in June or July most years.
Khardung La and Chang La views
The high passes themselves are part of the experience — prayer flags, glaciers close enough to touch, and army canteens serving hot tea and Maggi.
Hanle and Tso Moriri (optional)
For groups with an extra 2–3 days: India's highest-altitude dark-sky reserve at Hanle (4,500 m) and the remote, less-crowded lake at Tso Moriri — for those who have done Ladakh once already.
Three ways to do Leh & Ladakh
Every plan is customised. These are the shapes most families start from — each has a full day-by-day page and a PDF you can keep.
Classic Ladakh
The itinerary most of our groups take: two full days to acclimatise in and around Leh, two days across Khardung La into Nubra, one night at Pangong, then back to Leh with a buffer day before the flight home.
Relaxed Ladakh
Built for families travelling with senior parents or young children: an extra acclimatisation day in Leh, only one high pass crossing each way, and no overnight at Pangong — visit it as a long day trip if the group is comfortable, or skip it altogether.
Ladakh Short Break
For groups with limited leave who still want the high-altitude experience — one core excursion beyond Leh rather than both. We steer most short-break groups towards Nubra, which is the gentler and more reliably open of the two routes; Pangong can be swapped in for fitter groups.
Getting there from Ahmedabad
Fly: There is no direct Ahmedabad–Leh flight. Fly Ahmedabad–Delhi (about 2 h) and connect to Delhi–Leh (about 1 h 20 m); total travel time including the layover is usually 4–5 hours. Book Delhi–Leh for a morning slot — afternoon flights are more prone to weather cancellation as winds pick up over the Leh valley.
Road via Manali: The Manali–Leh highway (about 470 km, 2 days with an overnight at Sarchu or Keylong) is open roughly mid-June to early/mid-October depending on snow clearance; it crosses Rohtang/Atal Tunnel, Baralacha La and Tanglang La. We arrange this only for groups who specifically want the overland adventure, not as the primary route.
Road via Srinagar: The Srinagar–Leh highway (about 434 km, usually done in 2 days via Kargil) opens around late May/early June and closes by November; it is the lower and gentler of the two road routes for altitude, and pairs well with a Kashmir extension, but we check current security advisories before including it in any itinerary.
Getting around. All sightseeing and inter-town travel is by private SUV (Innova, Xylo, Scorpio or similar) with a local driver experienced on high-altitude roads — this is not a self-drive or shared-taxi destination for visitors unfamiliar with the terrain. Within Leh town, autos and short walks work for the market and palace; for the passes, Nubra and Pangong, only the private vehicle in your itinerary is used, arranged through the Leh taxi union's fixed rate card, which all operators (including us) work within.
When to go
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring | Mid-May – June | Daytime 15–20°C in Leh, nights near freezing; some higher passes and Pangong may still be affected by late snow early in the window. Fewer crowds than peak, landscape still has patches of snow on the mountains. |
| Peak summer | July – August | Best weather and all passes reliably open; Leh days 20–25°C, nights 8–12°C, Pangong and Nubra colder. This overlaps with monsoon in the rest of India but Ladakh, being a high-altitude desert, stays largely dry — though occasional cloudbursts do happen and can disrupt roads. Hotels and camps get busiest and priciest. |
| Early autumn | September – early October | Clear skies, golden poplar and willow trees, thinner crowds and better rates. Nights get noticeably colder, especially at Pangong and Nubra (can drop below 0°C by late September). Our preferred window for photography and for slightly older travellers wanting fewer crowds. |
| Winter | November – April | All road routes and most flights become unreliable; Khardung La, Chang La and both highways close. Leh town survives on its winter Chadar-trek and monastery-festival tourism, but this is a specialised trip we do not organise on our standard itineraries. |
Permits, rules and packing
An Inner Line Permit (ILP) is required for Indian nationals to visit Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Khardung La beyond a point, and Tso Moriri/Hanle; foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit through a registered agent. Permits are applied for online (the Ladakh administration's ILP portal, or through us) using a scanned Aadhaar card and passport-size photo for each traveller; the fee is nominal, roughly ₹30–40 per person per permit plus a small environment fee, and processing normally takes a few hours to a day. We handle this for every group and carry printed copies, since photocopies are checked at multiple army and police checkpoints along the way — carry original Aadhaar cards too, not just the copies.
What to pack
- Warm layers even in summer — fleece and a windproof jacket for evenings and passes, thermal wear if travelling before June or after mid-September
- Diamox (acetazolamide) only after consulting your doctor before travel, especially if anyone in the group has heart, BP or breathing conditions
- High-SPF sunscreen and lip balm — UV at this altitude is far stronger than it feels, even on cool or cloudy days
- Sufficient cash in small denominations — carry more than you think you need (see Food and FAQs)
- A refillable water bottle and electrolyte sachets to help with hydration and acclimatisation
- Sunglasses with UV protection and a warm cap or monkey cap for wind at the passes
- Personal medication in original packaging with a doctor's prescription, plus basic motion-sickness tablets for the mountain roads
Veg and Jain food in Leh & Ladakh
- Leh town itself is comfortable for vegetarians — several Punjabi- and Gujarati-run dhabas and restaurants operate through the season, and most hotels can arrange a simple Gujarati-style thali on request.
- Nubra Valley guesthouses and camps offer simpler thali-style vegetarian meals; choice narrows but pure-veg is generally available with advance notice.
- Pangong Tso camps have the most limited kitchens of the trip — expect basic dal-rice-sabzi meals, sometimes with a wait, and very little variety; we always brief camps in advance about vegetarian and Jain requirements.
- Carry dry snacks, namkeen, biscuits and instant food (cup noodles, khakhra) for the drive days and for anyone whose appetite drops at altitude, which is common and normal in the first day or two.
What it costs
Indicative per-person costs on twin sharing for a 6–7 night Ladakh trip in 2026, including flights via Delhi, private SUV, hotels/camps and meals as specified per itinerary. Actual costs shift with fuel prices, flight fares and the Leh taxi union's seasonal rate revisions; a group of 4–6 sharing one vehicle brings the per-person car cost down significantly.
Budget hotels and basic camps, shared/standard SUV, economy flights booked 8+ weeks ahead
3★/4★ hotels in Leh, better-appointed Swiss tents at Pangong and Nubra, flexible flight timings
4★/5★ Leh properties, premium heated camps at Pangong and Nubra, dedicated vehicle rather than a shared/pooled one
Where the money goes
- Flights are the largest single cost: Ahmedabad–Delhi–Leh return runs roughly ₹16,000–24,000 in June–August booked early, and can exceed ₹30,000 close to departure or during festival-linked peak dates.
- Vehicle: an Innova or Xylo with driver through the Leh taxi union runs roughly ₹5,500–7,500 per day for local sightseeing and ₹8,000–11,000 per day for the Nubra/Pangong circuit, reflecting the union's fixed seasonal rate card rather than open-market pricing.
- Camps at Pangong Tso are priced per tent, not per person, roughly ₹4,500–8,000 a night for a standard Swiss tent with attached bath, rising to ₹9,000–15,000 for heated premium tents — this is the single highest per-night accommodation cost of the trip.
- Oxygen cylinder rental (a precaution we keep in every vehicle) runs about ₹500–1,000 for a small canister for the trip; hotels in Leh and Nubra also keep cylinders on call, usually at an added charge if actually used.
Prices are indicative for 2026 and change with dates, group size and hotel choice. We confirm every price in writing before you pay anything.
Travelling with parents and children
- Rest strictly for the first 24–36 hours in Leh — no sightseeing, no exertion, and definitely no alcohol; altitude sickness (headache, nausea, breathlessness) is common in the first two days and almost always settles with rest and fluids.
- Drink far more water than usual and go easy on tea, coffee and alcohol throughout the trip, not just on day one — dehydration at this altitude makes acclimatisation harder.
- Anyone with a heart condition, high or low blood pressure, or a respiratory condition should consult their doctor before booking, and again a few days before travel; we ask for this in writing when we quote a Ladakh trip.
- We advise against taking children under 5 and pregnant women to Khardung La or Pangong Tso — the altitude and cold at these specific stops carry more risk than Leh town or the Sham Valley loop, both of which sit lower and are gentler.
- If anyone develops a bad headache, vomiting, confusion or real breathlessness that doesn't ease with rest, treat it seriously and descend — our drivers and hotels know the nearest medical facilities in Leh, and we build a buffer day into every itinerary for exactly this reason.
- Pack one seat with extra warm layers and motion-sickness tablets for elders — passes are cold and winding, and cabin heating in shared SUVs is inconsistent.
Questions families ask us about Leh & Ladakh
How serious is altitude sickness, really?
It is common and usually mild — most people get a headache or feel unusually tired on day one, which passes with rest, water and time. It becomes serious only if ignored: worsening headache, vomiting, confusion or real breathlessness need descent and medical attention, which is why every itinerary we run has two full acclimatisation days before any pass crossing. Consult your doctor before travel, especially with any heart, BP or lung condition, and ask about Diamox as a preventive measure — only on medical advice, never self-prescribed.
What is the right age for senior parents to attempt Ladakh?
There is no fixed cut-off, but fitness matters more than age. Seniors who walk comfortably and have no major heart, BP or breathing issues do well on our relaxed 7-night itinerary, especially with a doctor's clearance beforehand and skipping the Pangong overnight. We'd steer anyone with significant health concerns towards Leh, Sham Valley and Nubra only, and away from Khardung La and Chang La crossings on the same day.
Will my phone work in Ladakh?
Only postpaid SIMs work reliably in Leh and further out — BSNL and Jio postpaid connections function across most of the region including Nubra and, less reliably, Pangong; prepaid SIMs from other circles generally do not work at all due to security regulations near the border. If your trip depends on staying connected, get a BSNL or Jio postpaid SIM active before you fly, or buy a local postpaid SIM in Leh on arrival.
Is cash easy to access?
Leh town has ATMs (State Bank of India, HDFC, others) but they run out of cash often, especially on weekends and in peak season, and there are none at all in Nubra or Pangong. Carry enough cash for the whole trip before leaving Leh — most guesthouses, camps and dhabas outside Leh town do not accept cards or UPI reliably.
How do the permits actually work?
We apply for the Inner Line Permit online on your behalf using each traveller's Aadhaar and a photo, and it is normally ready within a day. You'll need original Aadhaar cards (not just photocopies) at checkpoints along the way to Nubra, Pangong and beyond — army and police posts do check them, so keep them accessible, not packed away.
How reliable are the roads and flights?
Leh flights are occasionally delayed or cancelled by weather, particularly in shoulder season (May, late September/October); we build a buffer day into every itinerary partly for this reason. Roads to Nubra and Pangong can also close temporarily after heavy rain or landslip, even in summer — our drivers track conditions daily and we will re-route or adjust the plan rather than push through a closed or unsafe road.
Ready to plan Leh & Ladakh?
Send us your dates and who is travelling. We reply with a day-by-day plan, hotel names and a price — usually within 24 hours.