Pangong Tso
Five hours from Leh and worth every one of them. Stay the night by the lake if you can — the light at dawn is the reason to be there.
Leh & Ladakh
High desert, older monasteries than most countries have buildings, and the roads people plan their lives around.
- Elevation
- 3,500 m
- From Srinagar
- 434 km
- Drive time
- 2 days by road
Ladakh · The short version
Ladakh is not a longer version of Kashmir. It is a cold high desert on the other side of the Himalaya, Buddhist rather than Muslim, brown rather than green, and thin enough in the air that your first day is spent doing very little on purpose.
That first day matters more than anything else on this page. Fly into Leh at 3,500 metres and you need two nights before you go higher — not because we are being cautious, but because the people who skip it are the people who spend day four on oxygen.
What to see
The places worth the drive.
Nubra Valley
Sand dunes and double-humped camels at 3,000 metres, reached over Khardung La. Two days minimum, ideally with a night at Turtuk.
Leh Palace & the gompas
The palace, then Thiksey at dawn for the morning prayers, then Hemis and Alchi if you have the time. Not interchangeable — each is different.
Khardung La & Magnetic Hill
One of the highest motorable passes on earth, and a stretch of road that appears to run uphill. One is genuinely extraordinary; the other is a good optical illusion.
When to go
Twelve months, honestly labelled.
Mid-May to late September if you want to drive in over Zoji La. Flights to Leh run all year, but in winter most of the high roads and the Pangong route are shut.
- Jan
Fly only — Chadar season
- Feb
Patchy
- Mar
Patchy
- Apr
Patchy
- May
Zoji La reopens
- Jun
Peak
- Jul
Warmest, busiest
- Aug
Peak
- Sep
Clearest air
- Oct
Open
- Nov
Roads closing
- Dec
Patchy
- Peak
- Open
- Patchy
- Usually shut
Motorcycle circuits
Leh–Nubra–Pangong is the classic loop. We run it with a backup vehicle, a mechanic and oxygen on board.
Monastery festivals
Hemis, Phyang and Thiksey each have masked-dance festivals on the Tibetan calendar. Dates move yearly — ask early.
Stargazing
Almost no light pollution and very dry air. Hanle and the Nubra camps are exceptional.
Trips that include Leh & Ladakh
Starting points, not fixed menus.
Things people ask us
about Leh & Ladakh.
- How bad is the altitude?
- Real and common, and manageable with time. We build in acclimatisation days, carry oxygen on high-pass days and have a doctor on call in Leh. Tell us about any heart or lung condition when you enquire.
- Do I need permits?
- Yes, for Nubra, Pangong and several other areas. We arrange them — we need passport or ID details a few days before you travel.
- Fly or drive?
- Drive if you have the days. The road from Srinagar climbs gradually and does the acclimatisation for you, and it is one of the great drives anywhere.
Keep going
Most trips combine two or three.
Zoji La · 3,528 m
The journey of a thousand miles begins here.
Or, more precisely, 434 kilometres of it — Srinagar to Leh, over the pass that decides whether the road is open at all.