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Leh – Ladakh is the Ultimate Bucket List Destination

Ladakh is called a Cold Desert, one of its kind in the entire World. Miles of brown-hued Mountains do not have a single trace of greenery, feels strange and awe-inspiring. 

That is why Leh – Ladakh trip exists in the Bucket List of all seasoned Travelers. Ladakh is famous for its picturesque beauty, unique culture, Buddhist monasteries, and exciting adventure spots. Leh, Ladakh’s administrative capital, is also a tourist’s haven with its beautiful surroundings and monasteries, in addition to the wonderful trekking routes. I call Ladakh an excruciating Beauty because it is so beautiful that it hurts – literally in the form of thin air. Travel to Ladakh to experience the magic of this worldly place.

When did I travel to Leh – Ladakh?

In mid-July 2019

For how many days did I travel to Leh – Ladakh?

6 days 6 nights.

How many people traveled with me?

I traveled in a group of six. I went alone to Leh via flight and my five other friends joined me at Leh traveling via Manali Rohtang Road Route in a hired Taxi having started from Rishikesh. It took me 1.5 hours to reach Leh, my friends took 30 hours with a night stop at Manali.

How to Travel to Ladakh?

My flight Details:

1. Departure from New Delhi

Air India Flight at 6.45 a.m. on a Tuesday. The flight cost me INR 6000. Yeah, it was cheap for this route but I guess I was lucky. Keep checking rates of Flights at Skyscanner.com, sometimes flights to popular destinations, drop to very reasonable rates. I was out of Leh Airport by 9 a.m.

 

2. Arrival at New Delhi

We flew to Delhi via Vistara Airlines at 9 a.m on a Monday. This flight cost us INR 9000 per head.

 

Where did I stay in Leh – Ladakh?

Ashoka Guest House at Main Tukcha Road, Leh Ladakh. I booked my stay from my forever trusty Booking.com. The rooms were spacious, clean and the view was amazing. They had a kitchen for ordering Breakfast and quick snacks. This place was within walking distance from the main market of Leh. The taxi from Airport charged INR 900, which was a fixed rate as per the Taxi Association there. In Nubra – Diskit Village, we stayed at the Buddha Guest House – Homestay. And near Pangong Lake, we stayed at another Aunty’s Homestay. These two stays were not pre-booked, we made the formalities after reaching there.

 

Car Booking in Leh – Ladakh for visiting the major spots

The taxi which I rented from the Police prepaid counter in Leh Airport till Ashoka Guest House agreed to take us around Ladak to see Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley and Turtuk Village near PoK for about INR 24000. He agreed to be our guide and driver for these 3 days – 2 nights package. The Tata Hexa car was sturdy and safe on the mountainous terrain of the Ladakh region. The better the car, the less bumpy the ride is in these regions. Our Driver’s Name was Tensing, his number is +91 9906999285. Contact him for car booking, he was a genuine guy who did not fleece us at all and was friendly throughout.

Places To Visit in Leh – Ladakh

1. Zanskar – Indus Confluence

 

 

 

This place was beautiful and serene. Not much crowded. We spend an hour here, a small snack shop is there where one can have Chai and Paranthas. Go there at sunset, one can get amazing shots. We went to all the local places on Bullet Bikes hired from the Leh Market at a rate of INR 1000 per day.

 

2. Magnetic Hill

 

 

 

The magnetic property of this place seemed hyped, the locals were saying if a vehicle is left without a hand brake, then it will slide on its own, nothing like that happened. The road is slanted itself, hence the vehicles parked without a hand brake would move on its own.

3. Shanti Stupa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spend our sunset here. It was a beautiful sight, the entire Leh city view could be enjoyed from here. We had sandwiches, Maggi and coffee at the on-site cafeteria.

 

4. Hall of Fame

 

 

Memorabilia of the Kargil War Heros from the Indian Armed Forces have been documented in this well maintained Museum. We felt proud as Indians and remembered the courage shown and sacrifices made by our National Army in the Kargil War of 1999. Photography is not allowed inside the premises. Car Parking facilities are available.

5. Thiksay Monastery

 

 

The monastery is huge and the structure is beautiful. I love visiting the home of the great Gautam Budhha everywhere I go.

6. Gurdwara Pathar Sahib

 

 

This Gurdwara is built on the legend that the Great Guru Nanak Dev Ji came and stayed here, blessed the local people with sermons. Free food (Langar) service goes on during the day. They serve simple lunch consisting of Daal and Chawal, also evening snacks consisting of tea and biscuits. It felt very blessed to eat here sitting on the dining room floor with so many other visitors. The operations of this Gurdwara are entirely maintained by the Indian National Army.

7. Khardung La Pass

 

 

 

Khardung La Mountain Pass has the World’s Highest motorable road. This place is covered with snow at most times during the year. It was freezing here, I could not be outside the car for more than a few minutes. This spot was swarmed with Indian tourists trying to pull foolish antics by climbing on to the Mile Stone and clicking Selfies and shouting slogans. I tried no such thing, I just clicked this one pic and got back inside the car. Ladakh’s air is thin. There is an acute lack of Oxygen, at least I felt so. I will share how I coped at the end of this post.

 

8. Nubra Valley

 

 

 

 

Nubra Valley was magical. Like the entirety of Ladakh is barren brown Mountains, Nubra valley has sand dunes, desert vegetation with colorful flowers strewn all over the place. In some places, the rocks in the mountains have rainbow colors,  changing with the moving sunlight. We tried some Fun and Jump shot photography on this beautiful road in the middle of the Valley. Nubra valley has sand dunes and you will get to enjoy the ride of camels having two humps. We did not try that though as most of us were feeling mild mountain sickness.

 

9. Diskit Monastery

        

 

 

Diskit Monastery also known as Deskit Gompa or Diskit Gompa is the oldest and largest Buddhist monastery in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh, northern India. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded by Changzem Tserab Zangpo, a disciple of Tsong Khapa, founder of Gelugpa, in the 14th century. This is a must-visit in Ladakh. The statue of the Prince Budhha is huge and very Beautiful. This is my favorite monastery of all the monasteries I have had the fortune to visit so far. This Budhha statue can be seen from anywhere in the entire Nubra Valley. The Buddha here is shown in his pre-enlightenment phase when he was a prince of Lumbini and had all the worldly possessions in the World.  Lord Buddha’s story is truly very inspiring.

 

 

10. Diskit Village

        

        

While at the Diskit Village, we plucked plums from the Fruit trees, with permission from the Villagers. We returned the token by gifting the cute village kids with toffees. The cows were crazy for the plums, so I fed them a few. The cows of Diskit Village are my friends now. I am very friendly with animals. They are sweet creatures. The owner and his family at the Budhha Guest House were amazing hosts, They allowed us to cook our own dinner. They lend us Kitchen utensils, Kerosene Stove. We bought the ingredients from the local Market of the Diskit Village. We managed to cook Fried Chicken, Chili Chicken, and Lachha Naan with Cooker Biriyani. We had a feast. We also had Hukka Pipe, but due to lack of breath literally, no one actually tried that.  

 

 

 

 

 

11. Turtuk – Thang Village

 

12. Pangong Lake

 

        

 

Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m. It is 134 km long and extends from India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies within the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The lake is 5 km wide at its broadest point. Air is extremely chilly here. Make sure to dress in warm layers. Do not throw garbage here, please. Let these gems of Nature stay as they are now. Must Visit in Ladakh. One can get clicked at the 3 Idiots shooting sites hereby posing like Kareena Kapoor or Amir Khan. Superfluous if you ask me. This lake needs no Bollywood marketing to get famous. Sadly Indians are so heavily influenced by Bollywood that they start traveling to a place right after it is shown in a hit Bollywood film.

13. Chang La Pass

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping in the Leh Market

 

Tips and Hacks for traveling to Leh – Ladakh

 

1. Rest the first day you reach Leh – especially if you are traveling by air. Read on the term Acclimatization and Acute Mountain Sickness. Do not do any strenuous activity on the first day. Drink Water, eat light and just chill at your stay.
2. Buy an Oxygen Can available at the Leh Airport for INR 400 if you feel the lack of Oxygen in the Ladakh air can affect you. Oxygen cans are also available at the local chemist’s.
3. Do not smoke or drink as these can mess up your system which is already adjusting to altitude and thin air at Ladakh.
4. Do carry layers of clothing, like carry basic tees and light base layer sweaters and one outer heavy layer. The climate of Leh – Ladakh is such that in the Sunlight it feels hot and in the shade, it feels cold.
5. Apply Sunscreen Lotion on the face and exposed skin. The Ladakh sun causes Sun Burns.
6. Carry the Medicine named Diamox and Paracetamol to fight Acute Mountain Sickness symptoms. Have a Diamox at the beginning of the trip in-fact to not feel sick. Please consult a doctor before taking any medicines, I am not one.
7. Carry a Balaclava if you plan to ride Bullets and bikes while in Ladakh. The chilly air hits the face the hardest and causes skin cracks.
8. Carry some cash as ATMs in the mountain village areas are sparse and often out of cash.
9. MTNL / BSNL and Post Paid Mobile Networks work best in Leh – Ladakh.
10. Wear sturdy Trekking Shoes or Walking Shoes or Running Shoes while at Ladakh as the terrain is bumpy and hard to walk on.
11. Carry a good camera to capture the beauty of Leh- Ladak. I use a Sony Alpha a6000 for clicking the pictures in Ladakh and at times I used my Pixel 3a phone camera.

 

 

 

 

Must-Try Food in Leh – Ladakh

 

 

I tried the Thenktuk, Yakhni, Momos, and Thukpa, I liked them all. In Leh, there is this Sardarji Uncle selling Fried Chicken and Mutton from his Food Van, the taste is amazing, I just can not recommend this van enough. My friends say I have great taste in food, I end up discovering these little local eateries wherever I am. Do try my suggestions.

 

A special mention for the Army Camp Wet Canteen while on the way to Pangong Lake. For more food suggestions try this link.

 

 

 

 

How much did the Leh – Ladakh trip Cost?

 

I spend INR 15000 on the flights. About INR 6000 on all the accommodations. Another INR 5000 was spent on food and Nick-knacks. We contributed INR 4000 each for the hired Car. The entire trip cost me INR 30000 in July 2019. Leh – Ladakh can be expensive for people not traveling in groups of 4 at least. Since we were six of us, most expenses got divided among us.

 

I feel six is the perfect number of people to travel together because most hired Cars are six seaters and easy to book. This applies when one is mostly traveling in groups. Some destinations are best traveled in groups, Leh – Ladakh is one of them. People travel Solo too in Ladakh all the time, but they then arrange their own conveyance like a Bullet Bike or any other tough terrain bikes. To read about such a trip follow this link at Footloosedev.com.

 

More on Planning a Leh – Ladakh Trip

 

Read the Leh Ladakh Guide at Lonelyplanet.com

Read the Leh Ladakh Guide at Lehladakhindia.com