Himalayas Leh Ladakh Road Trip

Itinerary

• Day 01- Arrive Delhi

  Arrive Delhi at your convenience and check in to the pre-booked hotel.

  For those who do not have many purchases to make can relax in the hotel and prepare your body and mind for the great expedition ahead.

  

• Day 02– Delhi to Chandigrah

  Today we flag off from Delhi, after a quick briefing, early enough to avoid the city traffic in the morning.

  Today's drive is completely through Delhi Chandigarh Highway, you will travel past some vast fields and simple villages in the plains of Haryana.

  Once we reach Chandigarh, we check in to our pre-booked hotel and relax.

  Depending on availability of time you will be taken to the mighty Rock Gardens of Chandigarh.

  

• Day 03– Chandigrah – Manali

  Today you will leave the plains behind and gradually start to climb the mountains. We will be starting the day by checking out from the hotel with an early breakfast.

  Drive along National Highway 1 and admire the lush farms on both sides of the highway. You will also pass the serene hill station of Kullu, and enjoy driving along the gushing Beas River.

  We slowly reach Manali, fondly termed as the “Gateway to Ladakh”, by late evening, crossing the Himalayan towns like Mandi and Kullu.

  Himachal Pradesh is also known as the “Apple State of India”, so beware to see lots and lots of apple orchards along the way.

  

• Day 04– Manali- Jispa

  Today we start our ride towards Jispa through the much-awaited Manali-Leh Highway. At a length of 9.02 kms, Atal Tunnel is the longest tunnel above 10,000 feet, and cuts the travel time between Manali and Leh  by around 3-4 hours. You enter the tunnel in Manali and end up in the Lahul Valley.

  And the very fact that you can travel from Manali to Sissu in 15-20 minutes via the Atal Tunnel is what has turned Atal Tunnel into the most talked about attraction in and around Manali. We continue the drive towards Jispa crossing the prominent villages and small mountain towns like Sissu and Keylong. Reach Jispa by early evening and check in to the pre-booked hotel or camp.

  

• Day 05– Jispa – Leh

  Today we get to cross some great high altitude passes and other interesting road features before reaching Leh. The road conditions will be pretty much good with well-tarred roads throughout.

  After Deepak Tal, we start our climb towards the treacherous Baralacha Pass at 4890m,negotiating Zing Zing Bar and crossing the beautiful Emerald lake Suraj Tal on your right.

  You will find snow in Baralacha Pass Just after leaving Sarchu we start our climb towards Nakeela Pass at 4739m, crossing the zigzag Gata loop which is a series of 21 hairpin bends within a span of just 7KMS.

  We descended from Nakeela and soon again started to climb to reach the next high pass Lachung La at 5065m. Soon we reached Pang at 4600m, after descending from Lachung La, which is basically an Army Transit Camp claimed to be the highest in the world.

  From Upshi we will have the Indus river accompanying us along on the left side. We reach Leh by evening, check in to the hotel and relax.

• Day0 6– Local Sight Seeing

  Today we rejuvenate yourself and reflect on the adventures of the last few days. The day can be utilised to roam around the Leh city and do some sightseeing of the attractions.

  Later head to the Shanti Stupa perched upon the hilltop in the Changspa region. Constructed to endorse world peace and to celebrate 2500 years of Buddhism, this monument is known to hold the relics of the Buddha at its base, enshrined by the 14th Dalai Lama himself.

  The evening is saved for exploring the colourful markets of Leh and getting insights into the lives of the warm, local people here

• Day 07– Leh – Pangong Tso

  We check out from the hotel after breakfast and start our ride towards the much-awaited Pangong Tso Lake.

  Early morning Drive to the world famous Pangong-Tso crossing the Mighty Changla,World's, Second Highest Motorable Road.

  Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas and one of the largest brackish lakes in, Asia

  We check-in into the luxury camps pre-booked and spend our late evening stroll along the serene lake.

• Day 08– Pangong Tso –Nubra

  Today's ride is unique because of two major things, one, we will not cross any high altitude passes today and two, it is one of the least travelled routes in the whole trip.

  The outer world came to know about this route from Pangong Tso to Nubra via Shyok village and Agham only about a decade ago.

  The entire Nubra valley is a tourist destination in itself there’s nothing that isn't worth visiting. Nubra is a tri-armed valley located to the northeast of Ladakh valley.

  

• Day 09– Nubra- Turtuk – Nubra

  After Breakfast, check out from the Hotel & visit Diskit Monastery.  We are heading towards Turtuk, one of the gateways to Siachen Glacier. If time permits you can also go for ATV ride (personal expense) and then continue further till Turtuk. 

  Turtuk falls in Baltistan- the place was under Pakistani control till 1971,Don't miss the chance to interact with the locals and their friendly behaviour - the whole feel is like being in Pakistan. You can try delicious apricots here which are major source of income for the locals 

  Visit Turtuk Waterfall and Turtuk Museum later on Enjoy the magnificent view of K2 peak while walking around.

  

• Day 10– Nubra – Khardungla – Leh

  The road towards Khardungla is well paved and tarred till South Pullu and checkpoint before the pass, from here to North Pullu which is about 15KMS from Kahardung La is unpaved and mostly muddy, loose rocks and melting snow.

  Once in Khardung La we will have some quick photo sessions and continue our ride.

  Time to turn on the adventure mode at Khardungla (also popularly known as K-top) the doorway to Shyok and Nubra valleys and the world's topmost motorable pass according to BRO (Border Road Organization), with almost 'Heart in mouth' condition!

  

• Day 11– Leh – Kargil

  The ride from Leh to Kargil is pretty fast and exciting with mostly good roads. We bid adieu to Leh and follow the mighty Indus towards Kargil through Leh - Srinagar Highway.

  The drive goes through a spectacular moonscape and reaches Lamayaru. Just after Lamayuru we start a gradual climb towards the Fotu La Pass at 4108m, after Fotu La you climb down a bit and again climb up for yet another pass which is Namika La Pass at 3700m. This twin passes are in Zanskar ranges and takes us into the Mulbekh valley.

  You will see many small villages along the route till you reach Kargil. Once in Kargil we check into our pre booked hotel and relax.

  

• Day 12– Kargil – Srinagar

  The beauty of this route cannot be described here in words. This is something which has to be experienced directly. Our drive towards Kashmir Valley starts from Kargil and a few kilometers before reaching Drass we stop to visit the war memorial.

  After the visit we continue to ride towards Srinagar via Drass, Zojila Pass and Sonamarg. Drass is also known to be the second coldest inhabited place in the world. The life here is really harsh.

  After Drass we climb to cross the famed Zojila Pass at 3528m, the jaw dropping views from Zojila pass will make you completely happy and excited.

• Day 13– Srinagar Sightseeing

  If paradise exists in this planet Earth, it is undoubtedly in Jammu and Kashmir. Dal Lake is the main attraction point in the city. Also called the ‘Jewel in the Crown of Kashmir’ or ‘Srinagar’s Crown’, this stunning lake is the second largest lake in the entire of Jammu and Kashmir.

  The Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar is truly a colourful gift of the nature. Built by the Mughal Emperor Jahangi, this lush and green garden is jotted with rare as well as exotic species of flora and dates back to the 2nd century.

  Nishat Bagh is the second largest Mughal Garden in Jammu and Kashmir.

  Another quintessential lake in Srinagar, the Nagin Lake is also known as the ‘Jewel in the Ring’ and is amongst the most scenic lakes in Jammu and Kashmir. Pari Mahal is also one of the must visit gardens in Srinagar.

• Day 14– Srinagar - Pathankot

  Today’s drive will take us from the beautiful mountain valleys of Srinagar to the plains of Pathankot in Punjab.

  The road conditions are pretty much very good, which lets us negotiate more distance at less time.

  We cross the towns like Anantnag and Udhampur before reaching Pathankot. We check in to our pre booked comfortable hotel and spend a good night sleep.

• Day 15– Pathankot - Delhi

  This day is very special in many ways. Today we end our trip in Delhi, it's pretty emotional that such an epic expedition is about to come to an end. But we are not going back empty handed, we are finishing the expedition with lots of beautiful memories, experiences and above all a new family to cherish. Then we check into the hotel for a well deserved freshen up. Soon after the souvenirs will be distributed along with some happy photo shoots of the entire team.

• Day 16– Fly out from Delhi