Tag: kargil

Ladakh is the land of monasteries, gorgeous panoramic views,135km long Pangong lake and highest motorable road in the world. Well, it is as dreamy as it is shown in movies and photographs. This land has lots of surprises for you at every turn of the road.

I might have not traveled everywhere in India but Ladakh is certainly the most amazing places among all I have visited yet. Ladakh once an inaccessible region is now one of the most desired places for Indians as well as international tourists.

 As tourism grows in Ladakh and Pangong Lake, the region is getting swamped with trash. Tourists often dump disposable water bottles and food packets right at the periphery of the lake and even inside. This is posing a big threat to this region. We, as travelers have some responsibility toward nature. Let’s not make Ladakh another victim of plastic pollution.

 Days required– Road trip requires 10-15 days and if you take a flight to Leh, then you will need 5-7 days.

 Nearby places to go – Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley

 Best time to visit – This need to be planned well.

 October to march – The coldest season of the region and winters here are not like rest of the country. The temperature drops to -20 degrees in January. Everything shuts down and the roads are closed. Famous Chaadar Trek on frozen Zanskar river is done in this season. It is not advisable to visit the region in this season.

 April to June– beginning of the tourist season. Ice starts to melt and hotels, camps, and guesthouses start to function on well-discounted prices. However, Roads/Highway to the region are still closed. You will need to take a flight to reach Leh.

 June to September – this marks the peak tourist season of Leh-Ladakh. Roads start to open in the last week of June with ongoing maintenance process, so good condition roads should not be expected initially. July-August is the month best for self-drive trips. Also, the Hemis Festival is usually around this time of the year.

*Rainfall in Ladakh region is usually scanty and unpredictable. Many regions come under the shadow of the mountain ranges. August is mainly the monsoon month but we didn’t observe any rainfall anywhere during our trip.

 How to reach – Thanks to the Border Roads Organization (BRO) now we have multiple options to reach Ladakh. You can start your trip from Delhi, Srinagar, Chandigarh or Manali.

1. By Air – Delhi to Leh and then back to Delhi for short trips (5-7 days). Take a direct flight from Delhi to Leh for the astounding aerial view.
2. By road – There are two routes to reach Leh. One is via Manali and other is via Srinagar. We completed the circuit reaching Leh via Manali Highway and returning via Srinagar route.

Of course, It takes longer by road but one can cut it short by taking flight one side.

If you have 10 days then do the road trip from Delhi-Manali-Leh-Srinagar and then take a flight from Srinagar to Delhi.

How we traveled – We booked a 12-day group trip to Ladakh from Delhi managed by Alifetimetrip (I highly recommend this tour agency for Ladakh trip. Gaurav and Nidhi did great in planning the trip and booked very comfortable stays.).

We avoid the self-drive trip because of safety concerns and avoided air route because we didn’t want to miss the beautiful landscape on the way to Leh.

The route we used –Delhi-Manali-Jispa-Leh-Nubra-Pangong-Kargil-Srinagar-Delhi(from Srinagar we took a flight to Delhi to complete our journey). This route has many advantages over all other routes as the complete circuit would be more time consuming and more tiring.

Also, we didn’t miss the beautiful landscape of Manali-Jispa-Keylong-Sarchu on the way.

 Where to stay – you can easily book your stays in Delhi and Manali according to your budget. I will mention Hotels/camps in and around Leh.

Leh – Luxury stay options – Grand Dragon is the only luxury hotel in Leh. You can book the Royal Family palace Stok Palace for an unforgettable experience.

Budget stays- you can get a variety of guest houses, homestays, hostel and budget hotels in Leh. Changspa Road has everything you need – money exchange, departmental store, medical store, roadside eateries, restaurants, and hotels.

Jispa-  Gemur Holiday Camps –  With mountains in the background and river in the front, these camps are located on the main highway. They have very comfortable camps with all basic amenities.

Nubra – Cold Desert Camp – my favorite stay during my Leh trip. Have a look at this campsite online. They are off-road with the mountains on the backside and river in the front.

Pangong – Redstart camps – walking distance from Pangong Lake.

 How to go around – If you have your bike or car, then you can roam around at your own pace otherwise renting a car or bike in Leh is very common and easy. You just need to have a driving license and deposit money.

Chauffer driven car are also easily available. When you will explore the Leh market, you will see colorful boards outside every other shop displaying packages for Pangong or Nubra or sometimes even an extra seat along with the other groups. Search for a good deal around the market and you are good to go.

 Places to visit –

Leh Palace – a splendid example of Tibetan architecture, this structure is almost a ruin now.

Shanti Stupa- This white structure is easily recognizable from a distance in Leh. It was built by Japanese and ladakhis to promote world peace. Go around the evening time to witness the beautiful sunset.

Hall of Fame – This museum was built in the memory of Martyrs of Kargil war. There are a Flag retreat ceremony and a sound and light show in the evening.

3 Idiots School

Khardung-La –  famously known as the highest motorable pass in the world. Though a nightmare for drivers, still it is every biker’s dream to drive on this road.

Chang-La – This pass lies on the way to Pangong from Leh. At an altitude of about 17500ft, this pass will test your driving skills.

Diskit Monastery – the oldest and the largest monastery of the Leh-Ladakh region. It has a 100ft high statue of Lord Buddha which was inaugurated by HH Dalai Lama.

Spituk Monastery – An almost 900yrs old building with a giant statue of Maa Kaali. This can be covered in Leh sightseeing tour as it is very near to the main city.

Hemis Monastery – a trip to Leh is incomplete without visiting this one. This is the most popular Monastery in the region and is very famous for the Hemis Festival organized in June-July every year.

Thiksey Monastery – located on the top of a hill from where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Indus valley.

Moonland(Lamayuru) –  Situated on Srinagar-Leh Highway, this region has moon-like topography and is very famous among shutterbugs. It is also home to one of the oldest monastery in Ladakh.

Magnetic Hill- This road is named so because it defies the gravity and the vehicle moves uphill when parked at a particular spot.

Nubra Valley – another must-visit place during Ladakh trip. This valley has everything you would ask for – vast dunes, orchards, colorful mountains, panoramic views, and rivers.

Pangong Lake (Pangong Tso) – well, everyone knows this place. The crystal clear blue water lake was shown in movie 3 IDIOTS which caused the real boom in the tourism industry of Ladakh. This lake is partially located in India (40%) and China(60%). It gets frozen in winter and starts to melt in April-May.

Moriri Lake (Tso Moriri) – this is the less commercialized and lesser-known version of Pangong lake.

 Where to eat – On the way to Leh, you will get Lemon honey tea, Maggi, Rajma chawal and Parantha on the roadside dhabas. Now you can find eateries everywhere on the way to Leh. Locals have opened small restaurants along the highway as tourism is flourishing in this region.

In Leh, do try Thupka (noodles soup served with vegetables or meat), Momos, Mokthuk (a superb blend of momos and soup).

Itinerary –

We had booked our tour 2 months before our journey with 8 people in the group – one couple from Bengaluru and one couple from Mumbai. Alifetimetrip made a WhatsApp group(we are still in contact with each other through that group) for us a week before the trip to address our queries and for providing any important information. We all reached Delhi a couple of days before the trip and explored Delhi at our own pace. You can read about Delhi travel blog from the website.

Day 1 – Delhi to Manali

Seats in an evening Volvo bus were booked between Delhi and Manali. Alternatively, one can conveniently hire a bike/SUV from Manali, Chandigarh or Delhi.

Day 2

We reached Manali in the morning and were transferred to our Hotel. We took some rest, had breakfast and got ready to explore the city. We had 1 day for Manali and we covered all the famous tourist destinations – Hadimba Temple, Vashishth Temple, Solang valley (you can enjoy paragliding here but because of rainfall all activities were canceled that day). We had our lunch at one of the famous cafes in Old Manali named Johnson’s Cafe and returned to the hotel by evening. Our fellow travelers, Vinit and Monali went out to explore more of the city but we chose to eat at the Hotel’s restaurant as we were exhausted.

Day 3 Manali to Jispa

Next morning after breakfast, we started our journey to Jispa via Rohtang Pass (it usually opens at the end of June) in a 12-seater Tempo Traveller. Leh- Manali road trip is approx. 500 km and cannot be covered in a day-light time. So a night stay either at Jispa, Keylong or Sarchu is required. On the way, we understood why our tour operator Nidhi said – If you sleep during the journey, you will regret it. It was a 6-hour journey and we reached our riverside campsite by 3-4 pm. It is a tiny village on the Manali-Leh highway popular among travelers for the night stay. We enjoyed our tea sitting around with the view of the beautiful mountain and river.

Day 4 Jispa to Leh

We covered this long and tiring journey in a day, it usually takes 12 hours to reach Leh from Jispa. The road starts getting worse from here but the terrain is so gorgeous which will compel you to make multiple stops on the way. Take proper sleep and start your journey early in the morning. It is advised to drive 4×4 or SUV or mountain bikes here. Don’t be overconfident on roads with overlooking steep cliffs. There are few places on the route for food and stay which are pretty basic but will do the job. Toilets are a rare luxury here in Leh and that too, clean ones, you will have to pay Rs.5-10 to use these toilets. We reached Leh in the evening and were feeling exhausted already while walking to our room (Leh is at an altitude of 11000 ft) and thus were told to take rest. We had our buffet dinner at the Hotel.

Day 5 Leh sightseeing

After breakfast, we left for the Leh city tour. Don’t overburden yourself on the first day in Leh. Give your body time to acclimatize. We explored the Rancho School, Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa and Hall of fame that day.

Day 6 Nubra valley

Then came the day, we all were waiting for- a 6-7 hour journey from Leh to reach Nubra via Khardung-la. Do wear multiple layers of woolen clothes as chilling weather is almost always expected because of high altitude. Unexpectedly, we found a traffic jam on Khardung-La. We had Maggi and soup at the canteen maintained by the army and had ourselves clicked with the Khardung-La Signboard. You can enjoy the snow-clad mountains and play with snow here as snow doesn’t melt here completely even during summer. The landscape in Nubra is breathtaking and surreal. Here you will come across vast sand dunes of the cold desert where you can ride Bactrian (Double Hump) Camels. There are apple orchids, colorful mountain ranges, and an oasis as well which are quite suitable for a fairly nice Instagram ready picture. Nubra has all variety of accommodations- homestays, hotels, cottages but I recommend to book riverside camp. We reached our camp and took some rest. The network coverage here was poor so, hotel staff landed their phones so that we could call home. They cooked delicious meals for us and told us stories about the valley.

Day 7 Nubra to Leh

On the way back to Leh, we visited the famous Diskit Monastery. From the top, you will get a panoramic view of the region. There lies the gigantic 100 ft statue of Maitreya Buddha. You can explore the Leh Main Market in the evening and buy souvenirs for your family.

Day 8 Pangong lake trip – a 6-7 hour journey via Chang-La will bring you to The Poster Boy of Ladakh tourism. Just before the campsite, you will reach the place where the last scenes of movie 3 idiots were shot. This large saline water lake extends to China. The lake looks like a perfectly painted picture. The beauty of this place will instill your belief in magic. The beds in the camp had a few layers of quilts laid over them and, we wondered why someone would need four layers of them!! But we happily just slid under those quilts at 8 pm after getting our brains frozen by the chilling winds from the lake despite the huge Bonfire.

Day 9 – We headed back to Leh after breakfast next morning but before that, we stared at the blue water for an hour. On the way, you can visit the Hemis Monastery.

Day 10 – Start your journey to Kargil. Here you have the option of ending the trip by taking a flight back to Delhi. On the way, we visited Gurudwara Patharsahib, Magnetic hill and Sangam (water of river Indus and Zanskar meet at this place making an incredible sight). We reached Kargil by evening and went to see the Indo-Pak border village (last village near Indo Pak border- Hunderman). The cab driver was our guide here. He showed us Indian and Pak army bunkers and posts that were used in Kargil war and the last village on our side and their side. Binoculars are available there at a small shop for rent. There we met the lovely cheery red-cheeked kids from the village who got excited to the visitors. We shared food and clicked pictures with them as a memory of this beautiful tiny village.

Day 11 – We checked out early or we would not be able to cross Drass Army Post after a certain time of the day (after 9-10 am). Ask your hotel manager or locals for the exact timing. You will reach Zozilla Memorial after a few hours. Here we had breakfast at Army canteen and visit Zozilla Memorial built in the memory of martyrs of 1st Indo-Pak war. The army officers were very polite and kind to host us. They sat down with us and told us the stories of 1st Indo-Pak war and Kargil war. We reached Srinagar early in the evening and wished goodbye to our guide Tenzin after he helped us in checking in our Houseboat on Dal Lake(you can read my houseboat experience in Kerala and Srinagar in a different blog). In the evening, we enjoyed the famous Shikara ride and shopping at floating Meena Bazaar.

Day 12 – After breakfast, we drove for Srinagar Airport for our Delhi flight. Leave 3 hours before your flight time as there are multiple security checks at Srinagar Airport. Also, carry a photocopy of your tickets with you.

 Quick tips for fellow travelers –

1. Roads to and around Leh-Ladakh are not in very good conditions, at least to what we are used to. They are very risky and dangerous. People who want to plan a road trip must not only be good bikers but also physically sound enough to survive the harsh climate of Ladakh.
2. Anyone below 10 years of age and above 60 years should avoid this trip.
3. Anyone with respiratory, heart or backache problem should avoid this trip.
4. If you are planning a self-drive trip, don’t go solo. You will need help there.
5. Prepare a medicine kit with all necessary medicines (Diamox – Acetazolamide 250mg is helpful in case of altitude sickness. We carried it but didn’t require)
6. Carry good quality woolen clothes, gloves, socks, head cap, and shoes.
7. Rather than wearing one heavy woolen jacket, wear clothing in multiple layers as it provides better insulation.
8. Tourists going by flight need to spend a day acclimatizing themselves for the high altitude (Leh and most of the places in Ladakh are located above 10,000 feet which commonly leads to the dizziness, headaches, vomiting or AMS among the travelers. Hence it is necessary to accustom yourself with lesser availability of oxygen by spending more time and this process is known as Acclimatization.). Take proper rest and keep yourself hydrated on Day 1.
9. Tandi is the last petrol pump after Manali. It is approximately 110 km from Manali. Do not forget to tank up here as you have roughly 345 km to cover without a single petrol pump. Next petrol pump is in Karu, 30 km before Leh. Take a 10-20 liter can with you for extra fuel.
10. Don’t use Google for direction and time reference. Also, there will no 3G/4G connectivity in Leh (poor network connectivity is an issue. Use BSNL postpaid connection. Prepaid connections don’t work in J&K).
11. Use sunscreen lotion (at least 50 SPF) otherwise you will get severe sunburn.

Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)

Destination overall rating 10/10 – I find no reason to give this place rating less than 10.

Expanse 5/10 – a bit expensive if you book flights or do a personalized tour. Expenses reduce if you are planning a self-drive or group trip.

Travel ease 6/10 – The terrain is no doubt is difficult than any other place in India. Most of the tourist will not prefer the self-drive way to reach Leh. They have the option of group tours, customized tours. You can reach by flights. You can easily book trips to Nubra and Pangong from Leh.

Food 6/10 – I tried Tibetan cuisine but it is too bland for my Indian palate.