Introduction
Are you planning your trip to Ladakh? I have got you completely covered. It’s literally a dream of every passionate biker and traveler to visit Ladakh atleast once in their lifetime. Due to the complex area and many remote places involved, it gets tricky to plan and cover everything. Here’s the guide which would make your trip memorable.
Assumptions
- This plan involves flight to Leh and flying back from Leh
- Applies for rental bikes, own bikes, rental taxis
Best season
For covering full circuit: April-October as few places are closed during peak snowfall
Best season: Beginning of April or end of October
Detailed Guide: Day wise
Day 0: Arrival to Leh and acclimatization
Arrive in Leh before afternoon, check-in to the hotel
Don’t do anything this day, sleep, take rest and don’t stress on your body due to difference in altitude
Visit Leh market, shop stuff and get rental bike ready if needed
Optional: Leh sightseeing
Day-1 can be spent in Leh to roam around the city
Explore the monastery, Shanti Stupa, spot some planes
Explore the Changspa Market in the evening
Day-1: Explore Khardung La, reach Nubra
Start early from Leh with full tank, Khardung La – 40kms
Rapid gain in altitude – Khardung La (17, 580 ft) then descent again
Reach Diskit – Explore Diskit Monastery in Nubra valley and sand dunes
Distance for the day – 126kms & Stay – Hunder
Optional: Reach Turtuk (skips day-2)
Hunder to Turtuk : 80kms, good road condition
Leh to Turtuk: 206kms, if time permits, one can stay at Turtuk, which would skip Day-2
Day-2: Explore Turtuk and back
Start early and reach Thang, the last village of India. Don’t carry bags as this would be day return trip
Visit the PoK, Pharnu village and interact with localites. Explore Turtuk village
Stay at Hunder/Diskit (preferred). Hunder to Thang 96kms one way and back. Hunder to Diskit 12kms.
Distance traveled for the day – 204kms
Optional: Visiting Siachen basecamp
One can visit Siachen basecamp, Panamik hot spring from Diskit
This would again be a round trip and take another day
Day-3: Reach Pangong Lake
Long tiring day and nothing much to explore on the way
Diskit to Pangong lake – 155kms, but road isn’t in good condition the whole way
Expect narrow roads, off-roading. Shyok river flowing parallel the whole journey
Ride on the famous DS-DBO road till Durbuk
Multiple fuel outlet available – Tangtse, Diskit, get tank full and carry extra if needed
Stay on tents front of Pangong Lake
Day-4: Explore Pangong, proceed to Hanle
Explore gorgeous Pangong Lake in the morning. Wake up early before sunrise for different shade
Ride parallel to Pangong lake via Merak till Chushul. Visit Rezang La memorial in Chushul
Continue to Hanle from Chushul, with Tsaga La (15,200 ft).
Take a detour from Loma to Nyoma to fill your tank, as this is the last one till you’re back
Pangong to Chushul – 54kms (moderate road)
Chushul to Nyoma – 85kms (terrible road conditions)
Nyoma to Hanle – 73kms (excellent roads), total – 212kms
Stay at Hanle, many options available.
Don’t forget to watch the beautiful sky at night
Optional: Extra day at Pangong
One can extend the day to explore the lake and continue the same plan
Day-5: Visit Umling La and back
The magnificent day exploring the majestic pass. Start early and leave your bags at the hotel
Visit Umling la and come back by afternoon. Different ways to reach Umling La: here
Hanle-Umling La and back 120kms. Explore Hanle monastery, Indian Astronomical Observatory if interested
Stay at Hanle or continue towards Nyoma for the stay
Optional:
Reach Hanle by afternoon and continue towards Tso Moriri lake and reach by night
This would skip Day-6 and give time to explore more
Day-6: Journey to Tso-Moriri and explore
Small journey of around 160kms with magnificent roads.
Fill up tank at Nyoma and reach Karzok by evening. Enjoy the beauty of the lake and stay at Karzok
Stay options are limited and only BSNL network is available, keep sufficient cash
Day-7: Explore Tso-Moriri and back to Leh
Spend time admiring the lake early morning and start back.
Visit Puga hot springs, Tso-Kar lake and Tanglang La on the way to Leh.
Journey of 235 kms with good roads once you join Manali-Leh highway.
Stay at Leh.
Day 8&9: Exploring JK area
Two days to explore the sight-seeings on the way to Sri Nagar on NH-1
Round trip till Zojila Pass. Distance one side of 310 kms
Journey on NH-1 with good road conditions.
Explore Gurudwara, Magnetic hill, Sangam, Lamayaru, Kargil, War memorial, Drass and Zojila Pass.
Stay at Drass and back on day-9 to Leh.
Optional: Explore JK
One can plan to explore Sonmarg, Sri Nagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam to explore the Kashmir area.
Conclusion
This was the itinerary to explore the complete circuit of Ladakh as per my experience in October ’24. One can additionally add Marsimik La from Pangong and Mig La from Hanle to the same itinerary. As the plan was to start and end at Leh, the day-9 concluded at Leh.
