Ladakh, a union territory of India in the western Himalayan region in North India at 9800 ft covered with high and snowy mountains makes it a very beautiful and scenic place to visit. So in this blog post which is my first blog post, I’ll give my Ladakh Experience ,i.e. describe my visit to Ladakh in my view. Kindly let me know if I have made any mistakes.
Getting there!
There are several ways of reaching Leh(a capital city of Ladakh) that include by air to the nearest airport, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport which is just 3.8 km from the main city and by road from Srinagar, Manali etc. which are open only during the summer months due to closure of the highways in the rest of the year because of weather conditions.
In my case, we(my family) flew from Bengaluru to Delhi and stayed in Delhi for 2 days for winter wear shopping. We then took an early morning flight around 6 A.M. to Leh. We reached Leh’s Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport by 8 A.M. During this two-hour flight the views from the window in the second hour is a blessing in disguise. The view of the flabbergasting snow covered mountains below make the flight very memorable and fun.
A picture of me at Delhi airport in front of our flight to Leh!
The astonishing view from the flight of the second hour in the air.
Acclimatizing
After reaching Leh it is highly recommended for one to take a day or two rest for the acclimatization of the body to the high altitude and the reduced oxygen levels. Following this we dedicated the whole day for acclimatization by resting in our hotel room. This was also one of the reasons why we took an early morning flight so we don’t have to spend more days acclimatizing.
Stay
There are many options for staying in Leh like hotels and homestays. We stayed in a lodge/homestay named Taka Residency where we got nice rooms with splendid views of the mountains and robust homely food as per our requirements.
Day 2: Sightseeing begins!
On the second day, we visited the Kargil War Memorial to respect and appreciate the Indian Army. After visiting the Kargil War Memorial, we visited some renowned Monasteries and the Leh Palace.
Day 3: Sangam Valley and Magnetic Hill
The third day started with a 48 km drive to the Sangam Valley where one can enjoy the splendacious views of the convergence of the two rivers Indus and Zanskar. Sangam Valley also offers rafting for the adventure lovers. Rafting at Sangam Valley makes it the World’s highest rafting point.
A picture of Sangam Valley.
On our way back to Leh we visited the infamous Magnetic Hill, a Cyclops hill. The layout of the surroundings creates an illusion because of which cars seem to be moving uphill against gravity while the cars are actually moving downhill.
After reaching Leh we freshened up and left to explore the city on foot before dinner.
The number of days for sightseeing in and around Leh can be extended or shortened to one’s comfort. Although I recommend atleast 2 days for sightseeing in around Leh for better acclimatization if you are travelling to higher destinations like Pangong Tso Lake, Nubra Valley, etc.
Day 4: Khardung La and Nubra Valley
The travel on 4th day started as early as 6 A.M.. The hotel packed us light breakfast like sandwiches to have on the journey so we don’t lose out on time, get late or get stuck at any higher places if the weather turned bad. Since we were travelling in an SUV we carried an oxygen tank too in case any of us is unable to manage the reducing oxygen levels in the journey.
We started our 38.9 km journey to Khardung La. Throughout the journey to the Khardung La top the view keeps getting better and better making you feel your trip to Ladakh completely worth it! After a certain distance to top we could finally get the one thing without which any trip to Ladakh is incomplete. Obviously, I’m talking about snow (Since we went to Ladakh in the first week of May so we couldn’t find snow in the Leh city)! I feel that if one hasn’t played in snow like a child, he/she hasn’t enjoyed their Ladakh trip! Along the journey to the top the abundance of snow keeps increasing. We stopped at many points on the journey to play with snow, click pictures and enjoy the breathtaking views! In case of bad weather on the top or any other circumstances, there might be traffic jam on the way. These traffic jams can be used to play, click pictures, etc. with proper care and consciousness.
The road to Khardung La Top.
With the view getting better on the journey to the top, the road gets worse by getting covered with snow, slush and occasional water-crossings. The bad roads too make the journey memorable and pleasurable for adventure and off-road lovers.
The kind of view you get on the way to Khardung La Pass.
After a drive of 1.5 – 2 hours we reached the Highest Motorable Road in the World, The Khardung La Pass at an altitude of 17,582 ft (5359 m) above sea level. To our good luck the weather was good and it started snowing! We got down from our SUV and enjoyed the snowfall and clicked some pictures to remember. Truly, my visit to the Khardung La was the best visit among all the mountainous places I have ever explored. Although I did face some headaches and breathing problems on the journey to the top, but I resisted myself from using the oxygen cylinder. After all these health issues of mine made no value to me once I experienced my first ever snowfall with the grand view from the top!
A picture of me at Khardung La Top.
After spending almost half an hour on the Khardung La top, we resumed our journey to Nubra Valley. The inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers. After a journey of almost 120 km we reached Nubra Valley by evening with spasmodic breaks in between the journey for tea and lunch.
On reaching Nubra Valley, we checked in to the heavenly Hotel Snow Leopard. The ambience and the facilities of the hotel made it exceptional. There was a prodigious garden in the hotel with tables and chairs for the guests to enjoy the view of the mountains with a cup of a hot beverage. We were lucky to get a big room with a balcony facing the garden and the mountains.
View of the garden in Hotel Snow Leopard from our room's balcony.
A picture of my sister and myself in the hotel garden!
We freshened up and went to the Nubra Valley Desert before it got dark. The highlight of Nubra Valley Desert is the two-humped Bactrian Camels. One can get a ride or a safari on such camels in the Desert. I was not interested in camel rides so we just wandered around and clicked a few pictures. When it got dark, we headed back to our hotel and rested for the next exhilarating day!
Day 5: Head to Pangong Tso Lake
The fifth day was most of travelling to reach the Pangong Tso Lake which was around 274 km from Nubra Valley. It took us almost 8 hours travelling in between the tall mountains, along the magnificent rivers and streams.
River along the road to Pangong Tso!
On reaching Pangong we checked into our cottage and got ready to visit the very famous Pangong Tso Lake. We did have an option to stay in tents but we decided to stay in a cottage.
We proceeded to the infamous Pangong Tso Lake seen in the climax of the bollywood movie “3 Idiots”. On reaching the very huge Pangong Tso Lake at 13,860 ft, we walked around the lake and took a few pictures until sunset. After the sunset, we proceeded back to our cottage. The temperature dropped to less than 0°C. It was the coldest night of our entire trip. Near our cottage was a huge tent with tables and chairs for dining for the cottage and tent guests. The experience in Pangong was unparalleled.
Some pictures of me at Pangong Tso Lake!
You can find many restaurants and Cafe near the lake based on the movie "3 Idiots".
Day 6: Chang La and back to Leh
After the cold night of the day 5, we proceeded back to Leh via Chang La, the third highest pass in the world. The experience of visiting Chang La is similar to that of Khardung La but this time I did not face any health issues. We reached Chang La soon and got down there for clicking pictures and playing in the snow. We did not play much with snow in Chang La but on our way back to Leh we stopped at a stretch of a flat snowy area where we played to the fullest as it was our last day in Ladakh. We reached Leh in the evening and spent the rest of the evening and night shopping for souvenirs, shawls, etc.
A picture of me at Chang La Pass!
Day 7: Leh to Delhi
After 6 unsurpassable and indelible days in Ladakh, we proceeded back to the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport to fly back to Delhi.
Summing it up
Visiting Leh Ladakh is an experience which all travel lovers like me should experience at least once in lifetime. The beauty and naturalness of Ladakh will make your trip very memorable. The magnificent and the splendid views of the mountains, lakes and rivers will surely make your trip completely worth it. The bad roads on the way to reach the higher points will surely please all the adventure and off road lovers. Summing it up, a trip to Ladakh is a very exceptional and an unparalleled experience and one shall surely love it and reminisce the trip lifelong.
PS: Some things might have changed by now because I visited Ladakh in 2017!
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