Ladakh Trip 2006 - Contribute your Suggestions

mihirp

Hello,

Firstly, let me thank the IndiaMike team for maintaining such an active and useful forum which provides really helpful and useful information on Ladakh, among other topics.

Saying that, I would like to share my Ladakh trip plan with you guys and welcome inputs and suggestions.

We are a group of 5 guys who have roughly planned a trip for 30-45 days sometime in July-August 2006 next year. The trip would include covering places in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. Our mode of transport would be a private SUV. Since we stay in Bombay, we would be driving down from Bombay to Rajasthan via NH8 and then visit the major tourist destinations in Rajasthan like Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, etc. Then we would move on to Delhi from where we would depart for Manali and finally to Leh. We have plans to stay around 10-12 days in Ladakh and visit various spots there. While returning we might visit other hill stations in Himachal like Dharamshala, etc.

In short, our route would be as follows: Mumbai - Delhi - Manali - Leh & return.

1. We would not be able to book hotels in advance because some ups and downs in our schedule may delay our arrival in Leh.

So Would hotels in the range of around 250-500 per night be available directly or it's too tough to find accommodation during the season. Since we have a long trip planned for around 30-45 days, we want to save as much on accommodation. We are also going to carry our 10-men tent as a contingency backup.

2. In case we plan to camp outdoors in a tent (which we own and would carry with us), would it be safe to pitch it somewhere outside Leh or could you suggest some nice spots to pitch tents. Would it be safe?

Similarly, we would be making a night halt at Sarchu and plan to pitch our own tent rather than rent the local tents.

3. We plan to stay in Ladakh for around 10 days, out of which 2 days will be in Leh and the other days would be touring the nearby spots and cities. Which places should we cover and would proper accomodation be available there? We also want to visit Khardung Pass (the highest motorable road). Is it open or covered with snow?

4. Is there any militant risk in Ladakh? Is it safe to go and visit Kargil?

5. Are there any special tips that you would like to provide us during our trip.

Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Mihir Parmar
Mumbai

AvidTrekker

Ladakh is totally SAFE, No militants.

Hotels from 300 to 1000 or more... depends on your choice.

Tent can be pitched at most places. But a ten man tent is big liability. I had a ten man tent with twenty children inside and one windy rainy night was praying for the tent not to fly away [ it didn't ] and we were really hassled the whole night. I never carried a large tent after that.

Carry two to four 3 man / 4 man tents which are WIND RESISTANT [ standard A shaped ones stay upright better than dome tents ] [ 4 season tents are the best... but expensive and only two man designs ] Ladakh is famous for its high winds which are notorious to take half hearted tents off their moorings.

__________________
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mihirp

Hi AT,

Thanks a lot for your tips. Actually I got it imported and its a Coleman Weathermaster 3-room 4 season tent which I believe should be wind and rain resistant enough, but experience will prove that. I however value your tip and will keep it in mind.

Thanks and any ideas about my other questions?

Cheers,
Mihir

AvidTrekker

ALL big tents are a big liability in high winds.... and Ladakh winds are high.... even on the road. Better to go for smaller tents... 2 or 3 man.

Your tent may be foreign made; still its made of fabric and not concrete....

ona

I would forget about tents - too cumbersome and really not very pleasant when it gets cold & windy. The weather can turn quite suddenly - we were caught in a snow storm driving back to Leh from Tsomoriri (last month -around 6 - 8 July) and all roads to Leh were to closed for a few days because of the this. Flights were also cancelled.

The Kardung La pass usually is open - except when there is a storm raging.

There are many places to visit in the area - go to the Nubra valley (that's when you have to cross the Kardung La) - it's a beautiful area. There are many guest houses in the towns at reasonable prices. But, it's high season and you will find prices are much higher than out of season. Leh also has a huge selection of guest houses - try to find something a little out of the centre of town - these may be a little bit cheaper.

You can also visit Tsomoriri - there are tented camps available but they are very expensive - we saw some huts on the shore of the lake. Don't know how you go about booking accommodation. There are countless travel agents in Leh - book trips that will suit you through them - you have to get special permits for Nubra and Tsomoriri and these have to be obtained through the travel agents. Taxi prices are fixed - so it's just a question of bargaining about accommodation. Many of the hotels and guest houses will also arrange transport, but you will have to pay extra for the permits.

Another pleasant village with nice walks you shouldn't miss is Alchi - there are several guest houses.

tiger

@ona as far as i know, u dont have to get the permits made from travel agents! u can get them from the DC's office easily, unless it involves going to army areas. also since they have their own suv they dont have to deal with taxi or travel agents.

@mihirp its a bit too early to plan for a 2006 trip . i will be going to leh in september on pulsar 180, will give u more details when i come back from there. as AvidTrekker said dont forget to include nubra in ur trip also try to visit tso moriri or pangong tso when u r there.

ona

Going to the Nubra valley and the Kardung La pass means you are moving through army area and you need a permit (and a number of copies). We also needed a permit for Tsomoriri (we went there via Upshi) - a vehicle in front of us that was also on its way to Tsomoriri was turned back because the driver didn't have a permit. Our permit was checked at various checkpoints.

tiger

@ona i meant in some areas controlled by army permits are not issued. u do need the permit for nubra!

mihirp

AT - Thanks for the tip about the tent. I will take your word for it.

Ona - I have heard a lot about Nubra valley. WIll definitely include that in my itinerary.

Tiger - Actually we wanted to make it this year, but due to time constraints are forced to reschedule it for the next year. SO I am trying to collect as much information as possible for the trip. As you know, Knowledge is power I also look forward to hearing from you about your trip experience in september.

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Which month (from June to September) would you suggest we make a trip to Ladakh?

How much traffic can I expect on the Manali-Leh highway in July-August?

Has anyone visited Kargil, Dras, and other nearby places. I have heard that Dras is the second coldest place in the world and would like to visit that as well. I am also aware that the temperature would be somewhere in the range of 5-10 degrees C in Dras during those 4 months, so getting a feel of that chilling winter temperature won't be possible.

AvidTrekker

IMHO, 15th august to 15th sept would be excellent... 15th sept to 15th oct would be cold, but equally good. [foreigners like this period] The Passes [kunzum, rohtang, etc] sometimes close due to snowfall in the last week of October [last year it happened 1st week of Oct, if my memory serves me right]

Traffic on Manali Leh highway is negligible... when you compare it to mumbai traffic. Even then I would advise hiring a local mountain driver for your peace of mind. Its a totally different ball game driving in the plains and driving in the hills.

Re: Kargil Dras etc... don't cram too much in your journey. You are at very high altitude. Take it easy. Even entire Ladakh can't be done justice in 10 days.

tiger

@mihirp you are right, got less then a month for the trip and still so much to plan and do . like AvidTrekker said its best to have a local driver in case the person driving your suv doesnt hav gud experience in hills. Best time to visit would be the first week of September, of course that depends entirely on your definition of term “best”! But I feel first week of September is best.

At that time most of the passes should be open and also since roads have been open for quite some time, they should be in a little bit better shape. Also on your return journey you might get to see a little bit of snow fall as well (I know it’s a long shot but I am wishing the same for me as I will be there till 18-19 September).

Lovemax

hmmm...right On tiger,
u can see snow but u have to be lucky..
anyways.. no ideas how it appears in september but I m gonna experience it in Aug though LOL...
FreeBirD

tiger

@Lovemax i am counting on my luck, seen enough snow but no snow fall yet! got to experience that.

i know i am going off topic, but can anyone tell me where can i find tent for rent in Delhi? i wana do some camping in leh, so if any one can guide me on where I can get the tents in Delhi and at what cost.

himalayas_beckon

hi guys
@AvidTrekker : u mentioned sep-oct is also a good time to visit ladakh. is it advisable to visit the suru valley, all the way down to padam, in oct?? and what about the lakes (pangong/moriri) in this period (upto 15th oct)

the rohtang does close down in oct sometimes, but then it re-opens till early nov,doesnt it

and my mode of transport would be a bike.
plz give ur tips

ona

I agree with AvidTrekker - don't try to cram in too much. It takes time to get to the various places. Dras is a loong way from Leh - would take you a day to get there. It's a small place but quite quaint. Had some chai there when we drove through on our way from Srinagar.

I would say stick to Leh and surrounds - do a day trip to Alchi and another one to the village of Hemis, visiting the Tikse gompa on your way there. You could even go to Lamayuru - it has a spectacularly set gompa and the drive there is also spectacular (it's on the road to Srinagar).

Similarly, the drive to Tsomoriri and surrounds is spectacular - and yes, rather take a local driver who knows the tracks and the conditions. Driving in these areas is tricky and you get lost quite easily. You can also end up in a snow storm or the track might be under snow - that happened to us in July! We had to get out of the vehicle a couple of times to try and find the track. And then it started to snow - fantastic!

Bear in mind that Tsomoriri lies at 4 400m - and the altitude can affect you. We were affected although we had been in Leh for almost week and had driven there from Srinagar, which also gave us time to acclimatise. Couldn't sleep, slight headache, short of breath and generally feeling weirdish. Was the longest night I've ever had!