leh in December - confirmed trip

abhi182

there seems t be another thread for a Ladakh trip in December but the original poster seems to have dropped his plans
Hence creating a new one .
what activities are possible in Ladakh in mid dec
would accomodation be availale?
would rented transportation be available to head out from leh town to visit the adjoining areas?

Would love to hear from people who have done this in the past

I am a compulsive adventure seeker of that helps understand my expectation :-)

nayan

have you gone through all the postings in the below thread ?
Tour packages to Leh?

it gives lot of info abt pros and cons and what may be possible in ladakh in december.

MAS

Hi:
Go through the thread, 'Leh in Dec'. All suggestions and advices given by different people to the concerned person are very much applicable in your case also. Hope, reading all those replies you too will prefer to delay your plan of visiting Leh by few months. As far as your natural impulse for some adventure is concerned visiting Leh in any season is certainly not less than an adventure. Visiting Zanskar, Spiti and many more other isolated places are really more daring in all seasons. Next year, try to visit these places in either late April, or in the early October, if feasible. It will certainly give you a great sense of achievement.

http://triptoladakh.blogspot.com

MSM

camelgirl

Just read all this plus the recommended thread about the same topic earlier this month.

It seems there is no talking anyone out of going in December, if that's what they have decided to do. I guess you can call trying to breath while you are freezing an adventure all right

I'm not an expert and I was in Leh many years ago during the summer (August). I went by bus from Srinigar.

It was an awesome experience, and even then it was cold at night. Night was very hard for breathing, even after a week there. Maybe I just don't acclimate well. I had been 3 weeks in Srinigar (which has some altitude) and didn't expect to have any problem, but did.

I hope anyone who does go to Leh in winter comes back here to IM and give us an update on how it went. Obviously, I recommend a different season to visit Leh.

__________________
My selected India photos http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...r/7030/cat/500

Yogesh Sarkar

What all places are you thinking of visiting? Mind you most of the passes will be closed for civilians at that time. If you are a trekker then there shouldn't be a problem, however if you are planning to take a taxi to go to different places, then you are in trouble.

Also if this is your first trip to Ladakh, then it might be a good idea to postpone it till summer!

__________________
My Travelogues | My Blog | Ladakh Travel Guide

ladagspa

Hi
I am going to Len on 8th and coming back on 15th.

We will be celebrating Galdan Namchot on 9th Dec and New Year "Losar" on 10th 11th and 12th Dec.

As for trips most Monasteries will be accessible, Nubra valley across Khardungla will be fine. Tsomoriri will be in accessible including Pangong. Zanskar valley will be cuttoff. Though the famous Frozen River Trek to Zanskar Valley should start somewhere in January.

HTH
Angchuk

prashantpachauri

Hi Abhi,

I started that other thread "Leh in December", and I my plans are still strong, in developmental phase though!!
I tried on my part contacting loads of tour operators and almost everyone has backed out for any trekking activities during that time (december end), though some have come up with options to visit Nubra Valley, Likir, Thikse, Alchi and Lamayuru, hence I'm considering that option instead of a trek (may be next year...)

If you need any info on tour operator or anything elase.... IM me!

__________________


Regards,
Prashant

Don't think you can, know you can!

prashantpachauri

Ooops, forgot to give you an idea of my proposed trip::

Day 01 Arrive Leh and day for rest and acclimatize
Day 02 Visit Shanti Stupa + Shankar Gompa + Leh Palace + market
Day 03 Visit Shey + Thikse + Hemis monasteries
Day 04 Drive to Alchi via Spituk Monastery + Likir
Day 05 Drive to Lamayuru & back to Leh
Day 06 Drive to Nubra
Day 07 In Nubra
Day 08 Drive back to Leh
Day 09 In leh day at your leisure
Day 10 Departure transfer

abhi182

I just spoke to one Mr. Azad in Leh who runs a tourist agency there.

He said he would be glad to arrange for a Nubra Valley and Tso Moriri (or was it Pangong Tso?) trip in addition to the local attractions around Leh

Seems like I am about to bite the bullet.

abhi182

Ok....I'm all set and roaring to go !

Booked Chennai- Delhi - Leh - Delhi- CHennai tickets already..reaching Leh on 8th and rreturning on 16th

I haven't finalized any itinerary as yet but Nubra valley and Pangong-Tso are definitely on the cards!

Question
Should I book a tour operator? I personally abhor fixed itinerary , and prefer travelling untethered in my own way but am not sure what the availability for hotels , cabs etc. would be like in December....

The best quote I have got so far is INR 29000 for 2 people and this includes a 3 day trip to Nubra valley, 1 day trip to Pangong Tso and a couple of days of local sightseeing in and around leh town

What I am wondering about is whether it would be a good idea to land in Leh on the morning of 8th , find a hotel, take some rest ( I don't need very long to acclimatize myself), find a cabbie who is willing to go to Nubra Valley...
And subsequently to Pangong
Would it be difficult to find willing cab drivers in December?
Would it turn out to be a more expensive/cheap proposition?
Any suggestions are welcome

vistet

Srinagar shares the same problematic location as for example Kathmandu : high enough to raise hopes of acclimatisation , which won´t materialise.The only effects of short term stays at this altitude (below 1600 meters) is a marginal drop in oxygen saturation and physical capacity, but no acclimatisation response. The bummer is that there is no gradual response to drops in oxygen saturation . On the upside a night in Kargil (around 2600) makes a lot of difference. For anyone who has been to Ladakh before and aches to return but dread the first nights there is an interesting option : after Kargil , spend a night or two in Saspol at 3100 meters. Well worth visting in it´s own right, not just to ease in to the altitude.Not in any way a major hub , though.

Or maybe , like me and many others , you acclimate differently at different times. Most people go through the important shift in breathing regulation after two to five nights , that´s where the the three day rule came up . Numbers are not the fundamental rule , listening to your body is.

__________________
high road to ..

abhi182

just to put thing in perspective, the craziest thing i have done was a road trip to gurudongmar , Sikkim in late feb...

in retrospect, i acted stupidly by going from gangtok (1500 m?) to Thangu (3800m) in one day, spent the night there, guzzling alcohol and smoking away to glory [Blush]
woke up the next morning with a moderate headache which got fixed after a chai and another smoke :p

headed to Gurudongmar soon after (5100 M)
came back by the evening and feasted on momos

In retrospect, it was stupid..It was reckeless to say the least... [shock]



having said that, I guess I acclimatize well (*knocks on wood)

Which is why I am hoping this trip shouldn't turn out to be a freezing AMS fest

In addition, I need a thrill that betters the last one which is why I have to go on this trip [cry]

so here is the plan

- Chennai - Delhi on the 8th of Dec
- catch up with old friends on Saturday and catch the early morning flight to Leh (I made the mistake of booking deccan, anyway, just in case they cancel their flight, i can always switch to a spot fare ticket on Jet)

- 9th Dec : Hit Leh and take it easy for a day...and stay away from alcohol if not a smoke or two

- 10th Dec: In and around leh visitig monasteries in the vicinity
- 11th Dec: head to Nubra Valley...spend the night there
- 12th Dec: head back to Leh (BTW Is Nubra worth an extra day, say 13th too?)
- 13th Dec - Lamayuru and back
- 14th Dec: Pangong Tso and back ( I so wish i cld stay there for the night but seems ther'll be no acco available in winter)

- 15th - Reserve day for any nearby destinations I may learn abt while there

- 16th- head back to delhi in the morning and then catch an evening flight to chennai

One question that is bothering me is whether I should arrange for all of this in advance thru a tour operator? I have got quotes ranging from 30K to 45 K for 2 people for the proposed itinerary

Or

whether I should reach leh, find acco by myself, and then hunt for cabbie locally?
i'd prefer the 2nd option as long as it isn't more expensive than the first

saajan_20

catch up with old friends on Saturday and catch the early morning flight to Leh (I made the mistake of booking deccan, anyway, just in case they cancel their flight, i can always switch to a spot fare ticket jet

Hello dont worry deccan as in simply deccan has come a long way and have even reaches on time for a change !!!

abhi182

Woah...So hopefully, I'll be in leh in just 4 days from now

Havent made any bookings..just called up a couple of hotels and confirmed they will be open

Will check into a hotel on Sunday and make arrangements for cab/other provisions from there...

Yoohoo!

abhi182

Woah...Back in Chennai from Leh...

And what a trip!!!

With no one in town but the locals
no tourists to mess up the ambience
And all the mindblowing vistas for your eyes only


On the flipside,
The cold was unforgiving...dropping down to as low as -25 C even during daytime on some of the passes we went through

The roads were scary, with a bunch of skids and spins on the narrow roads...
But in the end, it was all worth it...

Here are a couple of teaser pics

Attached Thumbnails