When the winters set in Leh Ladakh, the most important question for lovers of Ladakh becomes “How to travel to Leh Ladakh in Winters??“. The roads to Ladakh are closed in winter.
Traveling on the Srinagar – Leh Highway and Manali – Leh Highway gets very risky as you enter the end of October owing to snowfall at passes, black ice on the road which skids the vehicles making driving hazardous and above all extremely harsh cold conditions with not much shelter, and food at disposal, especially on the Manali – Leh Highway.
Hence, the only option to travel to Leh Ladakh in Winters after October is to directly fly to Leh from Delhi and then travel within Ladakh.
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Let's quickly dive into the details:
Winter Tourism & Responsible Travel
Winter tourism in Ladakh is always special but lately, it is rising like anything. Many senior travelers and lovers of Ladakh, including me, who used to love this once-upon-a-time remote place named Ladakh, now see much filth, garbage, and litter in the season time. Hence, many are trying to avoid visiting Ladakh in the summer.
Especially, owing to the rise of domestic tourists (forgive me for saying the bitter truth, but you know it is true, don’t you?? 😥 ) who litter like anything on the shores of pristine Pangong Tso or Tso Moriri, at remotest passes, in remote corners and where not they throw those plastic bottles out of their moving cars or those wafer packets which such morons eat, open the window and throw out – disturbs the ecological balance, flora, and fauna just for the mere show off of the 4×4 capabilities their supercars posses, for few 100 likes, smileys, RTs in Social Virtual Media???…
Does traveling to Ladakh in winter help?
Well to be very frank even winters are no longer that rosy and you will get such people in winters too nowadays. All thanks to the uncontrolled mass tourism and the age of Instagram. Confronting such idiots means getting into trouble, spoiling your mood, sometimes taking on punches, and spoiling your trip as locals have closed their eyes in the name of development, and they don’t come forward to beat the shit out of such morons… Aah, my heart bleeds as I write all this and more but anyway, let’s come back to topic 🙂 🙂 …
Still, do not believe me?? Read yourself in the article about how Ladakh is turning itself into an environmental disaster.
Many Responsible travelers who respect mother nature are ready to take on the hardships of Ladakh in winter to see this heavenly land not getting polluted in front of their eyes at every corner or not getting noise polluted by any drunkards playing loud music on the holy shores of such nature conservation land, I thought of completing the DoW Travel Guide of Leh Ladakh by adding the chapters on Leh Ladakh in winters. In the last article, I shared some important tips on making a winter trip to Leh Ladakh.
PS: You can help save this beautiful heaven from this filth & littering by learning, sharing, spreading and educating these key pointers about responsible travel in the Himalayas
Is Flying to Ladakh in Winters Safe?
Flying directly to a high altitude place like Leh (3500+ Mtr) can cause serious issues sometimes if proper care is not taken for Acute Mountain Sickness.
And when it is winter, there should be extra care that needs to be taken in order to help your body fight & cope with extreme cold plus high altitude together.
Hence, one must always be at least aware of the importance of Acclimatization and tips to better acclimatize to some extent before venturing to further high altitudes.
7 – 8 Days Itinerary for Leh Ladakh in Winters
I would like to sketch below one of the most common itineraries or travel plans for Ladakh in winter that you can follow on your adventures of snow-white Ladakh in winter.
This itinerary covers two of the three major tourist destinations of Ladakh including Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso Lake. The plan for Tso Moriri is provided as optional.
When you fly to such high-altitude places like Leh, you must give your body a chance to acclimatize a bit before actually getting started with sightseeing on distant high-altitude places in Ladakh. That is the precise reason why a road journey to Ladakh from Srinagar Leh Highway is more fun because it allows your body to adapt to the increase in altitude gradually. Hence, you acclimatize to the raising altitude day by day.
But, in winter the highways to Ladakh are closed, and hence, flying to Leh in harsh cold conditions is the only option one has on disposal. So, let’s take a look at how one can plan this, not so easy, adventure journey to Leh Ladakh in winters and also maximize the chances of enjoying the trip rather than just merely surviving on it.
Needless to say, you will need to carry proper heavy woolen clothing for the winter trip to Ladakh.
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh, Rest & acclimatization (By Flight)
- Check-in at the Hotel. Some hotels provide free pick and drop from the Airport. Ask while you book them.
- Take Ample rest as well as water or anything that keeps your body warm and hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE.
- Do not overexert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in its entirety, if possible.
- After 5-6 Hrs of rest, you can visit Leh Palace and see what is open in the Local Leh market. A little slow walk helps in acclimatization too.
- If you feel exerted, go back to the hotel, have dinner at the Hotel and take a rest. Avoid any exertion and getting hit by the cold.
- Go back to the hotel for an overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing
- Starting in 2021, you DO NOT need any inner line permits for Pangong Tso and Nubra Valley
- Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you. You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the more comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
- Take the driver’s inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suit you best.
- Ask him to be with you guys starting the first day itself if required else do it on your own.
- Again DO NOT overexert and take little steps and slow walks only.
- If feeling OK then do Local Sightseeing in Leh Town
- Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
- Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Sham Valley Tour – Leh including Chilling
- Sham Valley includes Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, and Gurudwara Pather Sahib.
- Check my complete travel guide of Sham Valley.
- In winter, especially in November & December when there is dry cold in the absence of snow, the acclimatization of the body is a bit hard process in comparison to when things are much more favorable to the body in summer. Hence, you must keep this extra day for the Sham Valley tour so that you acclimatize much better before going to Nubra Valley.
- Take the road opposite Confluence towards the Zanskar river and travel to Chilling too. In case you visit in January or February, you can walk over the Zanskar River on this route as some part of the famous Chadar Trek where people walk over the Zanskar River as it freezes in winter from Padum in Zanskar Valley to travel to Leh.
- Overnight at Leh
Day 4 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
- Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
- On the way enjoy a cup of soup, if available in winter, which I doubt, at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
- Diskit has monasteries with the tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 5 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
- Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
- Overnight at Leh
If you have an additional day at hand, you can visit Turtuk Village in Nubra Valley as well.
Day 6 | Day trip to Pangong Tso
- Make a Day trip to Pangong Tso as it will be very very cold up there and there will not be any place to stay around Pangong Tso except Tangste about 34 KMs away
- Overnight at Leh
Day 7 | Fly back home / Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour and fly back home on Day 8
- Monastery tours may include Hemis, Thicksey, and Shey monasteries. They come on the route of Pangong Tso but as you will be doing a day trip, it will be a bit hectic to include them on that day only.
- Overnight at Leh
Or those who have 8 days in hand, can make a Day trip to Pangong Tso as below but that makes it a bit rushed / hectic.
Day 6 | Leh – Hemis – Karu – Chang La – Tangste, 34 KMs before Pangong Tso
- Checkout Hemis Monastery on the way to Pangong Tso
- Since at Pangong Tso it will be very very cold almost unsurvivable and there will not be any place to stay as well around Pangong Tso except homestay, it is better to stay at Tangste about 34 KMs before Pangong Tso.
- If you have time in the day left, you can go towards Harong Wetlands from Tangste on Erath – Nama – Chusul route from Tangste to explore some nice landscapes around there.
- If you are not interested in exploring Harong Wetlands then you can spend some time at Chemmery Monastery near Shakti and one more monastery near Tangste as Sasakul Monastery
- Overnight at Leh
Day 7 | Tangste – Pangong Tso – Tangste – Thicksey – Shey – Leh
- Cover Thicksey Monastery and Shey Palace while coming back from Pangong Tso
- Overnight at Leh
Day 8 | Fly back home / Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping and fly back home on Day 9
- Overnight at Leh
Can I visit Tso Moriri in winter, too??
If you have a couple of more days at hand or in case Chang La Pass is snowed, you got yourself a couple of days then you can visit Tso Moriri as well. Please remember the order of visit must be like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and then Tso Moriri, in any case, to best acclimatize yourself.
Since there is no high mountain pass on the way to Tso Moriri from Leh, this is far more approachable but being very remote and lacking basic facilities, especially in winters nearby Tso Moriri, it is best avoided unless you are a serious hardcore traveler and enjoy such harsh cold conditions as an adventure 🙂 🙂 …
Day 1 | Leh – Karu – Upshi – Chumathang
- Chumathang, about 83 KMs from Tso Moriri is the place where you will need to stay as Korzok village will only have homestays to stay, but at 4500 Mtrs, the cold will be too much to survive easily with basic homestays, I believe. Though you may be lucky with Bukhari enabled room, if you are acclimatized well.
- Chumathang has a hot water spring, is low in altitude, and provides better resistance to cold even though the stay here as well is quite basic. There is a Chumathang Hot Springs Resort for a stay in winter near Tso Moriri.
- You can cover any of Hemis, Thicksey, Shey, or Stakna on the way to Chumathang in case you missed in previous days
- Overnight at Chumathang
Day 2 | Chumathang – Tso Moriri – Chumathang – Leh
- It will be quite a long drive but once you reach Chumathang after visiting Tso Moriri, the road is well paved all the way to Leh. So, this day is doable enough.
- In any case, the visit to Tso Moriri will be short and quick, owing to long day travel.
- Overnight at Leh
Video – Tips Ladakh In Winters
You may check this less than 3-minute video on Discover With Dheeraj YouTube Channel to know more on the 6 Special Tips for a Winter Trip to Ladakh. If you like my video, please do not forget to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.
LAST UPDATED: Dec 2023
This article has been updated with the latest information about making a winter trip to Ladakh. It is kept up to date every season to reflect the current status. Feel free to suggest any further updates you deem fit that I may have missed.
Conclusion
I hope this travel plan or itinerary for traveling to Ladakh in winter will be useful for you in planning your adventure trip. I will look forward to any questions or doubts in the comments section of this article.
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In case you have made a winter Ladakh trip and have any suggestions that can help other fellow travelers. Please feel free to share them with me, and I will be happy to put them in the article. Do not forget to share this article with your friends and family who are planning their upcoming trip to Ladakh in winter.
