Every day on my blog or social media accounts, I get a lot of questions like “What should I wear in Ladakh?” or “What clothes I should carry for Leh Ladakh trip?” or “What should I pack for my Ladakh trip?”. These are very genuine questions, and one should always think about carrying clothes for a Ladakh trip.
In today’s article, I will try to enlist some important tips that will help you pack your Clothes for Ladakh, especially at the start of the season (April to June) and end of the season (September to October).
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Shoulder Season for Ladakh
I specifically want to target the shoulder season months because people living in the plains tend to forget that you may have to face winter-like cold conditions up there in Leh Ladakh even in May – June or September – October.
Hence, you should be prepared with proper clothing when visiting Ladakh in these shoulder months of the season when the cold conditions are about to settle in the region, or they are about to fade away.
It is also important that you should also be aware of the best time to visit Leh Ladakh.
July – August is considered to be pleasant, and light woolens mostly do the job for you in these months. In the winter months, when both Manali Leh Highway and Srinagar Leh Highway are closed due to heavy snow, then the conditions are icy. In such winter months, you need very heavy woolen to survive.
We can talk separately in some other article about preparing yourself for the winter Ladakh tour. Hence, the tricky windows are from April to June and September to October. So, in this article, I will mainly focus on clothes to wear in Ladakh in these months.
Things to Know for Carrying Clothes on Ladakh Trip
The basic thing for making your Ladakh trip a successful one and learning how to prepare for Leh Ladakh trip is that, at any cost, you MUST KEEP yourself warm enough always with proper woolen clothing and always wear shoes all the time with socks.
This helps you keep yourself warm and reduces the chances of getting hit by Acute Mountain Sickness or cold. You must always protect your chest from the cold winds all the time. When the cold is severe, it is also important to protect the neck portion as well using full Balaclava, maybe.
You should always carry your own water bottle and refill it as many times as you need water. It will not only keep you hydrated always, but you will also help in saving the Himalayas from plastic garbage. Remember, every tiny step counts and you can help save the Himalayas too !! 🙂 🙂
The second thing on clothes to wear in Ladakh is that you must carry clothes that can be worn in layers because it helps you adjust to the fluctuating temperatures in the sun and shades, up there in Ladakh.
Yes, in these start and end season months of Ladakh travel, when the sun is shining, everything appears good and suddenly you enter a shaded portion with the wind blowing, which is cold enough to have a jacket 🙂 …
Hence, take due care about it and avoid letting the cold flow inside the body in such cases as well.
Keeping such factors in mind, I will recommend below a general list of clothes to carry on a Leh Ladakh trip.
What should I wear in Ladakh?
- Inner thermals 2-3 pairs (must have)
- A fleece jacket, windcheater jacket or windproof jacket to prevent the winds (must have)
- Good insulated boots or trekking shoes in winter. In summer, any sports shoes should be fine.
- Woolen socks 2-3 pairs
- Heavy woolens 2-3 sets – Sweatshirts, pullovers, warm hoodies
- Comfortable trekking/traveling pants or trousers. Better to be warm in winter or carry a couple of jeans (my favorite)
- A heavy woolen wind-proof jacket or parka is always handy throughout the year as a contingency too if weather changes even in summer months
- Carry at least 1-2 caps to protect yourself from direct sunlight as it is too harsh in this region to protect yourself from UV rays. Kids especially should wear caps or hats all the time when out there in the sun.
- Carry at least 1 Balaclava or monkey cap, especially in winter months
- Sunglasses to protect your eyes from the reflections of snow
- An extra pair of shoes/gumboots in case people are on bikes and are expecting a lot of water crossings,
- Hand gloves must-have in the months of October to June.
- The remaining list of things to pack for Ladakh trip.
Important Tip: Especially, in the months of September and October, the UV rays are harshest and you must protect your skin using Hats / Caps and good high-SPF sunscreen lotions.
This list of clothes and equipment will answer your question in general. However, the list mainly focuses on shoulder months and suits for all other months too. However, for an appropriate month-by-month reference of what to carry, you can refer to the FAQ section below.
In the end, it is always nice to take some candies, chocolates, books, pens, pencils, crayons etc. anything that you can distribute among the local children. Nothing but the smile on their face would be too much worth it.
FAQs – Leh Ladakh Packing
Let us look at some of the most common questions asked about packing things for a Leh Ladakh trip.
Packing for Ladakh trip depends mainly on the month you are traveling to Ladakh. I have already detailed the list of clothing you can carry on a Ladakh trip in the above sections of the article which also contains the link to the remaining list of important things to pack for Ladakh trip.
Preparing for the Ladakh trip requires planning, patience, and reading some good articles on Discover with Dheeraj blog. This article helps you with what clothes should you pack for a Leh Ladakh trip. You can also refer to Ladakh’s main menu on this website for all the answers you need to prepare for a successful Ladakh trip.
January is a winter month, hence, you must carry heavy woolens for a Ladakh trip in January. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in January are listed as
— a heavy woolen jacket or parka (windproof),
— balaclava or monkey cap,
— inner thermals,
— fleece jacket,
— heavy woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— warm insulated shoes or trekking boots,
— warm hand gloves and
— sunglasses
February is also a winter month. Hence, you must carry heavy woolen for a Ladakh trip in February. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in February are listed as
— heavy woolen jacket or parka (windproof),
— balaclava or monkey cap,
— inner thermals,
— fleece jacket,
— heavy woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— warm insulated shoes or trekking boots,
— warm hand gloves and,
— sunglasses
March is also considered to be a winter month, but snow clearance begins on Manali Leh Road and Srinagar Leh Road. Hence, you must carry heavy woolen for a Ladakh trip in March. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to take to Ladakh in March are listed as
— heavy woolen jacket or parka (windproof),
— balaclava or monkey cap,
— inner thermals,
— fleece jacket,
— heavy woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— warm insulated shoes or trekking boots,
— warm hand gloves and,
— sunglasses
I also consider April to be a winter month in Ladakh even though the snow clearance operations are in full swing on Manali Leh Highway and Srinagar Leh Highway. Hence, you must carry heavy woolen for a Ladakh trip in April. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to bring to Ladakh in April are listed as
— heavy woolen jacket or parka (windproof),
— woolen cap,
— inner thermals,
— fleece jacket,
— heavy woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— warm insulated shoes or trekking boots and,
— sunglasses
May is when the weather starts to change in Ladakh, and the temperature begins to rise. However, most high-altitude places away from Leh town like Khardung La, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri still have icy conditions. So, you must carry heavy woolen for a Ladakh trip in May as well. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in May are listed as
— fleece jacket or light woolen jacket (windproof),
— heavy woolen jacket or parka,
— woolen cap,
— inner thermals,
— light woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— regular sports shoes or hiking boots and,
— sunglasses
June is when summer finally arrives in Ladakh. Both Manali Leh Highway and Srinagar Leh Highway open up, and tourists begin to flow into Ladakh. Now, you need to make a balance of woolen clothes. Hence, you must carry a mix of light and heavy woolens for a Ladakh trip in June. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in June are listed as
— fleece jacket or light woolen jacket (windproof),
— woolen cap and regular cap or hat,
— inner thermals,
— light woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— regular sports shoes or hiking boots
— gumboots for bike riders,
— sunglasses and,
— heavy woolen jacket or parka only for contingency
July is when it starts to further warm a bit in Ladakh. It becomes pretty pleasant mostly, but overcast conditions can make you cold too. Hence, light woolens are still necessary. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in July are listed as
— fleece jacket or light woolen jacket (windproof),
— regular cap or hat,
— light woolen clothing,
— regular socks,
— regular sports shoes or hiking boots,
— gumboots for bike riders and,
— sunglasses
August mostly gets rains in Northern India, but Ladakh is a rain shadow region. In general, it remains pretty pleasant mostly, but overcast conditions can make you cold in August. Hence, light woolens are still necessary. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in July are listed as
— fleece jacket or light woolen jacket (windproof),
— regular cap or hat,
— light woolen clothing,
— regular socks,
— regular sports shoes or hiking boots,
— gumboots for bike riders and,
— sunglasses
September is the month when the cold starts to set in Ladakh, and winter-like conditions begin to prevail. Snow is mostly gone, but high-altitude places like Khardungla, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri are pretty cold in the morning and evenings. Not to forget September 2018 when a snowstorm caused lots of casualties. Hence, you must be very prepared with clothing starting from September up to June. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in September are listed as
— fleece jacket or light woolen jacket (windproof),
— woolen cap and regular cap or hat,
— light woolen clothing,
— regular socks,
— regular sports shoes or hiking boots,
— gumboots for bike riders,
— sunglasses and,
— heavy woolen jacket or parka only for contingency
Come October, winter-like conditions further grasp the entire Ladakh, and snowfall starts getting common. Now, you need to make a balance of woolen clothes. Hence, you must carry a mix of light and heavy woolens for a Ladakh trip in October. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to take to Ladakh in October are listed as
— fleece jacket or light woolen jacket (windproof),
— woolen cap and regular cap or hat,
— inner thermals,
— light woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— regular sports shoes or hiking boots,
— sunglasses and,
— heavy woolen jacket or parka only for contingency
November is a winter month. Hence, you must carry heavy woolen for a Ladakh trip in November. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in November are listed as
— heavy woolen jacket or parka (windproof),
— woolen cap or balaclava or monkey cap,
— inner thermals,
— fleece jacket,
— heavy woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— warm insulated shoes or trekking boots and,
— sunglasses
December is a winter month. Hence, you must carry heavy woolen for a Ladakh trip in December. Among the list mentioned in this article, the must-have clothing items to carry to Ladakh in December are listed as
— heavy woolen jacket or parka (windproof),
— balaclava or monkey cap,
— inner thermals,
— fleece jacket,
— heavy woolen clothing,
— woolen socks,
— warm insulated shoes or trekking boots,
— warm hand gloves and,
— sunglasses
Conclusion
I hope these travel tips for the Ladakh trip help you prepare yourself with the right list of clothing items to carry on a Ladakh trip. Now, you know the secrets of how to pack your clothes especially when you are traveling to Ladakh, especially in the shoulder season months.
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