First and foremost, very warm Welcome and Thanks for stopping by my blog 🙂
I am Dheeraj Sharma, an avid traveler, a day-night dreamer, and a soul lost in the Himalayas. I have a zest for driving whilst exploring new places & sharing back those travel experiences with other fellow travelers. I love Spreading Smiles in the Himalayas through DoW Causes & currently enjoying life as a happy traveling soul on this website.
Some 12 years back I realized that living your passion to dive into the unknown and testing your limits of body and soul, really helps in boosting your well being. Since then I never looked back. Frequently, I get on my wheels to hunt this unsatisfied hunger of rejuvenating myself in the endless beauty which the Himalayas does offer to us.
While traveling to the Himalayas, I feel I went through a kind of metamorphosis that led to my reincarnation. I am working hard to materialize the vision & mission of the DoW Travel Community with the support of all other members of our community.
Well, professionally you can call me a Software Development Manager… A few years back, I came to live in the USA with my family on a work assignment for my company. As of now enjoying every bit of this new life and travel in this beautiful country, the United States of America 🙂
Besides traveling, I enjoy and love my work to the core, trying to be ever competitive in challenges offered to me in my professional life. Personally, Cricket, Computers, Netflix, and Hollywood Movies always find special attention in my day-to-day life. Before I die, I would love to see the vision of the DoW Community getting materialized where both the Himalayan lives & travelers get benefit from each other. Just as everything starts with a cause, so does this whole chapter of traveling in my life. If you are interested to know more please read the post “Everything has a start…“
One day a thought rippled through my mind for sharing all I learn from travel with the likes of you, hence I choose to start this blog. This Blog (& DoW – Himalayan Travel Community) is simply about my hobby and passion for traveling to the Himalayas and getting connected with them in one or another form. You can expect experiences, learning, thoughts, tips, guides, routes, maps, suggestions, hotel reviews, travel news, etc. You all are most welcome to join in, be a part of DoW – Himalayan Travel Community, and share your comments, experiences, thoughts, suggestions, etc, or any stuff related to traveling, driving, dining, riding, etc.
The vision of my blog is to help travelers, backpackers & tourists from all walks of life in planning memorable trips to the Himalayas – Smartly, Safely, and Responsibly. It is all about living my passion for travel & driving but at the same time to share as much valuable + more practical Himalayan travel information and experiences as possible with other fellow travelers or tourists in order to help them travel with a difference in the Himalayas…
Since 2009, I have extensively traveled in the Himalayas on my own and hence, carries a vast amount of practical Himalayan travel experience. In the last decade, I have possibly answered 100,000+ questions about traveling to the Himalayas. My work has appeared in a range of mediums, blogs, publications, and newspapers.
Over the past few years, Travel has taught me many things and if you are interested to know more about it, you can read How Travel Transformed and Made Me Feel that Alive is Awesome. Along with it, you can also read about the 6 Reasons Why I Travel.
I dedicate this blog and offer my sincere thanks to my Family (Lovely Mom and Dad and a beautiful wife, my little superhero), Relatives, Friends, Uncle (Mr. Dev Dutt Sharma) for their never-ending love, care, affection, and support. Of course, they sacrifice their time with me and allows me to help me grow this Himalayan Travel Platform to benefit the lives of all Himalayan Travelers and Himalayan Lives. May GOD bless each one of them and their families too.
You are most welcome to leave a comment if I missed something, I will get back to you within no time. I hope you will subscribe or join the community to read/share what’s new in Himalayan Travel with each passing day and keep on visiting again and again to share your Travel (or driving or riding) experiences, comments, thoughts, suggestions, etc.
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3,109 Comments
Namaste
We want Budgetary Quotation for following SPITI Tour
D1: 15 June 2018. Pune/ Delhi/ Chandigarh
D2: 16 June 2018. Chandigarh/ Chail/ Narkanda
D3: 17 June 2018. Narkanda/ Sarhan/ Sangla
D4: 18 June 2018. Sangla/ Chhitkul/ Kalpa
D5: 19 June 2018. Kalpa/ Nako/ Tabo
D6: 20 June 2018. Tabo/ Dankhar/ Lalung
D7: 21 June 2018. Lalung/ Kungri/ Mud/ Kaza
D8: 22 June 2018. Kaza/ Langza/ Komik/ Hikkim/ Gete/ Tashigang/ Kaza
D9: 23 June 2018. Kaza/ Ki/ Kibber/ Lossar/ Kunzum/ Chandertal
D10: 24 June 2018. Chandertal/ Chhatru/ Rohtang/ Naggar
D11: 25 June 2018. Naggar/ Chandigarh
D12: 26 June 2018. Chandigarh/ Delhi/ Pune
We are 12 Male persons more or less just 40+
We feel that THREE INNOVA type vehicles are required for long duration comfort.
As it is high altitude tour good diet and sound rest is absolutely required.
Room can be Shared by TWO person and may be THREE person if absolutely required.
Kindly give complete quotation inclusive of all i.e. Travel ( Chandigarh to Chandigarh) , Accommodation, Food (Veg + Non Veg), Entry Pass Fees, Parking Fees, Toll Fees etc
Also give payment scheduled.
Thanking you
PLEASE note Devil On Wheels is a Travel Platform to share information with fellow like-minded travelers for FREE. We neither organize any tours nor offer any travel packages. There are some people who do sell tours and run commercial things with same or similar names like ours with few spelling changes. Please BEWARE of such copycats using our name to disguise fellow travelers, as they use our name or similar name to fool people for their own commercial purpose and in the past, we have heard tons of complaints about them from the people who got confused in entities and ended up trips with them.
We at Devil On Wheels Travel Platform offer sufficient information we possibly can from road conditions to routes to maps to hotel details to day by day plans and other advises that one need to make a successful Himalayan trip including Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand or North-East thoroughly. This will save you a lot of money and hassles too which you can use to buy something good for you or to help the ones in need in Himalayas 🙂 🙂
If you are looking for competitive and customized tour and packages, you can connect with [email protected] (Gaurav) or [email protected] (Ranjeet) as most of the readers in the past few years have had very good feedback about both of them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to them as both of them knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer them the DoW Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot/link of this reply here.
We are planning an opposite route of travelling Munsiyari.
It is like Lalkuan – Lohaghat – Dharchula – Munsiyari – Kausani – Nainital
Will it be hectic for families?
We are scheduled in April.
No Jayanta, the route is totally fine with few bad patches roads around Pithoragarh. Rest it shall be fine. Also, I will recommend against going to Dharchula as it does not have much to offer unless you plan to with Narayan Ashram or some other work. You can move from Pithoragarh to Munsiyari and then back from Munsiyari to Chaukori and towards Kausani – Nainital.
DHEERAJ
CAN YOU SHARE YOUR CONTACTS NOS TO DISCUSSED OVER TELEPHONE DURING YPUR LEASUIRE TIME
AS MY FAMILY PLANNED TO VISIT LADAKD FROM 2/07/208 TO 10/07/2018
Dheeraj sir I want to mood a trip o f rishikesh to chandr sheela can u helping me by said me the cheapest budget for it plezzzz replay fast I will come in this January
Aakash, you can read all the details on Chandrashila at the article: Delhi to Tungnath Temple and Chandrashilla, Uttarakhand | Travel Guide
Thanks for the reply
Bt I didn’t understand
Dheeraj,
Great pictures. I would love to visit Deoriatal with my friends. Have been trying to collect information but so far no avail. Can you please tell me the following:
How big is Deoriatal?
Nearest good hotels on the road head near Deoriatal.
Thanks heaps for your help.
Manu ([email protected])
Thanks Manu, did you get a chance to read: Delhi to Deoria Tal, Uttarakhand | Travel Guide and Tungnath – Chandrashilla – Chopta – Deoriatal – Most Common Itinerary
Thanks Dheeraj. I have read the guides.
I am planning to take a group of 10 people on uttarakhand visit. These all are over 65 years of age.
We will drive to Sari village and then trek from there. It might be difficult to find a place to stay at Sari or Deoriatal as there would not be accommodation for 10 people. Does Mayadeep resort Duggalbitta has electricity? We could stay there and leave early in the morning to reach Deoriatal for sunrise.
Do you know anyone whom I can speak to and who could help us with the logistics for taking some kit etc to Deoriatal.
How big is the lake itself? The picture doesn’t give much idea.
Thanks.
Manu
Hello Manu,
At Sari village, there will be homestays or guest houses that can accommodate 10 people. Lake is kind of small size, you can walk around the perimeter of the lake in about 30-40 minutes. If you have been too large lakes, then it will feel like a pond. I have mentioned few guides names in those guides, you can get in touch with them. If you are looking for professional services, I can provide the contact of such people too.
Hi Dheeraj,
how i join the group for himalayas adventure by car. please send me a schedule for 2018.
We do not organize any tours or group tours, those who do in our name have copied our brand name and fool people that they represent us or we have an association with them. We do not have any such association with anyone. If you are looking for competitive and customized Ladakh tour and packages, you can connect with [email protected] as most of the readers in the past five years have had very good feedback about them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to Gaurav, the guy who runs it. He knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer him the DoW Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot/link of this reply here.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am in absolute love with your work and how you are following your passion. I am a bike enthusiast myself, however, due to my chronic back issues (I have a crack in the back), I am not really at the luxury of riding bikes for long. But that has not stopped me from traveling here and there and making full use of what I can, I also run a lifestyle blog called StyleRug and it would be great to connect with you on a more regular basis. Maybe you could contribute as a guest author/travel expert, which I think would add immense value to our readership.
Nevertheless, glad to connect here.
Cheers!
Thank you for connecting Sarudraa and sorry to hear about your back condition. It is inspiring to know that you are passionate about biking adn traveling. Good to see your website too, however, with the limited bandwidth it is nearly impossible for me to work for my own blog, community and job with a family to support and in parallel be a guest author/contributor to another website. However, in future I will keep in mind in case there is any need arise.
Hey Dheeraj, I read your blog and its really commendable for what you doing, helping others from your experience and giving valuable suggestions. This bug has beaten me too and i too need your urgent help, infact i dont know how to go about it as far as the itinerary is concerned. So i’m planning a solo trip for Spiti Valley from Mumbai (30th Aug to 8th Sep), Since I’m travelling solo, i’m still not sure which route I should take, Manali one or Shimla one coz after Spiti I’ve to reach Leh on 9th Sep to join a trekking group for Stok Kangri (which is another 7 days event). I planned to use public transport/hitchhiking for Spiti Valley, What would you suggest Day 0-30th Aug Land in delhi from mumbai (Since delhi is my hometown i can stay there)
Day1-1st Sep Delhi-Manali by Bus (stay overnight at Manali)
Day2-2nd Sep Manali / Solang Valley – Rohtang Pass – Kunzum Pass – Kaza
Day3-3rd Sep Kaza-Pin valley (Mud village)-Dhangkar-Dhangkar lake-Tabo (overnight at Tabo)
Day4-4th Sep Tabo to Kaza and then Ki – Kibber – Gette – Tashigang – Kaza
DAY5-5th Sep Kaza – Hikkim – Komik – Langza – Rangrik – Losar – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal / Battal
DAY6-6th Sep Battal / Chandratal – Gramphu – Keylong/Jispa
DAY7-7th Sep Keylong/Jispa – Baralacha La – Leh ( I’m keeping 2 days in buffer in case I dont get any transport in a worst case scenario)
I’m still not sure abt planning it from Shimla since I planned to f
STOK KANGARI TREK (9th Sep-16th Sep)
17th Sep-20th Sep -I plan to cover Ladakh Areas
-Nubra valley
-Hemis Monastery
-Pangong Tso Lake (Semis, Thicksey and Shey)
-Thickset monastery-Shey Palace
– Karzok Monastery
-Tso Moriri via Chumathang etc etc
On 21st Sep I plan to take a flight from Leh to Delhi
I have following doubts before taking this trip
1) You think taking a Manali route would be more helpful or I should plan other way round I mean from Chandigarh if i take a direct flight from Mumbai to Chandigarh
2) How frequent is public transport on this route (Manali-rohtang-Kaza) and do I need to take permission or if i try hitchhiking options also
3) I’m not sure how will I reach Leh from Jispa as one of my friend said I might not any transport on that route-What would you suggest?
4) Most important Since i’ll be travelling alone, how viable all these options will be considering the conditions in Manali and nearby areas
5) I was also thinking to tag along with a biker group or any solo traveller planning to travel on the same dates, I dont know how to find this information
Do you think I’m thinking way too much abt these things as one should be ready to face challenges along the way
Plz guide me as I dont want to spoil this long pending plan and I have to take this trip at any cost
Much Thanks!
Hi Shikha,
Your plan for Spiti seems fine but being solo travellers there will be challenges likes getting the right transport and making sure these places can be visited as planned. Also, like Kaza – Jispa will not be possible by public transport perspective and only upto Keylong. So is the day before when you plan to do everything on Langza – Hikkikm – Komic and then go to Chandratal.
I will recommend that you read the articles to get an idea on how you can plan with public transport as both articles cover them in detail with a sample itinerary. How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport and How to make a budget Ladakh trip by public transport
Let me know in case of further questions once you read these articles. Else I can answer your specific questions too.
You mean instead of covering Kaza – Hikkim – Komik – Langza – Rangrik – Losar – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal / Battal I should directly go to Chandratal
Also want to know If i travel with a group only to cover Spiti valley, ,how will I be able to reach Leh on 9th sep. Sharing a short itinerary here
02-Sep
Reach Manali and Relax
03-Sep
Manali – Rohtang Pass – Batal – Kunzum Pass – Lohsar – Kaza
04-Sep
Kaza – Key – Kibber – Kaza
05-Sep
Kaza – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Tabo -Kaza
06-Sep
Kaza- Langza- Hikkim- Komic
07-Sep
Langza – Chandrataal
08-Sep
Chandrataal – Manali
09-Sep
Departure from Manali
Instead of finishing at Manali, I want to head to Leh from Spiti to join a trekking group in Leh. Will I be able to do that, can you please help how i can reach Leh along from keylong
You should do Chandratal to Keylong and then Keylong to Leh. No need to go back to Manali from Chandratal if you want to go to Leh. This will help you reach Leh on 9th itself.
okay thanks a lot, is there any pre-booking available from Chandratal to Keylong-Leh. Any taxi driver’s number with whom i can do this advance booking coz i dont want to be stranded tomorrow in an unknown area
Not really Shikha, there is no bus service from Chandratal. Unless you are hitch hiking or have the personal vehicle you cannot do Chandratal to Keylong or Manali. Once at Kaza, you should go to bus stand and ask the timing of bus reaching Keylong from Kaza. That bus will pass through the diversion of Chandratal or Batal. Reach Batal before the bus reaches there by some hitch hike. That is the only way apart from complete hitch hike I see you can do solo as Chandratal to Keylong.
Dheeraj would it be possible to speak to you on the phone? Sorry to ask your direct number coz i still have few doubts in mind which i want to clear after speaking to you or if you dont mind, you can buzz me also on whatsapp at 9833618068. Much thanks
Shikha, it could have been possible but I am currently staying in US for another year or so and the office is quite hectic here so do not get enough opportunity in overlap India time. You can drop an email and I can connect you with someone from the DoW Core team who can help you over phone f possible for them.
Thanks a lot dheeraj, no problem at all. Can you provide an email id, will shoot a mail to DoW team. I have downloaded DoW app also in my iphone but not getting any suitable leads so far of finding any backpackers for spiti. Also i’m not able to put an event in travel timelines even after registering for it, can you help me with it please. Sorry if its too much to ask for
You can reach at admin at devilonwheels dot com. I am sorry but Calendar plugin may not be working on phone. Can you please try to submit the entry from the UI. You need to use the link: https://devilonwheels.com/dow-travel-partner-calendar-submit-event/
it’s not working either, tried submitting the entry from the UI
this link is also not working https://devilonwheels.com/dow-travel-partner-calendar-submit-event/
Please send it over email, I can post it on your behalf along with username you have registered in DoW Community.
Hi Deeraj,
I have read your replies and now it my turn to ask your advice and a favorable reply. I am with my partner is planning to do a road trip from Srinagar to Leh , Numbra, Pangong and back via Manali. I plan to leave Srinagar on 29th September and would like a itenary when in ladakh and back to Manali. I are driving by our Alto 800. Can u pls let me know how many days are good enough for me to have a feel of ladakh and drive safe to Manali. Your valuable advice and kind help would be appreciated.
I think I replied to you question.
Hello Dheeraj,
Your plan is good. I want to advice you about your vehicle selection. Its highly recommended that you should not take any hatchback or sedan on this route if you want to enjoy your whole trip without any stuck any where. On Leh to Manali route you need high ground clearance vehicle like- Scorpio, Innova, Safari etc. Taking hatchback & sedans on this route is like – Apne paon pe khood khulhari marna. Road in worst condition with water streams and muddy roads also. You can check videos on you tube & Facebook. If you are in hatchback or sedan (both types of vehicle having low ground clearance and chances of heating under belly like radiator carrier, engine sump and some times it can damage your differential also) it soulfully depends upon you luck that you reach your destination without any trouble.
Hi Dheeraj,
How are you man? How are things going with you?
I need a lot of your help Dheeraj. I and a group of my friends planned a trip to leh – ladakh in August. I am so much confused about itinerary and plans over there.
Frist of all we only had one week for the trip (I requested my friends to extend their leaves but it is not going to happen so we only have only one week i.e. from August 12th to August 20th).
We are arriving in manali on August 12th morning from there we need to pick bikes for rental. Later we thought of staying in manali that day for acclimatization and start the trip the next day and the itinerary we thought of is as follows (distances are as per google maps)
13th August manali – jispa 138km 430hrs
14th August jispa – pang 161km 6hrs
15th August pang – pangong 256km 7hrs
16th August pangong – nubra 200km 630hrs
17th August nubra – leh 170km 5hrs
18th August leh – sarchu 250km 7hrs
19th August sarchu – manali 223km 8hrs
19th August night we will board a bus to Delhi
20th August evening we have a flight to catch
Here are few questions
1. About bikes?
From one your pages I got this site http://offbeatescapes.com/bikes-rent
I heard that there is an issue going with the bikes association b/w manali and leh. Is it solved? What we have to do?
2. What about permits?
According to above itinerary where we need to get permits? Are there any permits required?
If above itinerary got changed and we have to go through LEH I heard that they made permits online.
http://www.lahdclehpermit.in/index.php is this the site to apply? If it is so then what are the steps after filling the details? What is the procedure/process?
Can you please let me know about these permits in detail?
3. Is the above itinerary ok? (I got this itinerary from a meet up page with small modifications)
If at all the itinerary is not good please suggest an itinerary with all the places mentioned above. We badly want to visit all the places.
We need to be in Delhi by 20th it is mandatory Dheeraj
Thanks,
Swaroop
Hi, I have the similar plan during same period but a solo trip. keeping myself in loop for reply from Dheeraj.
Just replied: https://devilonwheels.com/about/comment-page-19/#comment-451667
Hey Swaroop,
I am doing good, hope the same from you. Thank you. Based on the less number of days in hand, I will suggest following edits:
13th August manali – jispa
14th August jispa – Leh
15th August Leh rest and acclimatize, get the permits done in advance as 15 aug, office will be closed.
16th August Leh – nubra
17th August nubra – PAngong Tso if roads from Shyok are open. Remember any breakdown on this road will mean you have no help for miles.
18th August PAngong Tso – Leh
19th August Leh – Jispa
19th August Start from Jispa early morning and reach Manali by 2 PM, take the last overnight Volvo to Delhi. 20th August evening we have a flight to catch
Answers to your questions:
1. Yes it is solved, you can go to Leh with Manali bikes but then again have to hire rented bikes in Leh to do sightseeing in Ladakh region.
2. You need one permit as Beyond Rohtang PAss permit of Rs 50 to cross Rohtang Pass from Manali. Then once in Leh, you need to take the print out of the applied permit (at the link you posted) and pay the fee to get the permits copy stamped.
3. Edits suggest above in the Ladakh trip plan.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi dheeraj thanks alot man you’re a true helper to me. I really owe you man :). You’re doing a great job helping number of people.
Thank you Sai, sure, one day in Himalayas let’s meet for some beer or tea 😉
Sure Dheeraj but i prefer tea, i don’t drink beer 🙂
Sure bro, I prefer tea more 😀
One more question bro. Sorry i am bugging you. As on 15th august the govt office remains close how can i gety permits sign before day as the office may be closed while we reach leh the before day. Can you provide me any alternative Dheeraj?
Sai, you have to arrange through some travel agent. Get in touch with [email protected] who can help you with it.
Hi dheeraj I mailed to them ([email protected]) two days back but didnt get any reply from them. I am waiting for their reply.
You can call directly to Gaurav at +91-9716507246, +91-8447530163 and refer my name 😉
Hi dheeraj,
As per above itinerary i came to know that 19th august is repeated 2 times. Is it correct ? Iam unable to understand.
Can you please clear this?
Thank you 🙂
I just copied and corrected what you proposed. Seems you posted the 19th twice. So, do you have dates fixed and do not have this day with you or you wanted to have it till 20th? If you do not have this extra day then you will either have to skip Pangong Tso, do Pangong Tso to Sarchu directly, then Sarchu – Manali next day OR add this day.
Hi dheeraj,
We don’t have 20th august as we have to board flight in delhi that evening. By any means we need to start to delhi on 19th august evening/night.
We can do pangong-sarchu but as per your comments we contacted gaurav regarding bikes(a lot of thanks to u 🙂 ).
As per information from gaurav we need to exchange bikes at leh means we cant go to sarchu from pangong
Thanks,
Swaroop
Then, the only thing I see is that you either skip the Pangong Tso or make one day trip to Nubra Valley. Also, please note that shorter direct route to Pangong Tso from Nubra Valley via Shyok is closed due to massive landslide and not sure when it will open.
Thank you bro. Seriously without you i may lost somewhere while planning this trip. Thanks a ton bro 🙂
Hi, Dheeraj
We are planning next year june 3rd week to visit kaza via shimla-sangla-kalpa-tabo and return via manali- kullu from Kolkata . We are 6 person (3 family and a 3 year old child). I want some suggestion from your end regarding this matter that
1. Is it safe to travel with 3 year old child in this region.
2.What type of clothes and accessories should we pack.
3.Normal drinking water is safe or we have to carry mineral water in this total tour.
4.What type dry foods should we carry with us .
5.How much cost per person in this tour.(lower-mid budget tour).
6. This time is ok for this journey.
Please suggest.
Avijit.
06.07.2017.
Hi Avijit,
1. It depends on person to person to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say… The issue with children is that they tend to exert the body considering it the same kind of place they belong to and this elevates the chances of getting struck with AMS. Secondly, they are not much expressive about their uneasy feelings, so it is parents who need to watch out and take care that the child is not suffering from uneasy feelings, headache or nausea and is behaving properly. With less than 5 year child, I think he/she will also be NOT able to convey the uneasiness she may feel. You have to be vigilant and if you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling then please do not ascend anywhere, either descend to lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight and if symptom increase then start descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!
Also, PLEASE read the article: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies. This article covers this topic in complete detail.
2. You can read: Clothes to carry for Ladakh trip.
3. Mostly it is safe at least for me but if you are heavily reliant on mineral water, best is to either carry boiled water or refill the mineral water bottles.
4. You can check: List of things to carry when you go on trip
5. How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Hi
I wanted to ask something on the similar lines.
I’m going on a bike trip on 22nd July.
1. what shoes will you recommend? Arpenaz 50 or Arpenaz 100 ?
2. What should we expect from the weather this time of the month ?
Thanks.
If budget is not the issue, I will suggest: Review | Quechua Forclaz 500 Ventiv Shoes
Dhiraj I am a big Fan man…Bohot Zor hai umhare naam ka bhai…Ladakh me…Hanley me jo guest house hai Padma..Bhai vo tumhari Kasam nahi khata.. usne tumhaare kehne pe two rooms aur bana liye hai..i mean you mean so much to him..you are an amazing traveler…isi tarah se Korzok me Dolphin wala…Tsokar me…Nubra me,…Spangmik me…your dedication inspire me..i travelled fourth time there…i really appreciate what you do..
Hi Dheeraj,
first of all thank you very much for amazing itinerary you prepared for my 14-days air trip to Ladakh.
Next I have never seen such a complex blog from information as well as technical perspective. I think for newcomer to Indian Himalaya it is the must to visit your blog, really. I much appreciate your work you are doing for tourists and visitors.
Thank you so much and wish you many happy reader
Regards Ales
Thank you so very much Ales, appreciation acts like gold dust and sometimes more than that when you are in that kind of mood 🙂 … I am very happy that you found Devil On Wheels blog such useful from both information and technical perspective.
Hi Dhiraj,
In my last post, i forgot to ask couple things related to the local transport. I am aware of the bus frequency from Leh to Nubra. What I also wanted to know is that, likewise, is there a bus stand in Nubra to get back to Leh. I am unable to get any detail about that. in other words I wanted to know the to and fro frequency of the local buses from Leh to Nubra and back. Any idea abt the???
Is there a similar kind of frequency for Pangong???
I’d be travelling on the 1sr week of Oct.
Yes Sujata, the bus will start from Deskit and local will guide you for the spot for the bus start location.
Thank you Dheeraj 🙂
Pangong Tso is weekly bus AFAIK. You can check the bus timetable at: Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
Thank you Dheeraj 🙂
Hi there,
I have planned to travel to Ladakh on the 1st week of Oct as that is the only time i could manage to get leaves. I am a solo traveler from Bangalore. I have planned a typical 7 days itinerary for Leh-Nubra-Pangong. However, since its an off season, I wanted to know if I can still get share taxi as hiring one all for my self is going to cost me a bomb. Most of the travel packages also are not running much during that period. Is there a local bus to Nubra and back to Leh the next day? If so, what is the frequency like during that period? Being a solo traveler, could you please advice on what would be the most feasible way to complete the itinerary during the said dates? Shared taxi would be ideal according to me but not sure about its easy availability during the off season. Looking forward to your expert guidance.
Sujata, it is hard to find shared taxis in off season but you may try it. Local buses mostly run all season. October is still OK season and you may still be lucky to get shared taxis.
Thank you Dheeraj. I have been following the posts on DoW for quite some time. Its very informative. Keep it up!
Thank you and best wishes for your trip.
Hi dheeraj,
It’s urgent pls do tell me whether we can get permit directly on rohtang .. I tried so much to book online permit but status says everything left.. pls guide me or call me dheeraj, we booked everything. We ll reach manali on 24th june which is tomorrow. We ll travel In Delhi registered rental bikes.. do help me or call me pls.
Pugazh
9884574874
No Pugazh, you cannot get the Rohtang Pass permit for tomorrow. If you really want to visit Rohtang Pass, best will be to take Beyond Rohtang Permit and go over to sleep one night at Sissu or Jispa and come back the next day to Manali.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are two of us planning to visit Ladakh in mid July. Please suggest if there are shared taxis available from Nubra to Pangong? If yes, will you suggest taking a taxi for this route or coming back to Leh from Nubra and then plan from Leh to Pangong?
you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all. There are lots of flyers which people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh. Even travel agent organize such shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in worst case you can always go back to them and book a seat for yourself. Gelling up with people in Ladakh is more or less easy because many people travel solo and look forward to meet new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am travelling to Manali on 14th June with family (10 people with 2 cars) and planning to go to Rohtang the same week. I am a frequent traveller and have driven to Rohtang a lot many times without any difficulty (but always with friends). However, I was told that we now need a permit for travelling to Rohtang and it is extremely difficult to get it as the number of cars applying for the permit are a lot more than those who get it. Is it really that difficult? How can I be sure to get a permit on the desired date?
Also, how long does it take to reach Rohtang now? I have usually driven in 3-4 hours at the max (with traffic) but some taxi drivers said that it takes a minimum of 6 hours one-way now. Is this true? They said it is best to leave at 5 am in the morning, reach by 11 am, spend an hour there and leave for Manali at 12 to reach back by 6 pm. What is the suitable time to leave for Rohtang now?
Thanks,
Chandni
Hi Chandni,
Yes, now you need Permit for Rohtang Pass and in case the vehicle is petrol, there will not be many issues. However, a diesel vehicle taxis also fight for the number of permits issued. June is the craziest of the time to travel to Manali and Rohtang Pass and you have to surely go through these traffic snarls and issues.
Hi Dheeraj,
We are around 10 people who would like to rent bike from LEH to Numbra valley. What is the process of advance booking the bike?
TIA
You can get in touch with [email protected] and they should be able to help you. You can refer Devil On Wheels to get a discount of Rs 50 per day per bike from them stating you are DoW member.
Hi Dheeraj,
I will check in manali on 2nd June @ 10 :00 AM & i m planning to go Rohtang pass on 3rd June So just wanted to know that easily i’ll get the rental taxi for the same ? or it is difficult to get it as limited vehicles are allowed & do u have any contact details of taxi driver who can offer us good package of Kullu & Rohtang.
your advice will be helpful.
Yes Gautam, it is difficult to get as limited vehicles are allowed to travel to Rohtang Pass. You need to get in touch with the drivers. You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
Hey Dheeraj,
your itinerary helped so much. But I have some confusion with the cost. Can you please help me out with the step-by-step cost of my itinerary. please keep the cost least. I don’t have idea about the bus fares, shared taxi cost, private taxi cost, accommodation cost etc etc.we are of 3 persons and we also have a tent, so if it is possible to use our tent in leh for minimising the accommodation cost,then we’ll do it. Can u please tell me the overall budget of this :-
day-01 – delhi to srinagar (By bus)
day 02 – srinagar-kargil (by bus)
day 03 – kargil-leh(shared taxi)
day 04 – local sight seeing+ inner line permits
day 05 – leh-khardung la-diskit-hunder(private taxi)
day 06 – hunder-sumur-panamik-sumur-leh
day 07 – leh-pangong Tso lake(shared taxi/local)
day 08 – pangong Tso lake -Leh
day (09 – 14) – Markha valley trek
day 15 – leh-Tso moriri (shared taxi)
day 16 – Tso moriri-Tso kar-Sarchu
day 17 – sarchu-keylong-Rohtang pass- Manali
Day 18 – Manali-delhi
Baha, please read: How to make a budget Ladakh trip by public transport
As I have a tent for three of us, what should we do and where can we stay with the tent in leh??
And another query, is srinagar route open from today? can I take the srinagar route??
For taking Srinagar – Leh route, I will suggest you go through the updates posted under DoW Community thread of Srinagar – Leh Highway status: https://devilonwheels.com/india/road-status-conditions/srinagar-leh-highway-status-2017-2018-t5264-150.html
It does not seem to be right choice and it is much better to travel from Manali – Leh road as it is now open for small vehicles
Hi Dheeraj,
You are having nice information here helping many. Thanks a lot.
We are going on bikes renting them at Manali
My itinerary is
Sunday (13-08-2017)
Early morning start from Manali to Sarchu (250 kms)
Monday (14-08-2017)
Sarchu – Pang – Leh
Tuesday (15-08-2017)
Leh- Khardung La – Nubra (Can you suggest a place to stay at nubra valley we thought of going till Turtuk?)
Wednesday (16-08-2017)
Nubra- Shyok- Pangong Tso (Thought of staying at spangmik is it ok ?)
Thursday (17-08-2017)
Pangong – Tsomoriri
We planned this in one day because we don’t have time or days but we want to cover this place also. Please give any information we have that would be helpful.
What is the best route to Tsomoriri if sent back from chusul?
What is the best route to Tsomoriri if we don’t sent back from chusul (thought of going through nama-Kaksang la)?
Friday (18-08-2017)
Tsmoriri to sarchu
Saturday (19-08-2017)
Sarchu to Manali
Please provide me the needed information
And one more doubt is regarding bikes as we are renting them at manali. I heard that outside bikes are banned in leh so is my trip gonna be effected with this? Can you please provide me necessary information?
Thanks,
Swaroop
Yes, your trip is going to be affected. You will have to rent the bikes in Leh for sightseeing in Ladakh, return to Leh and also pay for rent twice till the time Manali bikes are parked in Leh.
Hi,
But as per out plan we are not coming back to Leh and we are not going for sight seeing. So what i have to do now? Is there any alternative ?
Bro, there is no wayout than to take a chance and hope union guys will not catch you folks at any of these places.
As I said in another comment, your plan is too ambitious which might land some of your group folks in the hospital due to AMS issues. I will strongly suggest adding a day or two to it. DO NOT attempt Kaksang La route because in case your vehicle breaks down, no one will be there to help.
Yes sir i too know that this plan is very hectic and risky but we don’t have time. Adding a day is not possible sir as my friends dont have leaves.
We prepared and taking all possible precautions for AMS and driving.
If not kaksang la the via Loma-Nyoma is good then ?
I cannot really stress on it further, choice, in the end, is yours. Not sure if life is more important than leaves for your friends but well, it is a damn risky trip which I will never let any of my family member to take it.
The only other option after Kaksang La route is Chusul – Tsaga – Loma – Nyoma.
Hi sir,
I understood whatever you are suggesting.
Can you suggest me a good itinerary for above mentioned days(Sunday – Sunday i.e from manali – leh – manali as we need to be there in delhi on sunday evening) as i am a little bit confused.
Thanks,
Swaroop
May be try this:
Delhi – Manali
Manali – Jispa
Jispa – Leh
Leh rest day and permits
Leh – Khardung La – Nubra – Leh OR Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh (a bit risky trip)
Leh – Sarchu/Jispa
Sarchu/Jispa – Manali
Manali – Delhi
Hi Dheeraj,
First, thank you for this humongous resource that DoW has come out to be in planning my trip.
This is my itinerary, I’d like you to answer a couple of questions for me, and if there’s something I need to be aware of, since I’m doing the trip without a travel operator.
25th May – Srinagar Landing
26th – Gulmarg
27th – Pahalgam
28th – Srinagar to Kargil
29th – Kargil to Leh
30th – Leh local sightseeing
31st – Leh to Nubra
1st – Nubra to Leh
2nd – Leh to Pangong Tso
3rd – Pangong Tso to Leh
4th – Fly out of Leh
1. Are shared taxis available with a halt at Kargil for a night, as I’ve mentioned in my plan? If not, what is a better alternative. Are the buses any comfortable? (and are they plying now?)
2. What time does the last shared cab/bus leave Srinagar to Kargil? Because I might be in Pahalgam the previous night, so I would’ve to plan it correct.
3. What are the best places to cover in Nubra valley, my stay is in Hunder Village in this two day trip from Leh?
4. Do I need permits for any of the places in my itinerary? Is there something I might be missing out?
Thank you Sudarshan, Please find my replies below:
1. Best is to rely on Srinagar to Kargil taxis and then Kargil to Leh taxis which are more common.
2. Hmm, the bus leaves at 8 aM and I assume shared taxis will also be similar time or may be by 9-10 AM as last but I am guesssing for them as never took one. However, early mornnig shared taxis are surely available
3. Hunder and Deskit are the best, stick to them and enjoy at ease.
4. Yes, you need permits and pay environment fee. The environment fees of Rs 400 & Inner Line Permits (most likely as well) will again be required in Ladakh for Indian Tourists / Nationals with effect from April 1st, 2017. This has been recently announced and is available on official website of Leh administration. It is expected that a public circular should follow soon as well. Hence, like it used to happen before 2014, all Indian Nationals or Indian Tourists WILL need to pay environment fees and may need to also get the inner line permits in Leh – Ladakh region in order to visit the restricted places like Dah, Hanu Villages, Pangong Tso, Man, Merak, Tso Moriri, Nyoma, Loma Bend, Khardung La, Nubra Valley, Turtuk, Tyakshi, Digger La, Tangyar (for trekking only).
For details on inner line permits process and to download application form read the link All you want to know about Inner Line Permits for Ladakh. Page 1 is Protected Area Permit applicable for foreigners. Fill in Page 2, 3 for Inner Line Permit applicable for Indians, got to DC office in Leh and submit the application with valid Photo ID nationality proof and pay the required fee of Rs 400 + Rs 20 x number of days you will be in Ladakh.
About point 1, you said taxis from Kargil to Leh. Can I get a shared taxi from Kargil to Leh? I was wondering if the shared taxis that reach Kargil would already be packed, and wouldn’t take more people. Are there shared cabs that start right from Kargil?
Yes, shared local taxis will be available for Kargil to Leh which starts from Kargil only.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am very much impressed with your great work to help us to prepare for the trip to Leh region.
Your blog is very very informative !!
We are 4 guys from Bangalore flying to Srinagar and planning for a trip from Srinagar to Leh to Manali by Taxi.
Below is the itinerary.
We are planning to hire a cab from Srinagar and use the same taxi for the entire trip.
Should we use the same taxi for the entire trip, or use one taxi from Srinagar to leh, another taxi for leh local sight seeing, and third one for the trip to manali, and fourth one for manali local sight seeing.
Please share your valuable thoughts on this itinerary, travel, and accommodation.
july 1 | Arrive Srinagar around 2 pm by flight, check in to hotel
— Visit Dal lake, Shikara ride, shalimar garden
— Overnight at Srinagar
july 2 | Srinagar – Sonmarg – Zojila pass – Drass – Kargil
— Overnight at Kargil
july 3 | Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh
— Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— Overnight at Leh
july 4 | Leh – Khardung La – Nubra valley – diskit – hunder
— Overnight at Hunder / Diskit
july 5 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Overnight at Leh
july 6 | Leh – Hemis monastry – Pangong Tso Lake – Leh
— Overnight at Leh
july 7 | Leh – sham Valley (Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib)
— Overnight at Leh
july 8 | Leh – Taglang La – Moore Plains – Pang – Sarchu
— Stay overnight at Sarchu
july 9 | Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— Overnight at Manali
july 10 | Manali
Evening VOLVO from Manali – Delhi
july 11 | Delhi – BLR
-Sudheer
Sudheer, your plan looks OK to me, may be make a two day trip to Pangong Tso as Sham valley you will cover while coming from Kargil to Leh. Also, you can call up a Ladakh based taxi to pick you up from Srinagar and drop you at Manali. Srinagar taxi if you will take it can only drop to Leh not do sightseeing in Ladakh. So, in that case you will need two taxis.
For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2017 – 18 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more. 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.
Thanks Deheeraj for the quick reply. I have considered your input and plan to stay one night at Pangong Tso.
Just a doubt, Is there any chance of acclimatization issue if we stay at Pangong Tso Lake.
While reading your blog, i also understand that there is a direct route from Leh – Pangong Tso Lake – Tso Moriri Lake – Leh/Manali highway.
Is this advisable, if we plan to stay at Pangong Tso, and start next day to Tso Moriri Lake and then to Manali without returning to Leh.
OR its better to return to Leh from Pangsong Tso and start next day from Leh to Sarchu as i mentioned earlier.
ie,
Leh – Taglang La – Moore Plains – Pang – Sarchu
— Stay overnight at Sarchu
Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— Overnight at Manali
Please share your thoughts on this..
Also can you please guide us on the accommodation – good hotel / home stay @ Dras/kargil, leh, Hunder/Diskit, Pangong Tso, Sarchu, Manali.
Once again, I appreciate the sincere efforts that you are putting here to help travelers.
-Sudheer
Sudheer, if it is your first trip, I will suggest to give the direct route a skip between PAngong Tso and Tso Moriri and use more frequented routes by tourists. If you are not feeling well in initial days then better skip night stay at Pangong Tso and night halt at Tangtse 34 KMs away from it. You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Dheeraj, This is our first trip to Leh/Ladakh region. So as per your suggestion, its better to return from pangsong to Leh and take the normal route, So it would be
july 6 | Leh – Hemis monastry – Pangong Tso Lake
— Overnight at Pangsong
july 7 | Pangsong — Leh
— Overnight at Leh
july 8 | Leh – Taglang La – Moore Plains – Pang – Sarchu
— Stay overnight at Sarchu
Is this OK Dheeraj?
-Sudheer
Yes Sudheer, this is perfect. You can include Thicksey and Shey palace on the way back from Pangong Tso.
and then
july 9 | Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
-Sudheer
Yes, this day is fine too.
Dheeraj,
Many Thanks for your kind support in planning this trip.
Is it OK To travel to Manali / Rhotang pass in July 2nd week as per my plan?? Do we need to take permit for traveling from Leh to Rhotang pass to Manali ?
Is Aadhar card mandatory OR i can show the Voter ID / DL as govt. id proof where ever required. ?? Any other documents needs to be carried??
-Sudheer
YEs Sudheer, it shall be fine to travel during those dates. You do not need to get the permit in the direction of Leh to Rohtang Pass to Manali.
Thank you so much for all the support.
Great work !!!
Cheers,
Sudheer
Thank you 🙂
Hi Dheeraj,
Is it a good option to stay at Sumoor (Silk Route Cottages), OR at hundar (Habib guest house / Hotel StenDel).
Is it worth visiting panamik & sumoor.
-Sudheer
Sudheer, I will suggest staying at Hunder or Deskit and yes, if you like to relax a bit in Nubra Valley then better skip Sumur and Panamik nothing great it offers.
Dheeraj,
Thanks for the quick response.
Can we apply ILP online for visiting Nubra valley, Pangsong Lake, Tsomori, and have the permit ready before reaching Leh. Do we need to mention the vehicle number also while applying for the ILP.
My travel date is 1st week of july 2017.
Also please share Your suggestion on Nubra valley 1 day / 2 day trip ?
-Sudheer
Yes Sudheer, you can apply the inner line permits online: Ladakh Inner Line Permits Available Online
Inner Line Permit is for the person not for vehicle, so no need of it. You should have a two day trip to Nubra Valley not one to enjoy it most.
Hi Dheeraj
Your blog is very informative. Love reading you post on latest updates on routes and planning a trip.
My name is Robin and I am from Gurgaon. I am a marathon runner and planning to participate in ladakh half marathon along with my friend which is scheduled on 10th September 2017. Due to limited no. of leaves got approved I have made a schedule for myself. Request you to please have a look at it.
Day 1 Leaving from Delhi (by bus)
Day 2 Reaching Kaylong by evening.
Day 3 Kaylong to Leh
Day 4 Leh (local sightseeing and Acclimatization)
Day 5 Len to Pangong Lake (overnight stay)
Day 6 Pangong to Leh
Day 7 Leh to Nubra Valley (overnight stay)
Day 8 Nubra Valley to Leh
Day 9 Race day (Ladakh half marathon)
Day 10 Leh to Kargil (by bus)
Day 11 Kargil to Srinagar (by bus and followed by evening flight to Delhi)
Hi Robin,
It is very good to connect. Few inputs on your plan:
Day 4, you will need to get inner line permits as well. Then, please do Nubra Valley first and then Pangong Tso lake as it helps in acclimatization.
Hi Dheeraj,
Hope you are doing good.
Thankyou for your suggestion regarding the above mentioned itinerary. I was supposed to travel with my friends. Now I will be travelling alone as other friend leaves not got approved. I have made a new plan for myself please have a look at it.
5 sept Delhi to leh by flight (booking already done) will be taking rest on this day.
6 sept leh local sightseeing and inner line permit.
7 sept. Leh to pangong lake
8 sept pangong to leh
9 sept complete rest
10 sept ladakh half marathon
As of now I haven’t booked my return ticket. For coming back my travel plans as follows.
11 sept leh to kargil by bus
12 sept kargil to srinagar. Followed by evening flight to Delhi.
Please suggest if the plan looks good to you. I hope I will be able to catch evening flight from srinagar if I leave early from kargil.
Thanks.
Well, Robin, going to Pangong Tso is not recommended after flying to Leh. Rather I will suggest make a two day trip to Nubra Valley on 7,8 and on 9th make a day trip to Pangong Tso.
hello dheeraj sir,
I am Renukaradhya from bangalore. srinagra- leh road is it open by 17 may 2017.
The road from Srinagar to Leh is open but not yet opened for vehicular traffic. If the weather holds up, it is likely that Srinagar – Leh road will be thrown open for vehicles by end of this week.
Hi Dheeraj
Cool and very informative posts. Could you suggest 7 days iternary for Manali,Dalhouise, Dharmashala, Mcleodganj.
Basically, i will land on 11th May at chandigarh
Day 1: Land at Chandigarh airport 4pm and drive to Dalhouise and rest night
Day 2 :Dalhousie – Chamera Lake (21 KM) – Chamba (40 KM) – Khajjiar (7 KM) – Dalhousie
Day 3 :Dalhousie – Mcleod Ganj – Manali – Rest in manali
Day 4 :Manali – Manali Snow-point / Rohtang pass
Day 5: Manali sight seeing
Day 6 :Manali relax
Day 7 :Return to Chandigarh
Is it convenient to stay at Dalhouise and go comeback from Dharmashala?
Thinking of going to Dalhouise first and stay 3 night days come back Manali then spend 3 nights?
could you help suggest better way to plan iternary.
Thanks a lot in advance
Hi Ravi,
I will suggest to drop the Mcleod Ganj and go straight to Manali from Dalhousie or drop Dalhousie and cover Mcleod Ganj. This will allow you to better explore 2 out of 3 places.
Thanks Dheeraj, excellent help.
I am with family and 2 kids, which are 2 places to cover in Dalhouse, Mcleod Ganj , Manali? I don’t mind dropping Manali incase more there to explore in Mcleod Ganj .
Other question would you recommend hiring 7 days cab straight from Chandigarh or we can get local cabs?
thanks a ton for your help and making thousands of people kept informed.
Ravi, You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.
The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.
I will recommend doing Dalhousie – Khajjiar along with Manali and drop out Dharamshala – Mcleod Ganj.
Hi I am from Dharamsala and if u need any help call me on my number 9816446709.
Hey Dheeraj, woww, you blogs are very informative and very helpful, but since I am a WordPress developer, the thing that amazed me was the fact that how well you have managed and structured your website, great work.
Thank you so much Sayed 😉 … Finally, after almost 51,000 comments on the Devil On Wheels blog, someone also recognized the technical effort behind it as well… A coder can only understand the fellow coder’s pain 😛
Absolutely. I appreciate your efforts.
On a side note I noticed that you are showing user’s personal email on the events page, https://devilonwheels.com/events/need-couple-share-suv-10-12-day-tour-ladakh-june-august/ Which may get exposed to the spammers. Since you are using contact-form-7 plugin, you should use that as a tool to let users send email to the person who posted the event.
I am a WordPress plugin and theme developer ( Work for XWP and rtCamp ), so
for any issues or enhancements I would also be more than happy to send a pull request for you to approve, if you have set up your project in git somewhere.
https://github.com/sayedtaqui
https://profiles.wordpress.org/sayedwp
And of course you dont have to approve this comment
Thank you so much, Sayed, I have noted the details. I will surely get in touch with you, if required and also think about the recommendation for integrating the Contact Form inside the Events. Let me chew on it a bit more and see what I can come up with.
It was really v nice and memorable trip of us .I will surely recommend someone to plan a trip through “DEVIL ON WHEELS” as we really felt v safe and enjoyed much being with Chamba bhaiya,as well as other three. Thank you.
That is fabulous to know !! Three cheers…
hiii dheeraj Good evening bro,your blog is informative and so helpful firstly congrats to made us easy to take decision to travel himalya after reading your blog.
actually bro i want to bike trip with my wife delhi to kullu manali- leh ladhak -delhi,but we are unable to decide which month is best for travel so please guide as your younger bro below query
1. Route from Delhi
2.Almost all hill stations should be cover under this trip means nearby lake
3. Weather/Month
4.about hotels and Tenting which are safe and adventures
so be my elder brother and feel free to make changes as you feel best for us my no is 7827153575 miss call me or Reply me
Thanks&Regards
AhamThakur
New Delhi
Hi Aham,
Please refer the plan described in the article: Leh – Ladakh Trip Plan from Manali. Best will be to cover the above plan in September when rains go away. You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Hi Dheeraj it was really good to read your blog very informative, I’m planning a solo trip to Spiti Valley via public transport fully budget trip..so need some information regarding it..
How to travel to
Chitkul from Narkanda (**)
Dhankar from Tabo (**)
Mud village from Dhankar.(**)
Kaza from Mud village.(**)
Kaza to kibber (**)
Kaza to Langza-Hikkim-Komic
** : Any Public Transport or anything else as
and any Homestay in Langza-Hikkim-Komic
.
.
P.S : I have asked so many things but it will be really helpful for me if you can provide some information w.r.t
You should read: How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport. This should answer all your questions.
I have red each and every word written in this article..and it was a damn good article really loved it considering it I’m making a itinerary but was stuck at the things i mentioned above and had already searched so many articles and haven’t found the relevant information regarding the things i have mentioned above.
.
if you can provide some more info it will be really helpful for me..!!
.
Thanks
Akash
Akash, here are my inputs
1. Take the bus going to Sangla, then travel by shared jeep to Chitkul from Sangla.
2. You need to get a shared jeep o Schichiling, get down and hike a bit towards Dhagkar monastery. Hitch hike or get shared jeep going to Dhangkar. Otherwise, check in Tabo in case there is directly shared jeep going to Dhangkar in morning.
3. Again you have to come down from Dhangkar by some shared jeep going to Kaza. Get down at Attargoo and wait on the bridge for the vehicles going into Pin Valley. Hitchhike or get shared taxis going in.
4. You are easily going to find shared taxis going to Kibber and Langza from Kaza. Komik, Hikkim you might need to rely on treks or luck or hitchhikes. Enquire about them once in Kaza.
5. You will easily get home stays on the spot, don’t worry about them. Anyways you cannot pre-book them from here.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thank you so much Dheeraj it was going to be my first solo trip ,in last of may.
Getting the inputs that kaza-manali will going to be open in first week of june, Lets hope it will happen.
Let’s hope for the best Akash 🙂
YO Dheeraj,, THanks for the Blog man. very imformative… Bro I am travelling to Leh via Manali in june last week. I have just 2 questions.
1. Is it a good time to g oto Leh
2. I am from Solan HP. I have Hyundia Creta Diesel with HP no. DO i need to take any pass or I can drive directly without any worries?
Regards,
Tanvir
1. Yes, Tanveer, Manali to Leh should be fine to travel by last week of June.
2. Yes, you need to take permit of Rohtang Pass to travel beyond Rohtang Pass.
Hi Dheeraj ,
First of all, I am highly impressed by what you are doing.kudos to your travel spirit.Here’s a bit info about me.I started with solo travelling in 2016 and it opened me up to an entire new world.I have been getting a strong urge to budget travel to Ladakh.I wish to experience it the locals way ,understand Buddhism with the Monks,see every place with not just a reason to click a selfie but to build a connection with the Himalayas and every place that I visit.i’m from Noida and peace is what I strive for.I want to find myself In nature’s lap and make it a memorable trip.
Please suggest whether Manali -Ladakh rout is better or Kashmir one ? I’m a vegetarian,can’t ride a bike,safety is outmost important and have limited budget to travel with.
Thank you
Hi Nancy,
That’s really good to know and connect with you. Yes, travel opens up doors in life which people cannot imagine and the Himalayas are the last step to get the complete solace within if you make the right connection with them 🙂 … I found about 10 years back and ever since life is as happy as it can ever get despite the same old struggle that was always part of it 🙂
Coming back to topic, I have covered this topic in detail at the links: Top 10 Tips for a Solo Trip to Ladakh or Spiti Valley and How to make a budget Ladakh trip by public transport
Please read them and feel free to post any further questions you may have for your trip.
Hello Dheeraj,
We will be travelling to Leh end of this month from Delhi. However, the airline flight ticket is so pricey. We are exploring options to fly from Delhi to Chandigarh. Then travel by road from Chandigarh to Leh. Is that possible option? How long will it take to travel by road then?
Regards,
Ameer
No Ameer, the roads to Ladakh from Srinagar and Manali will not be open by end of April. So, better plan your trip in June.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for your reply. Really appreciate it. What about roads from Shimla to Chandigarh? Is it close before june also? Because we plan to travel from Shimla to Chandigarh via bus.
Shimla to Chandigarh road never closes unless there is some massive landslide. You can travel by bus easily.
I m flying to leh today and we have 10 days and we are planing to stay in tent and want to travel through bike. Spcially nubra vally and pangog lake. Can we go on bike? And is it allowd to camp outside anywhere?
Since you are already in Leh you could feel the temperature and decide on camping. Bikes may not be allowed to travel to Nubra and Pangong Tso by BRO as snow makes slippery conditions at the high passes.
Hey Dheeraj,
I was planning for Tirthan trip for 7 days.
Could you let me know that whether i should plan the whole trip by myself or do it through some tour person,
like sunshineadventure by Ankit sood.
Hey Mihir,
You can easily plan a trip to Tirthan Valley easily on your own. There is no need of someone else to plan a trip for you. I am sharing a draft itinerary for you.
Day 1 – Leave from Delhi by overnight Volvo for Manali. Get down at Aut/Bhunter near Kullu next morning (Day 2) where you can get to reach Tirthan Valley (about 40-45 KMs from there)
Day 2 – Tirthan Valley – Relaxing day besides Tirthan River
— Stay at Raju Bharti Guest House (you will need booking well in advance, so finalize it ASAP) other you need to stay at some other property. Raju is a pioneer in that region, so will say do not miss the stay there as it is quite an experience in itself.
Day 3 – Tirthan Valley
— Enjoy the walks in the GHNP. There are two Waterfalls nearby Raju GH in the woods.
Day 4 – Tirthan Valley – Naggar Castle (about 50 KMs)
— Stay at Naggar Castle and enjoy the place. Very romantic with great views and food. Visit Roerich Musueum, Art Gallery and do not miss the hike to ancient Krishna Temple at the top
— It is one of the most romantic places in Himachal
Day 5 – Naggar Castle – Manali (about 30 KMs)
— Manali Local sightseeing including Manu Temple, Hadimba Temple, Local Monastery, Shopping at Mall road etc etc
Day 6 – Manali – Marhi/Gulaba Snow Points towards Rohtang Pass – Solang Valley – Manali
– You can enjoy the first half of the day at snow point MArhi/Gulaba (whichever is accessible) and if interested may also visit Solang Valley snow point for other adventure activities
Day 7 | Manali – Delhi by overnight Volvo
— Relax in Manali by evening and leave from Manali by overnight Volvo.
Hi Dheeraj,
In light of ur blogs which are highly impressive, I was wondering if u can guide us wid ur views to travel Himachal from 29th Apr’17 to 3rd May’17. We are basically planning to visit Kasol and Tirthan valley. V r approx a group of 10 people decided these places as have gone through some good reviews.
Can u plzz suggest the sequencial order to travel these places, with good stays n plzz add if there any more places to visit widin the span of 5 days however, can try to add a day more.
Regards.
Hello Pratik,
Best way to go about these places is as below:
Day 1 | Reach Tirthan Valley
Day 2 | Spend day in Tirthan Valley
Day 3 | Tirthan Valley – Kasol
Day 4 | Spend day in Kasol and around
Day 5 | Kasol to back home.
If you have another day, spend in Tirthan Valley and have a day’s hike in Great Himalayan National Park.
Regarding the stay in Tirthan Valley: Raju’s Cottage, Goshaini, Tirthan Valley – A Pioneer in Hospitality
Traveling to Ladakh or High Altitude with Kids or Babies
Hi there Dheeraj ! I have been waiting for your guidance on the above portal , but i do not think you visit it often .
Kindly reply . I have also mailed you.
And ya I have read many of the articles you have written ; They really show your insight and knowledge of these places .. I have already recieved a quotation from Denzong Leisure Private Ltd along with a STATUTORY WARNING “NOT ADVISABLE TO TAKE YOUR KID THERE”
Kindly put up ur point of defense for the same .
Hey Ranjit,
I visit all the comments, just that replying 50+ comments each day sometimes takes time for a single soul like me with office and family to take care 🙂 🙂
If you read the article “Traveling to Ladakh or High Altitude with Kids or Babies” it covers the topic in detail. Do you have any specific point or apprehension after reading the article?
Sorry it was my intoxicated brain with the scenes of leh-ladakh urging me to poke you for a reply . Hope u get it . Actually really on my part i was thinking how very enthusiast you would be to replying all these queries … Hats Off . Hope you can maintanin the balance between your passion and family .
I want a word from you like “Should I go forward with my planning for the trip “. What will you say ???
And also the if you can read my first query : as to how i should plan my trip ??
I have actually decided to atleast use 2 days for acclimatisation in Leh and only then leave for sight seeing or tours . I can spare max 11 days for the trip.
And would like to tell you what i want from the trip .
“I wish to see the places that will fill my heart with joy and stick in my mind till my life time : But the only thing is that I should be sharing the podium with my family . Without them it would not be worthwhile ”
Looking forward for a helping reply
Thank you, Ranjit !! Okie, I think I miss took your query on the other thread to be just limited to Manali and Shimla. So, let’s continue the discussion here so no more confusion. You have 11 days in hand and will you be making trip by your own car or are you ready to fly out of Leh or can you fly to Srinagar.
Best proposal will be Fly to Srinagar, travel down to Leh in 2 days, have a day rest in Leh. To be cautious you can stay at Alchi too before reaching Leh. Next day stay at Leh. Then move for couple of day trip to Nubra Valley and then couple for Pangong Tso lake. Then either fly back from Leh or come down to Manali like Leh to Jispa avoid overnight Sarchu stay and Jispa rest or Jispa to Manali.
Just replied to the comment on that page.
I HAVE A TOUR QUOTATION FROM DENZONG LEISURE AND HAVE ALSO ASKED FOR OFF -BEAT (RECOMMENDED BY YOU)
DAY 01: ARRIVE LEH
Arrival Leh Airport Upon arrival you will met by our representative and transfer to Hotel for Check in.
Complete day for rest and leisure to acclimatize followed Evening Visit to Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa
&LehMarket.Overnight at Hotel.
DAY 02: LEH – EXCURSION TO SHAM VALLEY
After breakfast proceed for sightseeing of Sham valley visiting Hall of Fame, GurudwaraPatthar Sahib,
Magnetic Hilland the Confluence Of The Indus AndZanskar River. After visiting above places we drive
back to Lehenroute visiting Spituk Monastery. Evening at Leisure and Overnight at Hotel in Leh
DAY 03: LEH–NUBRA VALLEY VIA KHARDUNG LA 18,390 FT. (120 KMS / 4 – 5 HRS)
After early breakfast, leave for Nubra Valley, driving across Khardong – la (alt: 18,380 ft. – highest
motorable pass in the world). After descending in the valley, drive on to Hunder and check into fixed
camp. Post lunch, you can enjoy the ride of double hump Camel on Hunder sand dune.Dinner and
overnight in the camp..
DAY 04: NUBRA VALLEY – LEH (120 KMS / 4 – 5 HRS)
In the morning drive to Deskit (Headquarters of Nubra) and visit DeskitMonsatery. Later, drive back to
Leh, reaching in the late afternoon. Rest of the day to explore the markets.Dinner and overnight in Hotel.
DAY 05: LEH TO PANGONG LAKE (140 KMS / 4 – 5 HRS – ONE WAY)
After Breakfast Leave to Pangong Lake through Changla pass 5486 Mtrs. While ascending Changla pass
5486 Mtrs. Enjoy the beautiful panoramic view of the villages below the pass. After crossing the pass halt
for picnic lunch at Tsoltak, the summer pastureland of the yaks. Arrive Durbuk and from there a short
drive takes you to the western shore of the lake. Enjoy the landscape in the back drop of the Lake. This
famous blue brackish Lake of Pangong is 5/6 Kms wide and over 144 Kms long with half of its running
the other side of the “INDO CHINA BORDER”. One rarely feels so close to nature and environment and the
scenery is unforgettable.Dinner and overnight at Camp.
DAY 06: PANGONG LAKE TO LEH (140 KMS / 6 HRS)
Leave Pangong Lake after breakfast and retrace the road to Leh across the Changla Pass. Upon reaching
Karu, drive across the Indus and visit Hemis Monastery, the biggest and most famous monastery of
Ladakh, and then return to the highway for onward journey to Leh, .Dinner and overnight at Hotel.
DAY 07: LEH TO SARCHU (255 KMS)
early breakfast we check out from the hotel and drive to Sarchuvia through Tanglang La Pass 17,585ft
world second highest motorable road. At Pang you can stop for lunch and continue driving to Lachungla
pass, which is at a height of 5065 mts. Upon arrival in Sarchu we check in at our Camp for overnight. It
will also be the coldest night during the whole tour.
DAY 08: SARCHU TO MANALI (222 KMS)
Morning start our journey to Manali via Baralacha Pass (4890m),Keylong (3350 m) &Rohtang Pass
(3978 m). Manali, ‘Silver Valley’. The valley runs north to south of Beas River and is 80 kms. Long and
about 2 kmswide.Upon arrival we check in at our hotel. Evening at leisure to exlore the area on your own
and overnight stay at the hotel
DAY 09: MANALI (LOCAL S/S)
Post breakfast, half day tour visiting Naggar Castle, Roerich Art Gallery (closed on Mondays) and few
old temples in Naggar village. Afternoon half day city tour visiting Hadimba Devi Temple, Manu
Temple, Tibetan Monastery and VashishtVillage.Evening free to explore Manalimarket.Overnight at
hotel.
DAY 10: DEPART MANALI
Tour concludes. Post breakfast – check out of your hotel and drive to Chandigarh – Our driver will
take you to the airport for onward destination
As already suggested by you drop sarchu and take jispa
I would be travelling by hired car and I do not think it would be correct to travel from Jammu due to the SITUATION ..
Would i be missing some fun if I come to leh directly ???
And also do you think it would be fun visiting manali(in the end) once i have covered the route from leh ???
Actually I picked up manali so that i can have some peace after the hectic schedule .
Yes, this looks OK. Better go to Alchi on first night and sleep up there being lower altitude. Day two after Sham Valley you can sleep at Leh. The risk will be there of acclimatization and AMS, so its what you need to take. Yes skip Sarchu. Manali is OK.
Do you think 2 days of acclimatization in leh ahead of the first day of the trip will be fine ?? i mean sufficient for our team … We would be just in leh no other place , just local sight seeing .
And also will i miss a lot by not travelling the entire route from leh to manali … Like A STRAIGHT FORWARD QUESTION “I KNOW IT WILL BE A BIG ASK FOR OUR TEAM TO GO THE ENTIRE DISTANCE (LEH TO MANALI)- BUT IS IT THE WORTH ??? “…means will there be something more for me to see after completing the first 6 days of trip ; for me to take the road trip .. thats all i wan to ask
I am asking you this question because at present of my entire team only I KNOW OF THIS TRIP… and I have to convince them for the trip and also our parents … So a verdict from you would be of big help .
I am adventurous but my team is not so much ….
I am really asking too many odd questions probably but kindly bear with me ..and provide me with the insight .
It would be great if I can talk to you regarding the same .
My number is 7600055309 . From Surat(City) ; Gujarat
Hi Ranjit,
Yes, two days of acclimatization is just fine if you respect the acclimatization rules of being hydrated, no stress out things, light physical activity, good food. Hydration is the main key.
Manali – Leh Highway is one of the most beautiful roads and has a beauty of its own than what Ladakh offers. If your team is not adventurous, I will wait for some other day to travel those roads and make a more relaxing trip limiting to Ladakh only.
That’s totally fine, I am here to help only. So, you can ask as many questions as you need 🙂
Regards
Dheeraj
Thanks Dheeraj .
Will surely have to get back to you after i finalise my dates and other things .
Regards
Ranjit Dutta
Sure, feel free to post any further questions you may have for your trip 🙂
Hello Dheeraj ,
Its the mountains calling again .
We are a group of 10 people travelling on end august
here a Broken piece of itinerary as we are planing to visit Tosso Morri this time (Please feel free to make necessary changes )
AUg 25th BBI to del
AUG 26th DEL to leh Flight (REST DAY)
Aug 27th (Half day Rest + Rent bikes + ride some off 50 kms to know the in and out of the rented bikes )
Aug 28th (to Nubra stay (Hunder)
Aug 29 th (turtuk and back stay Hunder)
Aug 30th Back to leh and rest .
Aug 31st (Leh local and rest )
1st Sept leh to spangmik via changla (night stay spangmik)
Here is the tricky part
I need to be double assure to reach by 4th night to Leh as we have a flight to catch in the morning (5th)
Please suggest the plan to visit tosso morri from spanmik (Direct route )
I am ready to compromise Aug 31st (Leh local and rest ) and travel to Spangmik on 31st
(Cant take NUBRA to Spamgmik route and we will be heading from spangmik to torromorri . Fuel issues )
Please suggest any change in the plan / suggest the plan from 2nd till 4th Sept
I have my departure on 5th morning
You should plan as of below:
Aug 31st Leh – Pangong Tso
1st Sept Pangong Tso to Hanle
2nd Sept Hanle – Tso Moriri
3rd Sept Tso Moriri – Leh
4th Sept Leh Rest and Local sightseeing, buffer day
5th Sept fly back
Hey Bishnu do you guys mind giving the details of your trip, is it okay if i tag along with your group as i have plans to travel ladakh in september month but being solo I’m not sure of getting transport as per the pre planned itinerary. You can reach me at 9833618068, pls let me know it would be really great
Hi Dheeraj, this is Venkat from Chennai.. I’ve read about you.. I have gone through most of ur articles on Himalayas.. before starting, I would like appreciate all ur works or I would call it a service that u r doing it passionately.. Hats off bro!! Watta in-depth study!! Great!! Keep growing and inspiring bro!!!! Cheerz..
I think the right time has come for me to travel to Leh Ladakh – entry Srinagar – Spiti – exit Manali. I have prepared an itenary for d trip based upon ur guidance. Pls go through and approve it.
Road Trip by Car and Bike….. 14 or 15 Days…..
Chandigarh – Srinagar – Kargil – Leh – Spiti Valley – Manali – Shimla – Chandigarh.
September 2nd to 15th or 16th.
September 2nd – Flight – Chennai to Chandigarh – Zoom car – Chandigarh Airport to Jammu – 360 Kms – Jammu – Night stay.
September 3rd – Zoom car – Jammu to Srinagar – 280 Kms – Sightseeing – Srinagar Town – Night stay.
September 4th – Zoom car – Srinagar to Kargil – 210 Kms via Sonamarg – Zozi La – Dras – Kargil – Night stay.
September 5th – Zoom car – Kargil to Leh – 220 Kms – Leh Town – Night stay.
September 6th – Rental bike – Leh to Nubra Valley – Panamik via Khardung La Sumur – 180 Kms – Nubra Sightseeing – Panamik to Hunder/Diskit – 60 Kms – Night stay.
September 7th – Rental bike – Hunder/Diskit
to Pangong TSO via Wari La – Shakti – Durbuk – Tangse – 230 Kms – Spangmik/Lukung – Night stay.
September 8th – Rental bike – Pangong Lake Sightseeing – Spangmik/Lukung to Leh – 170 Kms – Leh Town – Night stay.
September 9th – Zoom car – Leh to Spiti Valley via Sarchu/Pang – 260 Kms – Sarchu – Night stay.
September 10th – Zoom car – Sarchu to Spiti Valley via Jispa – Keylong – Gramphu – Spiti – 290 Kms – Kaza – Night stay.
September 11th – Zoom car – Spiti Valley – Kaza – Pin Valley – Kungri – Sagnam – Mud – Tailing – Dhangkar Lake – Sightseeing – 80 Kms – Tabo – Night Stay.
September 12th – Zoom car – Tabo to Batal – 150 Kms – Langza – Rangrik – Losar – Kunzum Pass – Batal – Night stay.
September 13th – Zoom car – Batal to Manali via Gramphu – Rohtang Pass – 120 Kms – Manali Town – Night Stay.
September 14th – Zoom car – Manali to Shimla via Mandi – 260 Kms – Shimla Town – Night stay.
September 15th – Zoom car Shimla to Chandigarh Airport 130 Kms –
Chandigarh to Chennai – Flight.
September 16th – Return Chennai if one more day is required for Rest day/Leh/Srinagar Sightseeing.
Traveling dates are fine SEP 2nd to 16th? Where to get Road permits for d above circuit?
Many Thanks,
Venkat.
Really sorry bro about the long comment. Awaiting for ur suggestions and betterments.
Just replied 🙂
Hey Venkat,
Few things to note here:
1. The moment you reach Leh, you need at least one day rest.
2. Skip Panamik, there isnt much to do.
3. It should be Leh to Keylong, Keylong to Chandratal, Chandratal to Kaza covering Ki, Kibber. Then Kaza rest day and visit Langza, Hikkim, Komic. Do Kaza – Dhangkar, Pin Valley, Kaza then. Then Kaza to Manali. Skip Shimla as there is nothing to see there.
You need inner line permits and environmental fees in Ladakh rest no other permit required. Environmental fees and permits have been started again for Indians with effect from 1st april 2017.
Thank u very much bro!!
Will amend d plan.. is there any suggestions or places that can b covered other than above? Srinagar to leh from which place taxi union guys stop us to visit sights?
Many thanks Dheeraj!!!
Venkat, in the time frame, I will suggest focusing on these places only. On Srinagar to Leh most of the places you will be able to cover unless you are going too much inside the highways and almost all the main places fall on the highway only.
Thank u so much bro!!
Hi Dheeraj,
Can the above plan be executed in the month of June mid till end? If so how will b the climatic conditions for the above places?
Please advise.
Many Thanks,
Venkat
Venkat, by mid of June if you go from Srinagar side and Manali side come back, then road conditions will be stable though bad in comparison to September because roads would have just opened. Rest plan can be done, you will find snow on the highways too.
Thank u very much bro for ur instant replies..
Hi Dheeraj !!
Hope you’re Well !!
Jus one question, can the above plan be executed by August 26th to September 9th? Or September 16th to September 30th? Which would be the good time to travel as I came to know by reading ur articles that August is monsoon and September end Snowfall starts. No buffer days.. tight plan as well.. please advise bro!! Many thanks!!
I will suggest opting for second half of September for better roads, no chances of rains and vivid fall colors 🙂
Thank u very much bro!!
Hi bro!!
Hope you’re doing fine!!
Jus a small question.. is it safe and advisable to visit Pahalgam and Gulmarg during September? Planning to do that instead of Spiti.. please advise..
Many Thanks,
Venkat.
If there is no unrest in Kashmir, you can add them to the plan.
Bro, is it possible to do TSO moriri and Kar while we return from leh to Manali in zoom car? Outside cars allowed there?
Venkat, it is more like taking a chance with Tso Moriri. Many a times drivers present there at Tso Moriri create issues as taxi union does not say it explicitly. Tso Kar is fine to travel.
Sorry again bro.. hearing few news that it is advisable to take Srinagar leh route atleast till this year end.. how is the scenario there? No idea at all for me, will take d decision based upon ur approval.
I will also suggest that keep a tab on happenings in Kashmir. In case there are still news of unrest, it is much better to avoid that route and go from Manali – Leh road only.
*Not advisable i mean, sorry.
Sure bro, thank u so much 🙂 Will plan Shimla Kinnaur Spiti Leh Manali as plan B..
Cool, have a great trip !!
Hello Dheeraj,
I wanted to know the ways to travel free all across India. Is it possible for us to travel free of cost (almost) and how?
No idea on it Arjun !! Unless you just want to hitch hike, work for people who in return give you shelter and food.
Thank you very much Dheeraj
One more thing that, as we are planning to travel India. So is it possible that we can get some advice on how we can start it ?
Arjun, I can very much help on the Himalayan belt but not whole of India 🙂
HI Dheeraj,
I was just wonder, whether it is feasible to travel to Pangong straight from Nubra. Normally the itinerary is Leh – Nubra-Leh and then again Leh – Pangong – Leh. So instead of returning to Leh from Nubra and then again going to Pangong from Leh the next day, how would it be if one goes directly to pangong from Nubra? Do let me know your thoughts on this.
Thanks & Regards,
Abhishek
All the details about the direct routes of Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri and Nubra to Pangong Tso along with tips and risks which they pose are detailed under the articles:
Tips for Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso Direct Route AND Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route
Please read these articles and based on the details/risks highlighted, take a go-no-go decision.
Hello Mr. Dheeraj…
I am really impressed with your great great work done for the help of all of us, who are going to Leh for the very first time. I had gone through most of your articles and now it seems that I know very much about Laddakh region.
Dheeraj I am planning to visit leh laddakh from 21st May 2017 to 28th May 2017 with my wife. My tour itinerary is :
Day 1: Arrival in Leh
After reaching Leh airport check in the hotel for rest and acclimatization. Visit Shanti Stupa and Leh market in the evening. Overnight stay in Leh.
Day 2: Leh (Local Sightseeing)
After breakfast, Visit the Hall of Fame Kali Mata Temple & Gurudwara Patthar Sahib magnetic Hill, confluence of holy Indus & Zanskar. Return back to Leh. overnight stay at Leh
Day 3: Leh to Nubra Valley
After breakfast, drive to Nubra Valley via Khardungla pass. After Hotel check-in, enjoy camel Safari in the evening. Overnight stay in Nubra
Day 4: Nubra to Pangong via Shyok
We will start the day following the same route towards Leh till we
reach Khalsar. From the Agyam bridge, we will take the left route
which leads us to the villages of Shyok and Durbuk. The route is
scarcely used for commuting so you will not find any heavy traffic on
any day. Some patches are bad but the experience will be great. The
road after Shyok is good but very steep. After Durbuk, take left
towards Tangtse and follow the traditional route. Drive further to
Pangong Lake
Day 5: Pangong Lake to Tsomoriri
Morning at leisure to explore the beauty of lake and later we drive
further towards the east. Drive along the Pangong lake enroute
crossing villages of Man, Mirak, Chushul ( which is just 80 kms from
the Chinese border and is famous for the memorial of Maj. Shaitan
Singh who who sacrificed his life in the Sino India war of 1962 and
every year the flag meeting of the Chinese and Indian Army is held
here). Further we drive to Tsaga and Loma bend and upon reaching Mahe
take a left turn and continue to drive till you reach Tsomoriri.
Day 6: Tsomoriri – Leh (Via Tanglangla)
Post breakfast we check out from the Camp and proceed towards Tsokar
Lake. On the way we will see the hot sulphur springs at Puga known to
have medicinal properties and cure a lot of ailments. Thereafter we
continue to drive in the same direction and visit the Tsokar lake.
Thereafter we continue to drive towards Leh enroute stoping at
Tanglangla pass,
Day 7: Free Day in Leh
river rafting or trip to Lamayuru.
Day 8: Departure from Leh in the morning
Please suggest me if there any change is required. As well I had spoken with one of the tour operator in the region for taxi and hotel booking in 3 star category hotels, he has given me the cost of Rs. 52000/- for hotels / camps and Innova Car. Whether I should say yes. I am attaching the list of hotels also which he is confirming for booking :
1. Leh
1. Hotel himalayan retreat karzoo
2. Hotel ladakh retreat
3. Hotel omladdakh or similar.
2. Nubra valley
1. himalayan eco resort hundar nubra
2. hotel snow leopard
3. apple cottage
4. nubra ethic camp or similar
3. Pangong lake
1. wonderland land camp
2. the ladakh camp
3. shambala camp
4. red start camp or similar
4. Tsomoriri lake
1. Tsomoriri camp and resort
2. yak camp
3. nomadic resort
4. Hotel lake veiw or similar
Hello Dheeraj Ji…
Please suggest me what is to be done. whether my plan is ok or I need some changes in it. I have mentioned the itinerary above.
Regards
Puneet Kulshresth
Puneet, just going through all the comments one by one, will reply by night all leftovers.
Hello Puneet,
Your plan seems OK except the long day of Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri. Also, keep in mind that since the route is desolate, better make sure you have company on these direct routes. You will also need permits to travel the direct route from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri.
You should check with couple of more folks for pricing. If you are looking for competitive and customized Ladakh tour and packages, you can connect with [email protected] as most of the readers in the past couple of years have had very good feedback about them and especially their transparent policies along with being there with you all the time in need. So, we trust them the most. You can refer my name or DoW to Gaurav, the guy who runs it. He knows us very well and should be able to offer some special rates being a DoW Member. You can just refer him the DoW Community Member Username in such a case or screenshot of this reply here.
Hey Dheeraj,
I am planning to visit Leh in the month of June (From 12/06/2017 to 18/06/2017). Could you please let me know if there are bus services available from Leh to Srinagar without a halt at Kargil ?
Thanks ,
Prashant
You can only get shared taxis doing the cannon ball direct run from Srinagar to Leh.
Cheetah ji, I am a member of DOW community, planning to trip leh ladakh in August. Just tell me how is our plan? We r 5 adults.
12th August Srinagar-Sonmarg & stay.
13th August Sonmarg- Kargil & stay.
14th Aug Kargil- Padum & stay.
15th Aug Padum(local sightseeing) Tungri, Zangla fort etc. & stay.
16th Aug Padum(sightseeing) Stondey, Karsha monst. etc. & stay.
17th Aug Padum-Rangdum & stay.
18th Aug Rangdum- Kargil & stay.
19th Aug Kargil-Dha-Hanu-Lamayuru & stay.
20th Aug Lamayuru-Alchi- Ulatoppo- Leh & stay.
21st Aug Leh(local sightseeing) & stay.
22nd Aug Leh- Diskit- Hunder- Turtuk- Diskit & stay.
23rd Aug Diskit- Sumur- Panamic & stay.
24th Aug Panamic- Leh & stay.
25th Aug Leh- Pangong & stay.
26th Aug Pangong- Hanley & stay.
27th Aug Hanley & stay.
28th Aug Hanley- Tsomoriri & stay.
29th Aug Tsomoriri- Tsokor- Keylong & stay.
30th Aug Keylong- Chandratal lake- Manali.
Can I get guest house or hotel at Panamic?
Should we book hotels or guest house in Pangong and Tsomoriri in advance?
I have already contact with Padma Home Stay for Hanley, knowing from DOW community.
Dheeraj ji, sorry for the mistake, your name auto corrected. I just overlook it. Sorry for that.
That’s fine, no problems 🙂
Hi Atanu,
Your plan is very nicely balanced. I will recommend following edits
22nd Aug Leh- Diskit- Hunder- Turtuk
23rd Aug Diskit stay.
24th Aug Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Leh.
Turtuk is much better than Panamik.
Also, keep couple fo buffer days as you are planning in August. Finally, Chandratal will not be possible so skip it or add a day there.
Can u tell me, Turtuk have home stay? Please suggest one.
Do not have contact of the home stay, sorry.
Dear Ms. Dheeraj,
Good day!!
Kindly seeking your professional assistance on planning a trip to leh Ladak end of this month (29 Apr to 05 May), we (2 of us) plan to land in Delhi and would like to travel to Leh by road (Tourist/Public Bus preferred). we would like to stop by Manali if possible. please advise if the route from Manali to Leh is it operational during this time.? on return we prefer to take a flight from Leh to Delhi.
Could you please advise if the above would it be possible during this particular time.
Awaiting your kind reply, thanking you in advance for your kind assistance.
Regards
SHAMS
Its Mr. Dheeraj 🙂
The roads to Ladakh are not open and Srinagar – Leh is expected to open by second/thrid week of MAy while Manali – Leh is expected to open in first week of June. So, in April you cannot make a road trip to Ladakh. Also, for a road trip to Ladakh you need about 10 days minimum to get something out of it.
Apologies, it was a typo.
Thanks for the valuable information.
Further to the above information we are planning to postponed our trip to May 18 arriving Delhi, hoping the road will open by then. Just wanted to double check the routing from Manali to Leh is it via Keylong? That would be opened only by mid Jun?
Also please advise if we need to pre book the buses or can we make the reservation once we arrive we are coming from Bahrain(middleast) hence we are not very well aware of the travelling tips in India, would appreciate your kind assistance.
This site have been very informative and useful to us in all means. Great work and all the best for your future travels.
Kind regards
SHAMS
Hello Shams,
That’s fine 🙂
Manali to Leh goes via Keylong – Jispa and should open by mid of June. Buses may or may not be running that early in case the highway is not open for heavy vehicles. So, you should more rely upon shared taxis and tempo travellers which will be running and you can get the tickets during that time.
Thank you for the wishes, glad DoW helped you. Feel free to post any further questions you may have for your trip.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m planning to drive from Bhubaneswar to Leh via Srinangar by end of May. I hope the roads will be open by then. However as it is my first visit to Leh i am apprehensive about taking a Driver-cum-Guide from Srinagar as i’m the only driver who will be driving. Do you think its a good idea. Kindly share with the contact details of any good driver who would be ready to accompany me…
Anshu, the road from Srinagar to Leh should be open by end of May. I am sorry about the driver only without car. May be you can call up few drivers and ask if they are ready to join you: List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m planning to drive from Bhubaneswar to Leh via Srinangar by end of May. I hope the roads will be open by then. However as it is my first visit to Leh i am apprehensive about taking a Driver-cum-Guide from Srinagar as i’m the only driver who will be driving. Do you think its a good idea. Kindly share with the contact details of any good driver who would be ready to accompany me.
Anshu, the road from Srinagar to Leh should be open by end of May. I am sorry about the driver only without car. May be you can call up few drivers and ask if they are ready to join you: List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali
Hi! Your blog is very informative. I would really appreciate your help in finalizing our Ladakh itinerary. We are planning to visit Ladakh in June.
The tentative itinerary is:
June 20 – Delhi to Leh
June 21 – Leh – Lamayuru – Uleytoko (Moonland, Likir, Alchi)
June 22- Uleytoko to Leh (enroute Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Sangam, Hall of Fame)
June 23- Leh to Nubra (Khardungla, Hunder, Diskit, Panamik)
June 24- Nubra to Leh
June 25- Leh to Pangong (enroute Shay Palace/ Gompa)
June 26- Pangong to Tso moriri
June 27- Tso moriri to Leh via Tso kar and Tanglang la
June 28 – Leh to Delhi
Please tell me if this itinerary is ok with a 9 year old child. We have been to Sikkim, Kashmir with him earlier and fortunately both the trips were great.
Please suggest some good homestays at Leh too.
Hello Shalini,
The plan looks good to me, make sure you get the permits for PAngong Tso to Tso Moriri route. You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
Can I get contact number of nabeel from Kerala,
I have some doubt about transporting bike to Delhi by train from kerala . InshaAlhaa iam planing to go to Himalaya on july.
Plz help me to get,its my dream trip
Just replied to your other comment.
Hi ! Very informative blog. Would really appreciate if you can let me know if we can travel from leh- nubra valley- pangong and back to leh in April first week 2017. The holiday booking website is telling us that roads are not functional at this time. We plan to reach Leh by flight and further trip on bike
Shivani, the road from Leh to Nubra Valley and Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Agham – Shyok or Leh to Pangong Tso remains open all round the year barring few days of heavy snowfall. If snow happens on those days, you will not be able to go to it else the road will be open. You should avoid travel site for LAdakh trip and better call drivers or locals directly to book the tour and help them get the direct benefit.
You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
Hi Dheeraj,
Loved your posts and found it quite informative. Its a damn good work. Like others I also need your advice. I along with my wife are planning a trip to Leh. We are planning to reach Srinagar on 10th June. Following is the itinerary that we have thought of:
10th June – We land in Srinagar from Delhi.
10-12th June. We want to spend time in Srinagar, Gulmarg and Sonmarg. 12th Night, we would like to stay at Sonmarg.
13th June – Proceed to Kargil and stay there.
14th June – Leave for Leh
15th June – Day trip in Leh
16-17 June- Trip to Nubra and back to Leh
18-19 June – Trip to Pangong and back to Leh
20-22June – Leave for Manali via Tso Moriri – Jispa-Manali
23rd June – Leave for Delhi
24th June – Reach Delhi
I would need you advice on this itinerary. Further, I need you to help me to identify a taxi operator who can provide me taxi for this entire trip i.e. Srinagar – Leh – Manali. Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thank you Abhishek.Your plan looks good to me. For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here. You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more. You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.
Many thanks for your quick response. I had already checked the rate list link. What i am wondering is whether those taxi guys based in leh will come to pick me up from Srinagar and then finally drop at Maanli? I would prefer one taxi for the entire trip and that is what I am looking at. Since I am based in Delhi, i cannot talk and negotiate with them in person, so I am willing to call and talk to them. Your reference is extremely useful.
Did Speak to Rigzin yesterday. Discussed the plan with him. Sounds like nice chap. He is willing to do the trip with us. Thanks a lot for reference.
Regards,
Abhishek
Great, have fun and say Hi to Rigzin from my side 🙂
Yes Abhishek, most of them can come to pick you at Srinagar and then drop you in Manali. At times, while going from Srinagar to Leh, you might need to work out few things if there have been some tensions in taxi unions of Kargil and Leh. In order to settle it out, what they do is that they make a transit point just before Fotu La while going to Leh from Kargil. All Leh taxis stop there and kargil taxis too. They exchange passengers and move back in respective directions. Leh taxis take passengers to Leh coming from Srinagar/Kargil and Kargil guys take passengers to Srinagar/kargil coming from Leh