In the most welcoming news in 2021, Leh Ladakh Inner Line Permits are not required for domestic tourists to travel anywhere in Ladakh including Hanle, Umling La Pass, Marsimik La, or even Demchok or Chumur. You only need to pay the environment/green/ecology fee and carry a receipt of the payment.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Do I need any permits in Ladakh in 2024?
Indians do not need any permits anymore in Ladakh for regular sightseeing. You just need to pay the Ladakh Environment Fee on the website and carry the receipt of it. Here is the link where you need to pay it: https://www.lahdclehpermit.in/register-as-domestic
Current Ladakh environment fees are broken down as follows:
- Environment Fee = Rs 400 one time per year
- Wildlife Fee/Something = Rs 20 per day per person
- Red Cross Fund Fee = Rs 50 one time per year but optional. You don’t need to pay if you don’t want to pay this fee.
DO NOT confuse the environment fee receipt with the Ladakh inner line permit. You just need to carry the fee payment receipt, hard copy, or soft copy. This receipt may be checked at some checkposts. Hence, people are confusing it with the permit. But this is just verification that you have paid the Ladakh environment fees.
Leh Ladakh Inner Line Permits History
In June 2017, Ladakh Inner Line Permits were made available online from the official website of the Leh Ladakh administration. It was a piece of very welcoming news for all the people planning their trip to Leh Ladakh. This step helped all those tourists who travel to Ladakh during holidays and found the Leh DC office closed during those days to get the permits to travel to tourist spots.
Tourists can apply for the Leh Ladakh permits online, choose a tour operator to pay the fee, and get their copies of the Ladakh permit online. This step has eased the process and eliminated the hassles of procuring these permits in advance. Leh Ladakh Inner Line Permits are available online for both domestic tourists as well as foreigners.
Back in 2014, the concept of Inner Line Permits for domestic Indian tourists was waived. It meant all Indians traveling to the Inner Line region of Ladakh, including Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri, were exempted from the need for Inner Line permits. Domestic tourists just require a self-declaration form when visiting these places, and that will act as a permit for them.
However:
The decision was reverted back in 2017 to the original requirements of having permits. In April 2017, authorities in Leh Ladakh reverted the decision and re-introduced the Environment Fee of Rs 300, the Red Cross Fund fee of Rs 100, and Inner Line Permits for domestic tourists as well. Now all tourists, foreigners, and Indians, visiting the Inner Line region of Leh Ladakh need these permits to visit Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri.
Foreigners need a Protected Area Permit to visit tourist places in Ladakh which is different from Inner Line Permits needed by domestic tourists.
Process for Ladakh Environment Fee Online or Ladakh Inner Line Permits Online
In this article, let’s look at the step-by-step process to obtain Ladakh Inner Line permits online or in advance of your Ladakh trip. This will help you a lot in planning the trip to Ladakh smoothly. I will also discuss in detail the manual steps required to apply for the inner line permits.
Ladakh Inner Line Permits (ILP) are required for Indian Tourists, but foreigners require Ladakh Protected Area Permits (PAP). Tourists need these permits in Ladakh to visit the inner line places like Nubra Valley, Khardung La, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Dah, Hanu Villages, Man, Merak, Nyoma, Loma Bend, Turtuk, Tyakshi, Chusul, Hanle, Digger La, Tangyar (for trekking only).
You do not need any permits to travel on Manali Leh Highway or Srinagar Leh Highway or Zanskar Valley.
The permits for Hanle and direct route from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri from Chusul can only be applied manually or in person at Leh DC office.
These permits are not required for residents of J&K state and children below the age of 12 years. They can visit the inner line region in Ladakh by showing/carrying a valid Photo Id proof.
Both Protected Area Permits (PAP) and Inner Line Permits (ILP) are available online from the official website www.lahdclehpermit.in of Leh administration. All tourists can go through the website to obtain the inner line permits.
You need to pay an Environment fee of Rs 300, Red Cross Fund fee of Rs 100, and an inner line permit fee of Rs 20 per day per person to get these permits. You need to provide a valid photo ID proof to apply for these Inner Line Permits in Ladakh. You can pay the fee for the Inner Line Permits when you choose the option of the tour operator and pay them the required fee after applying for the permit.
Step-by-Step Process to Apply for Online Ladakh Permits / Online Ladakh Environment Fee
Below steps need to be followed to apply for the permits
- Click on the “Apply for Permits -> Domestic Clients” button on the center bottom of the screen. It will take you to the first step of providing the details of the Domestic Tourist applying for the permits.
- On this page, you need to enter your details including Name, State, Gender, Id Type, Id Number, and Home Address.
- Apart from that, you need to choose if you are applying directly or through an agent. You should choose to apply directly because with the agent option; you have to get in touch with the agent to get your permit processed.
- Lastly, you need to enter the Arrival Date when you are arriving in Leh and start exploring inner line areas of Ladakh. Then, you click on Submit.
- When you click on submit, it will take you to the screen with two options “Click here to issue an individual permit” and “Click here to issue group permit.”
- If you are applying for the permit alone, you need to click on the Individual permit option else if you are in a group, choose the group option and add details of other users on the next screen.
- Once, choose the respective option (and fill group details in case of group option), you will go to the next screen where you need to select among the circuits which you plan to visit in Ladakh, and a reference number will be present on the page.
- PLEASE NOTE the reference number and save it somewhere as it will be required to Print the permit whenever you need it.
- Select the required circuits as per your itinerary of the Ladakh trip. As you cannot reissue the permits, so choose all the circuits at once when applying for the permits. The below table will help you select the relevant circuits based on your Leh Ladakh trip plan.
- Finally, enter the Start Date and End date of the permit which will define the total fee for your permits.
- Click on Apply for Permits button which will take you to the confirmation page that tells you about the selected circuit details with dates of the permits.
- You need to click on the Proceed button to generate your permit. Print a few copies of this permit. Download the sample online permit for reference purposes only.
- The permit has your total inner line permit fee that includes Environment fee (Rs 300 per person one time), Red cross fund fee (Rs 100 per person one time), and wildlife fee (Rs 20 per person per day).
- You can choose to click on the Pay Now option to pay the permit fee online using a Credit or Debit Card via Jammu & Kashmir Bank online portal. You can pay the Permit Fees online using all major Credit/Debit cards and Net Banking of all major banks.
On successful payment processing, a receipt will be generated; each transaction you can identify by a unique identifier known as Collection ID. The payer is required to take printouts of Permit Receipt and Easy Collect Transaction Receipt. SMS and Email will be sent to payer confirming receipt of payment. - However, you have to visit the Leh DC Office or Tourist Information Center for verification of your permits and get them stamped. So, if you do not want to pay online, then visit the Leh DC office or Leh TIC office. And there, you can pay the permit fee while getting the verification done for your permits.
- You can use the reference number to reprint your permit from the Homepage menu options again.
- You cannot apply online for Hanle permits and Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri direct route. Either you have to follow the manual process defined below and apply for those permits in person at Leh DC office. Or you can also take these printouts to Leh DC office, and they will be able to put Hanle permit stamp on these online permits too.
Step 1 – Ladakh Inner Line Permit Online Application
Step 2 – Ladakh Inner Line Permit Online Application
Step 3 – Ladakh Inner Line Permit Online Application
ILP – Online Permit
Pay Online for Ladakh Inner Line Permit
Ladakh Inner Line Permits Circuits – What to choose
| 1 | Khalsi, Domkhar, Skurbuchan, Hanu, Baima, Dha in Khalsi Sub-Division. | Select this one Dah Hanu |
| 2 | Khardong, Khalsar, Trith up to Warsi and Yarma Gonbo, Disket, Hunder, Turtuk, Pachathang, Tyakshi in Nubra Sub-Division. | Select this one for Nubra Valley including Turtuk, Tyakshi |
| 3 | Upshi, TsomoRiRi/Korzok in Nyoma Sub-Division. | Select this one for Tso Moriri |
| 4 | Upshi, Dipling, Puga, TsomoRiRi/Korzok in Nyoma Sub-Division. | Select this one for Tso Moriri and Tso Kar |
| 5 | Kharu, Changla, Durbuk, Tangtse, Lukhung, Spangmik, Man-merag(Pangong Lake) in Nyoma Sub-Division. | Select this one for Pangong Tso |
| 6 | Upshi, Chumathang, Mahe, Loma Bend in Nyoma Division. | Select this one for going to Loma |
| 7 | Leh-Kharu-Changla-Durbuk-Tangtse-Lukung-Spangmik-Man Merak (pangong) upto Chushul and Loma Bend. | Select this one for Chusul & Loma Bend |
| 8 | Tangtse-Kargyam-Sato, Barma, Chushul. | Select this one for Chusul |
Pro Travel Tip: Apply for Ladakh Inner Line Permits online when your date is finalized. As the process now is online, the photo ID card number gets stored in the database and same proof cannot be used for next 15 days to get the permits. So, if you change the permit date after applying, you need to use a different ID for it else system will not allow it.
The entire inner liner permit area is divided into 8 regions and you have to select the desired ones very carefully. Better get the region information first and then apply for it.
Step by Step Process for Ladakh Environment Fee or Inner Line Permits in Person / Offline at Leh DC Office
If you are planning to apply for these permits in person or offline, then you can apply them at Tourist Information Center (TIC) Office, Opposite J&K Bank, Main Market, Leh or you can also apply for Inner Line Permits at Leh DC Office.
The TIC office is open on all working days (Monday to Saturday) from 09:00 AM to 07.00 PM. The timing of the Leh DC office is 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM (as told to us by the clerk there but not confirmed as I didn’t see it written), but they generally do not accept applications after 3 PM, I guess. So, you should reach the Leh DC office before 2 PM. Best will be to reach at around 10.15 AM to find the least rush and much hassle-free process.
Leh DC office is closed on Sundays and other national holidays. Hence, you should plan your Leh Ladakh trip such that your Leh local sightseeing day does not start with Sunday or a holiday. Having said that, I have heard that DC office is sometimes open on Sunday for half-day as well but I will say don’t count on it. If that is the case, best it to apply the Ladakh inner line permits online or get the arranged in advance through some travel agent.
Manual or Offline permit application is required mainly for Hanle or Chusul routes. Rest for regular tourist destinations you can apply online
Below are some steps that you can follow for applying for Ladakh Inner Line Permits in person at the DC office in Leh.
- You need to fill the permit application form to get the approval for your inner line permits. So, carry a pen with you, if filling directly in Leh DC office.
- The permits cost you Rs 300 for environment fee, Rs 20 per day per person for the permit. There is a fee of Rs 100 which is charged per tourist one time towards the Red Cross Fund. There is a special fee for the students, which is one time only Rs 20. You need to show/attach the i-card, I think, with the permit copy.
- You need to have photocopies of a valid nationality Photo-ID proof (Passport, Driving License, Aadhar, Voters ID, PAN card, etc.) which proves your identity. Although the photocopies were not checked for attestation for us, I feel one should not take any chance with it and get them attested before venturing to Leh Ladakh.
- You can apply the permits for your entire group, but you need to attach the photocopy of photo-id cards (nationality proof) for each member in the group and make sure to fill the required details of all group members in the permit application form.
- Anyone who has yours or your group’s photocopies of valid Photo-IDs, he/she can get the inner line permits on your behalf as well. Usually, the hotels in the Leh town does provide this facility if you are OK with sharing the photocopies of your nationality proof’s Photo-IDs with them either via Email or Fax.
- The permit approval process may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Hence it’s always nice that you reach early morning at the Leh DC office. Sometimes, when there is a rush of tourists, the permits are issued in two batches viz. morning and evening. Hence, try to be in for early morning batch so that you have some time to partially head towards one of the destinations of your plan or do it at ease and consider Leh local sightseeing as a side option for the day.
- The application forms required to apply for the inner line permits are mostly available at the Photostat shops nearby (one is just behind Leh DC office). You can also download the inner line permit application form for Leh – Ladakh from the following download link as well: Inner Line Permit Form and Application Letter (Page 2).
- Usually, the form remains the same so filling the attached form at home and completing the documentation including required photocopies can save a lot of trouble running to-fro from Photostat shops.
- In the application form, for each member, you need to mention the name with parent/guardian name, complete permanent address, the name of all the places you need to visit, and the specific dates or date range for which you want these permits. At last, in the copy information section, you may mention the hotel name plus address you stayed or are staying in Leh.
- You need to write Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri to cover all three major tourist spots in Ladakh. Writing Nubra Valley covers all the places in Nubra Valley, including Khardung La and Turtuk. However, writing Turtuk as well will not harm.
- Besides permit application form, you need to write a request application letter addressing DC of Leh – Ladakh district for the approval of your permits.
- In the inner line permit application, you need to express your interest in visiting the places you wish to travel along with the dates you would be visiting these places on your Leh – Ladakh trip.
- Both the application form and this request letter should be in sync with each other for places, names, and dates. You can download the unfilled request application from the following download link: Inner Line Permit Form and Application Letter (Page 3).
- Once, you complete filling the permit application form and writing the request application to accompany it, you make two-three photocopies of the entire set consisting of Application Form, Approval Request Application Letter, Photo – IDs of all the members requesting for the permits.
- When the photocopies of the required set of documents are ready then you need to submit them at the DC office along with the original copies of the form and request application.
- The clerk will ask you to deposit the fees for required permits (amount will depend on the number of days and number of members in the group) + red cross fund fees (Rs 10 per member) + Environment Fess (Rs 400 per member).
- Once you deposit the fee, the clerk will put the stamp on the permits. In a few instances or special cases, the clerk may ask you to either get signed approval from the ADC room yourself, or he/she will place your documents in the ongoing batch for further approval. Of course, in the latter case, you will need to wait for the approved permits to arrive which usually takes some time about 1-3 Hrs.
- Once, you get the stamped approved permits you need to go back to the photostat shop again to make photocopies of the approved permits.
- These photocopies of the approved permits are submitted at every check post that comes up on the way to your sightseeing destinations in Ladakh, including Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri. Hence, you should make at least ten copies of them if you are staying long enough in this heaven.
- The the validity of the inner line permits is three weeks for Indians and one week for foreigners. However, there is no limit on the number of times you enter a place in the valid period provided you have the permits with you for that place.
- Although not required; you may carry the passport size photographs as well. I believe, on all your trips, you should carry the passport-sized photographs with you as none knows when you need one. Did you check my comprehensive list of things to carry on a Ladakh trip?
Inner Line Permits for Hanle
Yes, you can get the permit to travel to Hanle village by applying them to the DC office in Leh. There will be an additional stamp that they will put on the permit copies that will authorize you to travel to Hanle beyond the Loma check-post. Otherwise, the army will send you back from the Loma check-post.
Inner Line Permits for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri direct route from Chusul
Yes, you can get the permit to travel on the direct route from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri that passes through Chusul village. The permit can only be applied in person at Leh DC office.
There will be an additional stamp that they will put on the permit copies that will authorize you to travel beyond Chusul check-post. Otherwise, the army will send you back from Chusul or Man Merak village check-post.
Inner Line Permits for Umling La Pass
No permit is available for traveling to Umling La pass and civilians are not allowed to travel to Umling La Pass. Some people traveled to it in the past
In 2017, BRO has built and opened the world’s highest road over Umlingla pass or Umling La connecting Chisumle and Demchok villages. Umling La pass is at an altitude of 5,883 Mtrs or 19,300 Feet. It is about 105 KMs from Hanle Village and about 235 KMs from Leh.
Other important things about permits for Hanle & Chusul
In order to get the permits for Hanle and Changthang or to travel from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri directly via Chusul – Tsaga – Loma – Nyoma route, you need to mention all the places on the route so that you are not sent back from any check-post. These places are Man – Merak – Chusul – Tsaga – Loma – Nyoma (for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri) and Hanle (if plan to visit Hanle too). The permits for inner Changthang & Hanle are issued only to Indian Nationals, not for foreign tourists.
Permits for Hanle & Chusul route are always issued subject to the present political or border situation. Sometimes, Leh DC office may not even issue the permits for Hanle and Chusul route.
Even after getting the permits for Hanle and Chusul route with the extra stamp, do not consider it as 100% approval that you will be allowed to these places. Army guys have sent back many tourists since 2011, even having permits based on the actual political and border security situation. So, unless you pass the Chusul check-post or Loma check-post to the other side, there is no guarantee that you will not be returned in between on these routes.
One more thing that sometimes photography equipment is not allowed beyond Loma towards Hanle. So, in case you have cameras, then please pack them in bags and refrain yourself from taking pictures on the route of sensitive areas in Ladakh.
Here are the sample permits issued and stamped by the Tourist Information Center
Best or Quick Approach to get Leh Ladakh Inner Line Permits
The best way to approach the processing of Leh Ladakh Inner Line Permits is to first download the application form. Completely fill the form and attach the photocopies of the photo ID nationality proofs with it for all members of the group.
Write a request application letter addressing Leh Ladakh DC expressing your intent to visit the desired places and request the issuing of inner line permits to you for the desired duration. If you are in a group, you can write the names of all the members on the group and attach copies of their photo id nationality proofs.
Staple the bundle including completely filled inner line permit application form, request application letter you will write for approval and the photocopies of photo id nationality proofs from home only.
Then, once you reach Leh, go to Leh DC office and submit the bundle along with the required fees. Get the permit stamped from the Leh DC Office. In case of permits for Hanle and Chusul, make sure you get the required stamps for these places. Otherwise, you will be sent back by the army from the midway.
On the way back to the hotel or sightseeing ahead, get 8-10 photocopies of the permits issued to you. You need to submit these photocopies of the permits at the check posts while going to Nubra, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Hanle, etc.
This will save a lot of time and energy for you in Leh. Otherwise, you will need to keep running up and down to photocopy shop for one thing or the other. Even to get the inner line permit form, you will need to go to the nearest photocopy shop, and all this will surely kill time and exert you in Leh.
Although highly unlikely, the worst-case scenario would be that the DC office changes the attached format of the inner line permit application form and refuse to take up the old version of it. 😥 Even, in that case, you will just need to fill the new form and attach the documents with it before submission.
Conclusion
I hope this article will help you get the required details on applying for the Inner Line Permits for Ladakh online as well as in person. As Ladakh Inner Line Permits are available online now, it will save a lot of hassles of moving around in Leh in the first few days from one shop to another to DC office.
Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comment on my YouTube videos.
You are also not required to worry about any holidays or odd timings of reaching Leh and then applying for the permits in person at Leh DC office.
In case you find this article useful, feel free to share it with your family & friends who are looking out for a trip to Ladakh in this season. And if you have any further questions or doubts, in planning your trip to Leh Ladakh, please post them in the comments section of this article below.
Again at the end, to download the application form for Leh – Ladakh inner line permit you can click the following download link Ladakh Inner Line Permit Form and Application Letter
Are you looking for the CUSTOMIZED TOURS?? Get in touch with our our handpicked & trusted Destination Specialists from the Himalayas who offer SPECIAL DISCOUNTED RATES to all the readers/followers of the Devil On Wheels website.
1,173 Comments
Comments section gets closed in 90 days. To ask your travel questions, you can follow my YouTube Channel for a faster reply or for a much slower reply follow me on Instagram. :)
Hi,
I plan to visit Leh in a car provided to me by my company for my personal use with white number plates. RC is my company’s name. Can there be any problems if I go beyond Leh e.g to Nubra valley on this car?
Documents I can carry:
1. Proof that I am an employee of the company on whose name car is registered
2. Declaration from my company that car is allotted to me for personal use and is not for commercial use
Also a few sites still mention ILP are required for Nubra and Pangong. Is this correct? Visited both in 2014 without any ILPs. Is there any recent change in the rule?
Hi Anoop,
As long as you can prove that you work for the company, it should be OK. These documents will suffice. And yes, since April 2017, ILP and environment fee are reintroduced again as mentioned in the article above too.
Thanks Dheeraj..
– Any idea how much time it could take to deposit money at TIC Leh? Hoping that not more than couple of hours in the morning and we can leave for Diskit on the same day. Any contacts who can do this for me in advance?
– I am planning to go with my Family (wife and 5 year old daughter) on my 2014 Fiat Punto 1.3 Diesel which has covered 44,000 kms so far. Route is Jaipur to Leh and back via Srinagar starting 1st July.
I plan to cover Leh-Diskit-Hunder-Panamik-Leh on my Punto and then take local cab for Leh-Pangong-Leh.
Me and my cousin did the same route in 2014 on a Maruti Estilo which gives me good confidence. Do you foresee any issues / any comments?
Hi Anopp,
When you will fill the online form, it will tell you the fee which you need to submit. In order to get in advance, you can also connect with [email protected]
Also, I Will not recommend going over to Nubra Valley without at least one complete day of rest and acclimatization in Leh especially with family.
You can do both Nubra Valley and PAngong tso from Leh on your car. Just be cautious and careful, drive slow on dirt tracks or roads with pebbles/stones to avoid puncture.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am planning to rent a bike from Chandigarh for leh Ladakh via srinagar then coming back to chandigarh via Manali. There is some news going on that the manali bike association will not allow rented commercial bikes from outside states.
Can you please help me and confirm if I can take the rented bike from chandigarh and complete the trip as I have planned? Please let me know if the rented bike from chandigarh will create any issue in the travel path.
Awaiting your reply.
thanks,
Yes Nirmit, no Ladakh bike can cross Sarchu post and allowed in HP and no HP bike is allowed in Ladakh to enter. There is too much tensions going on and I will not recommend taking the rented bike to Ladakh unless things settle down.
thank you for your valuable reply.
If the rented bike from Chandigarh is the white number plate and we say that this bike belongs to a friend of ours. Can this help in tackling the situation there ??
No Nirmit, in case you are caught up, they check the RC of the bike and it has to be in the name of you or any family member with whom you can prove the relationship by showing a valid GOVT ID. It is done specifically to curb these kinds of workarounds 😉
hi,
Dheeraj ji,
i am planning the following , will it be possible ?
day 1 leh
day 2 Leh – Nubra (stay)
Day 3 Nubra to Pangong ( stay) – is this possible via the khalsar shyok )
DAy 4 PAngong to Hanle ( via Chusul) ( places to mention for permit online mode)
day 5 hanle to Tso moriri to sarchu ( stay )
DAy 6 Sarchu to Manali.
or
we can do the following also
day 1 leh
day 2 Leh – Nubra (stay)
Day 3 Nubra to Pangong ( stay) – is this possible via the khalsar shyok )
DAy 4 PAngong to Hanle ( via Chusul)
day 5 hanle to Tso moriri to leh
DAy 6 rest / buffer
day 7 return flight from leh.
regarding ILPs , we can apply online but for hanle via chushul there is no option !
your feedback is highly appreciated.
Prasun, in your second plan, better use Day 6 for rest or sham valley trip on Day 2. This will help you acclimatize a bit more. Then follow rest and take flight on Day 7. You can apply for hanle permits at DC office in Leh or in person at Tourist info center.
Hello Dhiraj..
We hv planned ladakh trip from 7 to 17 September 2017 starting from srinagar n ending at manali. We have planned to travel by our own bikes n planned to cover places like pangong tso moriri hundar khardung la etc.. So please tell me is it fine to travel by our own bikes in leh ladak considering the current taxi n bike mafia scenario? And can we get permits for all the places at the same time for 12 days?
Yes Atul, there is no issue at all by traveling on private bikes. Do not be afraid, they are good and helping people and just want people to respect the rules they have laid to curb outsiders commercial people minting money from their resources or opportunities. Private bikes or cars do not have any issues right from the start except just one ugly incident that happened.
YEs, you can apply the permits once for all days you are in Ladakh.
hello Mr. Dheeraj,
I want to visit Ladakh this early August and want to camp there i am carrying my tent myself but i need to get government permission for that can I apply for that online? If not where to contact I will be going from Manali-Leh route and how much time it will take the whole process of permission.
No permission is required for camping in Ladakh. Please read: Top 10 Tips for Camping in Ladakh & Spiti Valley
If you are talking about permits, then please read: Ladakh Inner Line Permits Available Online
Hey dheeraj!
First of all thanks for all the information, its really helpful.
I just wanted to know if the inner line permit for an Indian citizen is issued on driving license also or only on passport?
Yes Ravi, you can apply for inner line permit with Driving License as well.
I will go Tso moriri from Manali it possible sir ? or I have to reach Leh first
Please read: 5 reasons not to visit Tso Moriri from Manali side
sir,
i am planning to go to leh ladakh in 16th june from ahmedabad(gujarat) alone.
my bike is on my mothers name….will there any problems?
I don’t think you Akash, you should be good to travel on that bike
If I take proper papers which make sure them that I am son of her…does it works.
If I take proper papers which make sure them that I am son of her…does it works.
Sir there are two possibilities.
(1) If I take proper papers which make sure them that I am son of her
(2) I can change name on TV book. But I can’t get rc book because it take 1-2 months to reach. I only get the paper on which it suggest that this bike is on my name
Yes, it works for sure. If you have a passport it will work and also since surname will match that will work too. No need to change the name of the book.
Yes it works Akash.
Sir..
what is the process for getting ILPs for hanle? is it okay i download this form and mention all places that im planning to visit??
Kaushick, yes, download the form mention all the places, go to DC office in Leh, pay the environment and permit fees and get it stamped by DC office. Once done, get the 10-12 copies of that permit to submit on various checkposts to the places like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Hanle etc..
ok sir..what all places to be mentioned if im travelling from leh to hanle via chumathang?
Leh, Loma, Nyoma and Hanle is sufficient.
Hi,
Our itinerary is
13-08-2017 Manali to Sarchu
14-08-2017 Sarchu – Pang – Leh
15-08-2017 Leh- Khardung La – Nubra
16-08-2017 Nubra- Shyok- Pangong Tso
17-08-2017 Pangong Tso – chusul – TSo moriri lake
18-08-2017 TsoMoriri to Sarchu
18-08-2017 Sarchu- Manali
Can you please Let me know how many permissions would i require and the charges for the permissions
sorry 19-8-2016 sarchu – manali
Hey Sai, you need Rohtang Pass permit to go beyond Rohtang Pass. And once in Leh, you will need Inner Line Permit from DC OFfice in Leh.
Also, your plan is too too ambitious and I will not suggest such a plan. There is no rest day in Leh, then you are directly sleeping at Sarchu from Manali which will cause AMS issues.
Yes sir according to your blog i have read that we need to have some bookings in LEH to get the permit for Rohtang pass, but we dont have bookings. What we have to do now?
This year onward it is not required to have the booking to get Rohtang Pass permit.
Thank you very much sir :).
Hi Dheeraj
Thanks for your very informative posts. However I am a bit confused as the article states that Indian Nationals do not require inner line permits. To summarize my questions
1) My itinerary involves the Manali – Leh Highway. Via 4 motorbikes. Where do I get the Rohtang Pass permit? Can it be acquired online before travel? We will hit Rohtang on 30th June if the weather is all ok and the roads open. Is there any pre- requisiste such as hotel bookings etc to get this pass? What is the charge for the pass? And should we expect any kind of hindrance at rohtang of not securing this pass. Sorry for a lot of questions, but we are travelling from the UAE and have all the flights etc booked as of now for a journey to start on 30th june from Manali. Appreciate any help or direction
2) we will stay at jispa, then sarchu and then at rumtse after which we will directly head to pangong tso. Read in your article that you need inner line permits which we need to get from LEH DC. Being Indian nationals, does it apply to us as well? Do we need to first head to Leh DC get the required permit and then head back to pangong tso?
Sunirmshafi, I think you missed read the first alert box of Update April 2017. Anyways, read this now: Ladakh Inner Line Permits Available Online
For Rohtang Pass permit, visit: http://admis.hp.nic.in/ngtkullu/BeyondRohtang/InformatoryScreen
Your inner line permit is solved but I will not recommend the plan you are planning to undertake.
Dear Dheeraj
Appreciate the response and have been waiting for the same. The requirements of the permit is now quite clear. As for my plan, I saw that you’ve mentioned that it is not recommended. Can you shed some light and provide your recommendations? We would be riding via bikes.. any help would be appreciated
Day 1 : Manali – Jispa , halt at Jispa
Day 2 : Jispa – Sarchu, halt at sarchu
Day 3 : Sarchu – LEH, halt at LEH
Day 4 : Rest in LEH
Day 5 : LEH – Pangong . Halt at Pangong
Day 6 : Pangong – LEH, halt at LEH
Day 7 : Visit Khardungla and return to LEH
Day 8 : Fly from LeH to Delhi
I will suggest following edits:
Day 1 : Manali – Jispa , halt at Jispa
Day 2 : Jispa – Leh, leave by 6 AM for sure, halt at Leh
Day 3 : Leh rest day and acclimatization, permits are now available online.
Day 4 : Leh – Khardung La – Nubra Valley
Day 5 : Nubra Valley – Leh
Day 6 : Leh – Pangong tso
Day 7 : Pangong tso – Leh
Day 8 : Fly from LeH to Delhi
Hi Dheeraj,
I’m a Chinese，If I got ILP，Can I visit the restricted places like Tso Moriri, Nubra Valley？
No Lee, you cannot travel to inner line areas with just ILP. You have to get permission from MHA, New Delhi
Hi dheeraj ,
Can we get inner line permit in one day ?
Just wanted to know iif this will be time consuming
Thanks
Yes, it is a trivial process. Just have your documents ready and pre-prepared by downloading the above form. Just go there, submit the fees and get the permit signed. Then on the way back make 10-12 copies of it. It will not take more than couple of hrs at max.
Hi Dheeraj
We are 2 couples traveling Delhi – Srinagar – Kargil – Leh – day trips to Nubra and Pangong Tso – Leh – Sarchu – Manali – Delhi. We start on 6 June to reach Jammu. We come back to Delhi on 19 June. We are traveling in an Innova. Please advice us which route you suggest frm Kargil i.e. Normal highway via magnetic hill or the route through Batalik. Batalik route might require ILP, which we will organise. Pls suggest assuming we are not planning another trip soon 🙂
Thanks
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
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
Update April 2017 = Pay environment fees and apply for permits again
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
Thanks a lot Dheeraj. Based on your suggested blogs we have already palnned our trip. Now we are only debating which is a better route to take for a first time traveler to Leh assuming we are not planning any other trip to Leh soon.
1) Kargil – Mulbekh – Lamayuru – Leh
or
2) Kargil – Batalik – Dah – Skurbuchan – Leh
Thanks
I will surely go with Lamayuru route if I am planning the trip to Ladakh for the first time. The views and route are much much better and you get to see the moonland mountains which Lamayuru is famous for apart from its monastery & restaurant 🙂
Hi Dheeraj
Thanks a lot for your feedback. We are all set to go next week. Just wanted another advice about going thru the Srinagar route. Given the situation in the valley, should we do the to and fro trip via Manali or should we continue with our plan to enter Leh via Srinagar – Kargil route.
Warm Regards
Please read this thread: https://devilonwheels.com/question/terrorist-killed-in-north-kashmir/
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for helping me in other pages, now I have booked my tickets and have my itinerary.
I arrive in Leh on Aug 9th (2017) and leave on Aug 19th. I will be renting a bike from LEH.
Will I need to get inner line permits as I will be visiting Pangong TSo , Tso moriri etc… If yes then where should I apply for them? Can i apply online or only after reaching Leh?
Update April 2017 = Pay environment fees and apply for permits again
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
Hello Again Dheeraj,
I checked leh website – lahdclehpermit.in. No where it is mentioned about permit for Indian citizen. They are asking only oversea clients.
Is there any other website where this notification is published.
Well, that site is only for Protected Area Permit. Indians need Inner Line Permit from DC office in Leh. You can check leh.nic.in where there is a notification running for payign environment fee of Rs 400. Also, check the updated permit form which states the charges and fees and updated by DC office in 2017: https://devilonwheels.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Inner-Line-Protected-Area-Permit-Form.pdf
Dheeraj,
Hi! I am an avid follower of your website and have taken numerous advice from it! My 3 friends and I are scheduled to land in Leh on 13th May and to depart for our home on 20th May.
Now we had an entire trip planned with Nubra Valley, Turtuk and Pangong in our plan. We reached out to Thinles of Botho guesthouse, someone who came highly recommended in tripadvisor.
Everything was on schedule when suddenly I learned today from Thinles that Leh is now currently not giving Permits to tourists from SAARC countries 🙁 This is so sudden and I saw no news of this anywhere! Now, do you have any suggestions for us as to what to say to the DC office once we reach Leh? We want to try again for the permit.
Lastly, if we don’t get the permit at all, can you suggest an itinerary from 13th May to 20th May? Our flight reaches on 13th May so we’ll take that day rest and we depart 20th May in the morning so basically, 14th May to 19th May an itinerary of places without requiring permit and must visit would be really helpful 🙂
Sami
Hi Sami,
If that is the case, I am not sure if anyone can help out. If they have stopped permits for SARC countries, then I am not sure what is the process. May be you can check it online yourself as Protected Area Permits are now available online: http://www.lahdclehpermit.in/
Dheeraj,
I did check that website and there is a FAQ PDF there as well where it mentions some countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan requires permission from the Home Ministry. There is no mention of Bangladesh in that document.
Hopefully we can show this once we reach Leh and try and get the permit 🙂
Thank you for the very quick reply as always!
Yes Samy, also try to apply for Online Permit and you may get it. There was another person who posted in the forum that Bangladeshi citizen require only Protected Area Permit now and the option comes while filling up the online form. Please check it.
Hi
Below is my Itinerary
Day 1 – Srinagar-Sonamarg-Zoji La-Dras-Kargil
Day 2 – Kargil-Mulbek-Namika La-Fotu La-Lamayuru-Nimmoo-Leh
Day 3 – Sighseeing in Leh
Day 4 – Leh-Khardung La-Sumur-Panamik-Diskit-Hunder
Day 5 – Diskit/Hunder-Wari La-Chang La-Pangong lake
Day 6 – Pangong Lake-Man-Merak-Chushul-Tsaka Pass-Hanle
Day 7 – Hanle-Nyoma-Mahe-Karzok(Tso Moriri)
Day 8 – Karzok-Tso Kar-More Plains-Sarchu
Day 9- Sarchu-Baralacha La Pass-Keylong-Rohtang Pass-Manali
Day 10- Manali-Chandigarh
Let me know how many permissions would i require and the charges for the permissions
This looks good Ketan, you will need a permit for 5-6 days from DC office in Leh for places listed from Day 4 to Day 8. No other permit is required. Just take care of the fuel and ensure there are other vehicles in company to support on these desolated routes.
Hello Sir,
we are 4 friends plan tour from ambala to leh on 4 bikes as your guideline as
Day 1 | Delhi – Jammu/Patnitop
Day 2 | Jammu/Patnitop – Srinagar
Day 3 | Srinagar – Kargil
Day 4 | Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh
Day 5 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Inner Line Permits
Day 6 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit (Nubra Valley) – Hunder – Diskit
Day 7 | Hunder/Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
Day 8 | Leh – Hemis – Pangong Tso
Day 9 | Pangong Tso – Thicksey – Shey Palace – Leh
Day 10 | Leh Rest Day or Sham Valley Tour around Leh including Magnetic Hills, Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Alchi, Likir, Basgo, Confluence at Nimmu
Day 11 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
Day 12 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Moore Plains (Manali – Leh Highway) – Pang – Sarchu
Day 13 | Sarchu – Manali
Day 14 | Manali – Delhi
please tell me that which place is given in permit and there is only one permit for all trip
Thanks & Regards
Kuldeep Singh
Hi Kuldeep,
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
Only one permit is required.
Regards
Dheeraj
Thanks dheeraj sir
if we find any problem then we contact to you again
thanks again
Sure, feel free to post any further question about your trip.
Dear Dheeraj bhai,
As per our itinerary (see below), we will visit Khardung la, Hundar, Turtuk, Panamik, Aghom, Shyok, Tangtse, Spangmik Pangong Tso-Man- Merak – Chusul – Tsaga – Loma – Hanle-Nyoma and Tso moriri from Leh and then to Manali.
1.Please suggest what we need to do to get the ILP, and from where we will get it? I downloaded the form, but could not understand where we need to mention the places we intend to visit.
2.What will be the charge per person? Is the environmental fee Rs 400 needs to be paid one time or for every day of the trip? That will be huge then..
3. what documents need to be submitted?
4. Will the drivers will arrange the permit? or we have to do ourselves?
Please advice in detail.
Day1 (30/5/17 Tue)- Kolkata to Srinagar morning flight and move to Sonamarg
Day2 (31/5/17 Wed)- Sonamarg– Kargil/Mulbekh
Day3 (1/6/17 Thu)- Kargil/Mulbekh – Leh
Day4 (2/6/17 Fri)- Leh Local sightseeing and permit preparation
Day5 (3/6/17 Sat)- Leh – Hundar
Day6 (4/6/17 Sun)- Hundar – Turtuk – Deskit / Hundar-Panamik-Deskit#
Day7 (5/6/17 Mon)- Deskit – Agom-Shyok – Tangtse #
Day 8 (6/6/17 Tue)- Tangtse – Spangmik
Day 9 (7/6/17 Wed)- Spangmik – Merak – Chusul – Tsaga – Loma – Hanle *
Day 10 (8/6/17 Thu)- Hanle – Niddar Road – Korzok (Tsomoriri)**
Day 11 (9/6/17 Fri)- Tsomoriri(Korzok) –Tso Kar – Barlach la (Suraj Tal) -Keylong
Day 12 (10/6/17 Sat)- Keylong – Manali )
Day 13 (11/6/17 Sun)- Manali – Kulu – Kalka and catch 11:50pm Kalka Mail
Day 14 (12/6/17 Mon)- Train
Day 15 (13/6/17 Tue)- Morning 8:00 arrive Kolkata
If not possible,then * Day 9: Spangmik – Chusul – Saga – Chumathang
**Day10: Chumathang – Tsomoriri Stay (Korzok)
# If Tangtse cannot be reached directly from Hundar, then stay only 1N in Hundar…and Hundar to leh on nxt night and then Leh to Tangste.
Dear Amit,
Replies below:
1. Where it is written “Crant Permission to Indian Citize to visit _______________” in that blank you have to mention the name
2. Environment fee of Rs 400 is one time, permit fee of Rs 20 is per day.
3. Your valid Photo Id Nationality Proof
4. They can do so on your behalf, will need all the documents and filled, signed permit form from you guys.
5. Your plan looks OK but DO NOT venture into the Niddar route alone.
Hi Mr dheeraj ji
My self CHIRAG
I will be plan leh tour on 15th August arrivals and plan 1st day (16th) – leh sightseeing (17th) – nubra valley-(night stay) (18th) – nubra to leh (19th) – pangong lake return (20th) buy bus tso moriri and night halt (21st) – return to leh buy bus. (22nd) – leh to srinager return. It is possible this plan. Plz suggests me
HI Chirag,
You seem to have just 7 days in hand and public transport is not that frequent in Ladakh to make trip with such ease. You should refer: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air
thanks but it is possible to go tso moriri by bus and any vehical available for tsomoriri to tso kar.debring and return to leh.
which option is better to tso moriri to leh or tso moriri to return to sarachu to manali
Chirag, you should refer: How to make a budget Ladakh trip by public transport and Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
Sir…do we require inner line permits to visit places like nubra valley,khardung la,tso moriri? whats the recent announcement about sir?
Update April 2017 = Pay environment fees and apply for permits again (those who missed before)
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).
What about Visiting the area of Batalik village and the road that takes to the villages Dha and Goma Hanu ? Are they excluded from present ILP requirement of 2017?
India loves red tape and bureaucracy. Three cheers to it.
You will need permit to visit Dah Hanu. As per recent update, everyone need permits to visit inner line areas in Ladakh.
Dheeraj,
I heard that in order to travel from kargil to leh via batalik and dha hanu, we need to take inner line permit (ILP) from kargil for batalik and ILP from leh for dha hanu. As I will be travelling from srinagar to leh via kargil-batalik-dha hanu-leh , I can arrange ILP for batalik from kargil DC office (as heard again, plz correct me if I am wrong), But my confusion, annoying, worry is how can I arrange ILP from leh to visit dhan hanu before I actually travel there (to leh) as I dnt have any plans of returning back as I have further plans to visit manali. Please help !
Deepak, people who travel in the direction from Leh to Kargil to Srinagar via Batalik route gets the permit from Leh and those who travel from Kargil to Leh gets the permit from Kargil DC office. So, you can get it from Kargil DC office and you should be good. Also, you can visit Dah hanu without going from Batalik and without needing any permit in case traveling from Kargil to Leh.
Yeah Dheeraj, I understand completely what you said. But in my case I want to visit both places i.e., Batalik from kargil (ILP from kargil ) and head directly from there to dha hanu (as I will have ILP only for batalik, as ILP for dha hanu will be issued in Leh) as well and further to leh. So how about obtaining permit for dha hanu in this case is my confusion. I don’t want to return to kargil again from batalik and travel on Fotula and go to dha hanu and take back same route and get to leh. ( Or will kargil DC office issues dha hanu permit as well for one way travellers ? )
Hope I am very much clear in making you understand what I want to convey.
You can just write both Batalik, Dah, Hanu on the form when applying for permits at Kargil DC office. The Dah Hanu, permits are restored this year only and still there is no official statement on permits but just on environment fee. However, people are applying for the permit and paying the environment fee as it used to happen before 2014. So, I believe you will not have any issues with it if you just write Dah Hanu, Batalik while applying permit at Kargil office.
Thank you Dheeraj. Thanks for update. We people can travel worry free because of people like you helping the enthusiasts all the way. Really appreciate and wonder how you reserve time for DoW.
Thank you, Deepak, like a nobleman said once “Where these is passion and will, there is a way…” 😉
hi dheeraj ji
we have 27 members on 27 seater bus to planned, to visit leh on 1 june from jammu srinager kargil, leh 3 days , 2 days nubra, 1day pangong ,1) can we direct go to sarchu from pangong. 2) on this day all roads will opened or not. 3) today i know that this year inner line permit is compulsory for indian as well as foreigners also. and fee are approx 1000 to 1100 for indian , is it true or not plz confirm . 4) leh to manali road are open or not on 9 june from pangong to sarchu & 10 june sarchu to manali.
Hi Rupesh,
This year there is too much of snowfall and Manali – Leh is expected to open by the second week of June. Plying heavy vehicle on it may not be conducive, so better postpone the trip by couple of weeks.
Update April 2017 = Pay environment fees and apply for permits again (those who missed before)
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 here
Hi Dheeraj,
Read about Leh Innerline Permits are back from DOW. how likely is Leh DC office operating on SUNDAY!.
we have planned ride in june, where we reach leh on Sat and Sunday is a break day before we start our ride to Nubra valley on Monday. now for Permits, we need to re-plan. can you suggest please.
Leh DC Office does not operate on Sunday. You will have to either replan or arrange them in advance.
Hi Dheeraj,
I wanted to know if i can build tents in places like Nubra, pangong, hanle, moriri and jispa! Is it allowed to build our own tents? Or they(locals) won’t allow us? Because we are tight on budget.
Arth, you may read: Top 10 Tips for Camping in Ladakh & Spiti Valley. It covers the topic in detail
Hi Dheeraj,
This is Amol. How are you doing?
I have one question regarding permit, do we require permit to Visit Spiti Valley ( we are planning to go Shimla Via Keylong Khibber Kaza Pooh pangi ) If yes then from where we can get this permit.
Regards
Amol
I am doing good Amol, thanks !!
Indians do not require permit to visit Spiti Valley. It is only applicable for foreigners.
Thanks Dheeraj. We are planning to go Kaza from Leh keylong and kaza Do you have any idea when keylong kaza road will open ?
Amol, Keylong to KAza road has been opened yesterday.
Thanks A lot Dheeraj. We are leaving on 10th From Pune.
Wonderful, best wishes for your journey. Do share the updates with all of us, it will help others too.
Little bit off topic but how can i avoid Taxi union of Leh as i am going there with rented bikes.. is there any way? I’ll ride with 3 other bikes! The bike company where we are hiring said there won’t be an issue.. is it true? As we are students hiring in leh will cost us more!
In case you are lucky and not confronted, you may avoid them else if checked, you will have to park the outside rented bike and hire another bike in Leh.
Hi dheeraj , i have some changes in my route so it goes like
Day 1: Delhi to pathankot
2: pathankot to Srinagar
3: Srinagar to kargil
4: kargil to leh
5:leh rest /sightseeing
6:leh to hunder
7: hunder to pangong
8: pangong to leh
9: leh to hanle
10: hanle to tso morir
11: tso moriri to sarchu.
12:sarchu to manali
Now the things is thay if and only if we don’t need a buffer day i really want to go to Kaza in spiti valley. Do you know how to plan my trip so i can include Kaza in my list? Is there any road goes to kaza from keylong? Or should i start after reaching Manali?
Hello Arth, first of all with just one day in hand, it is not possible to visit Kaza. The roads to Kaza from Keylong or Manali are one of the worst roads you may have ever seen. Riding/Traveling on it takes a toll on the body and in one day in any case it is not possible and will mean touching and coming. You may try
Tso Moriri to Keylong, Keylong to Chandratal, Chandratal to Manali in one day but doing it this way with Kaza does not make any sense to me.
Let’s say i have two days after reaching keylong . What do you suggest?
Again within two days it won’t make any sense to visit KAza as you will not be able to see much things up there. It is better to visit Chandratal lake in Spiti Valley and come back to Manali in those two days.
Hi Dheeraj
We are three friends and we are planning for Leh this June, last week most likely. We plan to go manali by bus and then hire 2 Bullets from there and then drive all the way to Leh. Also we plan to drive Kargil from Leh and then back to Leh.
I wanted to check with you :
1. what all locations you would advise in Leh or near Leh to visit.
2. Moreover, we plan to do sleepover in tent is that possible in that region? I mean we putting our own trek tent.
3. How is your opinion on Leh -> Kargil -> Leh
4. We are 3 guys and will be renting 2 bikes, so pillion will also be there. is that ok and what challenges we should expect with pillion.
Thanks
Andy
Hello Andy,
Firstly, you should know that outside rented bikes are not allowed for sightseeing in Ladakh. You will again have to rent a bike in Leh so you pay twice. Also, return back the bike in Manali as pickup charges of bikes are too high and leaves a big dent in the pocket.
1. I will be able to suggest a plan, once you let me know how many days you are planning for this trip.
2. Yes, please refer: Top 10 Tips for Camping in Ladakh & Spiti Valley
3. That is fine, you need two days for it.
4. Please read: 5 Tips to Rent Bike in Leh – Ladakh and Ride with Pillion
Thanks Dheeraj for you experienced response.
We are planning a trip of around 9 days excluding travel to manali from where we are taking the bikes.
Regarding renting bikes again in Leh, we heard that manali rentals charge 50% when we display the receipts of Leh rentals. So we are planning on that.
Oki, that is fine in that case if you are OK with the rental pricing. You may refer: Ladakh from Manali – Most Common Itinerary
Hi Dheeraj
After reading your blogs me and my friends decided to rent bikes from delhi and travel to Leh via Srinaga-Kargil and then coming back via Leh-Manali side.
Thanks
Andy, you will have to hire the bikes again in Leh. I hope you are aware about the rule.
Dear Dheeraj!
Firstly, your site has been such an amazing place in help planning our Leh trip!
I am from Bangladesh and was hoping to take a peek at Nubra Valley and visit Pangong Lake. Is ILP something that Bangladeshi’s still require in 2017 to visit these places? If so, what is the current procedure for this?
I am sorry if this question has been already answered but I couldn’t find it anywhere and hence asked here 🙁
Sami, Bangladesh citizen need special permit from MHA Delhi to visit Inner Line areas of LAdakh and for the last 5 years or so, I haven’t come across anyone who got that permission or may be they never cared to share up here 🙂 … So, ILP is only applicable for Indian Citizens, Protected Area Permit PAP is valid for Foreigners. Permit for citizens of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Burma are issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and permits for those people who are on diplomatic or official VISA are issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Delhi.
Dheeraj,
Thank you so much for the quick reply 🙂 I am hearing multiple views of this and finding it very difficult to get an exact answer 🙁 Can you please check this link from India Mike where I got a reply from someone mentioning it is now open for Bangladeshis! As well as there is no mention of Bangladesh in the PAP link of MHA, India
http://www.indiamike.com/india/ladakh-and-zanskar-f31/permits-to-enter-numbra-pangong-for-bangladeshi-ctitizen-t256895/#post2021606
Well, Sami, AFAIK up to last to last year as well few folks who were in constant touch could not go to these places. I understand that info. is ambiguous but that is what I know only 🙁
Hi Dhiraj..need your expert opinion/ views/suggestions for ladakh sight seeing itinerary in august 2017, I am planning to do stok kangri in the first week of august. the dates are 5th aug to 14th august for the trek from leh to leh. i want to club this with ladakh sight seeing, especially from the perspective that if i do some sight seeing before the trek, it will help me acclimatize better. at the same time, i do not want to tire myself by doing all the sight seeing before the trek. So in short, I feel that i should split the sight seeing into two parts viz before and after the trek. Considering this scenario, could you please suggest me some good itinerary. Since, will be in ladakh around 15th august, would also love to spend 15th aug at either leh war memorial or karlgil. Please share your views on the best possible itinerary so that i could cover all major sight seeing places in ladakh.
btw, sorry I have posted my queries on a wrong thread. hope thats fine for you to reply 🙂
That’s OK, I replied to your other comment.
Yes..Thanks a ton for the valuable piece of input you have shared. Shall modify the itinerary considering the same..Thanks again.
Btw..Any suggestions on some good n economical places to stay? I will scout for the information in your other blogs anyway..But just in case if I miss on any good inputs, would like to hear from you. Sorry if it’s too much of a trouble..:) TIA
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 Smita,
I feel you should first do a local sightseeing around Leh and Sham Valley including Alchi, Likir, Basgo, Magnetic Hills on the second day.Then start the trek and after the trek you may travel to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. How many days before 5th and after 14th you have for sightseeing in Ladakh.
Thanks Dhiraj for your prompt reply. Posting below the tentative plan we have chalked out as of now. Please share your views on the same.
Tentative plan
29th our respective places to Srinagar via Flight
29th stay in srinagar near dal lake
30th July Srinagar to Kargil via road
31st Kargil to Leh
1st Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardungala and stay overnight at Nubra valley
2nd Nubra to Pangong via Shyok route and stay overnight at Pangong
3rd Pangong to Tsomoriri via Chushul route and stay overnight at Tsomoriri
4th Tsomoriri to Leh and stay overnight at Leh
5th is reporting day for Trek in Leh City
For us it is rest day
If we want we can spend one day in Leh also after reaching Leh from Kargil and come back from Tsomoriri to Leh on 5th Aug and report straight for the trek
Thanks in advance. 🙂
Hi Smita,
You will be tired with the above journey without much rest day. Also, it is highly recommended that you do acclimatization in Leh for one day before making journey to Khardung La and beyond. Better follow it else it might end up scaring you with AMS and jeopardising the entire trip including trek. Better skip Tso Moriri part and visit Nubra and Pangong Tso only after one day rest in Leh.
Hi Dow
This would be my second visit to Leh and I would be doing in Dha-Hanu area by the end of May 2012017 along with PANGONG Tso.
1. Will I require ILP to visit Dha-Hanu area?
2. Will the road to PANGONG Tso be open by MAY end ?
Chukhu, no permit is required for Dah – Hanu in case you are traveling from Leh side. Road to Pangong Tso will be open as it remains open even in winter months too. All depends upon weather during that particular day. IN case it is very harsh and with heavy snowfall, then BRO may not allow the passage on that day.
Dheeraj ji
One tour operators gave me this itenery & quoted 29k for 2 ppl without leh stay. plz tell is this a good bargain & correct itenery
Pick up from airport 2 day local sightseeing 3day nubra 4day back to leh 5day pangong 6day back to leh 7day local sightseeing magnetic hill/ gurduwara pathar sahid/ sangam, zanskar confluence and 8day departure to airport
Sumit, it looks OK to me but you can also try to ask for a quote from [email protected] too. In the past they have been proved to be economical and with good feedback from various readers here for last 3-4 years now.
Dear Dheeraj as written earlier I have planned my visit to leh going first time. Wd reach leh on 19thapril morning and wd depart on 26th april.
Kindly give me itenery for the tour which all places to visit. I wd be hitting a bike in leh so do & don’ts for it too.
Thx
Hi Sumit,
Bike ride will only be possible for local places around Leh and may be up to Lamayuru/Sham Valley which ever you will opt for. This is because the conditions of high mountain passes are very slippery and army do not allow bikes to ply on those roads as any mishap can be fatal at that altitude. So, please avoid at any cost. You can roam around Leh.
I am suggesting a plan below of 6 days. You can add Turtuk in it while in Nubra Valley as a day trip from Deskit since you have 7 days in hand.
Day 1 | Delhi – Leh (By Flight)
— Checkin at Hotel. Many hotels provide free pick and drop from Airport. Ask while you book them.
— Take ample of rest as well as water or anything that keep your body hydrated enough. DO NOT OVER HYDRATE. Take ORS Soluted water or ORS – L tetra packs from home.
— Do not over exert your body at any cost. Avoid too much up-down on stairs or avoid it in entirety, if possible.
— After 5-6 Hrs of rest you can visit Leh Palace, Local Leh market, Shankar Gompa .
— If you feel exerted go back to Hotel, have dinner at Hotel and take rest. Avoid any exertion. Else continue and,
— Follow the sunset by stroll at Changspa road and have a nice dinner on varied cuisines offered in-around Changspa road.
— Go back to hotel for overnight stay at Leh.
Day 2 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization
— Hire a taxi from Leh taxi stand or Hotel whichever suits you.
— Bargain hard with taxi driver. Book that single taxi for entire trip after explaining the complete plan.
— Take his inputs if you feel reasonable and if required modify the plan accordingly but should suits you best.
— Ask him to be with you guys starting first day itself, if required and charged reasonable else do it at your own.
— Again DO NOT over exert and take little steps and slow walks only.
— If feeling OK then do Local sightseeing. To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— Do not use stairs at any of these places just to see them as it will exert your body much more.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 3 | Leh – Khardung La – Diskit – Hunder
— Head for Nubra Valley and stay overnight at Hunder / Diskit
— On the way enjoy a cup of soup at Highest Motorable Pass (as claimed) Khardung La
— Diskit has monasteries with tallest lord Buddha statue and Hunder has sand dunes and bacterian camel safari
Day 4 | Hunder / Diskit – Sumur – Panamik – Sumur – Khardung La – Leh
— Sumur has a famous monastery to check out and Panamik has hot water springs
— Overnight at Leh
Day 5 | Leh – Pangong Tso – Leh
— Do not plan to stay overnight at Pangong Tso as you will not be acclimatized and may fall sick. So, make a day trip only.
— Overnight at Leh
Day 6 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour OR Sham Valley tour OR Fly back home
— Overnight at Leh
— Monastery tour may include Hemis, Thicksey and Shey monasteries. They come on the route of Pangong Tso but as you will be doing day trip, it will be a bit hectic to include them on that day only.
— Sham Valley include Alchi, Likir, Basgo Palace, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pather Sahib
Thx Dheeraj for information. I have seen pics ppl traveling to khardung la on bike so we can also go on bike, if not reasons plz.
Sd we opt for share taxi for other places if not why.
Asking u as it’s our first visit to laddakh.
Thx
Hi Sumit,
It is not that bikes are not allowed to be taken to Khardung La. What I am trying to tell you is, that during the winter months when snow is present on roads and hard ice makes it very slippery conditions at high altitude passes like Khardung La and Chang La, army does not allow people to take bikes for the safety of the riders. Once the summers comes in and black ice is not present on the road, then bikes start plying on such routes. Hence, in April you can only use bikes for local sightseeing around Leh or up to Sham valley for your own safety.
Again getting a shared taxi could be difficult due to lack of number of tourists in off season of April. In case you find people who are tourists you can go ahead and share the taxi with them. However, in local taxi you will just do destination to destination without any stops in between where you would have liked to stop the car and take few pictures.
Enjoyed reading through this, very good stuff, thankyou . “Hereafter, in a better world than this, I shall desire more love and knowledge of you.” by William Shakespeare.
thank you 🙂
I want to go to the Hanle with my dslr is there any way to talk out of it? As i read in some of your post that they take the camera at Loma post. Any permission or extra fees for cameras?
Now a days they do not check for cameras and mostly allow.
I have plan for my trip in ladakh..
Day 1: Delhi to pathankot
Day2: pathankot to patnitop
Day3:patnitop to srinagar/sonamarg
Day 4: srinagar/sonamarg to kargil
Day 5:kargil to leh
Day 6:leh local sightseeing
Day 7:leh to hunder
Day 8: hunder to pangong
Day 9:pangong to leh
Day 10:leh to hanle
Day 11:hanle to tso moriri
Day 12: tso morir to Sarchu
Day 13:sarchu to manali
Day 14:Manali to delhi
Day 15:just in case something happens in between(buffer day)
Is it feasible to do all this in trip? What do you suggest i should include or exclude? What route shiuld i take for hunder to pangong? Anything you want to suggest? Thank you!
Arth, your plan is very well balanced. You should take a call after reaching Nubra Valley. If vehicles are traveling up and running on Agham – Shyok route, you can take that route else take Wari La route. Also, both the routes should only be taken in case you have couple of vehicles in a convoy. If not then wait at Agham village to join a group of vehicles.
Ohk Thank you and yes I’ll be riding with my group! Thank you for help 🙂
Best wishes for the trip, feel free to post any further queries you have for the trip.
Hi Dheeraj, we’re planning a Ladakh trip on May last/ early June 2017 from Kerala on our bikes..the rough plan in Ladakh area is like Leh-Khardung La-Nubra-Shyok-Pangong-Marsimik La-Chushul-Loma-Hanley-Chumur-Tso Moriri…I understand Marsimik La, Chushul, Hanley & Chumur needs ILP.
So, would it be okay if I mention the places like “Lukung-Pobrang-Marsimik La-Man-Merak-Chushul-Tsaga-Loma-Rhongo-Hanley-Salsal La-Chumur-Charchang La-Tso Moriri-Sumdo-Mahe-Nyoma-Loma” in the application form???
I’ve added Sumdo-Mahe-Nyoma-Loma part, because I saw it a bit difficult to get the Chumur permit..so, if they reject the Chumur part, I’ll be able to reach Tso Moriri via Nyoma-Mahe-Sumdo, right??Or Should I apply with a separate form without the ‘Salsal La-Chumur-Charchang La’ part if in case they’re not gonna give the permit for Chumur?
Thanks a lot in advance 🙂
Joe
Hello Joe,
You do not need to mention Lukung, Pobrang, Man, Merak, Rhongo, Chanchagan La, Sumdo, Mahe, Nyoma. Rest all places you should mention. Adding Chumur may result in denial of permit, so be sure. To reach Tso Moriri, you do not need to go to Chumur. There is a slip road just after you cross Salsal La which takes you to Tso Moriri. Better have a good story as towards the other end of that road army will stop you for whereabouts and why you took this route.
Thank you Dheeraj for the reply 🙂
One last query :)..so, if I mention like “Marsimik La-Chushul-Tsaga-Loma-Hanley-Salsal La-La-Tso Moriri” that will do the permit part? If they reject the application, should I ready with another form with “Marsimik La-Chushul-Tsaga-Loma-Hanley-Nyoma-Mahe-Sumdo” or should I include these places (Nyoma-Mahe-Sumdo) in the first form with Salsal La ( “Marsimik La-Chushul-Tsaga-Loma-Hanley-Salsal La-La-Tso Moriri & Nyoma-Mahe-Sumdo) so, even if they reject the Salsal La route, I can use the Mahe route?
thank you
Yes, that will do for the permit part. No need for the other one. At max. what they can do is strike through Salsal La. No need to include Nyoma, Mahe, Sumdo. They dont need any permits. Salsal La is very remote route thats the only thing I will say about it. Rest you should be able to manage it.
Hi Dheeraj, Does Kahrdung La, Nubra valley and Pangong need a permit now?
Yes Joe, the permits are back again from this year. You have to get the permit from DC office in Leh and pay Rs 400 as environment fee
Hi Dheeraj bhai, we’re planning to cover Nubra, Pangong, Marsimik La,Tso Moriri during our trip..As the permits are back for even Indian Citizen, a bit confused about filling the ILP application form.. Would it be enough if I mention the places like – “Nubra Valley-Shyok-Pangong Tso-Marsimik La-Chushul-Tsaga-Loma-Hanley-Salsal La-Nyoma-Mahe-Sumdo-Tso Moriri” ? Should I include anymore places?
Thanks..
Joe, you will need to mention: Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Marsimik La, Chushul, Tsaga, Loma, Hanley, Salsal La, Nyoma, Tso Moriri. If you are not going to Marsimik La and not following the direct route between Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri or Hanle then just mention Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri
That’s really helpful.. Thanks a ton
i would like to share my story about bike rental in Leh too.
we got cheated by the rental company.
i want to share my experience i hope this won’t happen to other travelers.
Thank you yeeenn, please share the story as it will help many others too. You can use the link to know how to write any topic in DoW Community not just travel tale: https://devilonwheels.com/india/himalayan-travel-tales/how-write-travel-tale-t3.html
i just back from kashmir & Ladakh trip. For non-indian, you can get the permit at any travel agent. DC office no longer issue the permit. Only travel agent can help.
Few things need highlight here:
1) Each travel agent give you different price. So, pls do survey to get better price. i found some ask for around 1000 rupee. The lowest i found is 650 rupee including processing fee.
2) if you travel alone, a bit difficult to apply the permit. most of the travel agent refuse to do because they may be have less customer and you the only one apply the permit. So, you have to put more afford do survey around Leh. i travelled with 2 friends, so a bit easy to apply the permit.
3) You only have 7 days permit
we were planning to go to Nubrah valley, but after we reached check point, the officer took our permit and not allow us to go to nubrah valley due to heavy snow. We only managed to go up to Khardung La. Only taxi and car can go to Nubrah valley if heavy snow. we rented a bike.
yeeenn, thank you so much for the valuable updates. These will be very useful to all other planning the trip to Ladakh. I am surprised to come to know that DC office is no longer issuing the permits. Did you go to DC office and someone in DC office confirmed or did anyone else tell you about the same?
Hi, Thanks for respond. Yes we went to DC office. They told us, they no longer issue the permit and then we went to tourism office near post office in Leh to validate, the answer is the same.
You only can get the inner line permit from travel agent. Pls do survey 1st. Each travel agent give you different price. This is very important.
i would like to share my Ladakh experience here. There’s many good and bad stories. Can you tell me which platform should i write to share to public or readers here?
Thank you so much yeeenn. I will surely add all these points to the articles.
It will be grateful if you can share your experience with all of us. Yes, you can write it in our DoW Community forum and this link will help you: How to Write a Travel Tale or Topic with Attached Images
Iam a bike riding freak now posted in Delhi, this september begining i planned a trip to Leh via srinagar, and started by evening 5 pm from my delhi home, and reached srinagar by 9 am, but due to curfew the road was blocked till evening 5, then i reached sonamarg for night halt and started to early morning to leh and reached by 2pm in Leh, thought of going further a bit and halted for night halt in a tented accomodation, and started early morning and reached non stop to delhi by early morning.
Gunasekar, I am glad you have made it in one piece to your family and by god’s grace nothing happened. You should be grateful to god.
Hello Dheeraj,
Firstly kudos to your efforts for the in-depth knowledge you have gained and keep no margin to share.
We friends have planned a trip from Pune to Leh and ahead. We wish to cover Marsimik La. As I understand it needs special permit. Also being an Indian citizen I understand that we do not need any permit for Khardungla, Diskit, Nubra, Shyok, Pangong, Kargil, & Dras.
Sorry but I am bit confused to which all permits are needed. So the basic queries as below.
1. Is permit (ILP) needed for anything mentioned above except Marsimik La? If yes, direct link please.
2. Which permit is needed for Marsimik La? (Direct link for form download please).
Thanks and God Bless.
Hi Snehdeep,
1. No, you do not need any permit for above mentioned places except Marsimik La. You just need a seld declaration form: http://goo.gl/INm6G0
2. This is the permit form: https://devilonwheels.com/downloads/Sample-Permit.pdf
3. This is the letter you need to attach: https://devilonwheels.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/11/Sample-Application.pdf
You need all the above forms filled.
Follow the process as explained in the article above when applying permits.
Hello Dheeraj,
Thanks for the timely revert & details and sorry couldn’t respond on time.
Today morning I got an update from Leh DC Office that there had been some mis-happening between tourists and ITBP/Military Post enroute Marsmik La. Due to this DC Office had taken a strick stand that no one would hence forth get any permit for Marsmik La.
This is very disappointing news for us. Can you please help in validating the news also if true, is there any way out or special permit that can be arranged. Also if you have any contacts who could help us in the same would be really appreciated.
Thanks & God Bless.
No, there will not be any way out. If army has decided not to allow permits then even if DC office will issue the permit they might not allow you to pass the checkpost. Same thing happened past few years when some idiots created ruckus on Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri route from Chusul. Army stopped allowing tourists on that route and since then only this year they allowed most of tourists else it was a lucky day kind of thing.
Since, the update to you is from DC office, there cannot be more updated news than that.
Hi dheeraj, your write ups are extremely useful.
We are planning for a trip from delhi to leh via shimla – kazza- loser after jispa was planning to stay in Thukje or punga hot springs. later travel to chushul and via merak to leh, later towrds diskut and partapur on two wheelers on month of September.
is there any petrol station after Jispa( i think its 400km till chushul) any petrol station near merak
do we need to reach leh and travel back to pangong and chushul
Hi Dheeraj,
I am a foreign national and was just reading about the relaxation of PAP requirements for certain areas of travel within Ladakh. I am planning to cover Lamayuru and Pangong Tso whilst in Leh – is it true then that I would not need a PAP to visit these two places?
Thanks a billion,
Sharon
Hello,
There are 2 forms available here.
Which is the one that can be used?
Rohan, if you are applying for Inner Line Permit, you need ILP form and application letter. But, if you are visiting regular tourist places in Ladakh, then please refer the self declaration form mentioned in the yellow highlighted section of the article stating “As an Indian Tourist or Indian Nationals, now you can just present your valid Photo ID Nationality Proof (Driving License, Indian Passport, Aadhar Card, PAN Card, etc..) at the ITBP/Army check-posts along with a copy of a self declaration form: Link of Ladakh Self Declaration Form for Indians, when and where asked from you and that will just acts as permit for you 🙂 🙂 … You need to make copies of this self declaration form and submit them at the checkposts.”
Hello Dheeraj,
I am not a regular visitor there.
This is my first time and i would like to visit Chushul, Tsaga-la, loma and hanle.
So, I need to use this one right :
https://devilonwheels.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/11/Sample-Application.pdf
Rohan, along with the above application you need ILP form too: https://devilonwheels.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/11/Sample-Permit.pdf
Please read the process on how to apply it.
Dear Dheeraj,
As I can see that no Bangladeshi citizen has ever get “in line permit” to restricted areas of “Ladakh”. Can you please suggest an itinerary for a small group of Bangladeshi citizen for 10 days trip from Srinagar-Leh-Srinagar including at least 2 days stay at each point. Or Srinagar-Leh-Manali with places to visit avoiding restricted areas.
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Faruki
How about trying Zanskar Valley in that case? Zanskar Valley – Most Common Itinerary
Hi Dheeraj,
We are planning to make a trip to Leh ( 13-28 Aug). We will be renting bikes from Delhi. I just wanted to know the procedure for permits.
1> Are permits compulsory for bikes?
2> If yes , Can we get the permits online?
3> Do we need to be physically present to get the permits.
4> Since all of the bikes will be rented bikes, which all documents do we need to get the permit.
5> If the permits need to be made once we are in Manali, How much does does this entire process take?
6> Lastly, What are the documents needed to get a hasslefree permit.
Hey Rahul,
Please find the answers below:
1. YEs, you need permits from going from Manali side to Rohtang Pass.
2. No, permits will be available in person from SDM office in Manali. Pnly permits upto Rohtang Pass are issued online not going beyond it.
3. Not really, you need RC, PUC and DL to get the permits.
4. No matter what documents you carry, you have to rent Leh bikes once you reach Leh to do sightseeing in entire Ladakh
5. If you reach the office in time, hardly takes about 20-30 mins.
6. Answered above.
Hello Dheeraj,
We are travelling from Chandigarh to Manali and then to Leh, we are seeing multiple route options from Chandigarh to Manali and even different views and suggestion for choosing the route
Can you please suggest which is the best route to travel from Chandigarh to Manali with good road conditions and minimum traffic.
Regards,
Sanjeet
Sanjeet, best is that you stick to Manali – Bilaspur – Sunder nagar route as it is shorter though do have traffic of trucks and bad roads of about 15-20 KMs. But it is shorter. However, the other route which goes from Una – Bhota – Jahu – Mandi is a longer route by about 60 KMs, devoid of traffic, very good roads mostly. Time taken by both routes is almost same and at times Manali – Bilaspur is faster.
Hi Dheeraj,
Next week, me and 4 of my friends( all Indian nationals) are planning to travel on rented bikes from manali to leh via rohtang pass( 1 night stay in sarchu). Then we will cover pangong lake, khardung la and nubra valley in 4 days.
Please inform me about the permits that will be required to complete this journey.
Regards,
Abhay
Hi Dheeraj, I have been to Leh (followed your advise and entered from Srinagar side and left from Manali). I found that though ILP is not required for Indians but declaration of all travelers on a form is still required and the form (2 copies) needs to be submitted at two of the check posts. Not sure if they will allow to pass without the formality of this form. I got the the photocopy of this from one of the travel agent in Leh main market for Rs. 5.
Yes Asif, it is just a form for noting down how many people passed, who they were and when. It is available for download too and one can take the copies themselves. Sorry for not being explicit about it, will mention for others in future. But, earlier permit was to be procured from DC office in Leh.
Hi Dheeraj,
I just wanted to ask if zoomcars are allowed in Leh Ladakh, or are these also counted as taxi’s.
Travelling from Srinagar to Leh and returning via Manali.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am from Bangladesh. And Next month July’16 i plan to visit Ladakh. Every thing is confirm. Pls can u confirm me that is Bangladeshi citizen are not allowed for visiting Nubra & Pangong? Pls Hurry I don’t have enough time.
If any person know about this matter pls let me know.
My E-mail – [email protected]
Thanks
Polash
Yes, you need to get permits from MEA, Delhi in order to visit Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. So far, havent met anyone who got the permits in time AFAIK.
Hello Dheeraj, Am just adding an extra question here. We 2 people on RE 350 & RE 500 bikes. Planning to travel from following route – Leh > Khardung La > Diskit > Hundar > Nubra Valley > Panamik Hot Springs > Then via Wari La > Sakti > Chang La > Pangong Tso > Man > Merak > Chusul War Memorial > Tsaga – Loma – Nyoma Tso Moriri > then via Puga > Tso Kar > Pang > Sarchu.
1) Please advise number of Petrol Pumps available on this route.
2) How is the stay accommodation in these areas.
Note – As I understand I need to get ILP fro Leh as we are travelling via Chusul area. (Not visiting Hanle)
Cheers..
However, home ministry officials said citizens of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China will continue to require prior approval of the Centre before visiting any of the areas classified as “protected” or “restricted”
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/52754504.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Hi, I’m on a solo trip to Ladakh, I will be riding to Tso Moriri from Leh and was wondering If i get the ILP will I be able to head to Hanle without much hassle at Army check posts? Are they particular about depositing camera at check post?
Thanks in advance!
Ram, things have eased out. You should have permit and you can travel to Hanle. Do keep in mind about the amount of fuel you will need to carry to undertake the complete trip including Tso Moriri
Thanks Dheeraj, yeah fuel is another concern. I have a RE standard 350 that does not give great mileage. Tank capacity 13 plus jerry can 10 ltrs. I am wondering how I should plan Tso Moriri, Tso kar, Hanle and head back to Karu. Looks like I have to skip Hanle unfortunately.
Unless you plan to carry extra fuel with you, it is difficult to do Hanle trip. You can try to rely on fuel available in hanle but there will be no assurance.
Hello Dheeraj, Am just adding an extra question here. We 2 people on RE 350 & RE 500 bikes. Planning to travel from following route – Leh > Khardung La > Diskit > Hundar > Nubra Valley > Panamik Hot Springs > Then via Wari La > Sakti > Chang La > Pangong Tso > Man > Merak > Chusul War Memorial > Tsaga – Loma – Nyoma Tso Moriri > then via Puga > Tso Kar > Pang > Sarchu.
1) Please advise number of Petrol Pumps available on this route.
2) How is the stay accommodation in these areas.
Note – As I understand I need to get ILP fro Leh as we are travelling via Chusul area. (Not visiting Hanle)
Cheers..
Ravi, please read: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips. You will get plenty of stay options up there in the form of home stays and small guest houses.
hello sir
my name is sanjeev i m planning to go ladakh with my enfield 350 cc , my bike is registered on my brothers name and Original RC is not issued till now but i have the registration papers and RTO paper that they use to give.
Can you suggest with theis documents would i be able to visit pangong lake.
thanks regards
sanjeev
Sanjeev, that shall be fine and I hope by surname you should be able to justify it if confronted.
Hello sir,
I just want to know, how bad is the road conditions from spangmik-man-merak-kaltse-chushul- tsa ga- loma to hanle. I have 4×2 high ground clearance mahindra tuv 300, is this safe for me to take my vehicle on that road. We are planning to go in july second week.
If you have TUV it shall be totally fine to take that road
Hi Dheeraj,
Is there any chance that Army ppl will send us back if we go hanle from leh via Mahe, Nyoma,Loma –with leh DC permit ?
and
I do not need any permit to visit Tso Moriri from leh . correct?
Pawan, there is always 50:50 chance of it happening that you will be sent back from Chusul post. Last year they were lenient, wish this year too. Yes, if you do Tso Moriri from Leh via Chumathang, no permit is required.
But if we visit hanle from leh via mahe, noyma ,Loma I suppose we don’t need to visit chusul ..so in such case do we face rejection from army ..too at any check post
No, in that case a permit will suffice. DO NOT use cameras at Loma post