There are many of us who are looking for a budget trip to Leh Ladakh but one of the major challenges in making a budget trip to Leh Ladakh is the cost at which taxis are available. So, in order to cut short the budget, we look forward to Leh Ladakh bus services or other means of transport shared transport like shared taxis to save more money.
Before I share the information about the bus services in Leh Ladakh, let us check out what other options you have to travel in Ladakh apart from the buses.
Let's quickly dive into the details:
Shared Taxis in Ladakh
If you are a solo traveler, then private taxis are very costly in Ladakh, but you will be able to find the shared taxi without much fuss at all, mostly. There are lots of flyers that people put at cafes, dine-ins, restaurants, travel agent desks/shops/whiteboards wanting to share the taxis for different trips within Ladakh.
Even travel agents organize such a shared taxis trip as well but charge a little higher about Rs 200-300 more than it would ideally cost. So, in the 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 meeting new people and share cultural thoughts and values over the trip. Nowhere else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
Leh Ladakh Bus Services
If the shared taxi is not your cup of tea, then, in that case, the bus services in Leh Ladakh are the only means of commute left for you. Lately, I was able to get hold of the timetable of bus services in Ladakh.
In a nutshell, today in this article I will be sharing the details of various bus services available in Leh Ladakh. You can opt for these buses in case either you are looking to save budget and not interested in shared taxis OR if you are looking for an adventure of a different kind in a local way 🙂 🙂 …
Yeah, believe me, traveling in Leh – Ladakh by bus or public transport is an entirely different experience. It gives you the local perspective of life.
I will share with you complete details about the rates and timetable of bus services in Leh Ladakh. Apart from the buses within Leh Ladakh, I will also cover buses running on the Manali Leh route and Srinagar Leh bus services too. Recently, HRTC started a direct bus service on Delhi – Manali – Leh route.
I am sure the details in this article will help you plan your trip to Ladakh by public transport.
Local Bus Services in Leh Town
In a welcoming step from Leh administration in 2018, public transport in Leh (as daily public transport buses) has been launched within Leh town. Leh administration has launched buses to operate between Leh and various nearby villages around Leh.
What makes this s special is that now Leh town will be connected with Leh airport by daily buses, which means that you no longer have to rely on just a taxi service for a pickup and drop. These buses will save budget travelers close to Rs 1000 on their Ladakh trip 🙂 …
In other cases, tourists, in general, used to rent scooty or bikes to travel within Leh for visiting tourist attractions around Leh town. Some tourists also opt for private taxis for the commute but they are a bit costly.
If you have been to Ladakh, you might know that the majority of transport within Ladakh is dependent upon private tourists taxis which are costly and for some travelers, it makes it difficult to have a trip to Ladakh on a budget.
Public Transport in Leh – Bus Timetable
The introduction of these bus services in Leh will help many tourists save costs, especially from the airport, moving around Leh, a visit to Phyang or Choglamsar or Spituk monasteries. Some of the bus routes also cover the Shey monastery, Thiksey monastery, Hemis monastery, and Stakna monastery, which are quite popular among the tourist circuits.
All these buses will depart from the Leh main gate and end up on the same location except the ones running between Tourist Information Center and Airport. Well, as the bus will drop the tourists to the Tourist Information Center, it will be easy for the tourists to get the online permit stamped immediately and fees paid for their inner line permits.
You can find below the routes from Leh to nearby villages for which has been started this year.
- Bus from Leh to Sakti (via Shey – Thicksey) –
- 8.15 AM Departure, 9.45 AM Arrival
- 1.30 PM Departure, 2.30 PM Arrival
- 2.30 PM Departure, 3.30 PM Arrival
- 3.30 PM Departure, 4.30 PM Arrival
- 4.30 PM Departure, 5.30 PM Arrival
- Bus from Sakti to Leh (via Shey – Thicksey) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Karu to Leh (via Shey – Thicksey) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Cemday to Leh (via Shey – Thicksey) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Igoo to Leh (via Shey – Thicksey) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Stakna (via Chuchot) – 4.30 PM Departure, 5.30 PM Arrival
- Bus from Stakna to Leh (via Chuchot) – 8.45 AM Departure, 9.45 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Martselang (via Changa and Hemis) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Martselang (via Changa and Hemis) to Leh – 4.30 PM Departure, 5.30 PM Arrival
- Bus from Choglamsar to Leh (frequency every 10 minutes) – 8.30 AM Departure, 8.50 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Choglamsar (frequency every 10 minutes, last bus 8.00 PM) – 9.00 AM Departure, 9.20 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Shara (via Shey – Thicksey) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.45 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Spituk (frequency every one hour, last bus 6 PM) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.00 AM Arrival
- Bus from Spituk to Leh (frequency every one hour, last bus 6 PM) – 9.00 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Phyang –
- 9.00 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- 2.30 PM Departure, 3.00 PM Arrival
- 4.30 PM Departure, 5.00 PM Arrival
- Bus from Phyang to Leh –
- 8.00 AM Departure, 8.30 AM Arrival
- 4.15 PM Departure, 4.45 PM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Agling (frequency every one hour, last bus 6 PM) – 8.30 AM Departure, 9.00 AM Arrival
- Bus from Agling to Leh (frequency every one hour, last bus 6 PM) – 9.00 AM Departure, 9.30 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Skalzangling (frequency every 15 minutes, last bus 8 PM) – 8.30 AM Departure, 8.45 AM Arrival
- Bus from Skalzangling to Leh (frequency every 15 minutes, last bus 8 PM) – 8.45 AM Departure, 9.00 AM Arrival
- Bus from Leh to Gompa and back –
- 8.45 AM Departure, 9.15 AM Arrival
- 4.30 PM Departure, 5.00 PM Arrival
- Bus from Tourist Information Center to Leh Airport and back –
- 6.00 AM Departure, 6.15 AM Arrival
- 6.30 AM Departure, 6.45 AM Arrival
Leh – Nubra Valley Bus Services
Nubra Valley is well connected to Leh by buses and other public transport. Many buses run from Leh to many villages of Nubra Valley including Diskit, Turtuk, Panamik, Skuroo, Charsa, etc..
Even within Nubra Valley, Diskit village is also well connected from both the ends of the valley that is Diskit to Panamik and Diskit to Turtuk.
Sightseeing in Nubra Valley is divided into two parts, one section has Diskit – Hunder – Turtuk on one side and the other section has Sumur – Panamik villages.
Leh – Diskit – Hunder – Turtuk Bus Services
Bus from Leh to Diskit, Nubra Valley leaves at 6.00 AM every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The bus from Diskit to Leh returns the next day and leaves from Diskit at 7.00 AM in the morning.
Then, a starts from Leh to Skuroo at 6 AM every Tuesday and Thursday, which is a bit ahead of Thoise. Hence, if you want to stay at Hunder, you can travel by this bus because it will fall on the way from Diskit to Skuroo.
Finally, on this side of Nubra Valley, one bus goes to Turtuk from Leh every Saturday at 6 AM from Leh bus stand.
Leh – Sumur – Panamik Bus Services
If I talk about the other side of the Nubra Valley, the bus from Leh to Panamik leaves every Tuesday from Leh bus stand. You can get down at Sumur if you are interested in visiting Sumur else go all the way up to Panamik.
Finally, one bus runs between Leh and Charsa village which is a little ahead of Sumur every Saturday. This bus leaves Leh bus stand at 6 AM.
Diskit – Turtuk & Diskit – Panamik
There is a daily bus that runs from Diskit to Turtuk at 2.30 PM, and then the same bus returns to Diskit from Turtuk at 6.00 AM. The daily bus from Panamik to Diskit runs every day at 7.30 AM.
Bus Fares | Leh – Nubra Valley Buses
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Diskit bus service costs about Rs 197.
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Skuroo bus service costs about Rs 256.
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Turtuk bus service costs about Rs 316.
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Charsa bus service costs about Rs 280.
- The one-way bus fare for Leh to Panamik bus service costs about Rs 287.
- The one-way bus fare for Panamik – Diskit bus service is about Rs 75
- The one-way bus fare for Turtuk – Diskit bus service is about Rs 80
You can refer the detailed guide on Leh to Nubra Valley Bus Service – Timings, Rates & FAQs
Leh – Pangong Tso Bus Services
There are only a couple of buses that run between Leh and Pangong Tso. The buses from Leh to Pangong Tso starts every Saturday and Sunday at 6.30 AM from Leh bus stand. The one-way bus fare from Leh to Pangong Tso is Rs 256.
This means that only two buses are available in a week to travel from Leh to Pangong Tso by bus. So, plan your trip to Pangong Tso lake on these dates only in case you are interested in traveling by bus from Leh to Pangong.
Some buses travel to nearby villages of Pangong Tso like Tangtse, about 34 km away from Lukung. Then there is another bus that travels to Phobrang, and you can get down at Lukung on that bus. Lukung is the first village that comes on the Pangong Tso shore.
Finally, some buses make a trip to Chusul from Leh, which you can board as well. You will have to get down at Tangtse and then cover the rest of the journey to Pangong Tso by hitchhiking.
So, there is limited connectivity of buses from Leh to Pangong Tso in a week and you have to match the schedule accordingly.
You can refer the detailed guide on Leh to Pangong Tso Bus Service – Timings, Rates & FAQs
Leh – Tso Moriri Bus Services
Bus from Leh to Tso Moriri leaves at 6.30 AM every 10th, 20th and 30th day of the month, return the next day. The charges are about Rs 370.
When it comes to traveling to Tso Moriri from Leh, the options are very limited in a month. Only three buses in a month run from Leh to Tso Moriri every 10th, 20th, and 30th day of the month. The Leh to Tso Moriri bus leaves at 6.30 AM on these dates from Leh bus stand.
So, you are pretty much tied down when it comes to traveling to Tso Moriri by public transport.
The bus fare of Leh to Tso Moriri bus service is Rs 370.
If you miss the bus to Tso Moriri from Leh or the bus dates are not matching your schedule, few buses run from Leh to Chumathang, Koyul, Tsaga, Loma. You can travel to either Chumathang or get down at Mahe ridge on the buses going towards Loma, Nyoma, or Hanle. Then hitchhike from Chumathang or Mahe to Tso Moriri.
You can refer the detailed guide on Leh to Tso Moriri Bus Service – Timings, Rates & FAQs
Leh – Hanle Bus Services
Bus from Leh to Hanle leaves at 6.30 AM every Saturday and returns the next day from Hanle to Leh. The charges are about Rs 492. There is also a bus that travels to Koyul, you can get down near Rhongo or Loma bend and then travel to Hanle by hitchhiking.
Srinagar Leh Bus Services
Srinagar Leh route is well connected by bus services and public transport in Ladakh. JKSRTC runs some of these buses, and private tour operators run some. The shared local taxis are also an option to travel between Srinagar and Leh.
These buses are deluxe, semi-deluxe with cushioned seats and standard buses. So, you can see that quite a few options exist on this major route connecting Ladakh with Srinagar.
You can get the bus from Srinagar at the Tourist reception center near Dal lake at 8 AM every day. The bus will halt ar Kargil and will reach Leh next evening. The Kargil stay is not included in the bus fare and has to be managed by yourself.
The super deluxe bus from Srinagar to Leh charges around Rs 1320 per person and semi-deluxe bus fare is Rs 925 per person from Srinagar to Leh. If you prefer to travel by a standard bus from Srinagar to Leh, the bus fare is Rs 470. You can also split the journey at Kargil and then take Kargil to Leh bus service the next day.
Leh Srinagar Bus – Return Journey
The return journey of Leh to Srinagar bus service starts at 2.30 PM every day from Leh bus stand. It does the 434 KM long journey on Srinagar Leh Highway without night stop to arrive in Srinagar at 7.30 AM.
The private bus operators who run tempo travelers and other mini-buses between Leh and Srinagar charges between Rs 1000-1500. They start in the evening and run overnight to reach Srinagar the next day. The mini-buses provides good comfort because of the cushioned seats.
In the early season, the timings of the buses will be dependent on the timings of Zojila pass.
You can refer the detailed guide on Srinagar to Leh Bus Service – Timings, Rates & FAQs
Jammu Leh Bus Services
You should be aware that there does not exist any direct bus from Jammu to Leh. So, you have to reach Srinagar first and then travel from Srinagar to Leh. However, in this article, I can provide the details of Jammu to Srinagar by bus.
Jammu – Srinagar Bus Service
The public transport buses from Jammu to Srinagar leave at 7 AM from JKSRTC stand which is located nearby Tourist Reception Center at Residency road. The bus running from Srinagar to Jammu also leaves at 7 AM in the morning.
The Jammu – Srinagar bus takes about 10-11 hrs to reach depending upon the traffic situation and any roadblocks on the way
The bus fare of Jammu – Srinagar bus service is Rs 445, Rs 325 and Rs 220 for super deluxe, deluxe and standard buses respectively.
If you plan to stay overnight at Jammu, it is better to stay near Residency road only. The auto-rickshaws will take about Rs 70-80 to take you to the TRC or JKSRTC counter in the morning.
Bus Services from Manali to Leh to Manali
There are two types of buses that run on Manali Leh Highway by govt. department. One bus service is run by HRTC (transport department) and the other bus service from Leh to Manali is run by HPTDC (tourist department).
The HRTC bus service starts as soon as the Manali Leh Highway is opened for tourists. While HPTDC semi-deluxe bus from Manali to Leh starts in July and runs up to 15th September.
As per the departments, the HPTDC being a tourist bus stops at all sightseeing places on Manali Leh Highway while the HRTC bus will stop only for tea or food stops.
Manali Leh HPTDC Bus Service
The semi-deluxe HPTDC bus starts from Manali at 10.00 AM and reaches Keylong in the evening around 4-5 PM. The bus will then begin the journey from Keylong to Leh 4-5 AM in the morning and reaches Leh by late evening. Every year HPTDC publishes the schedule of Manali Leh bus service on its official website.
In the opposite direction, the bus starts from Leh at 5 AM, reaches Keylong at 7 PM. Then the bus leaves Keylong at 7 AM and reaches Manali by afternoon.
The total fare of the HPTDC semi-deluxe bus from Manali to Leh with an overnight stop at Keylong is Rs 2900 (as of 2018). The bus includes a night stay at HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga in tents. Dinner and breakfast are also provided within the fare of the bus.
You can book the bus tickets from the official website of HPTDC.
HRTC Bus Service from Manali to Leh
HRTC runs two buses between Manali and Leh. One is the direct bus that starts from Manali and reaches Leh by evening, covering the journey in 17 hrs. You can take this direct bus from Manali to Leh from Manali bus stand.
This bus leaves at 4 AM from Manali and reaches Leh in the late evening. The one-way fare of this direct bus service from Manali to Leh is Rs 833.
You can also take the bus from Manali to Keylong, which leaves at 8 AM from Manali and reaches Keylong at 2 PM. Next morning you can travel from Keylong to Leh by another HRTC bus that leaves at 5.00 AM from Keylong.
The Manali – Keylong bus fare is about Rs 174 and for Keylong – Leh bus service, you may have to pay Rs 550.
You can refer the detailed guide on Manali to Leh Bus Service – Timings, Rates & FAQs
Delhi – Leh Bus Service
HRTC runs a daily direct bus from Delhi to Leh that starts from Kashmere Gate every day around 2-4 PM (2.30 PM as of now). The total distance of 1050 KM from Delhi to Leh is covered by this direct bus in about 35 odd hrs over two days. The bus takes the night halt at Keylong.
The bus reaches Keylong in the late afternoon the next day from its start in Delhi. Like other HRTC buses from Manali to Leh, this bus does not bear your stay and food prices at Keylong. You have to search for your hotel and find food for you for night and morning. The next morning, the bus leaves Keylong at 5 AM and reaches Leh by sunset.
In the opposite direction, the HRTC bus starts from Leh at 5 AM and reaches Keylong by sunset for an overnight stay. The next morning, it starts from Keylong at 6.30 AM to reach Delhi by 3.30 AM in the night.
The total bus fare for Delhi to Leh direct bus service is Rs 1380. Hence, a return journey in this direct HRTC bus service from Delhi to Leh and Leh to Delhi will cost you Rs 2760.
You can book the tickets for this direct bus from Delhi to Leh at the HRTC ticket counter at Delhi, Kashmere Gate ISBT terminal. You can only purchase these tickets from the ticket counter at Delhi or Leh bus stand.
Private Taxis in Leh – Ladakh
You can check the Leh Ladakh taxi union rate list 2020 – 21 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh. The rates of the taxis are pretty costly. However, you can get about 12-15% discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on the 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.
At times while traveling from Srinagar to Leh, you might need to work out a few things if there have been some tensions in the taxi unions of Kargil and Leh. 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. But, that happens only when there is an issue.
Conclusion
I am sure this article will help you make a trip to Leh Ladakh by bus and plan your sightseeing in Ladakh by bus services or public transport.
This will help you save money on the Ladakh trip and also help you get a different kind of adventure and experience altogether. It is like living the life of a local in Ladakh.
You can also follow me on Instagram and ask your questions in a direct message on Instagram too. I also conduct a weekly Q&A session every Saturday evening on Instagram.
If you like this article, please share it with your friends and family who are on a budget and planning to make a trip to Ladakh by public transport. Of course, if you have any questions or doubts, please feel free to ask me in the comments section of the article.
500 Comments
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Hi sir
I m very thankful to u..most of my ladakh trip is planned by your articles..
Is it safe to travel delhi to leh via manali by hrtc bus?? Is there more chances of getting hit by AMS??
Is it necessary to stay in leh for acclimazation??As i m going to lower altitude nubra valley??
Can i stay in leh monasteries for few days if it is necessary to stay in leh for acclimazation??
I m only 19 year old boy going to seculded monasteries for sprituality purposes..may be diksit monastery..
Sir please please help me as i m reliable to ur help..thanksss
Dheeraj SIr,
1) Is there any volvo seating /sleeper coaches between Srinagar and Leh?
2) Is there any volvo bus betweeen Katra and Srinagar?
No, there is no volvo of sleeper buses between Srinagar and Leh neither I know about any service between Katra and srinagar of a volvo
thank you very much dheeraj sir for this detailed information. it would be very helpful to us on our trek expedition to stok kangri. sir, can you please guide us about where can we able to get good rooms in leh at low/reasonable cost?
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
We are leaving from Manali to Leh on 6th August in a group of 6. The taxi guy is telling 18k with halt in Keylong for innova. Is there any other cheaper way to reach leh other then HPTDC bus.? Please let me know about share taxi and any other options.
Thanks in advance
Shrikar
HRTC bus service is more cheaper.
Hi,
I want Delux bus ticket for 4 person (Deluxe bus charges about 1058 per person) from srinagar to ley..29.06.2016..I am from kolkata. so where can i get this ticket now.
Please guide me.
Regards
Tapas
Tapas, you can get the ticket from the TRC in Srinagar a day before.
Dheeraj sir thanks for the great article.I am planing to go from Patiala to LehLadakh.please suggest following head goings.
How to save money of travelling and livind and eating drinking etc?
How to arrange Taxi on sharing basis from Patiala/ Rajpura/ Chandigarh?
Is there any bus service from station nearby Patiala?
Where should be the first destination and what are other main places to be covered from 25 June to to 2 July?
What types of clothes are required?
What precautions are to be followed?
What do you want to tell from your side?
Prince, I will suggest you start with this article: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/india/ladakh-zanskar-travel-guides/leh-ladakh-travel-guide-t14.html
Hello dheeraj G
Gud Eve. I am highly obliged for such a wonderful and knowledge able blog. I wanna know if it would be OK or easy if M planning my journey to pangong from Jammu on 13 July 2016 and ending back to Jammu on 19 July nite 9 PM. Plz suggest. I wl travel from Jammu to Srinagar 9:30 am and reach in Eve Srinagar on 13 July.
Then 14 morning start @ 6:00 am from Srinagar to leh by car with a nite halt.
Then 15 July morning start early from leh to pangong and a nite halt @ pangong.
Then 16 July morning returning from pangong to leh and stay at kargil.
Then 17 July morning return to Srinagar. And 19 morning Srinagar to jammu. Our train is in nite on 19 July 9:00 p.M.
So could u please tell me am I going rite or no
Robil, you o not have enough days to Pangong Tso trip. It takes 3 days to reach Leh from Jammu and 3 days to come back. One day acclimatization is required in Leh
Thanks bro that means if I add one more day then it would be better
Bhai, even in that case you are just being on the road only doing nothing. You will be prone to get sick due to AMS
Hi Dheeraj,
It’s really amazing blog and provides a good information. I’m planning for solo trip to cover Manali-Leh-Manali in August. I’ve 10 days in my hand. So, having 10 days, is it possible to stop (twice) in the middle of the journey(At any of the places) and stay there for 1 or 2 days and catch the bus on next odd/even day. Can I get accommodation or can I camp on my own?
Thanks in advance
It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi with stop overs at Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi with stopovers at Sarchu, Manali. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization. You have about 10 days. 1 Day can be used as Day trip to Pangong Tso and other day can be used as day trip to Nubra Valley or just Khardung La pass.
Opt to go via Manali – Leh Highway and I will suggest that you refer the thread for more details on the route and night halts though it is of 9 days: Manali – Leh – Ladakh – Manali | Itinerary for 9 Days. You can fit in plan I suggested in above para in this plan
achin pachpute from nashik
Sir ji muze delhi se leh ke liye bus konsi milegi plz tell me
Sachin, tum Delhi aa sakte ho wahan se Delhi – Manali – Leh bus chalti hai
hii
We will be leaving leh on 6 July via bus to reach Manali. Then from Manali to chandigarh and we have a train on 9 morning. Do you feel we would be able to catch the train on 9 morning from Chandigarh
Well, if you leave from Leh to Manali on 6th, you stay at Keylong on 6th, 7th you will reach Manali and 8th you can be at Chandigarh
Hi Dheeraj,
Amazing blog! You have all the necessary details for a trip to Ladakh around 20th June. I am planning a trip there but solo. I am going to ladakh for the first time so it is advisable to go solo bike trip ? Or are there public buses available ( as per my itinerary below) ? I have not booked advanced accommodation.
Day1: Leh- Nubra ; overnight stay at Hunder/Diksit
Day2: Nubra visit
Day3: Nubra-Pangong; overnight at Spangmik
Day4: Spangmik-Tso Moriril; overnight at Karzok
Day5: Karzok – Tso Kar – Leh; visit Hemis, Shey, Thiskey Monasteries on the way
Will really appreciate your input! As for my bike driving experience I have done Delhi – Malana – Chandertaal in 2011, Delhi-Deoriatal in Feb and a couple of mainland trips
A couple of other questions ? Manali to Keylong to Leh HRTC bus service is daily? I can’t seem to connect to their reservation center at Manali. Can I squeeze the plan above by 1 day? I am short on time otherwise would have done Lamayuru and Hanle 🙁
Thanks!
I will not suggest that you do go alone on the direct routes between Nubra and Pangong Tso and Pangong tso and Tso Moriri. They are isolated and may need other people to support each other.
Yes, Manali to Leh there is a daily bus service. You will not be able to do the way you have posted it. It should be 2 day Nubra trip, 1 day pangong tso and 2 day tso moriri trip. Before going to Nubra, you need one day rest.
Thanks for your reply Dheeraj!
Yes, one day rest is needed at Leh. I will be reaching Leh in evening by bus, so there will be an overnight stay should do it? If not bike, is there any other option to implement this plan?
Thanks!
No, at least 36 Hrs. The day you reach, next day you have to take rest in Leh.
Hi,
We are planning to travel to Ladakh in the last week of June. We are planning to travel through the Delhi-Srinagar-Leh route by bus. Looking at the previous posts on this site, we learnt that the tickets for the Srinagar-Leh route can be booked at the Srinagar bus station itself. However, what about the overnight stay at Kargil? Does that have to be booked separately? Or is it inclusive in the bus fare? Can any of this (bus or overnight stay bookings) be done online?
Thank you. You are doing a great job!
Yes Divya, tickets of bus will be available from Toursit Reception center at Srinagar too. The hotel in Kargil needs to be booked separately. No online bookings are available for this route.
Hi Dheeraj,
First of all thanks for such a wonderful post. It helped me a lot in planning my travel.
I am planning to visit leh on 7 th July starting from Srinagar on 6th july and would need some suggestions.
I want to take up the bus from Srinagar to leh which halts at kargil for the night.
Now here are my questions
1. Are buses available from kargil to leh daily and how much time will it take?
2. Is there a stopover at sonmarg for the Srinagar to leh bus and how much time would it be? Will it be enough to visit the thajawas glacier and board the bus back.
3. Are there buses from Sonmarg to Kargil available on regular intervals and how much would be the cost ?
We are a family of 4 and looking out for budget options. Please suggest.
Regards,
Payel
Hello Payel,
1. Yes, daily buses available from Kargil to Leh. It takes about 9 Hrs to reach Leh
2. I will say to pass it
3. I dont think so you will be able to get the bus from there.
Thanks so much Dheeraj. Keep up the good work 🙂
Thank you and have a great trip
Hey, I am planning to visit Delhi, Manali, Leh, Srinagar in september during 12th to 26th.
I was thinking of reaching delhi by train, then catch a bus to manali, stay there for a day and catch a bus to leh next day, stay for a couple of days and head to srinagar and return to kerala.
But as I looked the schedule of HPSRTC, buses aren’t shown after 12th sept. Will the highway be closed during that time or that road is completely covered in snow or not suitable for travelling.
I am tight on my budget, so bus is my only option.
Please ask your friend and give some updates about the situation, if you can.
Hi Dheeraj,
This is a great post. I have a couple of queries:
– I have booked HPTDC bus from Manali to Leh. From what I have read the bus reached Leh in the evening but where it does it stop? Is there a Leh bus stand? Also, should i book a hotel in advance for the night around this place since the bus will reach in the evening or its easier to find a hotel after i reach?
– For internal Leh travel – is it easy to find shared cabs after reaching Leh or you recommend booking this in advance? Any idea on how much this will cost.
– Last question, I am in Leh for 3 days and 4 nights – what are the top places you recommend to cover. I have read about river rafting in Indus, Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley – anything else that I am missing?
Thanks a lot!
Preeti
Hi Preeti,
1. Well, bus will drop you at Leh bus stand and many guest houses are nearby it. You should be able to find it with ease in case you are travelign light.
2. 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. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
3. First day in Leh, it will be complete rest. Next day day trip to Khardung La and then to Pangong Tso day trip. Ideally you should have 4 days to make a t least a two day easy trip to Nubra and one day trip to Pangong Tso
I want to visit leh on Sept 5th. I already booked articket upto leh. But I have return tickets from srinagar. So please tell available bus services from leh to srinagar on 8th or 9th September.
Monty, you will easily get the bus from Leh to Kargil and then Kargil to Srinagar in September.
i am a budget traveller will be visiting srinagar, kargil, pangong, and leh & ladakh places…the only worry is transportation..will i able to get local buses to travel to this places..like first tell me can i get a bus from jammu to pahalgam or udhampur to pahalgam ??? Can u kindly guide me as i came to know u r a traveller…
Pritam
09972506723
same doubt.
there is no reservation for buses to leh from srinagar.
Hi Deeraj,
I want to visit Ladakh in June 16. My train will reach Jammu after 12-30 pm . Whether I get any bus for Srinagar within 2pm to 3 pm .
A bus starts from Leh for Skuru in Nubra Valley . Does this bus pass via Deskit in Nubra Valley
Kindly intimate me.
With thanks
Asim Das
Hi! I was interested in going from Manali to Leh by bus in the last week of June (around 24th to 25th). But as I read in your post, the HPTDC buses run only after 1st July. Is there any other mode of transport I can rely on? Thanks!
sir please help me.. I am planning for treking trip of stok kangri base camp which is conducted by youth hostel association for which i have to report at 1 jul 2016 at skara leh . So sir tell me the best way to reach leh upto 1 jul or 30th june please As you have told i was thinking of delhi manali leh by hrtc which cost 1339 rs but sir the problem is that the bus halts at keylong for night and at leh when it arrives hwere will i stay in leh sir because i am 21 yr old so no expierience in this please help me if this can be possible then only i can register and book my trek to stok kangri
Akash, you should take the bus and should stay at Keylong overnigth so that you do not feel sick before you arrive in Leh. You should travel couple of days in advance as your body should be acclimatized to Leh before you start your trek. You will get many small guest houses or home stays in Leh to stay. Check: Cheap Budget Hotels or Accommodation in Leh – Ladakh
Thank you Sir !! 🙂
Sir now i am thinking to go from gwalior to delhi by train and from delhi to manali by himachal state buses . I mean solo trip to manali so sir can you tell me the best possible way when i reach manali by bus what steps should i take for accomodation and i am thinking of renting a bike and travel solo to nearby areas and spots of manali by bike and return by night to acoomodation will it be fine ..just tell me hte procedure and also i am confused of security deposit for bike rent as i am thinking of budget rtavel and so i will be 21 yrs this june…what security deposit htey require an dsir tell me the possible ways and procedure .
If i chose this plan that is to travel to manali by train and bus and then visit places in manali by renting bike how will be that sir also tell me the acocmodation budget places and ideas ..a nd tell me the places which i can visit nearby manali an d in manali by bike as i am 21 year old so sir i am new and cant risk much and also never trvelleed alone.
Considering all this help me sir
Akash, there are many buses HRTC connecting Delhi with Manali. Then you can bike in Manali and cover near by areas. And bhai, it will be great if you ask specific queries rather being all over the place as it will help me reply you in best manner to what exactly you looking towards. Stays are esily available in Manali, head to old manali for cheap stays
Sir I only want to know about hrtc Delhi Manali Leh bus fare ₹ 1339 that. When it runs I mean which days of week and will it be functioning at 27-28-29 June around as I have to be in Leh at 1 July itself. My route from Gwalior to Delhi is fixed but problem is in Delhi to Leh route as I still don’t have info abt will it be functioning upto Leh at 27-28-29 June…other option I have is Delhi to Manali bus then Manali to Leh bus….just anyhow please you get the info for dates 27-28-29-30 as on 1 july I have to report at skara Leh…so please tell me for Delhi to Manali so that I can be assured and travel sir
It should be available on those days. AFAIK, it is a daily bus to Leh from Delhi. In mid of June you can call up Delhi ISBT Kashmere gate to confirm the bus availability
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for this wonderful post.
Had a couple of questions:
1.When travelling from Srinagar to Leh by bus, is the hotel booking for the overnight stay @ Kargil done by the bus operators or do we need to do that in advance.
2. When returning, is there any option for travel by bus / shared taxi leaving Leh in the evening (post 4pm) to reach Srinagar before 9am next day?
1. You will need to find your own hotel
2. It will be difficult to find such an arrangement as mostly the shared taxis leave in wee hours of night
Deat Dheeraj
Any recommended hotel for kargil for overnight stay?
Regards
Danny
Do buses from leh to kargil and then kargil to srinagar are available. If they do, can you mention the timings for the same.
Right now buses are not running on that route, only shared taxis.
Dear Dheeraj
Thanks for your reply. Me and my friend will be completing journey from manali- leh by 24th june with other group. We want to leave from leh to kargil and then back to srinagar. So my question is by what time I will get leh to kargil taxis, and from kargil to srinagar. This will help me book my tickets from sringar back to mumbai. I am thinking by 27th or 28th. Also any information about good hotels in kargil and sringar
sir,
i am planning to go leh in next month june 2016.
so i want to know,
1). what is timing of jksrtc buses from jammu to srinagar ?
2). what is timing of jksrtc busus from srinagar to leh ?
3). which month srinagar – leh highway road open ?
4). what is bus timing of leh to manali or kyelong ?
5). which month leh – manali highway road open ?
please tell thanks
1. Not sure
2. Refer articleabove
3. Already open
4. Refer article
5. Open now
thanks sir, one more question if i booked share taxi from srinagar to leh and leh to manali how much rupees it will cost for 2 person
Hi Dheeraj!
It’s Eugeny from Russia. Thanks for lot of helpful information! Planin my trip trip to Leh from Srinagar via Lamayuru, where wanna stay for one or two nights. So, Is there some way to get to Lamayuru right from the Srinagar, w/out stain at Kargil? Search a lot, a lack of information about it. Thanks a lot once again!
Eugeny, well, yes you can surely take the overnight shared taxis that run between Srinagar and Leh every night and reaches by evening in Leh. instead of reaching Leh, you can just drop off at Lamayuru and halt night up there in Lamayuru
Hi,
your post is very informative. Thanks a ton. Jus wanted to ask tat the bus from Srinagar to Leh stops at kargil compulsorily???..Cos its just 8 hours journey. And they say the bus from srinagar starts at morning 8. Then within 4 hours only will they declare night halt?? And if there is a night halt then can we get any cheap but clean accommodation in Kargil. Thanks. Pls reply…
You should stop at Kargil to acclimatize for sure. Where did you reach it is 8 hrs? Srinagar to Kargil is just 8-9 Hrs and then again Kargil to Leh is another 8 Hrs.
Thanks for giving the clarity.. Can u suggest places for budget stay for kargil..
Few readers/members of DoW have suggested below options:
Aaman Guest House (just 3-4 kms after entering Kargil check post), it was a homestay and stay and food was awesome.
Daspa Guest House (confused it with other) near bypass bridge. Name: Mr. Gulam Mohammed; Mob: 09469730240.
Paradise Guest House in Kargil is a decent place to stay
Thanx a ton..have finalised d travel plan all due to ur help..Now i just wanted to know tat can we book srinagar to leh bus via kargil stop online thru any website..can u pls share the number of website if any..
No Kax, online booking is not available for buses in Srinagar. They do have launched a website but it does not work
Fabulous work, Dheeraj. Very important information.
Thanks bhai
Hi ,Dheeraj,
When the srinagar –leh bus service will start their service this year….
As soon as the Srinagar – Leh highway is declared safe to travel for heavy vehicles.
Hi Dheeraj,
Firstly thanks for the very helpful post.
I was hoping you might be able to help answer a few questions about getting to Leh.
My wife and I will be in Rishikesh until the end of May from where we need to get to Leh:
1) Will the Manali to Leh route be open by then? Do you know where I can find information on the status of this route?
2) If so then do you recommend the best way is to do the Delhi – Manali – Leh route?
3) If the Manali – Leh route is not open I’m assuming the only option is to go via Srinagar or fly? Again would it be best to start from Delhi or is there someway to go Rishikesh – Srinagar?
Thanks again,
Hello Che,
1. Highly chances are that Manali – Leh Highway will open by late May for sure.
2. Hmm, if you have time best is to travel from Srinagar side to Leh and come back from Manali side.
3. From Rishikesh you can travel to Jammu by train and from there you can take the road journey to Srinagar – Kargil – Leh
Hi Dheeraj, first of all u have explained everything on this page in a structured manner, so kudos to you.
So me and 2 other friends are planning to visit leh from 18-24 June, in this plan i have few doubts, kindly resolve it
18th June : Delhi to Manali (night journey by volvo, reach there in morning)
19th June: Manali to Leh ( What should be best way of transport in economic way? how much the taxi cost? Are there any govt. deluxe bus service at that time? MAIN QUERY, Will the manali-leh route be opened that time?
20th June: Reach Leh by evening (In case of Pvt taxi, where should we halt in night during the manali-leh journey so that we can find hotel easily and how much would the hotel cost?)
Alternate Plan:- 18June:- Delhi to Srinagar via flight
19-20 June: Taxi from Srinagar to Leh.(Its safe, right?)
Which of the journey would be more beautiful? Srinagar-Leh or Manali-Leh
21-23 June: What all places should we cover?
24 June: 1st option : Leh to Srinagar by morning flight, explore srinagar for 8-10 hours and then Srinagar-Delhi flight in night
2nd option: Direct Leh to Delhi flight
Which option would be better? Is going Srinagar would be safe?
I know there are so many questions since this is going to be our first trip. So take ur time to answer these.
Hope to see ur reply soon.
Thanks.
Hello Pankaj,
Below are the answers to your queries:
19th June: Best is to get the shared taxi to Keylong from Manali or bus to Keylong from Manali
20th June: You can again take either shared taxi to Leh from Keylong OR you can take HRTC bus to Leh from Keylong
21st you need to reast and acclimatize. But then for next two day one day you can make day trip to Khardung La, one day then to Pangong Tso trip
Better you cover Manali – Leh in that case.
Hello, I am travelling alone to ladakh in May, I will be reaching Delhi on 14th Afternoon, What is the cheapest way to get to ladakh from there? Will the Delhi-manali-leh bus service will be available that time?
Also, If anyone else is travelling to ladakh at the same time?
No Delhi – Manali – Leh service will not be running on the route by then. You should take a train from Delhi to Jammu, then Jammu to Srinagar and then further to Leh travel by local JKSRTC buses.
hallo from jalandhar
i am planning solo trip to leh in may end. As HPTDC buses will not be available from manali by then , what is the alternative for budget travelling from manali to leh?
Souravm shared taxis will be running by that time.
Thanks for the loads of data. Very useful. Me and my teenage son is reaching jammu station may 23 Monday early morning. Rtn from Jammu 28 night. Three queries..
– For the first time visitor suggest ‘ miss not’ schedule.
– to save time is there any night vehicle to Jammu from Srinagar?
– Any attempt to visit leh using the night minibuses is advisable?
Thanks dear.
Sadiq, Chennai
Sadiq, it will take 3 days to reach Leh and 3 days to come back to Jammu. You have just 6 days in hand. How are you planning it?
Thanks for the fast and prompt reply. So leh would be another time.
Is there any night bus or share taxi in may end for jammu from srinagar?
Also can i proceed to jammu from pahalgam directly or via Srinagar only.?
Thanks
Yes Sadiq, there are daily buses . shared taxis that run from Jammu to Srinagar. I will suggest that you go to Srinagar first, stay for a day and enjoy Srinagar life and then move to Pahalgam for two day trip
We are a group of 8 planning to visit Leh in the first week. We reach Delhi on June 4th morning. How should we plan our journey ahead? We plan to reach Jammu by Bus. We will reach Jammu on 5th morning hopefully. From there, how do we move ahead? Should we take a bus from Jammu to Leh or are there taxis available? Or is there any other mode of transport? If taxis are available, how much do they cost? Being college students, we’re short on budget. So looking forward to saving some money 🙂
I think the Manali – Leh route stays closed till June 10th. So I think that isn’t an option for us.
Yes Saksham, Manali – Leh is still closed and is not expected to open at least by third week of May. How many days do you have in hand?
Well, we plan to reach Delhi back by 15th or 16th June. So we have to plan accordingly which we are finding it difficult to because I am unable to find a proper route to reach Leh from Delhi in first week of June.
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.
I am planning a trip to Ladakh in the last week of june. Me and one of my friend will be reaching Jammu in the morning of 25th June and on that day we will be plying a bus to Srinagar. After 2 days stay in Srinagar we will start our journey to Ladakh.
Is the timing convinient and for bus tickets from Jammu to Srinagar and fron Srinagar to Ladakh do we need to make online booking or reservation of seas. If so then from which website nd what procedure???
We are travelling from a long distance away (Kolkata) so an expert advice of yours before hand will really help our cause.
Yes, time is fine to travel Ladakh. No need to make bookings online, just reserve the seats a day before the journey at the bus station itself.
Me and one of my friend are planning to have a trip to Ladakh via Srinagar. We are scheduled to reach Jammu on 25th of June and on that day we are planning to reach Srinagar by bus. After two days stay in Srinagar we like to reach Ladakh by bus. Is the time of travel convenient?? and for bus service do we need to make online booking or reservation of seats. if so then from which website or by what procedure.
We are coming from a long distance away (Kolkata) and an expert advice of yours will really help our cause.
Just replied to your other comment.
Hi dheeraj travelling solo from chennai to jammu -srinagar-leh-hanle
Starting on 20/4/2016 i.e tomorrow ..will there be any bus service from jammu to leh on 22nd or 23rd..if yes then are the weekly once buses to hanle running from leh now?
If none of that is possible which is the best place to STAR GAZE in spiti valley or kashmir or dharmshala or anywhere in himalayas tat is accessible by public transport at this time of the year?
I have only booked my train ticket from chennai to jammu..i can change my plans anyhow according to ur suggestion..
Eagerly waiting for you to reply!
Thank u dheeraj
Irshad, it will be too early for buses to start and unless BRO declares safe passage, it will not be available
Thanks so much for ur swift reply…really unbelieveable how fast u reply to all the queries in the site…im fb..etc..
Give some good tour operator for sight seen in leh in share basis
you can connect with info@offbeatescapes.com as most of the readers in the past three 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 (please note that DoW except reliable reference has nothing to do with them)…
Hi, what is the price of the HRTC bus just from Manali to Keylong, not all the way from Delhi? Also, coming back from Leh to Keylong and then from Keylong to Manali, what is the average time table? What time could you expect to arrive in Manali? And do you just book your own room in Keylong? Thanks!
Remi, Manali – Keylong is about 110 Rs. Leh – Keylong is around 700. I am talking about HRTC bus here.
Thanks! coming back, do you know what time the bus from keylong would arrive in Manali?
Around 4-5PM depending upon jams on the way.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for the wonderful article. I have a few questions about my schedule this June.
DAY 1 | Delhi → Srinagar by flight (June 5)
Arrive Srinagar at 10:00AM
DAY 2,3 | Srinagar (June 6,7)
DAY 4 | Srinagar → Leh by flight (June 8)
Arrive Leh at 10:20AM and take a rest
DAY 5,6 | Leh (June 9,10)
Motorcycle to Tsomoriri Lake
DAY 7 | Leh → Kargil (June 11)
DAY 8 | Kargil → Srinagar (June 12)
Then Srinagar to Delhi by flight
Day 9 | Delhi (June 13)
— Fly back home at 2:00AM June 13
1. Is the schedule too rush ?
2. The flight to Leh is very costly in June. So I don’t fly back to Delhi from Leh.
My schedule above revised to back to Delhi from Srinagar.
However, I am wondering an alternative. That is, I am back to Delhi from Leh by bus. And that will be time consuming. And I only have 9 days in India. Do you think which option is better for me?
3. In your article, you mentioned the bus from Leh to Srinagar starts 2 PM and runs non-stop 7.30 AM in Srinagar. Do I have the option to stay at Kargil for one night? I wanna see the beauty from Leh to Srinagar
4. Is it possible to motorcycle to Tsomoriri lake form Leh?
Thank you in advance.
Hello Ryan,
1. Yes, this is too too much. DO NOT go to Tso Moriri as you will not be acclimatized at all to survive that high altitude.
2. I will suggest with days that you have in hand, either make a trip by flight OR focus on Kashmir or spend a little more and take flight from Leh back to Delhi and from Srinagar travel by road to Leh.
3. Like I said do it from the other side
4. Not really I see since you do not have sufficient days in hand. Do you wish to skip Srinagar? If you skip srinagar, plan to travel by road to Leh from Srinagar on Day 1,2 and then fly out of Leh on Day 9, then you will have the option to visit Tso Moriri
hi dheeraj,
I just want to know is there any direct buses from Leh to Jammu tai station.if there is can u please share the bus timings and fares both local and private buses, it would be of great help for our trip.respond as soon as possible ,thank you 🙂
Just replied.
hi dheeraj,
i just want to knw is there any direct bus from leh to jammu tai station?? if there is any can u share with me the timings and fare please both local buses and private ones .thank you
No there is no direct bus, you have to reach Srinagar first and from there to Jammu.
We are planning to come to Ladakh from Mumbai via Road.
My plan:-
Arrive in Jammu in evening
Take bus to Sri Nagar from Jammu the same evening
Arrive in srinagar the next morining and take a bus to Leh the same time
Arrive in Leh the next
and stay for 3 days and leave to manali by bus.
Is the above plan workable and is three days enough for ladkah ?
Hello Samar,
You need to rest your body as well. Please note if your body is very tired which it will be as you plan above and you reach a high altitude place, you will surely gonna suffer issues of AMS. So, take rest and follow regular plan after Srinagar. Once reach Srinagar, rest for the day then nex day get to Kargil and after that next day get to Leh from Kargil. Then rest complete day in Leh.
Hi Dheeraj,
thanks for the wonderful article. I’ll be travelling to leh with my wife between August 11-21. Below is my plan.
Day 1
Mangalore – Bangalore (Bus)
Day 2
Bangalore – Chandigarh (Flight)
Chandigarh – Manali (bus)
Day 3
Sightseeing in Manali(bike)
Stay in Manali
Day 4 & Day 5
Manali – Leh by hptdc bus for 2.5k. Stay in Leh
Day 6
Leh to Pangong (bike)
Stay in Pangong inn
Day 7
Pangong to Leh. (bike)
Stay in Leh
Day 8
Leh – Khardungla – Nubra – Leh. (bike)
stay in Leh
(will this be too much for a single day?)
Day 9
Leh Local sightseeing (cab or bike)
Day 10
Leh – Delhi (flight)
Stay in Delhi
Day 11
Delhi – Mangalore (Flight)
How does the above plan look? Are we missing out on something here? I want to go to magnetic hill as well. But its not above Pangong, Nubra in terms of priority.
And the most important thing. How do i book the bus tickets from Manali to Leh. Without having those tickets ready, i cannot book the flight tickets and hotel rooms which are reasonably priced for now. I’ve searched a lot on the internet. But could not find a way to book tickets for that HPTDC bus. Can you please help me with this?
Hi Prithvi,
DO NOT go over to PAngong Tso before making a trip to Nubra Valley. IDeally you should swap them with each other. Rest looks OK. On Day 9, while doing local sightseeing you can make a trip to Nubra Valley. HPTDC buses can be booked from :
Oh i had read somewhere that we should head to Pangong tso before Nubra. May be i read it wrong. We’ll change the plans accordingly. Thanks a lot.
I checked with HPTDC and they confirmed that the schedule and online booking facility will be fixed in 2-3 days. I’m not sure how reliable they are. But fingers crossed.
No Prithvi, it is never recommended. Please change that part. Dont worry they will get that sorted before the season starts.
Hi prithvi this is Sukumar from Chennai. I am also planning trip on the said dates with my spouse. If you are interested get in touch with me. Smilysugu@gmail. Com
And I would also want to know about the safety when travelling with spouse and that to biking in leh. And I read Aug might have its share of rain and since Independence Day will bring lot of traffic and military activities.
Hi Deeraj,
I will be travelling to LEH this JULY. I had a plan of covering Manali – LEH through hired bikes from Manali. Now since these bikes cannot be used in Ladakh, i dont want to pay 1.5 times the actual bike rent and i have come up with the following plan.
1. Cover Manali to LEH by HPTDC bus.
2. Hire a bike in LEH and cover Hunder, Pangong Tso etc.
3. Return to Manali bu Bus.
By doing this, will i be missing something that i should’nt? I will be travelling from Chennai and i dont want to miss anything. Your suggestion please 🙂
Deesh, your plan seems good to me to save cost. The HPTDC bus that runs on Manali – Leh does stop over for sightseeing so you wont be missing anything. Bike ride experience you will anyways do in Ladakh 🙂
Thank you for your reply Dheeraj. Please help me with these doubts.
1. Is it advisable to travel from Diskit to Pangong Tso directly through Shyok, Durbuk by bike (Single Day)
2. Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri through Tangtse, Harong (single day)
3. Tso Moriri to LEH?
May i know why this route is not preferred by the tourists?
Thanks 🙂
Deesh, Tso Moriri to Leh is fine.
Regarding Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso route, in order to take Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok village, you need not need any permits. However, with such a small distance it appears tempting to be done BUT just to analyze the difficulty I will strongly suggest that you read:Trip Report | Nubra – Shyok Village – Pangong Tso Route. The report is from couple of year back in June & in July/August, most likely the route is washed away. Similar, reports are there from last year as well. So better confirm first, analyze the high risk involved and then only attempt it or better avoid it unless very much sure.
Next possible way is to attempt Wari La route, which is also a bit desolated but doable enough. If your driver agrees to travel on this route then take the Wari La route to Pangong Tso. Remember that any help required on both these routes will be HARD to find in miles of distance. If you have couple of vehicles then only take this route otherwise best is to avoid it.
Regarding Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri route or Pangong Tso to Hanle, the permits to Man – Merak – Chusul – Tsaga or remote Changthang routes are being given by DC office in Leh at ON and OFF basis, so keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best if they start issuing the permits by the time you visit or issue you on your lucky day. Also, even if the permits are given then as well there is no guarantee that you will be allowed to cross Chusul Post or not because since last year several such incidents happened and people with permits also had to return via same route. The story is same this year too and only handful of people have passed through Chusul this year too on their lucky days. Then this is completely a dirt track all the way with quite a bumpy ride upto Tsaga. That churns most things in your stomach 😀 … Finally, totally isolated with no one around you in miles. All this will mean that you will have to risk it for at least a day getting wasted if you are not allowed because there will be no guarantee until you cross Chusul and Tsaga post. Otherwise, you have to take the traditional routes only via Upshi – Chumathang.
Hi,
Very informative piece this is. Thank you. 🙂
Do the bus timings for Leh to Srinagar and cost hold true for this year too?
I couldn’t find the date of this article. Planning a visit in June. Thank you:)
Ankita, the prices more or less holds true for this year too. There wont be much difference. The article was updated last year only. The bus timings also remain more or less same every year and that is the reason they have painted them on wall.
Hello Dheeraj,
Appreciate your efforts and thanks for such a wonderful blog. Me and my wife will be travelling from Srinagar>Kargil>Leh>Manali and of course we are planning a budget trip however they are few queries so request you to please guide me on this.
1) can we cover Srinagar to kargil along with all sightseeing(Sonamarg – Zozi La – Drass) in between by Bus or shared taxis as private taxis would be costly?If not then how to do this sight seeing?
2)Same query for Kargil to Leh route along with all Sightseeings (Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh).
Also from where we can get the bus from Kragil to leh?
3)From Leh to pangong>khardungla>diskit we can manage to hire a private taxi or can share it with other couple if we get any.
4)Please provide your suggestions from leh to Manali also.
5)do you think paying 60k to private taxi for same route srinagar>kargil>leh>Manali along with all sight seeings is worth??
6)I will be doing Hotel bookings for all three locations srinagar,kargil,Leh, by direct calling – what are your suggestions on this?
7)What will be the tentative budget for this Entire Journey srinagar>leh>Manali along with reasonable accommodation would cost to a couple like us?
Waiting for your inputs
Hello Ashish,
1,2. Not by bus or shared taxi, only by private vehicles with sightseeing. Else form a group or travel partners, may be look or post in DoW Travel Calendar from main menu to find online and then make a trip
3. private taxis are very costly in Leh but 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. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
4. Leh – Manali has HPTDC tourist bus service which does the sightseeing you can go with it.
5. Not sure all depends upon budget, else there isnt any option apart from finding people to share the cost. Or leave the sightseeing and just enjoy views in the bus, mostly for Srinagar to LEh as rest of it is mostly sorted as per above answers
6. If you want phone bookings done, you can do that
7. All depends on mode of transport you choose. For stay and food per person per day comes in general to be around 1000-1200 per day for on the spot bookings and around 1200-1500 per day for over phone bookings.
Hi ashish tell me about your dates.I am also trvelling with my wife and facing the same problem.We can go together.Call me on 7209635332.
when are you traveling. We are planning in the first week of June. do let me know at therightlad@gmail.com
Hello, Dheeraj Sharma
I would travelling to Leh in august. I am going to board delhi- manali-leh bus. Since, there are 3 isbt’s Could you please tell me from which isbt should i board this bus ?
Delhi – Manali – Leh bus starts from Kashmere Gate ISBT
Hello Dheeraj…what is the bus timing from Delhi to leh..and i am planning to to leh in may last week
Hi Nikki,
Guess you missed reading the article “The bust departs from Delhi ISBT – at 3:45 pm, then departs from Chandigarh Sec 43 at 9:30 pm. It departs from Kullu at 6:30 am, Manali at 10:00 am and arrive at Keylong at 3:00 pm. Then there is night halt at Keylong and then next day the bus starts 5:00 am from Keylong and arrives at around 7 PM in Leh. The reverse route from Leh starts at 5 AM.”
Hi Dheeraj, Thanks for the article. its very informative. My trip is in the last week of may from Manali to Leh,
I read it somewhere the distance bet manali leh is 12 hrs, HPTD with keylong halt seems to be a longer journey.
Is there any alternate (budget) option for HPTD. I intend to reach leh on the same day Evening/ Night.
Aboli, it is very very taxing journey of 17-18 Hrs at high altitude terrain in shared taxis crammed for space if you wish to directly travel from Manali to Leh in one day. I will not recommend it because then you become more susceptible to AMS
I am planning to go on may end … Will there be bus services in may … Delhi to leh ?
I do not think that Delhi to Leh bus service will start that early. I will expect it to start by mid of June
Hi,
This is Niraj from Bangladesh. Actually I have plan to visit leh and pangong tso. As I m a foreigner in India, can I visit pangong tso? Is there any restriction for Bangladeshis? Please reply soon?
Yes Niraj, as from Bangladesh, you need to get inner line permit to visit Pangong Tso from MEA, Ministry of External Affairs which in my knowledge is a complex process and have not heard from anyone getting permit in less time. So, if you are planning you have to start the move now to apply for the permit and hope to get it.
I have some questions to you guys can u assist me pls…
1. What is the timing & fare of shared taxi or govt buses from jammu – srinagar / pahalgam?
2.What is the name of the low price hotel and contact no where i can stay in srinagar / pahalgam / kargil / leh & ladakh?
3.How should i plan my trip from pahalgam towards kargil, leh & ladakh & other important sightseeing places around leh & ladakh?
4.From where i ll get shared taxis or buses from pahalgam for kargi along with leh & ladakh and their fares?
5.Again cheap hotel & their number for my stay?
6.I want to cover full Leh & Ladakh as i have enough days & time for the trip, then drop to manali by road.
I’ll be doing this after AMARNATH YATRA thru pahalgam this year around july 01st week.
You can mail me @ pritam.pandit07@gmail.com / 09972506723 ….Will be highly obiliged if you could guide me as i am a traveller not a tourist.
Hi Pritam,
1. Shared taxis work on per seat basis, usually 700-800 per seat for a drop to Jammu and for Pahalgam you will need from Srinagar.
2. 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
3. From Pahalgam, you will have to come back either to Sonamarg or Srinagar and then move to Kargil
4. Kargil has a taxi stand, I doubt on Pahalgam for tourist based shared taxis and frequency of it. You might get local based shared taxis
5. AFAIK, there isn’t anything cheap in Pahalgam 🙂
6. Below is a plan
Day 1 | Delhi – Srinagar
— Take rest for the day. May be enjoy Shikara ride or stay in house boat itself.
Day 2 | Srinagar – Pahalgam
Day 3 | Pahalgam
— Just relax for the day and spend sometime around
— May be a visit to Chandanwari
Day 4 | Pahalgam – Gulmarg
— Explore ruins of Awantipura
— Enjoy vistas en-route
Day 5 | Gulmarg – Srinagar/Sonamarg
— Enjoy vistas enroute, especially between Tangmarg to Gulmarg
— May be check out Golf course, if you feel like
Day 6 | Srinagar – Sonamarg
— Rest at Sonamarg
Day 7 | Sonamarg – Zozi La – Drass – Kargil
— Enjoy the vistas enroute
— Have late drunch meal at Drass is you are a vegetarian as sometimes it gets difficult to find veg. food at Kargil
— Overnight at Kargil
Day 8 | Kargil – Lamayuru – Leh
— Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes
— On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu
— Overnight at Leh
Day 9 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Inner Line Permits
— To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh
— For more details on inner line permits process and to download application form read the link here
— Overnight at Leh
Day 10 | 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 11 | 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 12 | Leh – Hemis Monastery – Pangong Tso Lake
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on the go towards Pangong Tso
— Overnight at Pangong Tso (Spangmik or Lukung)
Day 13 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh
— Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh
— Overnight at Leh
Day 14 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping OR Monastery tour OR you can do tour to Sham Valley
— Monastery tour may include Hemis, Thicksey, Stakna 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
— Overnight at Leh
Day 15 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang
— Cover Karzok Monastery
— Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri
Day 16 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Moore Plains – Sarchu
— Try to start early in the day so that you reach Sarchu where the accommodation options are better than Pang
— Overnight at Sarchu or Pang
Day 17 | Sarchu – Baralacha La – Keylong – Rohtang Pass – Manali
— On the way cover Suraj Tal, Deepak Tal which are on the road sides only
— Overnight at Manali
Day 18 | Manali – Delhi
— Return home
Day 19 + 20 | Buffer days to be kept incase of road closure due to landslides or snowfall or perhaps you want to enjoy more.
Hello,
I’ll be in Leh on 13th Sept 2016 at 6:30 am. Kindly let me know if my planning is feasible or not (transport wise, stay wise and time wise).
Day 1 (13th Sept): In and around Leh
Day 2 (14th Sept): To Pangong Tso lake (over night stay): Transport- what ever is cheapest. Time of departure: early morning. Over night stay in tent accommodation (Charges?)
Day 3 (15th Sept): To Nubra Valley via Khardung la. Cheapest way to reach there? I can leave at early morning like 5:00 am. (Over night stay)
Day 4 (16th Sept): To Turtuk from Nubra via Diskit Turtuk highway. (Overnight stay)
Day 5 (17th Sept): What possible places can I go in these three days that is (17th 18th and 19th Sept). Mostly I am thinking of going to Kargil region. Let me know if it is possible to go there. Also I’ve inclination for places where there are less people. Kindly suggest if this plan is possible or not.
Day 6 (18th Sept)
Day 7 (19th Sept)
Day 8 (20th Sept)- Back to Delhi
No Rohan, PLEASE DO NOT attempt such a plan. Leh – Ladakh is a high altitude place and when flying directly, you will face Acute Mountin Sickness challenges and in order to cope up with it, you have to acclimatize in Leh for the high altitude. Please refer a plan below and cut it shor tto cater your needs from last few days. The order of days as mentioned in the article MUST be followed as it is mentioned in it to cope to the needs of acclimatization.
You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh by Air followed by many travelers including me at the link here for 9 days: Leh – Ladakh | Most Common Itinerary by Air.
You can skip Tso Moriri in ablve plan to fit in 7-8 days.
Thank you so much. I will definitely keep everything in mind and the blog about most common itinerary was really good and helpful.
Thank you 🙂
Cool, great to know that Rohan. Have a great trip to Ladakh 🙂
first of all, dheeraj i would like to thank you for this very resourceful articles. i am planning to visit leh on may with my mom, but flight tickets are so high. So can i go by bus. how much time and money it will take to reach leh from Delhi and dehradun. tell the cheapest and easiest route. plz.
Yes Deepika, you can go by bus. I will advice that you take a flight to Srinagar as mostly deals are available on Delhi – Srinagar route and from there either travel by bus or use shared taxis to first reach Kargil, stay overnight and next day move to Leh
thankyou so much, for your valuable advice. Keep writing more on your Himalaya trips. All the best
Thank you Deepika, best wishes for your Ladakh trip. Feel free to post any queries you might further have in planning the Ladakh trip 🙂 …
Hii,
As you told that go to kargil first then move to leh then in that case can we find shared taxi from kargil to leh??
or if we go from pangong to tsomoriri then can we find shared taxi from tsomoriri to manali??
Yes Soni, you will find plenty of shared taxis between Srinagar to Kargil and Kargil to Leh. It is usual. No, for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri direct route because shared taxis within Ladakh are mostly between tourists not locals and that route is not that famous. Most Indians have their own vehicles or their own groups, so in shared taxis mostly foreigners are there who are not allowed on that route. So, for normal conventional routes to Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri from Leh, you have high chances of getting shared taxi but for the other route you have to form your own group. If you looking for travel partners you can submit your entry into DoW Travel Calendar and search the calendar to see what others are looking out
Hallo,
I am going to stay in Ladakh from 03 to 14 may. I would like to visit these places: Pangong Tso, Confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers, Tsomoriri.
Is there possibility to find any shared taxi or other private transport to go to those places in second week of May?
Daniel, tourist influx start by the time of the year in Ladakh when you plan to visit there. So, you should be able tofind the shared tourist taxis.
Hi Dheeraj,
Thank you for sharing such valuable information. I am planning a solo trip in July 2016 to Leh via Srinagar. My plan would be to fly to Srinagar and then take a bus to Leh. Would you consider it a safe way to travel keeping in view that it will be a female solo trip?
Nidhi, 100s of female solo travellers does Ladakh trip every year, so I do not think there shall be much of an issue.You are alone and private taxis are very costly in Leh but 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. No where else in the world you will find more smiling and helpful people as Ladakhis are 🙂
Hi dheeraj, I’m also planing to go Len from Srinagar on July. If u don’t mind , can we make we make the plan together . My contact number is 0096560384160. Am sanoop, basically from Kerala, presently working in Kuwait .
Sorry, this is to Nidhi Singh
Sanoop, please choose the DoW Travel Calendar and post your travel entry in it to find travel partners
Dear Sharma Sir, We have planned to visit Manali from 14,15&16 January, 2016. We would like to know, is there any bus/ private taxi service available to take us to leh during these days? Or alternatively, up to which place on route to Leh we can reach during these days? Or we have to stop our journey from Manali itself?
Jaykrushna, the roads to Ladakh are closed now and will open in next year June. So, enjoy your stay in Manali only.
Hello,
I am planning to take bus to Pangong Lake.
In which months does this bus go? If the bus returns next day, Is there any place to overnight?
Daniel, well, the buses starts in the season time that is around late May or June. Yes, there are plenty of home stays as well as tented accomodation at Pangong Tso
hiiiiiiiiiiiiii this is shakeer i am planing visit srinagar and leh ladhak for march 14 plz tell me with is best time to visit and i am going to buss vay
Shakeer, the Srinaagr – Leh highway opens in April end – Mid May type and hence you cannot travel by Srinagar – Leh road in March.
Hi! These buses are available even in the first week of May? Or only in June-September? Thanks
ARI, mostly run from June to September but some do start in May as well. Consider long distance buses to run only post June.
Hi Dheeraj,
I am from Delhi and I am planning for Ladakh between 24th Oct. to 28 Oct. 2015.. I am alone. please suggest me the route.
I am from Delhi and I am planning for Ladakh between 24th Oct. to 28 Oct. 2015.. I am alone. please suggest me the route.
Surya, sorry for the late reply but it is not the right time now to visit Ladakh. Plase plan in next season.
Would the local bus service be active towards end of October – beginning of November?
Jayant except very much less service to Nubra Valley, I do not think any other bus service will be available to travel locally in Ladakh now. You will have to rely on private taxis mostly, may be. Some local shared taxis may be running though in parts of places.
Anyone planning on a taxi from Manali to Leh around the 2nd or 3rd of October? drop me a line if you are interested.
Cheers,
Pat
Pat, may be you should explore DoW Travel Partner Calendar from the menu
Hi,
We are a couple travelling to Leh from Srinagar on the 27th or 28th of September. Anyone looking at sharing a cab for the journey can reply to the post. ELse can someone share some information on where can the shared taxis be boarded from at srinagar and at what time.
Thanks
Shared taxis will be available from TRC Taxi stand in Srinagar.
Hi Dheeraj,
We’re in leh right now and have found that the bus service – HRTC or HPTDC has stopped on leh-keylong-manali route. They would now resume only in the next season. Only shared taxis are available on this route which cost in the range of INR 2000-2200 per seat.
Besides, buses to pangong tso and nubra have also been terminated due to low demand. For nubra, shared taxis are available @ INR 400 per head from taxi stand near polo ground. Thought it’d help fellow budget travellers plan their itinerary accordingly.
Thank you Rushul for the update. This will be very helpful.
I am travelling to Leh-Ladakh from Srinagar on Sep 22nd. As of now, we are 2 people , anyone looking to travel in a group to share taxi please contact me @ 09746446688 or comment here please.
Vishnu, please use DoW Travel Calendar for searching Travel Partners.
Dear dheeraj ji
with due regards
I along with my wife planned to visit leh are and reaching on 30th sept
after rest on 30th we have 1st to 4th oct for visiting leh and nearby
please be kind and advise us or batter make a plan for us economically
for 4 days i.e. what we can do and where and where we can visit during
4 days keeping base at leh
kindly also advise pure vegetarian restaurant /s near by upper tuckha road
thanking you sir in advance
v k jain
jaipur
First two days you have to rest in Leh only. Then you can travel for a day trip to Khardung La and then a day trip to Pangong Tso
Sir,
We are planning a trip from gujarat ahmedabad to leh ladhak.
As far we havr decided to reach delhi by flight to save time.
Please guide us to plan our tour from 12 to 19 September.
This is our first trip to north india. So if any one can provide us necessary information it would be very very help full.
Ashish, are you open to fly to Leh? 7 days will be quite less time for Ladakh
Hi Dheeraj,
I m from Mumbai me and my friend is planning a trip to North, We have planned to get down at Amritsar and than to Jammu – Srinagar- Leh – Manali – Delhi can you suggest me is it the right way to go or is there any other way also can you give me a rough idea about budget if possible
Naveen, yes that is the right way to go. 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.
For doubts related to budget for Leh – Ladakh trip, I am sure the link below will help you alot for getting an idea of overall budget:
How to calculate cost or budget for Leh – Ladakh trip
Also, check the article: 5 Tips for a Budget Trip to Ladakh
i want to go leh ..29.8.15…any person join the trip with me…call09827155523…today,s status we are 2person ready
Hi, maybe you want to change your post in the following regard: The Leh-Srinagar direct bus starts at 2pm (not am) and reaches Srinagar at approx 7am (not pm). Greetings from Leh
Michael, thanks for the correction. Just corrected it. Did you took that bus?
Dheeraj Ji,
awe just completed ladak trip. there are lot of tempo travellers and Mini bus starting from Leh city .They start everyday evening 5:3O PM -6:00 PM and reach srinagar the next day early morning 7:30 AM . cost is Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 based the vehicle.
The mini bus is best optiion you only get individual seat and confort to sleep @ night too.
Thank you so much Justin for the update. Will be helpful to many. I have updated the article with it.
For the JKSRTC Srinagar – Leh Bus Service: The bus from Leh to Srinagar option, does that mean the bus leaves at 2 am in the morning and reaches 7:30 pm on the same day?
Abhinav, AFAIK, yes.
I will be reaching Srinagar from Mumbai on August 30th by 2pm and planing to stay at Sonmarg on day 1 and will be travelling solo for next 14 days. Few doubts since this is my first time 🙂
Q. I need to visit Dras War Memorial, but i read on multiple forums, that JKSRTC buses leave early morning from Srinagar to Kargil and there are only 1-2 buses that leave daily. So my concern is if i manage to catch a early morning JKSRTC bus from Sonmarg to Dras, will there be more buses later so i can travel to Kargil ? is it troublesome to find other modes of transport on that route ?
Q. For travel from Kargil to Leh, do i need to prebook seats for early morning JKSRTC bus or a shared taxi ?
Q. Assume the buses from Kargil to Leh reach by 1pm, my next destination is Hunder/Nubra. Can i get a shared taxi during that time ? or is it that shared taxis also leave early morning and i need to spend rest of day in Leh.
Q. What i got from all above comments is getting a mode of transport from Leh to Pangong, Tso Moriri,tso kar is rare and getting transport for returning back from these places is on luck 🙁 . Can any solo traveller suggest how you managed to visit and come back from these places(without bikes). I don’t want to miss these locations 🙂
I know this is asking for lot of details, but then again this is my first solo trip and i don’t want to mess it up 🙂
Adarsh, Here are the replies
1. To extend the problem the Kargil War Memorial is ahead of Drass towards Kargil, you can get down there and then wait for any shared taxi running between Drass and Kargil to get to Kargil. Confirm at Drass market if bus stops for lunch there.
2. It is better that you book as buses mostly run loaded
3. You have to rest in Leh for one complete day to acclimatize before heading anywhere. Bus details of Nubra are mentioned above in the article.
4. You are alone and private taxis are very costly in Leh but 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.
Hi,
I have a doubt regarding the bus service on the route Srinagar – Leh. I plan to visit Sonamarg as well. Will there be buses from Sonamarg to Leh? How much time would it take to reach Leh. Will there be a halt at Kargil?
No there is no buses from Sonamarg to Leh AFAIK.
I just finished my Leh trip.
Thanks to Dheeraj/DoW for all the help while planning my trip.
1. Manali-Leh HPTDC bus was awesome. And I could meet so many people, including foreigners. They re very good friends now. Few of us travelled together to Pinging Tso and Nubra/Turtuk. (Refer: hptdc website)
2. The JKSRTC bus to Pangong Tso was fullly packed with 5 Indian tourists, about 6 localites and remaining foreigners. (Every Sunday and Thursday)
We had a good time travelling as well as night stay @ Pinging. Bus one way costed 270 Rs only. (You can book in advance in Leh bus stand, if you want window seat or any other preferred seat).
We had to stay in Tangtse village one more day as there was landslide.(Though road was cleared after 6 hours, only small vehicles were allowed on that day)
3. There is JKSRTC bus to Nubra/Turtuk too. (Saturday to Turtuk via DIskit/Hunder, and Tuesday to Diskit/Hunder/Panamik/Sumur)
Shared taxi can be easier option from Leh to Diskit(About 400 Rs per person).
Everyday 2PM, there is a mini bus(private) from Diskit to Turtuk. (It gets packed. So, make sure to reserve the seat at 11 using kerchief or bag) 😛
Return bus(private)/shared taxi from Turtuk @6AM every day. You will be in trouble if you miss them.
Mini bus = 100 Rs per person. Shared taxi= 200 Rs per person.
4. There is bus to Lamayouru as well. (I forgot the day)
5. There is JKSRTC bus to Tsomoriri lake as well. 10th, 20th and 30th of every month.
I couldn’t go for 4 & 5.
But, I believe now that, a nice Leh trip can be planned with public transport itself.
Total expenses of my travel was 36K (including 12.5K for Leh-Bangalore flight + 5.5K for Bangalore-Chandigarh flight).
I will plan for an even better trip next year.
All the best to all those who are travelling !!!
Rohith, welcome back and thanks a million for sharing the details back here in the community 🙂
rohit plz provide your contact no. m planning the same
I agree with Rohit. we can travel on our own. particularly if you are in bachelors gang. the places are awesome and worth to travel in public transport and people are very helpful . we live in city you are always in hurry and busy life. once in a life lets travel with those beautiful smiling and helping people.
Example : For cab srinagar – gulmarg they are asked us 1400 per head, but we traveled in public transport it cost just 110 rs only.
So plan accordingly your trip. if you are good @ bikes . Just hire Bike @ leh and roam its awesome experience too,
Rohith,
Could you please share the bus departure time at Leh and arrival time at Pangong Tso lake?
Regards
Priya
How do we book our tickets for the HPTDC Manali – Leh Bus Service?
As I saw from your site, we can take buses from Leh to Pangong Tso, so does that bus also take us back to leh from pangong tso, if it does how long would we be there at pangong tso?
Ankit, you can use for HPTDC bus booking: hp.gov.in/hptdc/Availability.aspx
Ankit, please see the time table for Pangong tso bus from Leh. That bus returns back to Leh next day.
And would it be a good idea? taking the bus to pangong tso? We are pretty tight on budget and I JUST HAVE to visit ladakh anyhow. Its like a dream 🙂
You can take a bus to Pangong Tso but that runs only once a week and comes back the next day. Please check: Rates & Time table of Bus Services in Leh – Ladakh
Hey Dheeraj!
Can you confirm the timings of Leh to Srinagar bus and if there’s online booking available for the same?
Online booking is not available for Leh to Srinagar, you need to book one day in advance from the bus depot in Leh. As per the above timetable taken last month, it is that it leaves around 2 AM. But, I am sure there will be other buses too around 6-7 AM as well going to Kargil where you can stay overnight and then take Kargil to Srinagar bus
Hi Dheeraj,,,
1. We a group of around 8 friends are planning to travel to Leh – Ladakh, around 31st. July. As i have read in your earlier comments that there are HPTDC buses to travel. We were actually looking for Accommodation available at the places. Also pls share any contact if possible which will help us there for travelling.
2. We are counting around Rs.20000/- for the tour, pls let us know if it is fine?
3. We will be going around Delhi – Manali – Leh route, can we book the hotels and travel from Delhi itself. any site if you would like to recommend.
Hi Suraj
1. I am not sure what the query is here. HPTDC buses provide stay as well included in the fare
2. Should be OK
3. you can connect with info@offbeatescapes.com as most of the readers in the past couple of years have had very good feedback about them and their transparent policies.
Thank You Dheeraj,
Cheers….
Thank you for a lot of useful information! I can not find where the JKSRTC bus station for Srinagar – Leh route is located. Do the buses leave from the Tourist Reception Centre or elsewhere? Thank you in advance for the reply.
Olga, it is in Srinagar. Buses do not leave from TRC, shared taxis and other taxis to Leh does leave from there.
Ok, but do you know where the buses are leaving from? I mean the name of the bus station or the address in Srinagar to buy the ticket and board the bus for Leh? Thanks for your help.
Olga, buses leaves from JKSRTC bus stand of srinagar. Tickets will be available there only, this is the number where it can be confirmed: Tourist Services Kashmir : 0194-2455107 AND +91 194 194 2455107 for the JKSRTC bus stand Srinagar
Hi Dheeraj,
Has anyone recently used BUS service from Srinagar to Leh?
Its really confusing between TRC and JKSRTC bus stand. How far are they from each other. Even Google map does not help here.
Regards,
Sujit
Sujit, they both are same. JKSRTC bus stand near TRC is the one, 5-10 mins walk from there.
Dear, I am planning, in fact I have planned to go to Leh Ladakh this weekend. I will start my journey on 3rd night and planning to return on 12th night (Hope this much days are enough).
1st Question ? Are these days enough ?
I am going from Srinagar and Kargil to Leh. And in Leh I am planning to cover – Pangong Lake in 1 day, Nubra and Khardungla in 1 day and local sight seeing on 1 day. Thus 3 days in Leh. Is it OK ?
What are other places in LEH or around LEH, which I can cover ??
I am also planning to rent a bike in LEH only for local rides. Is it available ??
2nd question is I am going by a ZOOM CAR and I heard this on your blog only that ZOOM CAR is facing a lot of difficulty there. Thus, after a change now I am using ZOOM to just to reach to LEH and to return from LEH via Manali. And for local roaming and sight seeing i.e. Pangong Lake, Nubra etc, I have already booked the local taxi from there only.
Is it OK or will they still create issues even just on reaching there through ZOOM car.
Also please give your suggestions on that whether I need to book the hotels in advance or should I book them on site only ??
Also any further suggestions are welcome.
Lalit, 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.
In case you are not using Zoomcar for the local sightseeing there will not be any issue
Again a great article from great man.. hats off to your efforts.
So Dheeraj i have some doubts
As per this article i have understand that from srinagar to Leh whether from JKSRTC or private bus transport it will take 2 days with night halt at kargil, so my queries are
1) Do they halt for local s/s on some places during 2 day journey
2) where and what time they leave us in kargil and from there is any hotel or guest house available nearby ?
3) at what time we will reach leh ? i mean start time of kargil to leh
4) Are these good options to travel with shared taxi or bus ? as i have read at many places that road’s condition is not good and you will fell seek after shared journey as they load too much people.
Thanks in advance
Hi Aslam,
1. No, it is a public transport bus not tourist bus, so no sightseeing
2. They will leave in bus stop from there you are on your own
3. It will reach Leh in evening
4. Many people use them and should be OK. Srinagar – Leh Highway except Zojila pass is all super good in road conditions.
Thank you Dheeraj,
Will you please inform me what will be the temperature in the month of september.. say 3rd week of september.
Aslam, in day time it shall be around 10-15 degree C types and in nights/early morning it can be around 2-4 degree c
We are arriving Srinagar on 1st Aug and have to reach Leh by 3rd. Can some one tell me good accomodation in Srinagar (1st ) and kargil . We are looking for cheapest place possible and nearest to the bus stop.
Also can anyone tell me whr is srinagar bus stop located for journey to leh?
Srinagar you can try JH Bajaj, Hotel York and also most places will be on sale due to monsoons. In Kargil there is paradise guest house where you can stay.
Hi Dheeraj,
doing wonderful job here… cant thank you enough…
Had a small query about J&K buses.
A) Till when the Srinagar Leh highway is open?
B) Till when the J&K government buses (2 days and non stop) operate max?
I know it all depends on weather. But still rough idea? Rough time and month?
Tosh,
1. Srinagar – Leh Highway remains open almost till November end in general
2. I guess it also operate till mid of November
Hi Dheeraj
1) We’ll be reaching Srinagar on 29 Jun around 7 A.M. Would it be easy to find a bus to Kargil on the same day? How much do shared taxis cost for Srinagar-Kargil-Leh (2 days)?
2) For local transport, can you give me an estimate for Leh-Pangong Lake per head by shared taxi?
Apologies if I’ve repeated any question. Thanks for the timetables!
1. You may not get a bus to Kargil that late though I am not 100% sure. Shared taxi will take about 1800-2200 up to Leh
2. Leh – Pangong tso is also about 1500-1800
Is the price you’ve quoted Leh- Pangong Tso the return fare?
Yes Surag, the shared taxis charges for return only.
One last thing, would it be possible to go to Pangong Tso/Nubra Valley by bus and return by shared taxi?
No Surag, you may not find any taxi on return from Pangong Tso or Nubra. May be someone might help you give a lift back to Leh.
Also, will it be easy to find a shared taxi from Srinagar to Kargil from the airport?
Yes, you will be able to find shared taxi at taxi stand near Tourist Reception Center near Dal Lake. But from airport you need to take a prepaid taxi to reach Tourist Reception Center
Thanks for the article. We are in Manali now trying to find transport to Leh ASAP. It appears the road is open but can’t find any information on the HRTC bus – anybody know if the Manali-Leh or Keylong-Leh HRTC buses are running yet?
HRTC bus might not be running that early. Get a shared taxi from Manali to Leh. There are lot of Leh taxi that have reached Manali today, you must get one or the other
Thanks Deerash. We have enquired about jeep and minivan but it is extremely costly – starting at 3,200 for a non-stop mini van to Leh. There have been some rumours that the HRTC bus will start on 20th but nothing confirmed. Anyone have any ideas?
Also, if anyone is going in private car and wants to car share, let me know. We are 2 people (Australian and Indian) and happy to contribute with fuel etc.
Thanks,
Anna.
Anna, you can check the DoW Travel Calendar from the menu and see if there are any people looking for partners and traveling on the same date as of you guys.
Buses start from July 1st.
http://hp.gov.in/hptdc/Availability.aspx .
@ANNA: Are you in Manali already??
Also, refer: http://hptdc.nic.in/leh.htm
Thanks dheeraj will do
@RORAINDO yes in manali. Had checked with hptc andcthey said july 1 but thst hrtc might start sooner. where are you?
Hey guys, just to let you know, we spoke to the enquiries counter at HRTC, and their buses apparently start on June 25th, tickets approx 1,500 rupees for 2 days.
Alternatively, at the Leh jeep stand in Manali, you can go talk the drivers and get a ride starting from 2,000 rupees and reaching in approx 18 hours.
Thank you Anna for the update, it will help others too.
I would like to know the fare details and availability of shared taxi or private bus for 5 guys from Leh to Manali. It would be great if you could get a return taxi. Between, we would like to have an overnight halt at Keylong.
Wel, how’s jeep journey of 24 hours? Will we be able to cope-up with the climate?
(I have already checked the HPTDC service. But, prefer to make in taxi, so that we could stop and see more places.)
Waiting for your reply and advice.
Thanks in advance
Hello Jose,
Best will be that you prefer the HPTDC taxi. Shared taxis are not booked in advance and are available only on the spot. You can get them in Leh taxi stand but my take will be to go with HPTDC tourist bus as it stops at locations of sightseeing.
Regards
dheeraj
Thanks for your prompt reply.
The thing is that the HPTDC buses are available one in 2 or 3 days. And we’re coming through the route Agra – Delhi – Jammu – Srinagar – Kargil – Leh. So sometimes, we may not be able to reach in time/day. So we can’t reserve any tickets prior to this Leh – Manali journey. If we could reach in time, priority will be given to HPTDC only. But, since there is online reservation, we can’t guess whether there will be enough tickets left for us. That’s other important reason I want to check the taxi services.
Between, how much will be the avg cost in a shared taxi per head?
Also could you tell me the approximate rental of Innova for one or two days?
I also heard that there will be return taxis available from Leh to Manaly, which is very reasonable. How can I arrange that?
Thanks in advance.
Jose, you can do it on the spot if they are available in that case. If you reach couple of days before you can do then too. Aveg cost of shared taxi drop to Manali from Leh is about 1800-2000 per person. Those are also booked on the spot only and cannot be booked in advance.
If you hire a dedicated taxi from Leh to Manali drop, it will cost around 20K with one night halt
Hi Dheeraj,
Thanks for this info. This is much cheaper than the minivan/jeep options being offered in Manali. Can you please let me know where can you book the HPTDC taxi’s from? We are currently staying in Vashisht. We contacted HPTDC and they said they had no buses until 1 July but we didnt realise they had taxis!
Thanks a bunch,
Anna.
Anna, they arrange taxis only in case bus capacity is not full. I do not think they will provide any taxi service unless bus are running.
Hi..dhiraj…thank you very much for such a well detailed article. We are from rajkot
( Gujarat)..planning for ladakh between 4 the Sept.to12 spt.2015..we are 5 people.pls suggest us to make itinary And accommodation.thanks
Ami
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 skip Tso Moriri and rest day to make it 11 days plan and follow 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
Some say Kashmir is bit disturbed at this point of time … Army has blocked many routes . Is it really true … Plz reply asap … My booking are from 17 .. should I extend it or what .
Ravi, I do not think there is any report on the tourist roads and circuits.
Hi I want to know that is this possible to travel by walk in ladakh region .I am planing to visit in july .is there any advice
Naresh, how much can you walk in a day. Have you been to high altitude?
Hey Dheeraj,
It would really help if you could help me with the below queries:
1.) Will I get a shared cab if I book it a day prior as il reach Srinagar on 17th July and plan to leave and reach Leh by 18th?
2.) What time would these shared cab leave from Srinagar to get to Leh and cost?
3.) Shared cab for Pangong lake 22nd July same day return needed. How can I get a confirmation on this Once I goto Leh and the cost?
4.)Shared cab from Leh to Manali on 24th needed….will I surely get shared cab on this day? Is there a probability that I will get these on the dates I need? How long would it take (Same day shared cab) and cost please?
Need to finalize on Iternery stay and budget asap. Thanks
Thanks a Ton.
Amrita
Hi Amrita,
1. Yeah, you can get it and get connected with local taxis who will be scheduled to run next day
2. Cost around 1500-1600 types and time depends if you take two day or single day.
3. 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.
4. For Leh to Manali, prefer HPTDC bus as per above article rather shared cab.
Regards
Dheeraj
Hi Dheeraj.
How about Delhi-Srinagar-Kargil-Leh(some days at leh and near by places by buses)-Manali-Delhi on july last or august first week By BUS. ?
Do you see any troubles? Buses can be found right?? Any other problems??
If anyone interested please tag along.
And i guess srinagar-leh busses will give ample time to view the places. Right?
Not really, there are usual stops as the stops are there on a long route bus of public transport. Please note only HPTDC buses are tourist buses which deliberately stops for sightseeing as well because all are tourists and purpose of the bus is tourism. This is not true with JKSRTC and HRTC as they are normal public transport buses of the state.
Nabeel, instead of bus to Srinagar, go with a train to Jammu and then carry on with the bus journey to Srinagar and further to Leh. Bueses can be found, all that matters is rains should not be too much to play spoil sport in lower hills.
as the HPTDC site publishes the travel date:
it shows dates:
Manali-Leh
Departure: Manali 09:00 AM
1/7/2015
5/7/2015
9/7/2015
11/7/2015 ………..
……
For Leh-Manali
Departure: Leh 05:00 AM
4/7/2015
8/7/2015
12/7/2015
14-07-2015 ………..
link here: http://www.hptdc.nic.in/leh.htm
Thank you for sharing Ripan, updated them in the article.
Hi
I have questions. I checked the ticket at HRTC website but can’t find Delhi-Leh or even Manali-Leh. If I want to go to Leh from Delhi, do I need to book twice : Delhi-Manali, Manali-Leh or I can book once? Thank you for your infos
Sysilia, most of the long route buses cannot be booked online, you have to take the ticket on the counter itself. Best is that you book Delhi – Manali ticket first, once you reach Leh and roam around then take the call and book Leh – Delhi bus in Leh itself. No need to book in advance to limit yourself.
Hi thanks for your reply. I will be in Kolkata, do you think it’s safe to book ticket about 2-3 days in advance? or I have to book earlier? Otherwise, maybe you know where can I book HRTC or HPTDC ticket in Kolkata. Thanks again
There will be an office in Kolkata for HPTDC which you can book from there. Also, I feel HPTDC bus tickets should be available only as well for booking: http://www.hptdc.nic.in/leh.htm
Currently above site is down, may be you can check after few hours.
HRTC can be booked only from the counter in ISBT Delhi.
The bus dates are as below for HPTDC bus service:
Manali-Leh
Departure: Manali 09:00 AM
1/7/2015
5/7/2015
9/7/2015
11/7/2015 ………..
……
For Leh-Manali
Departure: Leh 05:00 AM
4/7/2015
8/7/2015
12/7/2015
14-07-2015 ………..
Ah thank you so much for your info!
Hi DOW,
You guyz are really doing some great help for the travellers. Kudos!
It would help me if you can suggest how to book the tickets in advance for Leh to Srinagar Bus transportation. They are operating on a daily basis ? Are they already started the route ? I’m planning my trip on Aug 17th!
From Leh to Srinagar it takes only 1 Day?
Thank You
Athif, you cannot book JKSRTC buses on Srinagar to Leh route in advance AFAIK. There is a portal but it does not accept the values as these destinations. They operate on daily basis and can be booked one day in advance from the bus stand. August 17 they will be running for sure 🙂
Buses would leave Leh at 2PM (pic says 2 PM and text says 2 AM =P) and reach Srinagar within a day? Is there any possibility of getting a share taxi in Leh in the evening to reach Srinagar next day?
Achint as per some locals it leaves at 2 AM as logically it does not suit that bus crosses Zojila pass at night or in wee hrs. I will still confirm.
Again share taxis also who do cannon ball run leave at mid night around 2-3 am to reach srinagar by evening.
Hello,
Planning to Take Bus to Pangong Lake then have a night stay beside lake then Planning to take Cab to Manali via Keylong.
What are Expert Suggestions on the above Itineary ??
Thanks & Superb Work on the site DOW 🙂
Jaimin, you can take the bus to Pangong Tso from Leh as per above schedule BUT getting the cab to Manali from there will be next to impossible unless you are extremely lucky to get a ride in some tourist cab or car who are willing to accommodate you in their journey. Also, very less people travel Pangong Tso to Sarchu as most people come back to Leh only.
I’m sure it’s me who really keep irritating (sometimes) @dheerajsharma14 bhai by comemt after comment on these issue in recent days.
Great, Great article for traveller like me.
Still demanding more and more as I am travelling from Leh to Manali to delhi.
These downwards routes bus timing, stops, arrival & departure times will be a great help for me. Bcoz based on the Leh-manali bus arrival time, I have to pre-book the Manali-Delhi HRTC volvo bus. & then delhi-kolkata flight booking.
Time is big constraint to me So cant at buffer day.
So PLS PLS add the downstream bus timings specially arrival times of these 2 buses.
By the way…. what is usual delay rates (risk factor) of the buses arrival?
Ripan, all are always welcome to post any number of queries anytime. Each is replied with same passion and wide smile 🙂 🙂 …
Leh to Manali bus timing are also mentioned in the article. the Bus starts for Manali from Leh at 5 AM to reach keylong for overnight stop in the evening. Risk factor is always there and cannot be dicounted at all 🙂
ThankYou Dheeraj Sir for all the information.
This is what exactly we were looking for.
But is pre booking available?
Lakshay, pre-booking for HPTDC Manali – Leh route is available but not for any other place. AFAIK, Srinagar – Leh route also allow one day before pre-booking from the counter only at bus stand at Srinagar.
Thanks a ton Dheeraj and also to your friend in Leh
This was one of the important information which I was looking for. It will b very helpful for me during my trip in September.
Regards
Sudeep
Glad to know that Sudeep, I will pass the regards to Lobzang.
Very useful article , appreciate your efforts.
Thank you Anuj 🙂
Your Comment excellent. it is very much useful to me. thanks.
Thank you Susanta, glad it was of help to you 🙂
Thank you very much sir..
I was in search of this timetable for a very long time..
Glad it is useful to you 🙂
Thnx for posting this Mr . Sharma.
The post is very exhaustive and much needed for a budget traveler. Can someone who has traveled by HPDTC bus share their travel experiences. How is the bus condition, taking into account comfortability and convenience.
Also how is Hotel Chandrabhaga. I have heard some mixed reviews about it?
Thnx in advance for help.
HPTDC is quite nice and have decent comfort. They are semi-deluxe min buses. Bus condition are also in general fine. Hotel Chandrabhaga is OK OK and you will only have tented accommodation up there in this bus stay price not the hotel room. Food is just OK too. May be I will say 6.5/10
Thanx in advance for sharing such an important piece of info. The only thing left is that how much time would it take to buses on Manali Leh highway to start running once the highway is open.
Thanx in advance
Robin, HRTC buses starts as soon as highway is declared fit for heavy vehicles, may be a day or two at max later. HPTDC starts only in July.