Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Leh would definitely be in every travelers’ bucket list. I was finally able to tick this off my list last month and the trip is definitely the most amazing and memorable one. You would see different shades of leh visiting the place in different time of the year. If you plan to visit in May, it’s beginning of their summer with pleasant weather. In May, the temperature is around 5 °C during the day and could drop to zero at nights!!

This itinerary would help you plan your Leh trip for 5 days.

Day 1:

If you plan to reach Leh by air, suggest take an early morning flight to Leh. This will give you some time to rest and acclimatize yourself. You could use the late afternoon for sight seeing. You could visit Shanti Stupa, a religious place which is also open to tourist. Nothing is better than starting your trip with serenity. You would be transferred to a land of calmness from your daily hustle bustle of city life and not to miss the amazing panaromic view of the town. You could then head to Leh palace which you get to view from the stupa. At Leh palace, a royal palace until 19th century converted to a museum now, you would get to see collections of jewellery, ceremonial dress, crowns of the royals and beautiful old mural paintings which still appears to have been painted yesterday. Now you could head to the Leh market which is just a drive down hill from the palace. You could buy several things from the market which includes winter wear, pashmina shawls, dry fruits, ornaments and jewellery, handicrafts, Tibetan flags and so on. End the day with your bag full of amazing goods and sovenier for friends and family ☺️.

Day 2:

Get ready for a day full of excitement and let’s aim to cover Hall of Fame, Pathar Sahib Gurudwara, convergence of Zanskar and Indus, Magnetic hill and Alchi Monsatery. Start off your day with Hall of Fame. Though the hall of fame appears to be a small structure from out side it has a ocean of information in store for you. Get ready to know about leh from it’s flora, fauna, dynasty, buddhism, it’s culture and geography. There is a separate section about army, wars fought in the region and accounts of bravery of great soldiers. Outside the building you will see a structure dedicated as a tribute to our great soldiers. You could try some military style adventure activities in a separate section just outside the main building.

Then heading towards alchi, you get to pass through Zanskar & Indus River convergence. It’s a sight to behold with the turquoise green and blue rivers mergingand flowing ahead. Take a stop to view the Sangham from road uphill to get an amazing view. You would pass through Magnetic hill to reach Alchi Monsatery. At Magnetic Hill point try quad bike ride. Last stop would be Alchi Monsatery which has three major shrines and you would find centuries old mural wall painting and wooden carving. You would also find view of Indus River behind the monestery.

Day 3:

Plan to visit Nubra valley passing through Khardungla pass. It is interesting road journey which would start with rocky mountain roads from Leh, passing through snow covered mountains and roads as you reach Khardungla pass and then to dusty and rugged roads of nubra valley. The road from Leh crosses South Pullu to reach Khardungla Pass and then crosses North Pullu leading to Diskit and Hunder Village.

Stop at Khardungla pass and be proud to have ridden through one of the highest motarable road. Enjoy the view of snow covered road which would soon change to dusty sand dunes as you enter nubra valley. Do visit Diskit Monsatery which has many shrines within the monestary and a huge statue of Maitreya Buddha at the foot hill offering breathtaking panaromic view of the diskit village. The Monsatery hosts Dosmoche festivals in the winters.

You can then head to Hunder sand dunes at Nubra Valley which is a magical desert landscape amidst the snow clad mountains. You are transported to a different magical desert located at high altitude from a high altitude snow covered mountains. Enjoy a Bactrian Camel (double humped camels) ride at the sand dunes. Camp out at Hunder to end the memorable day.

Day 4:

Plan Pangong lake for your fourth day. The road journey from Nubra to Pangong is a long drive (almost 7 hours drive depending on the stops you take) but it is the most memorable and adventurous drive.

Throughout the drive you will be awed by the changing landscape – the desert sand, beautiful Mountains, small streams of flowing water, tiny bridges, snow clad mountain peaks. Each and every spot gives you a vibe to switch your career and become a photographer. You will come across the most scenic and peaceful roads while passing on, along with high pitched turning points.

Also, don’t miss the interesting and hilarious quotes from Border Road Organization (#BRO) along the road (you might want to pull over and get a selfie with these quotes)

After the long 7hrs ride, you would spot the blue water lake from far off while driving. Once at Pangong the breathtaking view and serene beauty of the lake makes up for the long ride. Click cool pictures with Kareena’s Scooter, the ‘All izz well’ or the jab Tak hai jaan bike. Enjoy the view and relieve the peace and calmness this place gives. Take a walk, or just be seated on the lake side.

Due to some goof up in our stay arrangements at Pangong, we had to head to Durbuk to spend the night there. The last minute change of plan was a added brownie point as we got to drive back from Pangong to Durbuk at late evening. The scenic view of Pangong lake at twilight was so mesmerizing and the entire landscape at night with vast open sky and countless stars are something which we would cherish for long.

Day 5:

Day of Monasteries.

As you get back from Pangong to Leh, you will get to visit Hemis Monsatery, Thiksey Monastery and Shey Palace. You would drive through Changla pass covered with snow to reach Hemis. If you have been missing the snow covered road of Khardungla pass, Changla makes up to it and all you would see around is snow, snow and snow. Don’t miss the photostop opportunity at Rancho’s school from 3 idiots. It’s not close to Pangong lake but you get to visit this school as you pass Thiksey Monsatery to reach Leh. Yes, it is an actual school though you aren’t allowed to visit the school, there is a separate section for tourist with a sovenier shop.

Hemis Monsatery – budget about 2 hours for this monestery as the monestery has a huge museum and you could easily spend more than an hour to read a great lot about buddhism and it’s culture. The museum has a large collection of Buddhist relics and ancient items.

Thiksey Monsatery has ten shrines and provides amazing view of Indus Valley. Shey Palace has a giant copper statue gilded with gold of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Day 6:

End of memorable trip. Take an early morning flight from Leh.

Blog contributed by Janani Iyer

Some tips for your trip:

1) Ensure to acclimatize yourself on day one and better to consult you doctor and take medicines at the beginning of your trip.

2) Carry water to keep yourself hydrated during the road journey and carry dry fruits or other food items to eat as there might not be enough option to eat between two villages/ town.

3) Check the temperature and carry appropriate clothing. In May, it is suggested to carry clothes in layer as the temperature vary between places.

4) You could opt for a home stay which is not only budget friendly but the localities there are very helpful and make you feel at home.