Himalaya only · Saver trips from ₹7,500
Try "Spiti", "snow leopard", "Char Dham", "homestay", "Tiger's Nest"
Saver Ladakh · Balanced
Nine nights entering Ladakh the slow way, by shared taxi and bus from Srinagar over Zoji La, sleeping at Kargil, Lamayuru and Alchi before Leh. Then the bus over Khardung La to Nubra and on to Turtuk's Balti homestays. Gentle on the body and on the wallet.
Photo: Saurabh Lall · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsFlying into Leh is fast but hard on the body. Driving in from Srinagar is the opposite: you climb over Zoji La, sleep at Kargil at 2,676 m, then Lamayuru and Alchi, and arrive in Leh three days later already half adjusted. On this saver version we use shared Sumos and state buses, and stay in simple hotels and family guesthouses. The cost is low; the price is early starts and crowded seats.
From Leh, we still take a rest day before Khardung La. Then a bus to Diskit, a shared car down the Shyok to Turtuk for a night in a Balti home among apricot trees, and a last night in Hunder before the return over the pass. You end in Leh with a morning flight home. Expect shared bathrooms in some places, and ask hosts for help with onward seats.
Sleeping altitude, night by night
Red points are nights above 3,000 m. We pace those climbs by the usual advice of no more than 300–500 m of sleeping height a day. This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor before a high trip. Try the altitude planner.
Day by day
Shared Sumo taxis for Kargil leave Srinagar early, about ₹1,000–1,500 a seat. The road follows the Sindh valley to Sonamarg, climbs Zoji La on a narrow, sometimes one-way track, and crosses the high meadows of Drass. Expect a tea stop and a short halt at the Drass memorial. Arrive in Kargil by late afternoon and check into a simple hotel near the bazaar for ₹1,500–2,500 a double. At 2,676 m, it is an easy first night.
About KargilBuy dried apricots in Kargil's morning bazaar, then catch the Leh-bound bus or a shared taxi and ask to be dropped at Lamayuru. On the way you pass Mulbekh's 9 m rock-cut Maitreya and cross Namika La and Fotu La, the highest point of the highway at 4,108 m. Check into a family guesthouse below the monastery, with dinner and breakfast. Rest, then walk the village lanes for sunset over the moonland.
About LamayuruWalk up to Lamayuru Monastery for morning prayers around 6.30–7 am. After breakfast, flag down a Leh-bound bus or shared car and get off at Saspol, then take a local taxi or walk across the Indus bridge to Alchi, about 3 km. Visit the Sumtsek and Dukhang in the afternoon, when groups have gone. Alchi is lower, at about 3,100 m, and its orchards make a calm place to sleep.
About Alchi and the Sham ValleyTake a morning bus from Saspol towards Leh, around ₹80–120. If you are keen, get off at the Likir turning and see the Gelug monastery with its large gilded Maitreya, then catch a later bus or shared car on to Leh. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in Changspa or Karzoo. Even though you came by road, spend the evening quietly: you are now at 3,500 m for the first time.
About LehA slow day. Walk the old town lanes and climb to Leh Palace only if you feel fine. Spend the afternoon in Changspa's garden cafes. Pay your Ladakh environment fee online and print copies for Nubra and Turtuk. Visit the bus stand to confirm tomorrow's Diskit bus. If you feel strong in the evening, take a taxi up to Shanti Stupa for sunset rather than climbing the 555 steps.
About LehBoard the early Diskit bus at Leh bus stand for about ₹200–300. Documents are checked at South Pullu, then the bus climbs to Khardung La at 5,359 m for a short stop before dropping into Nubra. Arrive in Diskit by early afternoon and check into a guesthouse. Visit Diskit Monastery and its giant Maitreya in the late afternoon light. Ask your host about tomorrow's bus or shared car to Turtuk.
About Nubra ValleyTake the morning bus or a shared car from Diskit down the Shyok gorge to Turtuk, where the valley drops to about 2,900 m. Cross the footbridge into the village and choose a Balti family homestay, agreeing the price with meals first. Spend the afternoon walking through Youl and Farol, the two halves of the village, past stone houses, water channels and apricot orchards. Dress modestly and ask before photographing anyone.
About TurtukHave breakfast with your hosts and a slow morning in the orchards. Around midday, take a shared car or the return bus back up the Shyok to Hunder. Check into a homestay near the dunes, rest, and walk out to the sand in the late afternoon to see the Bactrian camels. Confirm a shared taxi seat back to Leh for tomorrow morning through your host or the Diskit taxi stand.
About Nubra ValleyLeave Hunder by about 8 am in a shared taxi, around ₹800–1,200 a seat, to cross Khardung La before the afternoon. Back in Leh by early afternoon, check into your guesthouse and spend the rest of the day buying apricots and pashmina from fixed-price cooperative shops, or sitting in a cafe. Eat early and pack. Confirm your flight time and a taxi to the airport.
About LehMorning flights leave Leh for Delhi and other cities. Reach the airport at least two hours before departure in peak season; the terminal is small and queues are long. A union taxi from Changspa costs about ₹400–600. Weather can delay flights; keep a small buffer of cash and time.
About LehWhere you sleep
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Budget
Zostel's Leh hostel offers dorm beds and private rooms within walking distance of Main Bazaar, with a common area …
Photo: Suryadasika · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Budget
Turtuk is a homestay village: dozens of Balti families in Youl and Farol, the two halves of the village, rent simp…
Questions
We price it from about ₹24,500 per person, twin sharing, for 9 nights with rooms, homestay meals, shared taxis, buses, the environment fee and monastery entries. Travel to Srinagar and your flight from Leh are extra. Budget ₹400–700 a day for lunches and snacks.
The road lets your body adjust step by step: Kargil at 2,676 m, then Lamayuru and Alchi, before Leh at 3,500 m. Most people arriving this way feel much better in Leh than those who fly in. It also shows you the Muslim and Buddhist sides of Ladakh in order.
Zoji La usually opens in spring and stays open until heavy snow in late autumn, with exact dates set by road authorities each year. June to September is the safest window for a bus-and-shared-taxi trip. Check current status before you travel.
Not very: seats are tight and the Zoji La section is rough and dusty. It is, however, fast and cheap, and drivers know the road well. Book the front or middle row if you can, carry a scarf for dust, and keep motion-sickness tablets handy.
Indians need the Ladakh environment fee receipt and photo ID; foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit through a Leh agency, which can be arranged on your rest day. Kargil, Lamayuru and Alchi need no permit. Rules change, so check current status before you travel.
You can, but flying into Leh first means you lose the gentle road acclimatisation. If you reverse it, add a second rest day in Leh before Khardung La, and keep Kargil and Lamayuru for the drive out to Srinagar at the end.
It suits families with older children who are comfortable with long road days and simple rooms. Shared taxis can be cramped with small children; for a family of four, a private car on some legs may cost little more per person. Carry snacks and warm clothes.
Kashmiri and Punjabi food in Kargil, dal, rice and vegetables in Lamayuru and Alchi guesthouses, Ladakhi thukpa and momos in Leh and Nubra, and Balti home cooking in Turtuk, often with apricot and buckwheat. Vegetarians are well catered for everywhere.
Kargil and Leh have ATMs; Lamayuru, Alchi, Turtuk and Hunder do not have reliable ones, and network for UPI is patchy. Carry enough cash from Kargil for three days and from Leh for the Nubra and Turtuk leg, roughly ₹2,500–3,500 a day per person.
More from Ladakh
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private Ladakh Taxi Union SUV with driver
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Private SUV with driver; local car in Padum where required
Photo: Anirvan Shukla · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Saver
State bus over Khardung La, shared taxis to Nubra and Pangong, local buses in the Indus valley
Plan with a local planner
We reply within one working day with a route, a sleeping-altitude profile and an itemised price in your tier. Change anything. Pay nothing until you are sure.