Ladakh
Leh & Ladakh
✓ Last verified Oct 2026
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
🛂 Your travel passport
- Best May–Sep
- 3,500 m altitude
- Mountains
- Adventure
- Spiritual
- Road trips
High passes, blue lakes and monasteries in a cold mountain desert.
Prices and timings are estimates, so please confirm before you book. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us.
Overview
Leh is the main base for Ladakh, a high-altitude region of monasteries, passes and lakes like Pangong and Tso Moriri. Acclimatisation is essential: spend your first two days in Leh doing very little. The main tourist season runs from about May to September.
Best time to visit
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● best time · ◐ okay · ✕ best avoided (Jan, Feb, Dec)
How to reach
By air
1.5 h from DelhiLeh's Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport has direct flights from Delhi and some other cities. The flight is the safest way to start for most travellers.
By road
2 days from Manali / SrinagarThe Manali–Leh and Srinagar–Leh highways open seasonally and are long, high and demanding.
Where to stay
Leh town
₹1,000–8,000 / nightMany guesthouses and hotels; choose one with heating.
Nubra, Pangong and Hanle
₹1,500–6,000 / nightCamps and basic guesthouses. Book ahead in season.
Things to do
Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa
Half dayEasy first-day sights while you acclimatise.
Nubra Valley via Khardung La
2–3 daysHigh pass crossing and sand dunes at Hunder.
Pangong Tso
1–2 daysFamous lake on the border; long, rough drive.
Hemis and Thiksey monasteries
Half dayLargest and most photographed monasteries near Leh.
Food
Thukpa, momos and butter tea
₹150–500 / personTibetan-influenced meals at small cafés in Leh.
Safety & permits
Permits & entry
Permits and fees for Indian visitors
Check before travelSources disagree on what Indian citizens need for Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri and Hanle: some say an Inner Line Permit is still issued (online or at the Leh office), others say it was replaced by an environment and development fee receipt. Check the Leh district administration (lahdc.gov.in) before you plan, and carry photo ID plus every permit or receipt you are issued. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit.
Safety notes
Altitude sickness can be serious. Ascend slowly, drink water, avoid alcohol early on, and descend if symptoms worsen. Carry cash, fuel and warm clothes. Weather can change quickly.
Phone network & ATMs
Postpaid mobile connections work best; prepaid SIMs from other states often do not.
Places in Leh & Ladakh
Sights
- Leh Palace
Former royal palace above the old town.
- Shanti Stupa
White-domed stupa with views over Leh.
- Thiksey Monastery
Large hilltop monastery near Leh.
Getting around
- Leh airport
The main arrival point for most visitors.
Itineraries for Leh & Ladakh
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