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• Manali To Leh Road Trip: A Comprehensive Guide For Your Next Adventure

19 Sep 2023

Nestled amidst the formidable Himalayan peaks, the Ladakh road trip has long held a coveted spot on the bucket lists of adventurers and wanderers. With its rugged terrain, serene lakes, high mountain passes, and a unique blend of cultures, this journey is an exhilarating exploration of one of India’s most remote and breathtaking regions. From thrill-seekers craving an adrenaline rush to nature enthusiasts yearning for pristine landscapes, the Ladakh road trip beckons, promising an unforgettable odyssey through the heart of the Himalayas. This detailed guide of the Manali To Leh road trip will take you through all the important points offering insights, tips, and a glimpse into the unparalleled adventure you are about to traverse on this.

Best Time to Plan A Manali To Leh Road Trip

Image Source: Shutterstock

The Manali to Leh road trip spans approximately 478 kilometers and is a dream come true for avid road-trippers and nature enthusiasts. The route takes you through some of the highest motorable passes in the world, offering mesmerizing vistas of towering mountains, pristine rivers, and charming villages. The best time to embark on this adventure is from June to September when the roads are open and the weather is relatively stable. During this period, the snow has melted, allowing safe passage through the high-altitude passes. Keep in mind the unpredictable weather in the mountains, and be prepared for sudden changes.

Manali to Leh Distance and Route

Understanding the distance and route from Manali to Leh is vital for planning your road trip effectively and this Manali to Leh road trip itinerary is all you need. Each segment of the journey is filled with breathtaking vistas and unique experiences, making it a road trip of a lifetime. The journey begins in Manali, a popular hill station in Himachal Pradesh, known for its picturesque beauty and vibrant culture. From here, you’ll start your ascent towards Leh, the capital of Ladakh. The route can be broadly divided into the following segments:

• Manali to Rohtang Pass: Your journey begins in Manali, a popular hill station in Himachal Pradesh. The first leg of the trip takes you from Manali to Rohtang Pass, covering approximately 51 kilometers. Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 13,050 feet, marks the gateway to your high-altitude adventure.

Distance: 51 Km

• Rohtang Pass to Keylong (117 kilometers): From Rohtang Pass, you’ll continue your ascent through the stunning landscapes, covering about 117 kilometers to reach Keylong. Keylong is a picturesque town in the Lahaul and Spiti district, nestled at an altitude of 10,105 feet. It’s an ideal place for a break, offering local cuisine and a glimpse into the unique culture of the region.

Distance: 117 Km

• Keylong to Jispa: A short 23-kilometer drive from Keylong will take you to Jispa, another charming settlement along the route. Jispa is known for its scenic beauty and is often chosen as a pit stop for travelers.

Distance: 23 Km

• Jispa to Baralacha La (50 kilometers): As you leave Jispa, you’ll head towards Baralacha La, covering about 50 kilometers. Baralacha La is a high mountain pass situated at an elevation of 16,040 feet, offering breathtaking views of snow-clad peaks and vast meadows. It’s a crucial junction connecting roads to Leh, Manali, and Ladakh.

Distance: 50 Km

• Baralacha La to Sarchu: After Baralacha La, the route takes you to Sarchu, covering approximately 42 kilometers. Sarchu, at an altitude of 14,070 feet, is a popular overnight stop for travelers. The barren landscapes here are starkly beautiful.

Distance: 42 Km

• Sarchu to Pang: The next leg of the journey takes you from Sarchu to Pang, a distance of about 80 kilometers. Pang is known for its mesmerizing landscapes, and travelers often camp at the famous Pang Ground under the starry skies.

Distance: 80 Km

• Pang to Tanglang La: Leaving Pang behind, you’ll ascend towards Tanglang La, covering around 84 kilometers. Tanglang La is one of the highest motorable passes in the world, situated at an altitude of 17,582 feet.

Distance: 84 Km

• Tanglang La to Upshi: From Tanglang La, you’ll descend towards Upshi, covering approximately 77 kilometers. Upshi is a small town in Ladakh, offering a change of scenery and a taste of local culture.

Distance: 77 Km

• Upshi to Leh: The final leg of your journey takes you from Upshi to Leh, covering a distance of about 46 kilometers. Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is your ultimate destination, known for its unique blend of Tibetan and Indian cultures.

Distance: 46 Km

Permits And Additional Information

For the Manali to Leh road trip, permits are necessary, and they can vary depending on whether you have a local vehicle (Indian) or an outside vehicle (foreign). Whether you are planning your Manali to Leh road trip by car or bike these are important points to consider regarding the permits.

Permits Required for Local Vehicles (Indian):

• Rohtang Pass Permit: All local vehicles traveling beyond Manali towards Rohtang Pass need this permit, which is obtainable online or in person at the SDM Office in Manali. This permit is required for both Indian and foreign vehicles.
• Inner Line Permit (ILP): Indian tourists must obtain an ILP to enter restricted areas in Ladakh, including Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley, and Tso Moriri. You can get ILPs online or in person at the Leh DC Office.
• Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Permit: If you plan to visit the Dah-Hanu area in Ladakh, you’ll need this permit. It’s available in Leh and is required for both Indian and foreign vehicles.

Permits Required for Outside Vehicles (Foreign):

• Protected Area Permit (PAP): Foreign nationals traveling to restricted areas in Ladakh, such as Pangong Lake, Nubra Valley, and Tso Moriri, must obtain a PAP. You can apply for PAPs through registered tour operators or travel agencies in Leh. This permit is for foreign vehicles.

Additional Tips:

Some specific monasteries, villages, or military-sensitive areas might require extra permits. Always check with local authorities or tour operators for the latest permit requirements to ensure a smooth and hassle-free Manali to Leh road trip.

5 Must-Visit Places To Visit On Your Manali To Leh Road Trip

These five destinations are just a glimpse of the wonders you’ll encounter on your Manali to Leh road trip. The entire journey is filled with breathtaking landscapes, high mountain passes, and unique cultural experiences, making it a truly unforgettable adventure. Read further to know places you cannot miss out on your next trip.

1. Rohtang Pass

Rohtang Pass, situated at an impressive altitude of 13,050 feet, serves as the exhilarating threshold to your Manali to Leh road expedition. This high mountain pass, nestled within the majestic Pir Panjal range, beckons travelers with panoramic vistas of snow-capped peaks, pristine meadows, and invigorating mountain air. A visit to Rohtang Pass is akin to stepping into an enchanting winter wonderland, creating an indelible memory and marking the commencement of your journey through the Himalayan marvels. It’s an excellent spot for photography and to get a taste of the Himalayan beauty.

Must Read: 51 Places To Visit In Leh Ladakh For A Spell Binding Vacation

2. Pangong Lake

Pangong Lake, situated at a breathtaking altitude of 14,270 feet in the highlands of Ladakh, is a mesmerizing jewel amidst the stark Himalayan landscape. Known for its ethereal shades of blue that change with the sunlight, the lake stretches across the border into Tibet, China. The lake gained fame after featuring in the movie “3 Idiots,” and it remains a top attraction on the Manali to Leh road trip, offering unforgettable moments of tranquility and natural beauty.

3. Nubra Valley

Known as the “Valley of Flowers of Ladakh,” Nubra Valley is a surreal landscape with lush greenery contrasting against the arid mountains. This remote valley, flanked by rugged mountains, is a striking contrast to arid desert landscapes and vibrant green oases, thanks to the nourishing waters of the Shyok River. One of the highlights of Nubra Valley is the opportunity to ride the famous double-humped Bactrian camels on the Hunder Sand Dunes.

Suggested Read: 40 Best Things To Do In Ladakh That You Can’t Afford To Miss

Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is a captivating destination that seamlessly blends Tibetan and Indian cultures. Perched at a high altitude of approximately 11,562 feet, Leh is a treasure trove of ancient monasteries, stunning landscapes, and a vibrant local culture. Visitors can explore the historic Leh Palace, which offers panoramic views of the town and surrounding mountains, and visit renowned monasteries like Thiksey and Hemis. The bustling markets of Leh provide an opportunity to savor local cuisine, shop for traditional handicrafts, and engage with the warm-hearted locals.

5. Tso Moriri Lake

Tso Moriri Lake, nestled in the remote corners of Ladakh at an altitude of around 15,075 feet, is a hidden gem for those seeking untouched natural beauty. This pristine lake, surrounded by rugged mountains, boasts crystal-clear waters that mirror the azure skies and snowy peaks. Tso Moriri offers a tranquil escape from the crowds, making it perfect for birdwatching, capturing stunning photographs, and experiencing serenity amidst the Himalayan wilderness. While visiting, you’ll also have a chance to witness the nomadic Changpa tribes making it a memorable experience.

Suggested Read: 8 Tourist Circuits Of Ladakh To Cover The Best

Travel Tips For Your Next Manali To Leh Road Trip

1. Ensure your vehicle is in top-notch condition and equipped for the journey. 2. Pack warm clothing, camping gear, and an adequate supply of food and water. 3. Take time to acclimatize at higher altitudes to prevent altitude sickness. 4. Stay updated on road conditions and weather forecasts. 5. Respect local customs and the environment by practicing eco-friendly travel. 6. Do not over-exert yourself and take proper rests in between for acclimatization. 7. Avoid consuming alcohol or smoking.

Further Read: Ladakh Travel Tips To Bear In Mind While Traveling To The Himalayan Desert

As you traverse the winding roads that lead from Manali to Leh, you’ll find yourself in awe of the ever-changing landscapes, the indomitable spirit of the mountains, and the raw beauty of the Himalayas. So, gear up, pack your sense of adventure, and embark on a trip to Leh Ladakh and embark on a memorable adventure on your Manali to Leh road trip.

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Cover Image Source: Shutterstock

Frequently Asked Questions About Manali To Leh Road Trip

How long is the road trip from Leh to Manali?

The road trip from Leh to Manali typically takes around 2 to 3 days, covering a distance of approximately 479 kilometers via the Manali-Leh Highway

How to plan a road trip from Manali to Leh?

To plan a road trip from Manali to Leh, start by checking the road conditions and weather forecasts. Ensure your vehicle is in good condition, acquire necessary permits, pack essentials like warm clothing, and plan your overnight stops at places like Keylong and Pang.

Which is the best time for a road trip from Manali to Leh?

The best time for a road trip from Manali to Leh is from late May to early September when the roads are open, and the weather is relatively stable.

What are the five passes between Manali and Leh?

The five passes between Manali and Leh are Rohtang Pass, Baralacha La, Nakee La, Lachulung La, and Tanglang La.

Which pass is before Pangong Lake?

The pass before Pangong Lake is Chang La, a high mountain pass located at an altitude of around 17,590 feet (5,360 meters).

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Manali to Leh Ladakh

When it comes to road trip the first thing that strikes your mind is the most celebrated Manali to Leh  highway road trip. Riding through the criss-cross terrain on your beast is something which will be captured in your heart forever. This time while you are on your road trip, get a chance to explore the incandescent beauty of the region. With the snow-capped mountains, distant valleys and the cool mountain breeze make it all more exciting. As you continue your ride through the rugged terrain you will come across some of the most well-known passes of Ladakh . Marvel at the sight of the amazing beauty of this region while you hit the roads on this adventurous road trip on your Ladakh tours

Best Time for Manali to Ladakh Trip:

June to September is the best time to travel to Leh Ladakh via this route. If travelling by road, a person will take at least 2 days with adequate stops for rest.

Manali to Leh Distance:

Manali to leh road map:, manali leh highway status:.

If the reports from BRO are to be believed, then the Manali-Leh Highway, which is a mountain highway of high significance may just open almost 2 months earlier than expected, a feat to be repeated almost after 17 years. This is because of the width of the layer of snow that usually covers the roads that go from the Rohtang Pass to the Baralacha La, covering areas like Keylong.

The usually 20 to 30ft of snow has only been about 5ft this year, meaning it won’t take as long to clear the way and open the gates of Rohtang into Lahaul Valley and till the city of Leh till the end of April. It is noteworthy that the last time this happened was in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. The BRO usually starts cleaning the ice in March, with the operations ending in May and gates opened for public by the end of May or beginning of June.

Mode of Transportation:

Quick navigation.

Places to Visit During Manali Leh Road Trip

Top Experiences To Do in Manali

Rohtang Pass

On the Manali to Leh road trip, get spectacular and panoramic views from the Rohtang Pass. Located 51km from Manali, at an altitude of 3900m, it is a route that leads to places such as Pangi, Lahaul Spiti and Leh. You get views of beautiful snow-capped peaks and glaciers from here. It is in this vicinity that the Chandra River flows too.

Just before getting to Rohtang Pass there is a Snow Point. You can enjoy yourself playing in the snow at this place. Open between June and October you can enjoy sledge rides and skiing during this time. 

Also, check out best resorts to stay in Manali

Whether you want to enjoy scenic walks through laid-back villages or enjoy grand mountain views, Keylong is the place to be. Alongside this place is the resplendent Bhaga Valley with its riches of greenery. Being the capital city of Lahaul, Keylong is a popular stop while going to Manali to Ladakh among the tourists and trekkers for an overnight stay.

More than this, it is adored as an oasis of greenery that has all the reasons to amaze the visitors. On a visit to Keylong, you can also visit monasteries such as Shasur and Gemur. Checkout & Book:   Ladakh Tour Packages

A scenic and picturesque stretch of land, Jispa is located beside the Chandra River. Journey to this hamlet is one of the fascinating trails of the Manali – Leh tour. Decorated naturally by streams, scenic peaks, picturesque valleys and lush greeneries, it gets the visitors close to the Mother Nature.

Due to its location; around 10,000ft above the sea level, it offers panoramic views of the surrounding like no other regions. A perfect setting for an overnight stay, there are numerous camping destinations in this village. While in this settlement, the different marvels of the nature will surely keep you spellbound.  Click here to Book:   Leh Ladakh Bike Tour

Visit a picturesque Himalayan village called Darcha located beside the Bhaga River. From Keylong this place is around 23km. There is a huge camping ground available at Darcha which is commonly used as a camping ground by the tourists while going from Manali to Ladakh.

Among all the enthralling treks in Leh Ladakh region , the Darcha-Padum trek is the most popular. If you have enough time during your Manali-Leh tour, you can plan this 9-10 days trek and experience a world never seen or imagined before. Checkout & Book:   Leh Ladakh Bike Rentals

Zingzing Bar

A peace-over joint located on the way to Ladakh; between Jispa and Sarchu, Zingzing Bar is one of the highest roadside bars in the world. Well, don’t go by its name! More than bar, it is a resting ground of the army cadets and the exhausted travellers. None of the Manali to Leh road trips can get complete without a visit to this bar.

This place has an ambience that is almost on the verge of meditative bliss. You can simply sit and sip your tea and be at peace with yourself. The charisma of this place is such that, within a very few moments, you can feel all the peace descending on you.

We have the guide of Srinagar to Leh  road trip. Don't forget to check it out before you make a plan.

Baralacha La

Located on the Manali – Leh highway and surrounded by the Himalayan range is a beautiful region called Sarchu. Locally known as ‘Sir Bhum Chum’, it is a perfect destination for camping and overnight stay, you can enjoy a night’s sleep amidst a treasure trove of scenery. There are various camps in Sarchu where you can stay and enjoy. 

At an altitude of 14300 feet, expect the winds to be cooler than usual, but refreshing nevertheless! You are encompassed by picture-perfect scenic quotients. The sight of the majestic mountains overlooking you from a distance is equally thrilling; the experience is inexplicable and surreal. Also Checkout & Book:   Ladakh Honeymoon trip from Delhi

Not many people know of this place except for those who have been on the road from Manali –Leh. Anyone who has been to Gata Loops would describe it as a stunning region nestled in the Western Himalayas. Getting to this place and getting out of it is as thrilling as well and it is one of the amazing places to go while traveling from Manali to Ladakh.

There are about twenty one winding curves along the road from Gata Loops. Adding to the adventurous sojourn, is its high altitude. Once you get here, you do feel like being at 17,000 feet above sea level, given the crispness of the winds and diffused sunlight. As you travel along the hairpin bends and curves, feel the adrenaline rush of being challenged by the terrain. Click here to Book:   Leh Ladakh Bike Trip from Delhi

Lachulung La

Located on the Leh-Manali route, this is a mountain pass at about 16,000 feet above sea level. From here you get undulating views of the scenery beyond. You can  see the entire Ladakh  plateau in some sweeping glance of your eyes. Located 54 km from Sarchu, this mountain pass is considered a relatively easy route to traverse.

There is a Nala that passes through this place and simply moving alongside can accomplish your task of crossing this pass. After crossing Lachulung La, the landscape changes where the road meanders through a canyon. Checkout & Book:   Premium 6 Days Leh Ladakh Tour Read More:  Things To Do In Paris At Night

This is the place where the highest army transit camp exists. Traditionally a stop for the armed forces, Pang is now a stop for tourists as well. The scenery of this place is breathtakingly different.

The high altitude of this place combined by beautiful surrounding scenery makes Pang a perfect place to take a break whilst on the tour. Being a remote region, one is assured to enjoy the vistas of naturalistic delights. We have the guide of Delhi to Leh Ladakh . Don't forget to check it out before you make a plan.

Tanglang La

One of the highest mountain passes in the Leh Ladakh region, the Tanglang La pass is like a jewel in the crown on the Manali – Leh stretch. Claimed to be the second highest motorable mountain pass on the planet, your ascent from here is unceasingly upwards. It is like driving towards the clouds given that they are so close as well.

Along the way, the snow-clad mountains will mesmerize you for sure. During the journey through this high-altitude place, you can witness the Tso Kar Lake behind the gigantic mountains. A Detailed Travel Guide for  Mumbai to Ladakh Also Checkout and Book:  Sentosa Skyline Luge Tickets

Located along the Indus River and 45 km southeast of Leh, is a quaint and picturesque village called Upshi. Towards the east of this region is an ancient trading route that is connected to Tibet. There is also a helipad on this route that is used by helicopter-borne tourists and the armed forces.

As the main economic activity around this region is goat farming, you can witness the goat farmers and their livestock in abundance all through the way. Tiny villages cocooned within the region adds to the pristine and surreal beauty of Upshi. Nothing short of bliss, living and staying in this paradisiacal village is indeed a privilege! Checkout & Book:   Leh Ladakh Packages For Couple

Top Experiences To Do in Leh

Must Visit Places in Ladakh

Khardung la.

Shanti Stupa

Nubra Valley

Top Experiences To Do in Nubra Valley

Pangong Lake

Despite being the fact that it is completely frozen during winter, Pangong Lake or Pangong Tso, 135 KM in length steals any beholder’s heart undoubtedly. Stretching across an area of 604 sq.km, majority of the lake lies in China but Indians who visit the Himalayan ranges never miss out the opportunity to visit Pangong Lake. It is a separate land locked river basin with saline water in it and geography says that it contains no fish and microorganisms. 

But the visitors of the lake spotted different types of ducks and some other birds and it proves that the lake has been acting as the laying bed for breeding for many avifauna. Hushed by the mighty Himalayan ranges so well, the lake appears as an unforgettable image forever. Also Explore:  Places To Visit In Sydney

Top Experiences To Do in Pangong Lake

Tso Moriri Lake

Changthang Range in the Himalayas proudly possesses a valuable yet enticing attraction called Tso Moriri Lake, one of the calm and sacred high altitude lakes in Ladakh . Being complimented as a beholder’s paradise, Tso Moriri is the largest high altitude lake in India, flanked by the lofty mountains in its surrounding, bearing 29 KM length and 8 KM width. Camping is also done around the Tso Moriri .

The lake is considered to be a preserved wetland by the Government now as it lays bed for many birds to breed over here. Apart from that, the lake remains harsh during winter but all the other times it boasts of its splendid beauty and extends a romantic feel everywhere around. From Leh, there is a direct route to reach the lake that can consume around 6-7 hours easily, but depending on your travel itinerary. Checkout & Book:  Ladakh Packages from Mumbai Get Great Deals On  Setas De Sevilla Tickets

Magnetic Hill

Top Experiences To Do in Magnetic Hill

Royal Leh Palace

Lamayuru Monastery

Alchi Monastery

Shey Monastery

Hemis National Park

Namgyal Monastery

Spituk Gompa

Sangam Point

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib

The Hall of Fame

Thiksey Monastery

Diskit Monastery

Hemis Monastery

Things to Know during Manali to Leh Trip

Petrol pumps on manali – leh highway.

While in Manali, you can find abundance of petrol pumps. This hill station town has a total of 6 petrol pumps.

Moving 110 km from Manali, you can find a petrol pump in Tandi.

Distance from Manali to Tandi:  110 Kms

345 km from Tandi and 30km before Leh, you can also refuel your vehicles in Karu.

Distance from Tandi to Karu:  345kms

Arriving in Leh, one can also find quite a few petrol pumps. In addition to the few petrol pumps in Leh, you can refuel your vehicles at the petrol pump near the Leh Airport (25 km from Leh).

Distance from Karu to Leh:  30kms

Note:  Petrol is also available in the road side grocery stores between Manali Leh highway. However, the quality of the fuel cannot be guaranteed. Must Checkout & Book:   Ladakh Tour From Ahmedabad

ATMs on Manali-Leh Highway

It is strictly recommended that while going on Leh Manali highway you should carry sufficient amount of cash, as you can find the scarcity of ATMs after leaving Leh/Manali. Though there are too many ATMs in Manali, giving you sufficient opportunities to withdraw cash, after Manali, there is only one ATM you will find in Keylong, which is on the way to Leh. 

However, it is not mandatory that the ATM in Keylong will be in working condition. Aftermath, you will directly find ATMs in Leh, which will be limited in number. 

Only the SBI, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, HDFC, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank have their ATMs in Leh. 

Hence, make sure you have sufficient cash for the trip from the beginning only. Also, except a few antique shops, the majority of restaurants and hotels do not accept the credit or debit cards, please carry enough cash with you on your trip. Book Now:   Ladakh Tour Packages From Chennai

Mechanics on Manali-Leh Highway

Mobile Phones and STD Booths

The only service providers in the valley of Leh are the BSNL and Airtel. Hence, the people who have the post-paid connections from these operators can enjoy a hassle-free connectivity during their visit to Leh. On the other hand, if you do not have the post-paid connection from the aforementioned service providers, there are only two options for you: First, either buy a prepaid connection from the mentioned service providers or just use the overcrowded phone booths located in the Leh city.

As the city of Ladakh has a considerable amount of Army, the phone booths in the city are almost always crowded and you can find a lot of soldiers waiting in line to talk to their loved ones, especially in the booths located near the main market or the main road of Leh.

However, if you want to buy the prepaid sim from BSNL or Airtel, it is one of the toughest tasks for the Indian nationals. As the Indian Govt. considers the regions of Leh-Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir as sensitive areas, getting a SIM card is a daunting process for Indians.

Hence, it is recommended that you do not apply for the SIM cards until you are planning to stay for long in the city. On the other hand, the foreign nationals can easily get the prepaid connections and the process is pretty straightforward. They only have to submit photocopies of passport and two passports sized photographs while submitting the application for the SIM cards.  Also Checkout:  Leh Ladakh Tour Packages From Nagpur

Places for Night Stopover:

Located 117 km away from Manali, Keylong is the first place to take a break for the night while on the Manali to Leh bike trip. Listed below are some of the best hotels that go easy on the visitor’s pockets:

• Hotel Dekyid,
• Hotel New Gyespa,
• Hotel Tashi Delek,
• HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga,
• Valley View Hotel

Distance between Manali to Keylong:  117 Kms

• Himalayan Saga Camps
• Goldrop Camps
• Planet Himalaya Camps
• Antrek Camps
• Blue Poppy Camps

Distance between Manali to Sarchu:  223 Km

Located 357km from Keylong and 250km from Sarchu, upon your arrival in Leh, you can relax around a number of hotels that are solely meant for the tourists. Most of these hotels are located within the easy reach from the main town. Some of the places to stay in Leh:

• Ladakh Sarai
• Hotel Nalanda Ladakh
• The Grand Dragon Ladakh
• Ladakh Residency

Distance Between Keylong to Leh:  357 Kms

Distance between Sarchu to Leh:  250 Kms

For the bike ride, you can take a bike on rent in Manali and head on to this adventurous & scenic ride.

Safety Tips and Guidelines:

Leh-Ladakh is not yet another normal tourist destination to go for. As the majority of the tourist destinations in Ladakh are located above 10,000 feet, it is important that you get acclimatized to the location before you continue your journey and follow some of the important safety tips and guidelines for Ladakh trip. So, here are some of the tips and guidelines for your safety for the trip.

 - Under any circumstances, do not consume any kind of anti-depressant drugs, alcohol, smoking and tobacco, because, being at the higher altitudes, you will face respiratory troubles.

- Do not over-exert and avoid any kind of physical activity, which can give unnecessary exertion to your body.

- Avoid sleeping at the higher altitudes. It is recommended that after spending a day at the higher altitudes, you move back down to the lower ones in the evening and spend overnight.

- Keep yourself hydrated throughout the trip. Consume lots of ORS water or other types of fluid, which can be soup, milk, tea, fruit juices etc. However, do not be over hydrated too, as it can cause you to vomit or can develop cerebral edema like weakness, confusion, hyponatremia or even coma.

- Have a diet rich in carbohydrates, because you need calories on higher altitudes and food rich in carbohydrates have around 70 percent of calories in them.

- Please carry a sufficient amount of AMS preventive medication, though it is recommended that you do consult with your doctor before doing so, as different medications may have different side effects. Must Checkout & Book:   Leh Ladakh Tour Packages From Hyderabad

Rules for Inner Line Permits

For Indian Nationals:

- From 2014 onwards, the Indian nationals would no longer require any kind of inner line permits to visit Ladakh . This is applicable to visit areas like Turtuk, Panamik, Khaltse, Pangong, Changthang, Hunder, Nubra Valley Tso Kar and Tso Moriri and few others.

- Indian nationals must carry their nationality proof (ID proof) such as: Driving Licence, Voter ID, Passport and other similar.

- Whenever enquired, the visitors should produce their ID proofs at the check points.

- For the bikers, while crosiing regions like Hanle, Chusul, Tsaga, beyond Loma bend, Chumur, Marsimik La and Batalik Sector, inner line permits are a must.

For Foreign Nationals:

- To visit areas like Turtuk, Panamik, Khaltse, Pangong, Changthang, Hunder, Tso Kar and Tso Moriri and few others, the foreign nationals must obtain the inner line permits.

- Also, to visit Hanle, Chusul, Tsaga, beyond Loma bend, Chumur, Marsimik La and Batalik Sector, the foreign nationals must have the inner line permits.

- These permits are usually valid for 3 weeks and can be easily obtained with the help of the local tour operators from Leh DC Office.

- Foreign nationals, with exception from Bhutan, Burma, Nepal and Pakistan, also need to obtain PAP or the Protected Area Permit to visit the above mentioned places. This permit is issued at the Leh DC Office and is allowed only to a group of four or more foreign nationals and is valid for 7 days.

- While travelling Suru and Zanskar valleys, inner line permits are not required. However, this permit doesn't allow them to beyond Merek Village in the Mahe or Pangong village.

Information about AMS

Documents to Carry

For the Indian nationals, it is mandatory to carry at least one ID proof, which can be the Aadhar Card, Voter ID, PAN Card, and Indian Passport, as you will be required to present it in some of the restricted places in the Leh region. Also, carry the attested copies of your ID proofs, in case you need to submit the same for inline permits for the restricted areas.

For Foreign nationals, it is mandatory that they carry a copy of their passport and visa, along with the original ones. 

Manali to Leh Bus

Leh is approximately 500 km from Manali and there are plenty of buses between Manali and Leh, operated by the JKSRTC and HPTDC. 

The one-way ticket of Manali Leh highway bus trip will cost you around Rs. 2500 per person, with an overnight stay in Keylong. Also, these services are only operational from July 1st to September 15th every year. 

Things to Carry on Manali to Leh Road Trip

lSome of the most important things that you must carry on your trip to Leh-Ladakh must be and spacially when you are on adventures motorbike tour on this route:-

 - As the temperature varies and becomes freezing cold after reaching Leh, it is recommended that you carry a good number of woollen clothes including jackets, gloves, sweaters, etc.

- Take a good pair of shoes because the terrain is rough, and hence, you would need a good grip while walking.

- As you will be gaining the altitude during the trip, there are fair chances that you may get the altitude sickness. Hence, carry the recommended medicines and first-aid kit along with insulin, inhalers etc., which can be helpful in emergencies.

- During your Manali to Leh Bike trip , also carry sufficient amount of clean drinking water, energy foods and drinks as there will be very less food stalls and restaurants on the way till Leh and keep yourself hydrated.

- A few other things you must carry during your trip to Leh are torch light with extra set of cells and bulbs, hiking gears, power banks for storing electricity charge for your phones and cameras, sunglasses, caps etc. It is advised that you carry at least four to five power banks because of the shortage of electricity in the hilly areas. 

Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip Packages

Manali leh srinagar car trip with tsomoriri and hanle.

About the Tour:  

Explore the beautiful valleys of Himachal, along with the adventurous routes of Ladakh and the delightful lakes of Srinagar. This circuit features some of the world’s highest motorable passes with the spectacular beauty of snow-capped mountains, Lakes, rivers on their side while covering these breathtaking destinations, Solang valley, Gata Loops, Hanle, Tso Mori Ri, Zojila pass, Kargil, Magnetic hill, Confluence of Indus And Zanskar River, Dal lake and much more waiting on the way!

Admired for its unparalleled scenic views, pristine icy lakes, and swirling roads, This circuit is becoming the most Instagrammable place in India and is on everyone’s bucket list, it offers you a stay amidst the beautiful valley of mountains and a starlit sky in the night.

Quick info:

Route: Manali-Jispa-Sarchu-Tsomoriri-Hanle-Pangong Tso-Nubra Valley-Leh-Kargil-Sonamarg-Srinagar.

Duration: 11 Days & 10 Night 

Start point:  Manali

Endpoint: Srinagar

Passes covered: Khardung-la (18,000 ft), Rohtang Pass (16,051 ft), Lachung La(16,600 ft), Baralacha la ( 16,000 ft), and Zojila pass (11,500 ft)

Leh Ladakh Bike Trip | FREE Excursion to Chang-la Pass

About the tour :

Get ready to make your dream of riding in Ladakh come true in the action-packed bike trip where one would be experiencing the fusion of thrill, serene beauty, and culture of the "Land of High Passes". The tour offers you a stay amidst a beautiful valley of mountains and a starlit sky at night. The unique thing about the Ladakh terrain is that it has mountains, forests, deserts, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls in one beautiful and dynamic geography.

Quick Info :

• Route: Leh - Sham Valley - Khardungla - Nubra Valley - Pangong - Chang La - Leh
• Duration: 6 Days and 5 Nights
• Start Point: Leh Airport
• Endpoint: Leh Airport

Manali to Ladakh Bike Trip from Delhi | Book Now & Get 3000 Cashback

Quick Facts:

Temperature:  Day: 8°C to 15°C and Night: -5°C to 3°C

Maximum Altitude:  5,328 m (17,480 ft) at the Taglang La mountain pass.

Difficulty Level: Moderate 

Railway Station: Nearest is the Jammu Tawi Railway Station (700 km)

Airport: Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh

ATM: On a bike tour to Leh Ladakh through the Manali to Leh route, you will find only one ATM at Keylong, but later there are several ATMs at Leh. Stay during your Manali to Leh Bike Trip Accommodation on double (for couples) and triple (for others) sharing basis in Guesthouse/hotel/Camp Meals during your Manali to Leh Bike Trip: Day 2: Dinner Day 3- Day 11: Breakfast Mode of transport during your Manali to Leh Bike Trip: AC Semi sleeper tickets from Delhi to Manali and return (depending on the variant selected) The bikes are provided with fuel from day 2 to day 11  350cc Royal Enfield motorbike for Single riders  500cc Royal Enfield for Double riders

Variants of the package

Cost without Bike & Fuel: INR 35300/- per person Double Rider RE 500cc with Fuel & Helmets: INR 42300/- per person  Single Rider RE 500cc with Fuel & Helmets: INR 48900/- per person

Manali Leh Srinagar Bike Adventure

About the Tour :  

Get ready to make your dream of riding in Ladakh come true in the action-packed bike trip where one would be experiencing the fusion of thrill, serene beauty and culture of the "Land of High Passes", as the entire tour is exclusively elected by Thrillophilia's outdoor experts. This circuit features some of the world’s highest motorable passes with the spectacular beauty of snow-capped mountains, Lakes, rivers on their side while covering these breathtaking destinations, Solang valley, Gata Loops, Zojila pass, Kargil, Magnetic hill, Confluence of Indus, And Zanskar river, Dal lake and much more waiting on the way!

Quick Info:

Route: Delhi - Manali - Jispa - Sarchu - Leh - Nubra via Khardung La Pass - Pangong Lake - Leh - Lamayuru - Kargil - Zojila Pass - Sonamarg - Srinagar.

Duration: 12 Days & 11 Night 

Start Point: Delhi

Passes Covered: Khardung-la (18,000 ft), Chang-la (17,688 ft), Rohtang Pass (16,051 ft), Lachung La(16,600 ft), and Baralacha la ( 16,000 ft)

Wonders of Ladakh | FREE Inner Line Permits

Get ready for the most adventurous drive-through of your life. This tour lets you explore both the beauty of Manali and the thrills of Ladakh, and going through the cultural side of Leh makes the tour even more interesting. The unlimited fun activities in Manali, driving through the hairpin bends of the route, and exploring the heart of Ladakh; are the experiences that make this tour full of crazy and unique experiences.

Route: Delhi - Manali - Jispa - Sarchu - Leh - Nubra via Khardung La Pass - Pangong Lake - Leh

Duration: 10 Days & 9 Night 

Endpoint: Leh

Leh Ladakh to Manali Bike Trip Package 2023 | Flat @ 15% off

Price Variants

Cost with Own Bike: INR 27950 per person Double Rider(2 people sharing 1 bike): INR 34300 per person Single Rider(1 person on 1 bike): INR 41300 per person Group Size-  18 to 20 Participants/ 10 Bikes | Open for Solo or Groups About the Destination The land of high passes, Ladakh is a true beauty and a gift of nature to the already beautiful land of Kashmir in India. Known for being the land of adventures and mysteries, Ladakh has a lot of tricks up its sleeve and reveals them all to its visitors in due time. Home to Ladakhi culture and people, surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountain ranges of the world, and gifted with stunning landscapes like the Dunes of Hundar and Pangong Lake, Ladakh will beckon to you to visit again when you leave. So might as well listen to it About the Trip

• A bike trip through the Ladakh is almost every Indian's dream trip
• Bike trip of Ladakh is not only an Indian but is also an international favorite because of the many high mountain passes here
• Experience the culture of Ladakh and the lifestyle in these harsh conditions of living
• Ride on one of the highest motorable passes in the world, the famous Khardung La
• Visit the grand Pangong Tso Lake, which will easily take your breath away
• Also, visit the Diskit Monastery
• These 10 days will be the forever favorite of your life

Manali to Leh Jeep Expedition with Tso Moriri Lake

Fixed departure dates:  Multiple dates open to Join a Group departure in June, July, August and September and can be customized on request for separate group also.

About the Activity: 

• From the pleasantly hospitable town of Manali, the Manali to Leh Jeep expedition takes you on a roller coaster drive through distinct geographies portraying diverse geographies. From hill town to high altitude arid desert, this safari is one mega experience.
• The Manali to Leh by road traverses over five high altitude Himalayan passes such as Rohtang (3,978m), Keylong (3,350m), and Tanglang La (17,585ft) showcasing an ever changing dynamic landscape that alters from barren lands to lush green pastures. With our Ladakh tour packages, you can head out for an amazing vacation with your gang.
• Tsomoriri Lake is the one attraction that demands all your attention during this jeep ride which is now Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve. It is the largest of the high altitude lakes entirely within India at an altitude of 4522 meters.
• Interact with the amazing landscapes beautified by the natural formations throughout the journey. You will come across the undeniable beauties of Khardung La Pass, Pangong Lake, Deskit, Hundar, the confluence of Zanskar and Indus Rivers, Nubra Valley etc. which all are covered in this Ladakh tour packages.
• These places have been occupied by multitudinous mountains, valleys, small streams, rock formations, monasteries, gompas and what not.
• By the end of the journey multi-hued prayer flags, Tibetian chortens, and friendly locals would be etched in your memories for a very long time to come.
• Number of PAX       Standard               Deluxe                 Super Deluxe
• Min 02 pax               Rs. 37470            Rs. 38090                Rs. 39660
• Min 03 Pax               Rs. 28530            Rs. 29260                Rs. 30620
• Min 04 pax               Rs. 24950             Rs. 25280                Rs. 27140
• Min 05 Pax               Rs. 22090             Rs. 22780                Rs. 24220
• Min 06 Pax               Rs. 20780              Rs. 21400                Rs. 22970
• Min 07 Pax               Rs. 22540             Rs. 23220                 Rs. 24700
• Min 08 Pax                Rs. 21500            Rs. 22130                  Rs. 23700
• Min 09 Pax                Rs. 20300            Rs. 20960                  Rs. 22460
• Min 10 Pax                Rs. 19690             Rs. 20320                  Rs. 21880
• Min 11 Pax                 Rs. 18870             Rs. 19520                 Rs. 21040
• Min 12 Pax                  Rs. 18480            Rs. 19100                 Rs. 20670
• Extra Bed Child            Rs. 8800             Rs. 9800                    Rs. 10700

Leh Ladakh Expedition

The unique thing about the Ladakh terrain is that it has mountains, forests, deserts, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls in a beautiful and dynamic geography. On a journey to the top of the world, Leh-Ladakh features most of the world’s highest motorable passes and the spectacular beauty of snow-capped mountains. Admired for its unparalleled scenic views, pristine icy lakes, and swirling roads, Ladakh is becoming the most Instagrammed place in India and is on everyone’s bucket list. It offers you a stay amidst a beautiful valley of mountains and a starlit sky at night.

• Route: Leh - Sham valley - Khardungla - Nubra Valley - Pangong - Chang la - Leh

Manali To Leh Cycling Tour

About the Destination:

Ladakh is the emergent favorite of travelers, not just from India, but from the entire world. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains on all sides, the beauty of this place is unparalleled, and you will agree to that as soon as you set foot here. And despite being so far off and on the rain shadow side of the Himalayas, Ladakh is very well connected, especially the capital city of Leh. Apart from the main airport in the capital, you can arrive in Ladakh via road too, with highways coming in from Srinagar and from Manali, the latter being one of the most beautiful highways in the country.

And this is another reason why Ladakh is a favorite of adventure junkies. You can ride a bike till here, or can even cycle up to this beautiful land of Leh, some 11,400ft above sea level.

Quick info about Manali To Leh Cycling Tour :

Route: Manali - Marhi - Sissu - Jispa - Patseo - Sarchu - Pang - Tsokar - Rumptse - Leh - Khardung-La - Leh

Duration: 13 Days & 12 Night 

Start point: Manali

Passes Covered: Rohtang La (3879m), Baralacha La (4892 m), Nakli La (4800m), Lachalung La (5100m), Tanglang La (5350 m), and Khardung La (5602 m)

Manali to Leh Jeep Safari

From the pleasantly hospitable town of Manali, the Manali to Leh Jeep expedition  takes you on a roller coaster drive through distinct geographies portraying diverse geographies. From hill town to high altitude arid desert, this safari is one mega experience.

The Manali to Leh by road traverses over five high altitude Himalayan passes such as Rohtang (3,978m), Keylong (3,350m), and Tanglang La (17,585ft) showcasing an ever changing dynamic landscape that alters from barren lands to lush green pastures. A drive through Skyangchu Thang, the biggest and highest plateau on earth on a stretch of 42kms leaves you breathless. For you to capture moments like these, the safari also includes a brief photography workshop to help arrest high altitude frames with more panache.

By the end of the journey multi-hued prayer flags, Tibetian chortens, and friendly locals would be etched in your memories for a very long time to come.   

Leh Sightseeing Tour with Stay at Pangong

About the Activity:

• Make your vacation a special one with this exciting 7 days 6 nights sightseeing tour in Ladakh.
• Ladakh, a muse for writers, a haven for bikers and a perfect getaway for the experience loving travellers! 
• Experience one of the best Ladakh tour packages while you're cuddled in the laps of the mighty Himalayan and Karakorum ranges, it is a destination that is beautified by contrasts!
• During the course of this tour, you will get to explore Sangam, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, Nubra valley, Leh and Pangong Tso lake. 
• Explore the amazing beauty of the region with the valleys and the serene surroundings.
• Experience the joy of riding in a double hunk camel in the Nubra valley and enjoy the beauty of the Pangong Tso lake as it slowly changes its colour.
• This Ladakh tour package boasting this destination is deservedly among the gorgeous natural spectacles in the world!
• Conclude your tour after getting transferred to the airport and head back home with wonderful memories from this Ladakh trip.

Duration of the Tour:  7D/6N

Highest Altitude: Khardung La Pass (18,380 feet)

Group Size: 6 PAX

Tour Type: Group Departure

Best of Leh

8 Day Ladakh Sightseeing Tour with Stay at Tso Moriri

• The trip begins with your arrival at Leh airport
• You will be visiting the local sights of the city as well as the attractions of the Sham Valley
• The highlights there are the mysterious Magnetic hill and the beautiful confluence of the rivers Zanskar and Indus
• The trip also takes you to the famous Nubra valley and the famous Pangong Tso Lake which are the most admired places among the people opting for Ladakh Tour Packages.
• From Pangong, you will be driving to the Tso Moriri, which is a beautiful Lake and a breeding ground for many migratory birds
• You will also be staying in camps at various locations, the best part about which is the unending views of stars and galaxies in the clear nights
• Enjoy this tour of 8 days and cherish it forever

Women Only Sightseeing Group Tour of Ladakh

Call our destination expert to book: 8619833383 

The crown of India is beautified by Ladakh, the land of high passes, situated in the picturesque state of Jammu and Kashmir. Regarded as an exotic tourist destination, it is a land filled with breath-taking natural beauty and mystique.

From majestic mountain passes and tranquil monasteries to magical lakes, Ladakh trip is sure to take your breath away. During summer, this beautiful region is adorned with a plethora of vibrant colors, but come winter time it is transformed into a snowy white wonderland, often cut off from the rest of the world.

As a destination, Ladakh is replete with every sight imaginable; from sapphire blue lakes to jade green meadows and even dry and arid grasslands serve to make this land of extremes a must-go destination on every traveler's bucket list, and that is the very reason that no one should ever miss the chance of visiting this Paradise. That is why this Ladakh tour package is here to bring everyone on an equal pedestal by bringing together women of a different metal and organizing a women-only trip to Ladakh.

Treat yourself to 6 nights 7 days of mystery with the women-only tour to Ladakh. Start your trip from the charming town of Leh, which will woo you with its quaint markets and charming palaces. Visit the beautiful Sham valley and the ancient monasteries.

Take a trip down to enchanting Nubra valley and visit the famous Diskit Monastery and the Hall of Fame, to experience local culture at its best.

With this one of the unique Ladakh tour packages of ours, lose yourself in the hypnotizing beauty of the colorful Pangong Tso and enjoy a memorable sunrise and sunset by the lake. A thrilling camel safari and drive through the highest motorable road in the world, seems just too good to be true!

Departure Dates:  May (19,25,31), June (6,12,18,24,30), July (6,12,18,24,30),  Aug (5, 11,17,23,29),  Sept (4,10,16,22)

People Also Ask About Ladakh

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Heaven, Peace, Silence, and Tranquility at one place? Come and spend a few hours at Pangong Lake in Ladakh! A pristine place in Ladakh marked by subtle to high peaks around, crystal blue waters and the vast expansion catches the eye so much, so long as if a magic is happening right in front of the eyes. Let our Ladakh holiday packages transport you to this mesmerizing destination, where nature's grandeur unfolds in every corner.Pangong Lake, also known as Pangong Tso, lies calmly at a breathtaking elevation of 14,270 feet. Interestingly, the lake is 12 km long and marks itself between the laps of India and China. Rather, 60% of the portion is stretching in the neighboring nation and this excites every traveler to be here.The surreal clean blue waters are actually brackish or salty in nature and this feature doesn’t let any aquatic life survive in the same. Moreover, the temperature range between -30 to -10 degrees make even this salty lake freeze with thick ice sheets, which is quite opposite in case of salt ridden water bodies.This picturesque landscape location enhances its beauty with the arrival of migrating birds every year and attracts many travelers in search of adventure, photographs, bird-watching and chilling experience. Pangong has another unique and catchy feature; when it acts like a chameleon and changes its color from blue to green to even grey at times. The brackish water of Pangong attracts the migratory birds every year during winters in Ladakh.

One of the most beautiful parts of the moonscapes of Ladakh, Nubra Valley is a deep-cut gorge created by the combined effects of Shyok and Nubra (Siachen) rivers. A high altitude cold desert, Nubra Valley is actually an extension of the Tibetan Plateau (Qing-Zang Plateau) that starts in China and extends up to Ladakh. This valley in the plateau separates the Ladakh Range from the Karakoram Range. But more than anything, Nubra Valley is the most beautiful region in all of Ladakh. Home to wonders like the Diskit Monastery,Hunder Sand Dunes, Samstanling Gompa, Yarab Tso Lake, and the villages of Turtuk and Panamik.Located about 160 km from Leh, the capital of Ladakh, Nubra Valley is a great attraction to all those who come here. The gateway to the upper reaches of the country, especially Siachen, Nubra Valley has an oasis of a town in the heart, Diskit, making a great place to stop you and reflect at the beauty around. And while you are at it, take a short detour to the famous white sand dunes of Hunder. The shapes and forms that these dunes take during different times of the year mesmerize every visitor who comes here. To make it further interesting, there are the double-humped Bactrian Camels, offering rides through the dunes.And when it turns dusky, head to the Diskit Monastery and visit the towering statue of Maitreya Buddha which looks over the entire valley and blesses it for another day to come.Planning a Trip to Ladakh, Experience of Chadar Trek - The Frozen River Trek

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Manali to Leh in 2 Days! | Road Trip Guide in 73 Pictures!

Last updated on August 14th, 2023 at 06:51 pm

Manali to Leh road trip is the most spectacular road trip in the world! Whether you are doing Manali to Leh bike trip or doing a Manali to Leh Ladakh – as it is popularly called – road trip by car, we bet that this will be a journey of your life time! We share our experiences travelling from Manali to Leh by car. We did this in 2010 and it was a journey of our lifetime.

We did another trip on this road in June 2016. This time around we ran on the same highway in Great Himalayan Running Festival aptly known as “Hell Race”.  

“It’s breathtakingly beautiful” – we tell our friends as soon as we reach Leh after the spectacular journey of 473 Kms on the Manali Leh road. The road clings and wriggle through some of the most stunning terrain in the world crossing five high altitude passes, fords, streams and waterfalls tumbling from mountains!

We start our journey from Manali to Leh on a cold rainy morning with overcast sky. We are ordered (!) by our Driver Sumit Singh  on the previous day to be ready at 6 AM to leave Manali. The wisdom of driving in Himalayas is “Leave early and Reach early” as you can not trust the fickle mountain weather as day pass by.

Poorna In front of Johnson hotel. Before the epic journey.

Being our first trip in the Himalayas, ascent upwards unfolded a lot of surprises – the omnipresent apple trees with “red juicy” apples, the streams gently flowing down mountains creating numerous waterfalls, the green carpet of cedar trees in the valley, the clouds which seem to caress the mountain peaks was a “visual” poetry which can be best seen than written.

The road from Manali to Rohtang is an ascent and is surrounded by beautiful valleys. Let the pictures tell the tale.

Please click on the pictures to see them in larger size.

Beas river flanked by Cedar trees, Manali…

Overcast sky as we start from Manali

The start of mesmerising landscape……..

Misty gorges with cedar trees…..

When mist clears, we see these lovely waterfalls….

Another beauty

……and another!

We start climbing to Rohtang Pass

And the landscape gets more gorgeous

Trucks climbing slowly up the hill.

Our car slowly climb towards the snow-capped Rohtang Pass only to wait behind a “Kilometre long” pile up of cars due to a “mudslide”. We have a long journey ahead as the plan was to stay overnight at Sarchu – at 14,000 feet – which is approximately 220 KMs from Rohtang.

Employees from Border Road Organisation clear the “mud slide” and when our car cleared this hurdle, we have lost about 2 hours of precious time. (BTW, the road from Manali to Rohtang has been done up beautifully and gone are the days of such mud slides. It was a pleasure to drive on it last year when we were there for “Hell race”)

The start of mud road….

……and the agony….

An enterprising chaiwala making best use of the opportunity!

We have breakfast at Marhi and continue our journey towards Sarchu. We don’t stop at Rohtang, the place where the day trippers from Manali – majority of them newly weds – gather to play in snow. Some glimpses of Rohtang landscape.

A meadow and the first glimpse of snow

The scenery gets better and better….

The journey beyond Rohtang is suddenly silent. The only noise we could hear is the air rushing against the mountain or the tip – tap of the melting snow. Or the screech of the car tyre on the road. Or sometimes when a “Bullet rider” overtook us with that “Thumping” sound.

The Manali Leh road is either “cemented” or “patch of mud” . Very soon the green valleys and mountains are replaced by shades of brown with snow peaks in the background. Driving along the Bhaga River and listening to its different notes take us into a different world. We could see many water falls in the mountains with water trickling away under the sheets of snow. Valleys capped with snow. Rocky mountains painted green by wild grass and flowers…..

Some wild flowers…..

From now onwards, we are treated to a spectacle of nature – Mountains, greenery, streams, waterfalls…….

We drive along Chandrabhaga river…..

A lovely waterfalls!

….and quiet flows Chandrabhaga.. ..

This was stunning! A huge ice cap on the mountain melts and creates a beautiful, gentle waterfalls!

The sign board says it all!! Fill the tank now!

We cross Thandi and Jispa  – last villages on Manali let road – and begin our ascent again towards Baralacha la which is at about 16500 ft. The journey is an absolute delight. We stopover at beautiful and pristine Suraj tal lake.

The winding snow-capped roads , the low hung clouds with sun breaking in between and creating a beautiful rainbow, we could not just take our eyes off the road. We wished we had a 360 degree vision. Barlacha la was white sheet spread out in every direction and made us sway between dream and reality!

The climb to Barlacha La starts

A lovely Deepak tal

The landscape changes to myriad colours! It is a steep climb to Baracha La. Notice the trucks climbing up….

Crossing a fast flowing stream. It always help to leave early as water levels in these streams increase as the day pass due to melting of snow. Waiting for bikers to cross…

From now onwards the landscape is only white and brown. Just mind-blowing!

As seen from the driver seat……

The wow feeling!

Half frozen Suraj tal. Spectacular!

White all around….

Who wouldn’t love to drive on this!!!

Here we come – Barlacha La 15,000 feet. Miles and miles of snow……

We climb down from Barlacha La to be greeted by spectacular landscape…..

Our camp site at Sarchu @ 14,ooo feet!

Sarchu is where we find tents pitched in the pristine valley of the mighty mountains. It is cold and windy out here. But it is an experience we would never forget!

Streams flowing between huge rocky terrain

This stretch is just beautiful – look at the sculpted sand walls

Now that you have seen the spectacular pictures of Manali Leh road, it is time to see the other way round because mountains look different in other direction! Click this

Travel tips.

Getting there

The journey on the Manali Leh road starts at Manali. Hence make Manali as a base.

a) There are overnight buses from Delhi to Manali. One can book the luxury Volvo buses run by Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation from Delhi to Manali.

http://www.hrtc.gov.in/hrtctickets/Default.aspx

The nearest railway station is Chandigarh. If you are coming by train, then the convenient station will be Chandigarh. Unless, you want to visit Chandigarh, we would recommend you to take the bus as mentioned above.

The nearest airport is at Kullu which is around 40 KMs from Manali. The flights to Kullu from Delhi are notorious for cancellation/delay due to weather condition in Kullu. Keep this in mind while booking your plane tickets.

Stay Options

There are many options to suit all budgets in Manali. We stayed in Johnson Hotel which is one of the oldest in Manali and regarded as an institution. Huge and excellent rooms with a laid back atmosphere. The continental restaurant in the hotel is one of the best in Manali.

http://www.johnsonhotel.in/index.html

Other information

• The Manali Leh road trip is not for faint hearted. You really need to rough it out on the treacherous roads. So be prepared mentally and physically!! (Latest update – The roads on this drive has been done and is excellent except for few places)
• Remember that you will be driving from a height of 6000 ft in Manali to close to 18000 in Tanglang La.  Acclimatisation is the key. Else, AMS – Acute Mountain Sickness – is likely to hit you at these heights. Most of the cases will be mild and result in nausea, headaches, sleeplessness  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000133.htm
• The trip on Manali Leh road can be done in two days with stop over at Jispa.
• Driving in hills takes more time and speeds are drastically reduced as road condition is not good. Always have buffer time to allow delays due to landslides and flooding of roads. Land slides are particularly common between Manali and Jispa. If you are driving yourself, drive safe. Don’t hurry.
• Fill up fuel in Manali and carry supplies in Jerry cans. There is only one petrol bunk in Thandi and if it runs out of stock you will curse yourself. Diesel may be available in “black” at exorbitant cost but getting petrol will be difficult.
• Follow the golden rule of hill driving. Start early and reach early!
• Carry enough memory cards for your pictures. There is so much to click that you will regret if you haven’t had these chips.
• Eat less and don’t overfill yourself while driving in hills. Drink lot of water.
• Carry a good medicine kit. Talk to your family doctor and take necessary medicines.
• Do not exert and run around in high altitude. Oxygen content in atmosphere is 30 – 40 percent lesser in these areas and will make you tired and sick. Do not stay for more than 10 minutes in passes above 15000 ft
• Carry a good Binocular.
• Pack your long johns and woollens. If you have a sleeping bag, carry it.
• Ensure that you have the complete vehicle accessories and kit. If self driving, practice trouble shooting techniques and become confident. Carry a good map of the area.
• Dal/Rajma – Chawal , Maggi and Omelettes are staple food you get in dhabhas on the way. Don’t expect anything more!
• If possible try and plan your drive during full moon day period. You will possibly see the brightest moon ever in these rarefied and unpolluted areas at night.
• Do not rely too much on your cell phone. It may not work most of the time.
• Do not sleep on the journey. You will regret having missed on some of the outstanding scenery in the world.
• Lastly, if you get stuck up anywhere and find an army camp close by, go in and take their help. These great guys will never say NO. Poorna can vouch for it having served in Indian Army!!
• We would recommend that spending one day in Manali will help in seeing some nice places around and also prepares you for the long journey. The transport for the drive can be hired in Manali. The transport charges are generally expensive and it will be good to have at least four people travel in the taxi to reduce the cost burden.
• You can’t drive from Manali to Leh without a confirmed hotel booking
• Online Permit System for Beyond Rohtang is not yet operational
• Permits have to obtained manually during office hours (on office working days) at Manali only
• We have no idea what will be the new rules when the Online Permit system resumes (if at all)

Manali Leh road trip is one of the beautiful one can think of. Travel to Ladakh can not be complete if you do not experience this journey. You cross five passes of different heights, you go through snow, streams and precariously narrow stretches at places. The landscape changes every few KMs. It is a photographer’s paradise indeed.

Important update on road condition, we travelled on the manali to leh road in june 2016 while participating in great himalayan running festival or “the hell race” as it is called ., the road conditions on manali leh road have improved drastically. the rohtang loops are lovely tarmac today and there is no mudslides anymore. except for few kilometres between rohtang top and koksar and again from sarchu to pang the road condition is good., in fact, one need not have to stay in sarchu and drive straight from jispa to leh which will help avoid ams. you will also find dhabhas at many places on way like zing zing bar, after nakkee la, pang, moreh plains. one can also stay in these dhabhas in emergencies..

Planning a trip to Ladakh? We are here to help……

Planning a Leh Ladakh tour including Manali Leh road for the first time is a daunting task. With so much of information available in public domain, you will go crazy with options available and places to see. Going for a regular package tour is no fun as you will visit only those places which everyone visit but miss out many lovely places.

You can read all about our Ladakh travel – 18 posts including a drive to Siachen base camp – by clicking the following post below.

Ladakh Travel – 18 Tales to Inspire you!

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23 comments.

Poorna, Most of your blogs make me feel as if I’m traveling along these routes 🙂 Amazing pictures.

Thank You Vijayendra. Actually the pictures don’t do justice to the beauty of these places. It is a life time experience.

It’s very nice websites for travelling Information http://www.journeytime4u.com/

Thanks Sachin. Glad you liked it. The idea is to provide more personalised information on various destinations.

You have shared good images and valuable information about the Manali to Ladakh tour. Manali is the best place to start the tour to Ladakh. Manali provides many tailor made tour packages to Ladakh. Manali Tourism

at what time of year u took the tour,what are the total expenses,from manali to ladakh anthen where to go

Kindly send me an email at [email protected] so that i can provide all details.

Manali is the most famous and adventurous tourist spot among hooneymooners & adventure lovers. Manali is Located in the northern part of india at a altitute of 1950 m. Tourist from with in India or Rest of the World came here & spend their honey moon trips or holiday trips in Manali. India Tour

India is an extraordinary area with delightful expected view. India is a nation of various custom and enhancing society. Tourists opposite the globe are lured to the rich society and hypnotizing scene of Trip to India

Manali is one of the toursit places in Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Naturally very popular Manali Tour Package Kullu Valley is in addition reputed to be the “Valley of Divine bings”. Separated structure beautiful delightfulness, rich green scenes, exuberant valleys, and so forth you will moreover have brilliant opening to see here a few temples.

this is good , but u come to ladakh so visit in Kashmir—

Kashmir provides ultimate touring options to the vacationers who need to rejuvenate their body and soul. The picturesque landscapes, mystical mountains, divine ambience and lush green are some of the attributes that define Kashmir. The kashmir tour packages are made to provide wonderful opportunity to the tourists who want o feel the divinity and serenity from within here in Kashmir.

Amazing photographs !!

Had a similar experience would like to share — http://blog.travelnina.com/quick-guide-for-trip-to-hemis-festival-ladakh/

Great work… I want to share something for motorcycle enthusiasts..It might help them a lot http://desolate-expression.blogspot.in/

I too visited Ladakh a few days ago and the journey was truly amazing.. i loved it. Read my experiences at http://randomlypicked.com/ladakh-exploring-the-mystic-land/

This Journey looks very adventrous. All pictures of Leh Ladakh And Manali are awesome. I really like your post and I am really inspired by your photos and the captions. Keep up the great work.Hey I am A tour operator so please visit on my site and get good tour packages of india http://www.indianlegendsholidays.com/ .

Thank a lot for sharing this with us. Damdama Lake is also one of the best places if you are looking for a place to spend your weekends, day picnic near delhi, adventure tour near delhi along with the packages.

I am really inspired by your photos and the captions. Keep it up the great work. I like traveling and trying new thins as well. Website:- http://manalipackagetours.com/

Hey,.. what is the cost of travel from manali to leh? Btw.. beautiful pics

Thanks Sonia.

The transport cost was around 15K for two days. It is worth it. In fact transport costs in Ladakh is very high as terrain is tough.

Hello Poorna, thank you for your wonderful picture collection. Unforunally I had not so much time and could just visit Leh and the Lake Pangong, but still I want to go back! 🙂 This himalaya mountains and the monestaries were so beautiful. Ladakh is like a magical and silent place in India. Regards, Sarah

Thanks Sarah. Yes, you should do Leh-Manali by road. It is a lifetime experience. Next time is always there……..

I really inspired by your post. pictures are bliss to the eyes. Great work. could you please help me with, which is the right time to visit Manali with the best stays.

Thanks Sassireka

Thanks. If you are only travelling to Manali, then i would suggest you to go when road to Rohtang pass open which will be in May which gives you a chance to see snow. I would also suggest you to keep a day to go beyond Rohtang and stay for a night at Sissu

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30 Best Stops Between Manali and Leh

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How long is the drive from Manali to Leh?

The direct drive from Manali to Leh is 265 mi (427 km) , and should have a drive time of 5 hrs 32 mins in normal traffic.

If you’re going on a road trip from Manali to Leh, we did the research for you and compiled some great stops along the way — with top places to visit like International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT) and Beas River Tributaries, or the ever-popular Naggar Castle.

Best stops along Manali to Leh drive

Naggar castle.

International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT)

Beas River Tributaries

Van vihar national park, hadimba devi temple.

Track your travel spending and split costs with friends

Plan your trip. Keep your budget organized. Split the cost between tripmates. Wanderlog does it all.

Kund Bath for Ladies

Manimahesh lake, solang nala, solang valley, chaurasi temple, gulaba viewpoint, kunzum pass, chandra taal.

Don’t forget to pack anything

Stay organized with a to-do list, packing list, shopping list, any kind of list.

Hemis National Park

हेमिस गोम्पा, stakna gompa, stok museum, thiksey monastery, ancient shey palace the corner grocery store shey, offside cafe.

All travel reservations in 1 place

Never dig through your emails again — access all your flights, lodging, and any reservations in 1 place.

Chang La Pass

Hall of fame, leh, ladakh arts and media organisation.

Prayer wheel

Top searches in leh, other popular road trips from manali, explore nearby places.

• Rutog County
• Manali Tehsil

All related maps of Leh

• Map of Shey
• Map of Stakna
• Map of Sakti
• Map of Hemis
• Map of Diskit
• Map of Lamayuru
• Map of Karsha
• Map of Turtuk
• Map of Kargil
• Map of Khaplu
• Map of Dras
• Map of Keylong
• Map of Gushal
• Map of Sissu
• Map of Burwa
• Map of Pahalgam
• Map of Sonamarg
• Map of Sonmarg
• Map of Bharmour
• Map of Manali
• Map of Skardu
• Map of Rutog County
• Map of Doda
• Map of Kaza
• Map of Chamba
• Map of Verinag
• Map of Khajjiar
• Map of Anantnag
• Map of Naggar
• Map of Manali Tehsil

Leh throughout the year

• Leh in January
• Leh in February
• Leh in March
• Leh in April
• Leh in June
• Leh in July
• Leh in August
• Leh in September
• Leh in October
• Leh in November
• Leh in December

Looking for day-by-day itineraries in Leh?

Get inspired for your trip to Leh with our curated itineraries that are jam-packed with popular attractions everyday! Check them out here:

• 1-Day Leh Itinerary
• 2-Day Leh Itinerary
• 3-Day Leh Itinerary
• 4-Day Leh Itinerary
• 5-Day Leh Itinerary

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i drive from manali to leh.

Yes! You can drive from Manali to Leh.

How far is Leh from Manali by car?

The drive from Manali to Leh is 265 miles (427 km).

How long does it take to drive from Manali to Leh?

Driving from Manali to Leh should take you 5 hrs 32 mins in normal traffic.

How much would gas cost from Manali to Leh?

Gas from Manali to Leh would cost around $23 to $54 , depending on your vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Where should I stop on the way from Manali to Leh?

You could check out International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT) and Beas River Tributaries, or the always popular Naggar Castle!

What's the weather like in Manali?

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

• Weather in Manali in January
• Weather in Manali in February
• Weather in Manali in March
• Weather in Manali in April
• Weather in Manali in May
• Weather in Manali in June
• Weather in Manali in July
• Weather in Manali in August
• Weather in Manali in September
• Weather in Manali in October
• Weather in Manali in November
• Weather in Manali in December

What are some other road trips from Manali?

There are plenty! Below you'll find links to all the road trips we've assembled for Manali.

• Manali to New Delhi drive
• Manali to Jaipur drive
• Manali to Agra drive
• Manali to Shimla drive
• Manali to Dharamsala drive
• Manali to Mumbai drive
• Manali to Leh drive
• Manali to Amritsar drive
• Manali to Chandigarh drive
• Manali to Udaipur drive
• Manali to Kathmandu drive
• Manali to Srinagar drive
• Manali to Jodhpur drive
• Manali to Bengaluru drive
• Manali to Hyderabad drive
• Manali to Mussoorie drive
• Manali to Kolkata (Calcutta) drive
• Manali to Varanasi drive
• Manali to Jaisalmer drive
• Manali to Rishikesh drive
• Manali to Ahmedabad drive
• Manali to Pune drive
• Manali to Nainital drive
• Manali to Pokhara drive
• Manali to Chennai (Madras) drive
• Manali to Mysuru (Mysore) drive
• Manali to Dalhousie drive
• Manali to Gangtok drive
• Manali to Amer drive

• Itinerary + map in one view
• Live collaboration
• Auto-import hotels and reservations
• Optimize your route
• Offline access on mobile
• See time and distance between all your places

Manali to Leh Ladakh Highway Guide

Overview of manali to leh ladakh highway.

Manali to Leh Ladakh highway road trip is a dream come true experience for every traveler. Covering a distance of 473 kilometers, it allows visitors to explore the beauty of the region while riding through the criss-cross terrain. On your journey from Manali to Ladakh, you will pass through some incredible points, such as Rohtang Pass and Baralacha La. Each of the places will let you experience the closeness to Mother Nature enveloped with majestic grace. Through this journey, you will get a chance to explore the azure lakes, rugged mountains, cute little markets, conventional Ladakhi mud-brick houses, and cozy cafes. If you are a daredevil, you will definitely enjoy the profusion of offbeat trails in remote and nomadic villages.

Essential Information of Manali to Ladakh Road Trip

Best Time for Manali to Ladakh Trip: The best time to travel from Manali to Leh Ladakh is between June and September as the highway via Rohtang Pass opens up for tourists after the snow clearance during this time. 

Manali to Leh Distance: The approximate distance between Manali and Leh is 473 kilometers.

Manali to Leh Road Map: Manali – Rohtang – Gramphu – Kokhsar – Keylong – Jispa – Darcha – Zingzingbar – Baralacha La – Bharatpur – Sarchu – Gata Loops – Nakee La – Lachulung La – Pang - Tanglang La – Gya - Upshi - Karu – Leh

Manali Leh Highway Status: The snow clearance process on the Manali-Leh highway starts every March until May or June. It usually takes about two months to clear the entire snow that has accumulated after the winter season. You may experience the snow-covered roads between Rohtang Pass and Baralacha La, including areas like Keylong.

Mode of Transportation:

• By Motorcycle

The Manali to Leh Ladakh road trip will surely be an adventurous trip that will remain etched in your memories forever.

• Manali- There are a total of six petrol pumps in Manali.
• Tandi- Traveling about 110 kilometers from Manali, you will get another petrol pump in Tandi.
• Karu- Another refueling station is in Karu, located about 345 kilometers from Tandi and 30 kilometers before Leh.
• Leh- There are a few petrol pumps in Leh, including near Leh Airport.

Note: The petrol pumps are situated in the roadside grocery stores between Manali-Leh highway, but the quality of the fuel cannot be guaranteed.

Keylong- Situated at a distance of around 117 kilometers from Manali, Keylong is one of the best places for a night stopover on the Manali to Ladakh bike trip. Some of the budget-friendly hotels that you must consider for a night break in Keylong are

• Hotel Dekyid
• Hotel New Gyespa
• Hotel Tashi Delek
• HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga
• Valley View Hotel

Sarchu- After Keylong, you can also stop at Sarchu, located at a distance of approximately 223 kilometers from Manali and 96 kilometers from Keylong. It is one of the most famous destinations for overnight camps and tent stays in Ladakh. Some of the best lodging and dining options that are worth considering in Sarchu are 

• Antrek Camps
• Blue Poppy Camps
• Goldrop Camps
• Himalayan Saga Camps
• Planet Himalaya Camps

Leh- On arriving at Leh after traveling about 357 kilometers from Keylong and 250 kilometers from Sarchu, you will discover numerous hotels that are situated at easy reach from the main town. Some of the prominent ones include 

• Hotel Nalanda Ladakh
• Ladakh Residency
• Ladakh Sarai
• The Grand Dragon Ladakh

• Acclimatize to the location to continue your journey to Leh Ladakh.
• Do not consume any kind of antidepressant drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and smoking as you will face respiratory issues being at higher altitudes.
• Avoid falling asleep at higher altitudes. Spend a day and move back to the lower ones in the evening to spend your night.
• Do not get over-exhausted with any kind of physical activity.
• Keep yourself hydrated at all times by consuming lots of ORS water or other types of fluid, like fruit juices, milk, soup, or tea. However, ensure that you do not get overhydrated as it will cause vomiting or you can develop cerebral edema like weakness, confusion, hyponatremia, or even coma.
• Indulge in a diet that is rich in carbohydrates as it will provide you with enough calories you need on higher altitudes.
• Consult your doctor and carry a sufficient amount of AMS preventive medication.

For Indian Nationals:

• Indian nationals are not required to show any kind of inner-line permit to visit Ladakh since 2014. It is applicable if you are visiting areas, like Changthang, Hunder, Khaltse, Nubra Valley, Panamik, Pangong, Tso Kar, Tso Moriri, Turtuk, and a few others.
• You must carry your nationality proof, such as Driving Licence, Passport, Voter ID Card, or any other similar document.
• Travelers must present their ID proofs at the checkpoints whenever asked.
• If you are traveling to Leh on a bike, you must carry an inner line permit while crossing regions, like Batalik Sector, beyond Loma Bend, Chumur, Chushul, Hanle, Marsimik La, and Tsaga.
• You can easily obtain these permits from the Leh DC office between 9 am and 3 pm.

For Foreign Nationals:

• Foreign nationals must obtain inner-line permits to visit areas, like Changthong, Hunder, Khaltse, Panamik, Pangong, Tso Kar, Tso Moriri, Turtuk, and a few others.
• You must also carry inner-line permits if you are visiting Batalik Sector, beyond Loma Bend, Chumur, Chushul, Hanle, Marsimik La, and Tsaga.
• These permits can be easily obtained with the help of the local tour operators from the Leh DC office, and they are generally valid for three weeks.
• Besides foreign nationals from Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, and Pakistan, all have to obtain Protected Area Permit (PAP) to visit the above-mentioned places. You can obtain it from the Leh DC office for a group of four or more people, and it is usually valid for seven days.
• You do not require inner line permits while traveling to Suru and Zanskar valleys. But, the permit does not allow you to go beyond Merek Village in the Mahe or Pangong village.
• It is essential to show photo ID proof, like Driving Licence, Passport, or Voter ID card, to obtain the inner line permit.

If you are on an exhilarating motorbike tour on Manali to Leh Ladakh route, you should carry the following things:

• Since the temperature drops and it becomes freezing cold on your way to Leh, you should keep a sufficient number of woolen clothes to keep you warm, including gloves, jackets, and sweaters.
• Carry a comfortable pair of shoes as it would help you maintain a good grip while walking on rough terrain.
• There is a high chance of experiencing altitude sickness due to the gradual increase in height. Hence, it is advisable to carry prescribed medications and a first aid kit for emergencies, including inhalers and insulin. 
• Keep enough clean drinking water, energy food and drinks, and any other essentials as there are fewer food stalls along your Manali to Ladakh bike trip.
• Some of the other things that you must pack are caps, sunglasses, hiking gear, an additional set of cells and bulbs, and at least four to five power banks to eliminate the shortage of electricity on your phones and cameras.

Places to Visit During Manali Leh Road Trip

Situated at an elevation of 6725 feet from sea level, Manali is the starting point of the Manali-Leh road trip. It is a beautiful township that is renowned for snow-clad mountains and cool climate. If you visit Manali during the summer season, you may experience pleasant weather, while the peaks are covered with sparkling snow during the winter season.

Located at a height of about 3900 meters and around 51 kilometers from Manali, you will reach Rohtang Pass, the second significant landmark on your route of Manali and Leh. Soak in the spectacular panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains and glaciers all along the way, while admiring the pristine beauty of the Pass, alpine pastures, small water streams, and mesmerizing waterfalls. You will also get to discover the flow of the Chandra River in the close vicinity of the Rohtang Pass.

Being the capital city of Lahaul, Keylong is a popular tourist destination on the route from Manali to Leh Ladakh for trekkers and tourists who are looking for an overnight stay. It allows visitors to enjoy picturesque walks through laidback villages or immerse in the lofty mountain views. Moreover, you will find the luscious greenery of the resplendent Bhaga Valley.

Jispa is a fascinating trail nestled beside the Chandra River along the Manali-Leh tour. This gorgeous stretch of land is naturally adorned with narrow streams, picturesque peaks, scenic valleys, and luscious greenery. On visiting Jispa, you will find yourself close to Mother Nature since the place is abundant with diverse natural features.

Located at a distance of about 23 kilometers from Keylong, you will find a picturesque Himalayan village named Darcha beside the Bhaga River. It features a massive camping ground that is frequently used by tourists while traveling from Manali to Leh Ladakh. You can even indulge in a trekking expedition in Darcha with your fellow travelers on this route.

If you are looking for a peaceful stop on your way to Leh Ladakh, you should stop at the Zingzing Bar. It is one of the highest roadside bars in the world that serves as a resting ground for army cadets and exhausted travelers. Your Manali to Ladakh road trip remains incomplete if you do not stop at this bar for some refreshments.

Resting on the highest sections of the Zanskar Valley, Baralacha La is another wonderful destination on Manali to Leh Ladakh highway. It is a mountain pass or a confluence point that connects Lahaul to Ladakh. On your visit to the Baralacha La along the way, you will discover that the plateau is surrounded by the Himalayas and Pir Panjal mountain ranges.

Enveloped by the Himalayan mountain ranges on all sides, Sarchu is a beautiful region on the Manali-Leh Ladakh highway. Commonly known as ‘Sir Bhum Chum’ by the locals, this tourist destination is perfect for camping and overnight stays with your friends and family. You can have a fantastic time in these camps in Sarchu while enjoying the treasure trove of scenery.

A mysterious attraction along Manali to Ladakh route, Gata Loops is a sequence of 21 winding curves that leads to one of the highest motorable passes in the region. Situated at an elevation of 17000 feet above sea level, this place adds to the adventurous vacation of Manali to Leh Ladakh bike trip through snow capped peaks in the backdrop.

Another place that you should visit on the Manali-Leh route, is Lachulung La, a mountain pass situated at an altitude of about 16000 feet from the sea level. Upon reaching this pass, you will catch some of the undulating views of the surrounding scenery which serves as a retreat to the eyes of any visitor.

Pang is a place on the Manali-Leh highway where the highest army transit camp exists. It was formerly just a stop for the armed forces but tourists can also alight at this remote place on the Manali-Leh route now. On your visit to the attraction, you will love the breathtakingly beautiful scenery combined with the vistas of naturalistic delights.

Also regarded as the jewel in the crown on the Manali to Ladakh stretch, Tanglang La is one of the highest mountain passes in the region. Since it is the second largest motorable mountain pass on the planet, the ascent will gradually start increasing from here onwards.. You will also get an opportunity to see the Tso Kar Lake behind the gigantic mountains.

Situated beside the Indus River, Upshi is a quaint and picturesque village about 45 kilometers southeast of Leh. It is home to a helipad that is generally used by helicopter-borne tourists and the armed forces. If you move towards the east of this region, you will get the ancient trading route that connects Upshi to Tibet.

On your arrival at Karu, you will be flanked by gorgeous views of the mighty mountain peaks and hills. Karu is a secluded stretch of land on the route from Manali to Leh that attracts travelers to its natural beauty. With sparkling streams, majestic mountains, and resplendent valleys, the place represents the finest demonstrations of nature on the Manali-Leh route.

Being the dream destination for many travelers, Leh is the final stop of your Manali to Ladakh trip. It is a land of rustic charm that is well-known for its high elevations and numerous passes. Since the road that connects Manali to Leh Ladakh boasts exceptional topography, it allows nature lovers and thrill seekers to explore the secrets and stunning beauty and click pictures with a backdrop of the majestic mountains, rugged terrains, and bountiful nature.

Places to Visit in Ladakh

Resting at a height of 18379 feet and just 40 kilometers from Leh, Khardung La is one of the must-visit places along the Manali-Leh highway. It is regarded as the highest motorable pass in the world that acts as a doorway to Shyok and Nubra Valley. This place is also a favorite spot for bike riders and adventure lovers as it provides unimaginable dramatic views of nature.

Known for its religious significance and the surrounding landscape, Shanti Stupa attracts a myriad of tourists throughout the year, especially people traveling on the Manali-Leh highway. In this stupa, the white-domed pagoda was constructed by a Buddhist Bhikshu as a part of the Peace Pagoda Mission. On visiting the stupa, you will find the relics of Buddha being preserved at the base while the walls are decorated with pictures of the current Dalai Lama.

Nubra Valley holds a massive name among the travelers and trekkers along the Manali to Leh Ladakh route. It is a giant valley that separates Ladakh from the Karakoram Ranges, which features the most beautiful confluence of the Shyok and Siachen Rivers. The visitors of Nubra Valley are glorified to see a blend of sand dunes, stark slopes, monstrous arid mountains, and the remnants of a glorified place.

Regarded as one of the highest-altitude lakes in the world, Pangong Lake is a pristine place on the Manali-Leh highway. It is well-known for its color-changing properties, i.e., the water on the lake changes its color from blue to red and green. You can stop by this lake and enjoy numerous activities, like camping and a lakeside bonfire.

Flowing on the Changthang Range in the Himalayas, Tso Moriri Lake is among the calm and sacred high-altitude lakes in Ladakh. Also known as the beholder’s paradise, this lake is regarded as a preserved wetland by the Government that serves as a breeding ground for the birds. Surrounded by lofty mountains on all sides, this place along the Manali-Leh route features majestic beauty and a romantic atmosphere.

People traveling to Leh Ladakh definitely must have come across signage asserting ‘the phenomenon defying gravity’ at the Magnetic Hill. The highlighting feature of this place is that the car starts moving when parked in a specified box marked on the road while engines are off and gears on neutral. You can stop at this place to witness the magical phenomenon and click stunning pictures for memories.

The Royal Leh Palace, constructed by the 17th-century king named Singge Namgyal, is the fundamental attraction in the town of Kashmir. Although the royal families were exiled to Stok, the edifice still possesses its glory. If you are an ardent lover of the Himalayas, you must make a visit to this architectural icon on your journey from Manali to Leh.

Located in the Changthang region, Tso Kar is a beautiful lake renowned for its undulating beauty. Also known as the White Lake, it deposits salt on its shores as the lake is filled with saline water. Travelers visiting Tso Moriri Lake along the Manali-Leh highway never forget to visit Tso Kar to witness the nomadic tribes of Khampas, the black-necked cranes, and several other migratory bird species.

Lamayuru Monastery is the authentic resting ground of the Drikung Kagyu tradition on the Manali to Leh highway. This monastery serves as the parent of over 50 small monasteries in Ladakh and more than 500 Buddhist monks. It is the oldest monastery on a mammoth rock structure that attracts a myriad of visitors towards the two masked dance festivals held every year.

Alchi Monastery is the oldest monastery you can see during the Leh Ladakh road trip. Belonging to the Alchi group of monuments, it was built by the famous translator Guru Rinchen Zangpo between 958 and 1055. On your visit to the attraction, you will find the wall paintings reflecting the artistic and spiritual details of Hindu kings and Buddhism from early centuries that are recognized throughout the world.

Located around 15 kilometers away from Leh, Shey Monastery is another monastery that constitutes the Shey Palace complex. The highlight of this monastery is a 10 meters statue of a seated Buddha made of copper and gilded gold. Umpteen wall paintings depicting the image of Buddha add more charm to the monastery. Besides the attraction, you will only find some ruins of the palace that attract a number of visitors. 

Hemis National Park is the largest high-altitude protected reserve in India and is a must-visit destination to spot the rare species of snow leopards on the Manali to Leh Ladakh route. To catch a glimpse of the snow leopards, you are required to arrive during late winter when the weather is comparatively cold. Apart from this, the Tibetan wolf, the red fox, and the Eurasian brown bear freely stroll around the vicinity of the park. Moreover, since the park is surrounded by the dry forests of birch, fir, and juniper in the low-altitude regions, it does not permit any motorable vehicles.

Situated in McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala, Namgyal Monastery is the personal gompa of the 14th Dalai Lama on Manali to Leh Ladakh highway. In this monastery, the disciples used to perform encrypted rituals during the Dalai Lama's time. You will also be surprised to see both the interior and exterior structures of the monastery portraying the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. Today, it houses a tantric institute where the students are given valuable preachings, rites, and rituals to protect the precious knowledge.

Another attraction you can see during the Manali to Ladakh road trip is the Spituk Gompa, a monastery that draws an inevitable source of existence from Buddhism. Constructed in the 11th century, this monastery reveals a huge statue of Kali unlike other gompas in the region that safeguards their origin, establishments, and existence. You can see more than 100 monks praying and paying tribute to the Goddess in the gompa.

Sangam Point or the confluence of two mighty Zanskar and Indus rivers is yet another one on the list of adorable spots to see during the Manali to Ladakh trip. Several tourists pay a visit to this spot every year to witness the divine spectacle of the rivers. It is relatively surprising to witness the snow-covered Zanskar River and the flowing Indus river at the same time during the winter season.

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib is a temple dedicated to the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, which can be easily accessible on your journey from Manali to Ladakh. Both men and women can enter the gurdwara with an orange scarf donning on them. Travelers can find the displays of the imprint of the body of Guru Nanak Dev and the footprint of the demon in this gurudwara.You can stop by the premises of the temple and pay your respects to the god before proceeding ahead.

Guarded by the Indian Army, The Hall of Fame is the honorary tribute to people who lost their lives in the Kargil War and several other battles of the country. On your visit to the museum while traveling from Manali to Leh, you will get the opportunity to see the preserved items commemorating the soldiers and a 1.30 minutes film introducing the visitors to the realities of the Kargil War. The two extensive rooms in the museum feature numerous exhibits that present the Ladakhi history and culture.

Situated 19 kilometers to the east of Leh, Thiksey Monastery is a beautiful and verily described monument in the Thiksey village that comes along the Manali-Leh route. This attraction attained fast recognition from different parts of the world due to its resemblance to the Potala Palace in Tibet. In this monastery, there is a 15 meters high statue of Maitreya, which is the largest statue in Ladakh and it covers two stories of the buildings.

If you are visiting Nubra Valley on the Manali-Leh highway, you should definitely set foot on the soil of Diskit Monastery, an administrative center of Nubra. It attracts a myriad of visitors throughout the years to its glorified architecture. Resting at a height of 3142 meters above sea level, the monastery is easily accessible through rugged, tough roads and a tiny stream.

Another remarkable contribution of King Sengge Namgyal is Hemis Monastery, which is a reputed site visible on a Leh Ladakh road trip. Due to the surrounding hillocks and the greenery, the monastery remains hidden despite resting in a gorge. When you go inside the monastery, you will witness numerous gold statues and stupas embellished with precious yet rare stones. 

Things to Know During Manali to Leh Trip

There are not many ATMs on the Manali-Leh Highway. Hence, it is recommended to carry a sufficient amount of cash before leaving Manali. If you fail to withdraw cash by any chance in Manali, you will find one ATM in Keylong on the way to Leh. But, there is less probability that the machine will be in working condition. Some of the ATMs that you will find after reaching Leh are Axis Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank, and SBI. 

Visitors can find mechanics and puncture shops around Darcha, Keylong, Khoskar, Marhi, Sarchu, and Upshi along your journey on the Manali to Leh Ladakh Highway.

Airtel and BSNL are the only service providers in Leh valley. If you possess a postpaid connection from any of these operators, you can enjoy hassle-free network connectivity on your trip to Leh. On the contrary, if you do not have connections from the aforementioned service operators, you can either buy prepaid connections from them or use the phone booths situated in Leh city.

It can be a daunting task for Indian nationals to buy an Airtel or BSNL SIM card as the government considers the Leh-Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir regions to be sensitive. Thus, it is advisable to apply for SIM cards only if you are planning to stay in the city for a longer period. While foreign nationals can easily get prepaid connections. All you need to do is submit two photocopies of your passport and passport-sized photographs each.

AMS is an abbreviation for Acute Mountain Sickness, which is the greatest challenge for people traveling to Ladakh. It occurs when there is a scarcity of oxygen in your body as you reach higher altitudes. Some people may experience little effects of AMS while others may have some serious complications. Headache, nausea, and vomiting are some of the symptoms experienced by travelers. 

In order to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), it is advisable to carry Diamox on your Manali to Leh Ladakh trip.  

If you are an Indian national, it is mandatory for you to carry at least one ID proof, which can be an Aadhar Card, Voter ID, PAN Card, and Indian Passport. You will be required to present these documents to some restricted areas of the Leh region. Moreover, you should carry the attested copy of your ID proofs if you need to submit them for inline permits in restricted areas. On the contrary, foreign nationals should carry a copy of their passport and visa, along with the original ones.

The distance between Manali and Leh is approximately 500 kilometers, and there are numerous bus services that operate on this route. Some of the prominent bus services that you can consider on your Manali to Ladakh road trip are JKSRTC and HPTDC. It will cost you around INR 2500 for one way on the Manali Leh highway bus trip with an overnight stay in Keylong. However, these services are only operational between July 1st and September 15th every year.

FAQ's of Manali to Leh Ladakh Highway Guide

What is the distance between manali and leh.

The distance between Manali and Leh is around 479 kilometers via the Leh-Manali highway which takes approximately 9-10 hours to travel. Travelers might need some government permits to cross this highway.

What is the best time to travel on the Manali to Leh highway?

The best time to travel on the Manali-Leh highway is from June to September when the Rohtang Pass is open and the weather is relatively stable. The temperature during these months is relatively warm which makes it a perfect time for the trip.

Is the Manali to Leh highway safe to travel on? 

Yes, the Manali-Leh highway is safe to travel but it is a high-altitude mountain route, with breathtaking views throughout the journey. The highway crosses several high-altitude passes, including the Rohtang Pass, Baralacha La, and Tanglang La, which can be challenging to navigate due to the altitude and weather conditions. However, it is recommended to travel with a guide and check the weather before the trip.

Which Pass connects Manali and Leh by road?

There are several routes that connect Manali and Leh by road Rohtang la, Baralacha la, Lungalacha la and Tanglang la. Whereas, the Rohtang Pass is the most common road which is used for traveling from Manali and Leh by road.

Are there any fuel stations or ATMs on the Manali to Leh highway?

Tandi petrol pump is the only gas station to get fuel on the Manali to Leh Highway whereas there are some ATMs located in Leh of many banks. But it is recommended to carry extra cash and fuel before the trip.

What are some popular tourist attractions along the Manali to Leh highway?

The popular tourist attractions along the Manali to Leh highway are Rohtang Pass, Suraj Tal Lake, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso Lake, Magnetic Hill, Keylong, and Leh Palace providing amazing views and one-of-a-kind experiences.

Is it necessary to obtain any permits for the Manali to Leh highway?

Yes, it is necessary to obtain permits for the Manali to Leh highway. However, it is important to keep in mind that government regulations might change at any time, and it is advisable to carry valid ID proof and vehicle registration paperwork while traveling on the highway.

What are some essential items to carry on the Manali to Leh highway?

Some essential items to carry on the Manali to Leh highway are warm clothes, a first-aid kit, high-calorie snacks, water bottles, cash, a power bank, maps, sunscreen, and a torch.

Are there any medical facilities available on the Manali to Leh highway?

Yes, there are some medical facilities available in the major cities and villages such as Keylong and Sarchu along Manali to Leh highway. It is advisable to carry a basic first aid kit and any necessary medications with you during the journey.

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Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip – Food, Route, Hotels, Places to Visit, Trip Cost

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Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip is highly popular among bikers and road trip lovers. Leh – Manali highway leads to a dream destination for all travelers called Leh-Ladakh. Cruizing on this route, you will see all wonders and offerings of nature. This route is beautiful as well as dangerous at the same time.

Planning to do this Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trips? As this is a little hard route to cover, one must have a proper plan for doing this road trip. Don’t worry, We’ve got you covered with all the things you will be needing for this road trip. From trip cost to stay locations, we have everything you need to know for this road trip.

• Best Time for the Road Trip
• Cost of the Road Trip
• Recommended Vehicle
• Best Route for the Trip
• Places to Visit on Route
• Food Places on Route
• Day 1: Manali to Sarchu
• Day 2: Sarchu to Leh
• Day 3 to 7: Exploring Leh and Back

What is the Best time to do Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip?

Manali can be visited throughout the year but there are limitations on going beyond Manali. As per the government rules, official time to do Manali to Leh Ladakh Road trip in June to September . In this time, roads are open and there are almost no weather problems. To have a safe ride, we recommend you to do this road trip from June to September. Also, during this time weather will be good for everyone. Avoid taking old age people along with you because they will encounter breathing issues and weather issues due to high altitude.

Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip Cost

Estimation on our website for Manali to Leh Ladakh Road trip is given both for those who are going by Car and also for those who are going by bike. We’ve included all the necessary things like Fuel, Food, Stay, Vehicle (If Rented). So, let’s see how much this trip gonna cost you.

Cost for Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip by Bike

Summary of Cost by Bike (Standard Calculations):

• Petrol Cost : ₹3,800 (25 Kmpl Mileage)
• Rented Vehicle Cost : Add by Yourself
• Hotel Cost : ₹9,000 (6 Nights)
• Food Cost : ₹8,000 (1 Person)
• Toll Tax : Not Applicable for Bikes
• Total Cost : ₹21,000

For example, We are taking start location as Mall Road, Manali. From Manali, Leh is approximately 427 Km. We are estimating this trip based on official visiting time as per the government which remains open from June to Mid of September. For estimating cost of trip by Bike, I am taking cost for 1 person because going with a pillion isn’t comfortable and also not suggested. Firstly you have to reach Manali from delhi which will consume around 14-15 hours. You can take a bus till Manali and from there rent a bike. Comment in the box below for the best prices on Bike Rentals .

On average of 25 Kmpl, Fuel cost will be approximately ₹3,800 Rupees (Manali >> Leh >> Manali). If in case you have rented the bike, then you have to add Bike rental cost + ₹3,800. For stay, you will be taking hotels for 6 nights. You can get a nice hotel room  at ₹1,500 Per Night. Food including Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner will cost ₹8,000 for 1 Person. Totaling all the expenses, your Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip by Bike will cost you ₹21,000+ approximately .

Cost for Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip by Car

Summary of Cost by Car (Standard Calculations):

• Petrol Cost : ₹8,000 (12 Kmpl Mileage)
• Hotel Cost : ₹15,000 (6 Nights)
• Food Cost : ₹22,000 (4 People)
• Toll Tax : ₹2,000
• Total Cost: ₹47,000

For example, We are taking start location as Mall Road, Manali. From Manali, Leh is approximately 427 Km. For estimating cost of trip by Car, I am taking cost for 4 people. Firstly you have to reach Manali from delhi which will consume around 15-17 hours (If you take proper halt for meals and photography breaks). It will be a 7 Days 6 Nights trip.

On average of 12 Kmpl, Fuel cost will be approximately ₹8,000 Rupees (Manali >> Leh >> Manali). If in case you have rented the car, then you have to add car rental cost + ₹8,000 Rupees. For stay, you will be taking a hotel for 6 nights. You can get a nice hotel room at ₹2,500 Per Night for 4 People (3 People are generally allowed in a room, ask for an extra bed for 4th person). Because you are going by Car, you have to pay toll tax, approximately you can reserve ₹2,000 rupees for toll tax. Food including Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner will cost ₹22,000 for 4 People. Totaling all the expenses, your Manali to Leh Road Trip by Car will cost you ₹48,000+ approximately which means ₹12,000 Per Person .

What is the Recommended Vehicle for Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip?

Going on a road trip, your vehicle is the first thing you have to take care of. The road from Manali to Leh isn’t so good and there are a lot of rough places where you need to drive carefully. So, these are the recommended vehicle for this road trip:

• Car – Any Compact SUV or SUV is preferred (Petrol / Diesel) or a Car with decent ground clearance will work if you don’t have an SUV or Compact SUV. CNG and electric cars (like E2o) are not suggested because CNG won’t be able to give you good performance while going up on the mountains and also you will not be getting many CNG pumps for getting Gas fueled up (Especially after crossing Patiala, there are no CNG Pumps available). Electric cars are not able to do long journies, you will not get charging sockets in between the route (as of February 2021).
• Bike & Scooty – You can use any bike for doing this trip. Scooters with manual gears are not recommended because your hands gonna get tired a lot. Also, scooty is not suggested as it will not be easy to tackle with rough surfaces with a scooty.

Route of Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip

There is only one route available for doing this trip with ease. We will be explaining complete route to you here. Starting from Manali, this route will take you to Leh and then back to Manali.

Leh-Manali Highway (474 KM – 15 Hours Approximately) – Manali >> Rohtang >> Keylong >> Jispa >> Zing Zing Bar >> Sarchu >> Pang >> Debring >> Gya >> Upohi >> Thiksey >> Leh (After leh, Follow route back to Manali).

Manali to Leh Route via Leh-Manali Highway (474 Kms and 12 Hours Approximately)

From Manali, Continue towards Rohtang which is about 51 Km from Manali. After reaching Rohtang, take a break and click some pictures and then continue your journey towards Surajtal and Baralacha La using Leh-Manali Highway. Following this one route called Leh-Manali Highway, you will easily reach Leh passing through Rohtang, Surajtal, Baralacha La, Gata Loops, Nakee La, Lungalacha La, More Plains, Taglang La, and then reach Leh.

Do this 12 hours journey in 2 days taking proper halts at food points. Take stay at Keylong, Jispa, and Sarchu for a comfortable and safe ride. Avoid riding in the dark.

What are the Places to Visit During Leh to Manali Road Trip?

Because you are going on a road trip, this means that you should explore and enjoy everything which comes in your way. I believe that you must visit all the famous places in your way to make the most out of your road trip. You will be free to stop at any place. We are mentioning only those places which are easily accessible and can be noticed easily while passing by. So, these are the places which you can visit during your Leh to Manali Road Trip

• Manali Nature Park (Van Vihar) – This is an extremely popular place where people go while their trip to Manali. You should go to this place during your road trip.
• Nehru Kund, Bashisht – There is a story about this place that Nehru Ji used to take water from this Kund to Delhi. This is a popular tourist attraction, you can enjoy the scenic beauty and rock mountains at this place.
• Solang Valley, VPO Palchan – With over 7,500 reviews on Google Maps, Solang valley is one of the favorite places of every traveler. Solang Valley is a must to visit place.
• Gulaba Viewpoint, Kothi – Gulaba Viewpoint is a place where you can get a 360 view of mountains, trees, snow, and breathtaing nature. This is a perfect place for photography.
• Gulaba Tourist Point, Leh Manali Hwy – It is again a perfect location for taking some awesome pictures.
• Filmcity Hill View Point, Kullu – You will find a lot of vehicles stopped at this place. This is again a spot for photography for visitors.
• Rohtang Pass – With over 3,800 reviews on Google, Rohtang pass is one of the best tourist spot near Manali. This is a major spot to take a halt on Leh-Manali Highway. Rohtang Pass is the highest pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the himalayas.
• Suraj Tal – It is a sacred water body which is called lake of lord Sun. It lies just below the Bara-lacha-la pass.
• Bara-Lacha-La Pass – Bara-Lacha-La Pass is highest mountain pass in Zanskar range. It connects Lahul district with Ladakh.
• Thiksay Monastry, Thiksey – Thiksay monastry is a Large hilltop monastery from the mid 1400s, with temples, a nunnery & a variety of Buddhist art.

Now you are in Leh – Ladakh, Take rest and then start exploring.

Best Food Places on Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip Route

Manali to leh highway doesn’t have a lot of places where you can get good meal. At intervals you will get food places but sometimes you will find yourself far from a food place. Avoid eating a lot of spices and also avoid trying unhealthy dishes. Among a lot of places lying between the route, there are some food points and restaurants from where you can have a good meal. We’ve listed down all the preferred food places in between Manali to Leh. These are the food places you should eat at:

• Gufa Hotel, Teling, Himachal Pradesh – You can get yourself a complete meal at this palce at reasonable prices.
• Sonam Dhaba, Gondhla – From here you can pick snacks, packed food items, and soft drinks for your ride.
• Momos and Meggi Shop, Sumnam, Himachal Pradesh – Take a small break at this place and enjoy the all time and everyone’s favorite maggie.
• Rolling Stones Camping and Restaurant, Jispa – Long time riding, its time to take a break and have a meal.
• Chamba Dhaba Sunny, Killingsarai – This is another decent place on Leh Manali Highway where you can have a meal.
• W hisky Nala – It is a place where you can take a proper break including a sleep and meal.
• Chuzin Cafe, Choglamsar – Take a small breat at this place and have a lite meal and then continue towards your destination.
• Pangong Restaurant, Paru – Now this is the most famous food point on this Leh – Manali highway. You should take a halt and have a meal over this place and then continue towards Leh and you will reach soon there.

Itinerary of Manali to Leh Road Trip

Region of Leh – Ladakh has a lot to offer. So, make sure that you keep enough days to spend in Leh and Ladakh. Even if you are going for a shorter duration, it is suggested that you visit at least Nubra Valley and Zanskar Valley. We’ve prepared an ideal itinerary for you so that you can reduce stress on planning and get going with the trip. So, without taking more of your time, let’s get started with the itinerary of Manali to Leh Road Trip.

Day 1: Manali to Sarchu (223 Kms via Leh Manali Hwy)

• Leave from Manali early in the morning before 8 AM so that you can reach Sarchu with enough time in hand.
• Take your first break at Gulaba View point which is just a few kilometers ahead of Manali. Then continue for Gulaba Water Falls.
• Continue your ride on Leh Manali Highway and stop at Filmcity Hill View Point which is quite a popular tourist spot on this route.
• Take your next break at Rani Nallah where you’ll spot snow coming from uphills and falling on the road you are standing at. Rani Nallah is situated along with Rohtang Pass, so just a few kms and you’ll arrive at your first destination of the day. From here, we’ll continue our journey towards Sarchu.
• Continuing from Rohtang Pass, our next stop will be Tandi Bridge. As you are in Tandi, don’t forget to fill up your bike or car tanks as there are not many pertrol pumps available on this route.
• Passing by Keylong, Jispa, and Zing Zing Bar, you’ll arrive at Suraj Tal Lake which is near to Baralacha La Pass. Take a little break here and enjoy maggi at food point available near to the lake. Just a couple of kilometers ahead you’ll arrive at Baralacha La Pass.
• Passing through Killingsarai, you’ll arrive at your destination for the day which is Sarchu.

We have sorted some of the best accommodations in Sarchu for your overnight stay. These properties are not available for online booking, so you have to contact the hotel for price and booking purposes. Check them out:

Golddrop Camps Sarchu

Himalayan Routes Camp

Day 2: Sarchu to Leh (250 Kms via Leh Manali Hwy)

• Try to leave from Sarchu at around 8 in the morning so that you can have enought time to explore the route and reach Leh before sunset.
• Just a few kilometers ahead of Sarchu, you’ll enter the Ladakh region. First stop for the day will be Nakee La which is located at altitude of 4739 meters form sea level.
• Drive for about 40 minutes (18 Kms) ahead of Nakee La and you’ll arrive at Lachungla which is located at an altitude of 5065 meters. Continue driving for about 80 Kms, you’ll arrive at TanglangLa Top which is a major tourist attraction on this route. Take a few minutes break here and then continue your ride.
• Take a break at Indian Oil Petrol Pump (GMaps Search: 8J5VWPWG+CV ) and get your vehicle tanks filled. In just an hour, you’ll be in Leh.

We’ve sorted some of the best properties for stay in Leh at affordable price with great amenities and food. Have a look at these properties and book them before reaching leh to avail discounts on early bookings.

Free Parking, Free WiFi, Family Rooms, Very Good Breakfast

Lhachik Guest House

Free Parking, Non-Smoking Rooms, Free WiFi, Family Rooms, Superb Breakfast

Gyaslang Guest House

Free WiFi, Superb Breakfast

Morning Sky Guest House

Free WiFi, Family Rooms, Parking

Day 3 to 7: Explore Leh and Back to Manali

As you have arrived in Leh, you can start exploring places near to Leh. Stay in Leh for about 2-3 days and explore the surroundings. Here are some of the most popular places people visit during their Manali to Leh Road Trip:

• Pangong Lake
• Magnetic Hill
• Khardungla Pass
• Nubra Valley
• Tso Moriri Lake
• Lamayuru Monastery
• Diskit Gompa
• Shanti Stupa
• Royal Leh Palace
• Gurudwara Pathar Sahib
• Sangam Point
• Tso Kar Lake
• Hall of Fame
• Thiksey Monastery
• Drass Valley

Once you are done with exploring, it is the time to head back to Manali. Follow the same route back to Manali and you’ll mark the road trip complete.

Best Hotels for Stay During Manali to Leh Road Trip

This route opens seasonally. Also, there aren’t many hotels for stay on this route. We will be listing here all the places which lies in-between the route where you can stay. It is suggested that you cover this route in 2 days. These are some best hotels to stay in durin your Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip. We have listed 5 hotels for each destination where you should take break.

Best Hotels for Stay in Manali

• Treebo Woodstock Inn – Rs.1300 Per Day
• Kalista Resort – Rs.1360 Per Day
• The Whispering Inn by Vivaan – Rs.1600 Per Day
• The Hosteller Manali – Rs.999 Per Day
• Hotel Mountain Face by Snow City Hotels – Rs.1260 Per Day

Best Hotels for Stay in Zing Zing Bar

• 1 BR Boutique Stay in Jisp, Distt. (E00F) by Guesthouser – Rs.3500 Per Day
• 1 BR Tent in Sarchu, Leh, by Guesthouser (7B73) – Rs.3600 Per Day
• Tent Accomodation in Sarchu, Leh, by Guesthouser 20464 – Rs.4500 Per Day

Best Hotels to Stay in Leh

• 1 BR Homestay in Upper Tukcha Road, Leh (F0A8), by Guesthouser – Rs.1765 Per Day
• OYO 14359 The Mir Villa – Rs.2205 Per Day
• Hotel Dolma Residency – Rs.3500 Per Day
• 1 BR Guesthouse in Chulung Old Road, Leh (B1DF), by Guesthouser – Rs.3529 Per Day
• Hotel Vamoosetrail Ladakh Palace – Rs.4050 Per Day

Petrol Pumps on Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip

Leh – Manali highway passes through plains and places where you won’t be getting any population, food points, hotels, and not even petrol pumps. So, it is suggested that you take a can of Petrol / Diesel along with you for emergency purposes. There are few petrol pumps available on Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip. Have a look at them here and plan your journey according to availability of fuel.

• Lahaul Potato Growers Indian Oil Petrol Pump, Keylong Near Tandi.
• Indian Oil Petrol Diesel Station, Karu, Keylong – Leh Road.

If you have any other query then let us know in comment section below and we will definitely get back to you ASAP.

I love to travel places and write about my experiences and travel guides to help people in making their travel plans with ease. Otherthan traveling and blogging, I work on my internet ventures and provide internet business consulting.

16 thoughts on “Manali to Leh Ladakh Road Trip – Food, Route, Hotels, Places to Visit, Trip Cost”

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way back in 1986 i travelled for my job in leh onward to tsaga village in nyoma block as teacher. i have travelled on zojilla road also.since no one told me how dangerous roads were i took it as routine.all has changed now. good that you have written blogs and are guiding people and that is great.by the way i was 23 yrs then having been witess to pangong tso damchok untrekable khardungla then .well man all changed now.

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Hi kulashreshta, thank you so much.can tempo traveller journey would be safe from.manali to leh road.bit scared there may be travel planned during may 25

No worries, go for it. Nothing to be scared about.

Thanks for providing such an elaborate blog. I am planning to visit Leh from Manali via Atal Tunnel in the month of November 1st week. Any idea will the roads be opened then.

Yes, Atal Tunnel will remain open in November 1st week.

which hotel charges more money on the way from Manali to Leh for staying overnight.

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Manali To Leh Road Trip: Distance, Time, and Useful Travel Information

Situated in the Kashmir region of India, Leh is a dream destination every traveller wishes to visit once in their lifetime. Furthermore, stretching from the Siachen Glacier to the central Great Himalayas and surrounded by dramatic landscapes, Ladakh is a dreamy place known as the world’s freezing desert. Captivating Gompas (Tibetan Buddhist sanctuaries), whitewashed stupas and fluttering prayer flags, Leh is a riot of red-robed monks and elaborate murals. 

With a culture equivalent to Tibetan civilization, the locals of Leh are friendly and welcoming to tourists. It might also not be wrong to say that travelling to Leh is a breathtaking experience that gets beautified with scenic lakes, fascinating Landscapes, quaint villages, high-altitude mountain passes, picturesque valleys, and different spiritual monasteries. And many tourists plan a trip to Leh to seek adventure, breathe the unpolluted air, explore Tibetan culture, and experience the magical bliss found in town. Keep scrolling to read the Manali to Leh itinerary and the most suitable routes to reach Leh via Manali. 

Table of Contents

Why travel from manali to leh.

• Travelling from Manali to Leh by Car  
• Best Time To Visit Leh from Manali 
• Popular Routes from Manali to Leh  
• How to Reach Leh By Flight
• How to Reach Leh By Bus  
• How to Reach Leh By Train  
• Popular sightseeing attractions in Leh  
• Popular places to eat in Leh  
• Hotels and Resorts in Leh  

Nearby road trips from Leh

Leh is no less than a nature’s marvel with open roads and clear skies that allow you to breathe freely amidst a peaceful atmosphere. Here you will find yourself lost in the magnificence and tranquillity of rugged landscapes, seek reassurance in a plethora of Gompas, and satiate your adventure cravings by enjoying different thrilling activities. Experience the joy of being on the road by booking Manali cab service from Savaari .

In addition, Manali and Leh are the two most well-known hill stations in the country and must-adds to the bucket list of all ardent sightseers! So if you want to plan a trip to Leh from Manali, go ahead because an unforgettable experience awaits you. When you take a road trip from Manali to Leh, you can enhance your experience by enjoying everything that lies on the way. With a Savaari, you can turn your drive into a fun-filled journey and also customize the trip to your liking, travel time, and budget. 

Travelling from Manali to Leh by Car  

Leh is unquestionably an outstanding place in Jammu & Kashmir that evokes a feeling of dreamlike euphoria. Its wild lofty mountains, pristine lakes, exotic traditions and culture make it an integral bucket list destination. Moreover, Leh’s top scenic attractions include its undefiled natural spectacles, Tibetan Buddhist celebrations, colourful sanctuaries, picture-perfect mountain hikes, rugged mountain passes and more.  Book a Manali car rental for the best experience

And you can add more charm to this experience when you take a road trip to Leh from Manali. The Manali to Leh distance is approximately 426 km, and you can cover it within 11 to 12 hours. While many people opt for a bike journey to reach their destination, it is better to choose a car commute if you are travelling in groups or with family.  With our completely customizable Srinagar to Pahalgam trip packages, you can stop at Srinagar to Pahalgam any of these places and do a quick sightseeing.

Let us help you discover the best routes to travel from Manali to Leh by car. You can also enjoy the route from the back seat by renting a car from Manali to Leh . 

Best Time To Visit Leh from Manali

The most suitable time to visit Leh is from May to July as the routes to Leh open both from Srinagar and Manali highway during this time. Furthermore, there is considerable snowfall, specifically on the Leh Manali highway. Another excellent time to visit Leh is from mid-September to October, when Leh transforms into the most mesmerizing landscape. However, you must avoid visiting Leh during the monsoon from July to August as the area is prone to landslides. Autumn or early winter in Leh is another most suitable times to visit. 

The rain stops but leaves behind just the perfect amount of moisture in the air to make the trip delightful. Being bathed by the rain over the rainy season, the wild surroundings turn to the liveliest hues.By the time November arrives, Leh is freezing cold. All areas over 14000 ft undergo sub-zero temperatures. Furthermore, driving through the roads, even the Manali-Leh highways, get risky because of the black ice accumulation.

Popular Routes from Manali to Leh 

Route 1: manali to leh via nh3.

The Manali to Leh route is unquestionably spectacular. It is such a wonderful extravaganza of nature’s delight that you would love to be a part of! In addition, as you move to the higher altitudes, take quick breaks to soak in the panoramas and camp under the starry sky to make memories of a lifetime! The approximate distance between Manali to Leh is 426 km, and it is advisable to take the Manali to Leh best route that runs via NH3. 

Here’s the basic route map from Manali to Leh. 

Popular sightseeing attractions between Manali to Leh  

• Rohtang Pass 

With an elevation of 13000 ft, Rohtang Pass is the perfect getaway to Manali to Leh highway. So when you embark on a road trip from Manali to Leh, take a halt at the Rohtang Pass and take a trek to the highest point to witness nature’s full glory. 

• Jispa village

Located on the shores of the famous Bagha river, Jispa Village is a primary stop for Leh travellers. Here you can spend some quiet time near the lakeside or camp under the starry night to get the most surreal road trip experience. 

• Atal Tunnel

Constructed at the height of 10 thousand 40 feet above sea level, Atul Tunnel holds the record for being the world’s most extended highway tunnel. Moreover, connecting Manali with Lahaul and Spiti districts, Atul Tunnel is the perfect engineering spectacle you can witness en route. 

• Solang Valley 

A perfect skiing destination surrounded by lush green environs, a halt at Solang Valley on a road trip from Manali to Leh will make your trip more memorable. 

• Tayul Gompa Monastery 

Located a few kms from Leh, Tayul Gompa is the oldest-known monastery in the Northern region. Moreover, located amidst the lofty mountain ranges, this monastery is famous for a majestic 

12 ft statue of Guru Padmasambhava, besides the 108 primary wheels that keep on self-rotating on auspicious events. 

Places to eat along this route

• Leh Dhaba: Situated in Jispa along the Manali to Leh route, Leh Dhaba serves the best Kahwa tea, Thupka and noodles.
• Pang Restraunt: A perfect stopover point near Leh to witness the serene natural surroundings and enjoy hot coffee and delicious meals served at affordable rates. 

Manali to Leh Road Condition via Route 1:

This is the shortest and the best route to travel between  Manali and Leh. It is also the fastest, because the Srinagar to Pahalgam traffic on this route is regular and there are no road closures. Moreover, for better commute, always check live maps and instant traffic updates for the latest information on  Manali to Leh road conditions.

Other means of travelling from Manali to Leh 

The only route to Leh Ladakh in winter is by flight, though airlines fly all year round. In addition, the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport of Leh is the area’s major airport. And GoAir and Air India have regular flights running from New Delhi. However, airline services are irregular during winter, and flights usually get cancelled due to snowfall in Leh and fog in Delhi. 

By Bus 

The central bus stand for Leh Ladakh is situated 700m south of the central town centre. State buses from Manali and the HPTDC (Himachal Pradesh Tourist Development Corporation) generally halt overnight at Darcha, Keylong, or Sarchu for high-altitude acclimatization. 

By Train 

Kalka is the nearest railway station to Leh and many buses and private cabs run from Kalka Railway station to Leh. 

Popular sightseeing attractions in Leh 

Here are some prominent scenic attractions you can glimpse in Leh.  

• Pangong Lake

With an impressive landscape and stunning scenic beauty, Pangong Lake remains at a more elevated altitude in the Himalayan range. In addition, this lake has a spectacular scenic view with sparkling waters, a lakeshore with pebbles, and a stunning backdrop. And the mountains blanketed with snow make this spot something you cannot express in words. 

You can also spot the different hues of blue and green shade in the lake as the position of the sun transitions in this lake. This area is heaven for photographers and bird watchers as you can spot different migratory birds like ducks, Crane, and seagulls, along with skating and camping near the lakeside. 

Leh Palace was earlier the home to the royal family reigning in Ladakh. This famous Leh palace holds the same design as Patola Palace, situated in Tibet and built in the 17th century. In addition, this palace was again deserted in the 19th century when the royal family living in this castle moved to the Stok Palace when Kashmiris took over this palace. Furthermore, with stunning architecture constructed with wood, stones, and sand, with some stunning portraits and carvings on its wall, this site is mostly visited by journalists, historians, archaeologists and professional photographers.

• Spituk Gompa

Spituk Gompa remains situated at a distance of 8 km from Leh, and this well-known monastery has outstanding architecture and was built during the late 11th century. This place has a central prayer hall where the idol of Lord Buddha is placed, and there are different antique portraits, lists of ancient celebrations, arms and other such things in this sanctuary. In addition, the veils of the Lord Buddha statue are released only once a year during the Spituk festival, where you can witness various dance and music performances with other attractions. 

• Drang Drung Glacier

Drang-Drung glacier is the second most extensive Glacier you can glimpse after the Siachen Glacier. This Glacier remains situated in the Zanskar range of the Himalayan peaks, and you can reach the place by trekking for a day through Suru Valley. And if you are an avid nature photographer, you can readily click some scenic vistas of the wild marmots, Blue Sea, ibex, and Tibetan Fox. Also, we can say that this place is unquestionably heaven with the stunning terrain and the snow-filled mountain resting in the backdrop that improves the magnificence of this place.

Popular places to eat in Leh 

Leh is a multicuisine town serving Tibetan, Indian, Chinese and even Korean delicacies. Moreover, the dishes here flaunt tints of these foreign influences. So when you visit this beautiful Leh town, you can try regional dishes, such as Thukpa (noodle soup), Tsampa Ngamphe (charred barley flour), and Skyu, a heavy pasta plater with plenty of vegetables. Also, don’t forget to savour the delicious Momos, steamed dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables, when in town. Beverages include coffee, tea, beer and Chang, an alcoholic drink consumed especially on festive occasions. Below are some well-known eating joints in Leh. 

• Sheldon Garden Restaurant: Famous for Continental and Multi-cuisine delicacies 
• Old Town Cafe: Famous for Tibetian cuisine 
• La Terrasse: Famous for Italian and Continental dishes
• Summer Harvest: Famous for Indian, Chinese and Tibetian delicacies 

Hotels and Resorts in Leh 

If you plan an unforgettable getaway from Manali, Leh should always remain on top of your travel itinerary. Moreover, there are several attractions in Leh filled with pristine beauty that would surely blow your mind. So why wait? Plan a road trip from Manali to Leh now!

Download our Savaari car Booking app for a smooth and pleasant journey.

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• Public Transport & Budget Travel
• Preparing for Spiti Valley Trip

How to plan a journey or trip on Manali Leh Highway? [2022 Travel Guide]

Manali Leh Highway is one of the roads that lead to heaven on earth called Leh – Ladakh (Srinagar – Leh Highway is the other one). It is one of those Highways in the world which offers almost everything nature has to offer to an adventure lover.

Serious travelers in India and abroad do have a dream of traveling on this dangerous and beautiful Highway at least once in their lifetime. I am one of those honored souls to have experienced this journey of my life multiple times.

Having said that, the journey on Manali Leh Highway could be a bit tricky to plan if you haven’t researched well enough. Almost more than 350 km out of 474 km long Manali Leh Highway (430 km now after Atal Tunnel) does not have any civilization, and hence you would be the only soul wandering on most of your journey here. Even one cannot find fuel (petrol/diesel) for 365 KMs on Manali – Leh Highway.

2021 Update : With the opening of the Rohtang Pass Tunnel or Atal Tunnel in 2020, the distance of Manali – Leh Highway has been reduced by 45 km and brought it down to a total of 430 km from Manali to Leh. It is not just the distance but the overall time to reach Keylong from Manali is reduced by 3.5-4 hrs and that means Manali to Leh journey can be done in about 13-14 hrs . This 9.02 km Atal Tunnel connects Manali to Keylong in Lahaul Valley. You are no longer required to travel over Rohtang Pass which means there is no longer a dependency on its opening date to travel to Keylong from Manali. Along with it, you no longer have to worry about avalanches, bad roads, traffic jams, landslides which were pretty common when traveling to Leh from Manali via Rohtang Pass.

Therefore, adequate planning is very well required to travel on Manali – Leh Highway so as to make it a memorable experience.

Download your FREE   high-resolution version pdf copy  of this Manali to Leh infographic guide. If, you liked it and found it helpful,  please feel free to share it  with your family and friends to help them too.

Let's quickly dive into the details:

Manali Leh Highway Travel Guide – Detailed & Complete

I hope the below information in this detailed travel guide of Manali Leh Highway will be helpful for someone planning a journey on Manali – Leh Highway.

Should I travel to Leh Ladakh via Manali or Leh to Manali?

Before anything, if you want to enjoy Manali – Leh Highway then does it from Leh side. That is travel from Leh to Manali NOT Manali to Leh. This direction will help you enjoy the Manali – Leh highway without bothering to rush through the place or worry about AMS or driving with nausea, headaches, etc.

1. Better Acclimatization

Traveling from Manali to Leh will hold you back from the enjoyment. Mostly due to AMS and its symptoms because of the majority of the time, you are above 4000 Mtrs of altitude, which your body cannot adapt easily so quickly. But, while coming from Leh towards Manali, your body will be acclimatized for the high altitudes much more than when you travel to Ladakh from Manali.

If you still prefer to travel to Leh Ladakh via Manali, then you can follow the most common itinerary to travel to Ladakh from Manali .

2. Avoid sleeping at Sarchu

Secondly, travel from Leh to Manali will also help you halt your journey at Sarchu which is at an even distance between Manali and Leh and offers a varied amount of accommodation options. Otherwise, you will end up doing Manali – Keylong on one day and push from Keylong to Leh on the second.

Sleeping at Sarchu is not recommended if you are coming from Manali unless your body has completely acclimatized to Sarchu altitude by staying in Spiti and Lahaul Valley for about 4-5 days.

Hence, always try to plan a journey to Ladakh in such a manner that you enter Leh via Srinagar side and then after exploring Leh – Ladakh for few days come back via Manali – Leh Highway. You should also read: 5 Reasons to choose Srinagar – Leh Road to enter Leh over Manali – Leh Road .

Season to travel on Manali – Leh Highway

Usually, the opening of Rohtang Pass and Baralacha La majorly governs the travel time on Manali – Leh Highway. The average time for the opening of Rohtang Pass every year is around May, and Baralacha La usually opens up close to May end.

Best time to travel on Manali Leh Highway

Hence, June to September is the time window when the Manali – Leh Highway is open and is considered as the only time for traveling on Manali – Leh Highway.

Road Conditions June – July

In the early stages, i.e., June, one can find huge stocks of snow en-route, but the road conditions may be a challenge to drive. While in the later stages, i.e., August to September, the conditions of the roads are almost perfect in shape with all the mud dried out, maintenance work almost completed on these roads by BRO but your eyes will be devoid of the snow mostly.

The weather in June is always unpredictable and the chances of rain are also bright. This leads to the closure of certain sections on Manali – Leh Highway due to landslides triggered by rains.

However, you may be lucky in June as well to cruise this Highway in bright sunshine. June is not exactly the ideal time when one wants to be in Manali due to mad tourist influx.

Should I plan Manali Leh Highway in August?

As the July – August comes, the Monsoon comes as well in the Northern parts of India. However, the regions on the Northern side of Rohtang Pass that is Keylong and beyond mostly remain untouched by these monsoon rains (except the year 2010, which was an exception).

So in July-August, though you may need to cross the Southern side of Rohtang Pass in Monsoon rains that is Manali and lower hills , after especially Keylong, you are almost good to go without much trouble with these rains.

Dodging the Water Crossings & Slush in June – August

June – July is also the time window when the snow melts on high passes creating almost tiny rivers or water crossings (nallas) on roads in the early stages. This high gush of water is quite a challenge to dodge, especially with the vehicles having a low ground clearance.

Post afternoon, when the sun is burning at its best, some of these water crossings or nallas becomes so violent that they are almost impossible to cross. This gushing water may force you to halt the journey of the day in the middle of nowhere or return to some civilized place for a night halt. The best way to overcome these water crossings or nallas is to know the specific nallas on Manali – Leh Highway and plan to cross them as early in the morning as possible.

In recent years, one of the major hurdles was water crossing or nalla just near Zingzing Bar even though bridges have been built on many of the water crossings up to 2018.

Another major one was between Rohtang Pass and Sissu. In the early stages (June), even crossing Baralacha La is a big challenge due to melting snow, which creates some deep water streams on the road itself.

Slush is also bound to be present on Baralcha La in the early stages of the season and is also quite a challenge to negotiate without proper skills even on SUV/MUV. This mud is generally created by the constantly moving traffic, which beats the snow present on the road or aside.

Hence, try to cover these sections of Manali – Leh Highway in the early part of the day, when the snow melts very slowly and traffic is less.

Dheeraj Sharma

Are you planning your trip on Manali – Leh Highway in late September and October? If yes, then you must read my article about  5 Reasons to Avoid Manali – Leh Highway in Late September or October

Road Conditions

Below is the general idea of road conditions on Manali Leh Highway. Of course, they are subject to change with the season, time of travel, and weather conditions. However, in general, you will get an idea of road conditions from Manali to Leh road.

• Manali To Rohtang Pass – Average
• Rohtang To Kokhsar – Bad, Slushy
• Kokhsar To Sissu – Average
• Sissu To Keylong – Very Good
• Keylong To Jispa – Good
• Jispa To Zingzing Bar – Good
• Zing zing Bar To Baralacha Pass – Good
• Baralacha To Sarchu – Bad, Dirt Track
• Sarchu To Pang – Bad, Bumpy, Dirt Track
• Pang To Moore Plains – Good, Bad, Bumpy
• Moore Plains To Tanglang La Pass – Very Good
• Tanglang La Pass To Rumste – Very Good
• Rumste To Leh – Very Good

2021 Update : You no longer need to travel from Manali to Rohtang Pass to Keylong. You can take the route from Manali to Keylong via Atal Tunnel to reach Keylong in just 2 hrs from Manali and avoid all the bad roads of Rohtang Pass.

Modes of travel on Manali – Leh Highway

IMPORTANT NOTE: Himachal Pradesh Govt. has banned the movement of vehicles without any permit on Manali – Rohtang Pass road and visiting Rohtang Pass for tourism purposes. If you are going towards Leh – Ladakh or Keylong or Spiti Valley from Manali side then you need to get permits for Rohtang Pass available online . Please note that Bikes also need a permit to cross Rohtang Pass

Private Vehicles i.e. Cars and Bikes | Self Drive or Ride to Ladakh

Most people prefer to travel from Manali to Leh on a bike or self-drive to Ladakh in their own car. Some people also prefer to self-drive or self-ride to Ladakh by hiring a rental bike or car on rental from the cities. In any case, a hired car/bike or personal car/bike, the idea is to live the passion of driving or riding through one of the toughest and adventurous terrains accessible in India.

You can take your own or rented, car or bike to Ladakh on Manali Leh Highway, but one must be careful while driving or riding through slushy roads, snow and water crossing or nallas. Also, it is always handy to learn little maintenance tasks of your vehicle before the start of this arduous and desolate journey.

For cars, although an SUV/MUV is good to have and a 4WD SUV will definitely help but I have seen hatchbacks (including Altos and Nano) and sedans doing good enough job on Manali – Leh Highway.

Please note that when you are planning from Manali to Leh on bike, the bike registered in Manali will not be allowed for sightseeing in Ladakh. You will need to rent a bike again in Leh again for sightseeing in Ladakh .

Can I do Manali Leh trip in a small car?

With sedans/hatchbacks or small cars on Manali Leh Highway, one must drive with extra care and caution. Also, be ready for few scratches or sacrifice some parts on your sedans/hatchbacks under-belly due to the lack of enough ground clearance required in some water crossings or landslides on Manali – Leh Highway.

If you are trying to travel on Manali Leh Highway in a small car or a hatchback or sedan, I will suggest planning the journey late in the season ( September) when the roads are in good shape than the early season.

Are you planning to hire or rent a bike from Manali? If yes, then you must go through the article on  How to Hire or Rent a Bike or Motorcycle in Manali?

Tips for a Self-drive to Manali – Leh

If you are traveling on Manali to Leh by car, whenever in doubt, always step out of your car, walk down the path, inspect with your foot and plan the path of exit before crossing a dangerous landslide or water crossing on your vehicle. You can also park aside and see how others are crossing the risky section to plan your route of escape.

In deep water-crossings try to maintain the momentum without any half clutch measures and complete the entire stretch in one go only.

Similarly, in slush stretches, do not force the issue rather keep the smooth momentum with the required speed to pass you through, without half clutch measures. Do keep an eye on the direction of the vehicle too.

If you get stuck in the mud, then try to back and forth your vehicles to get out of the stuck position. It is always handy to ask your fellow co-travelers to get out of the car and push the vehicle from behind in case the car is struggling to pass through the mud or water crossing stretch.

These tips will certainly help you on your trip from Manali to Leh by car.

Things to carry

Basic toolkit, screwdriver set, small hammer, puncture repair kit, iron rod, two or three “2 ltr” empty bottles of Pepsi / Coke / Limca, etc. to carry extra petrol or diesel (jerry cans will leak, cold drink bottles do not leak), funnel, towing rope, spare tube (must for bikes), Elfy or Fevi quick (2-3 sachets), jump-start cables/wires, M-seal to prevent leakage, etc. were among the few things which I carried along on my trip to Ladakh.

Also, do not forget to get your vehicle (car/bike) serviced about 2-3 weeks before the start of the Ladakh journey. Having it serviced will ensure that you have proper time in advance to test your serviced vehicle and get fixed any hitches that may have been introduced in that service.

You can prepare the checklist from my list of  40 must have things to carry on Ladakh self drive trip

Hiring a Private Taxi | Taxi Number or Private Number

All taxis (except Ladakh registration number) having taxi number or tourist permits number plates are only allowed for a drop in Leh – Ladakh. You cannot drive them in Leh – Ladakh ou cand as per the taxi union rules, only taxis with Ladakh number are allowed to roam in the Ladakh region for sightseeing.

If you want to travel within Leh – Ladakh in your private taxi hired from a place other than Ladakh, then, in that case, you need to hire a taxi with a private number plate only. However, in the latter case, be ready for some queries by the local taxi drivers in Ladakh or police constables on your route. You need to ensure everyone interrogating with you that the vehicle is not a rental.

Should I hire a taxi from Manali for Ladakh?

Whenever you need to hire a taxi, always try to hire it from Manali, as the drivers of Manali will always be more skilled and more accustomed to the route or current conditions of Manali – Leh Highway. Secondly, the locals always have a majority with an advantage of local support in any hurdle you might face on the way towards Leh.

To hire a taxi, go directly to the Manali taxi stand and bargain hard with the local drivers only, for a drop to Leh. Do not involve any tour operator or hotel staff at any stage to save costs.

Manali to Leh Taxi Fare

The local taxi drivers will charge about Rs 1500 extra for a planned night halt on the way to Leh. The private taxi fare from Manali to Leh is close to Rs 16000 to Rs 18000 for a drop to Leh from Manali, depending on your bargaining power, tourist rush, and time when you are visiting the place. June is the highest-paid and September – August being the less paid.

On the Manali bus stand, the taxis that drop people coming from Ladakh are also available sometimes. Since the same local sightseeing rules are applied to Ladakh taxis as well in Manali, they are bound to return without any tourists from Manali side, officially. If you can catch any of those Ladakhi drivers, you might save yourself Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 for a drop to Leh from Manali.

The same rule is applicable from Leh to Manali side as well and hence, if you can get hold of some Himachali driver at Leh taxi stand, you will again save about Rs 3000 to Rs 4000 on your return drop to Manali.

However, you need to be a bit careful from local drivers while fixing a deal with non-local drivers. So, it is always nice if you have some references for either place upfront and call them directly to fix the deal. Secondly, it might be hard that these taxis will agree for any night halt on the way, but it depends on how you gel up in the negotiations and bargaining.

You can check the Leh – Ladakh taxi union rate list 2020 – 21 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh. You can get about 10-12% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.

Manali to Leh Bus Service, HPTDC | Good for a solo traveler or a couple

Perhaps if you are traveling alone or with one or two friends, you can buy or book tickets for the Manali – Leh bus service of HPTDC. This semi-deluxe bus covers the 474 Km long Manali – Leh stretch with a night halt at HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga, Keylong on coming from either side.

The ticket costs Rs about 2900 per person (as of 2020), which includes a stay at HPTDC Hotel Chandrabhaga, Keylong, and two meals, i.e., dinner and breakfast at the same hotel. Earlier was also an option to buy the ticket only without hotel stay and meals for Rs 1500, but HPTDC no longer offers it.

The prices mentioned here may change anytime though, so please check the HPTDC website for updated info. The overall comfort level of the bus is much better than other HRTC buses that ply on Manali – Leh Highway.

You can check the updated schedule of Manali Leh bus at the HPTDC website . The tickets can be bought or booked at the HPTDC office on mall road, Manali or you may like to contact at HPTDC Office in your local town (HPTDC Contact Details).

Do not book the seats at the back and confirm before booking regarding the location of the seats. In the back seats, you may have trouble when the road gets bad, especially on the second day, i.e., Keylong to Leh. The bus departs at 11 AM from Manali on the first day and 5 AM from Keylong on the second day to reach Leh about 7 PM. These timings will change with the introduction of the Atal Tunnel that will reduce the time to travel to Keylong from Manali to just 2 hrs in total.

Read my detailed article on Manali to Leh Bus Service .

Delhi – Keylong – Leh Bus Service, HRTC | Cheapest mode of travel

HRTC also runs a regular bus service to Leh from Manali (started in 2018) and also from Delhi and Keylong. You can book tickets for connecting buses (Manali – Keylong, and Keylong – Leh) from Manali bus depot itself or even ISBT, Delhi. You can also reach Keylong by getting a seat in numerous shared taxis that ply between Manali – Keylong every day. The HRTC buses may not be as comfortable though, but comfort comes with the price.

The ticket between Manali – Keylong costs about Rs 174 and then Keylong – Leh it costs about Rs 550 and Delhi to Leh costs about Rs 1380, in HRTC buses. The direct bus from Manali to Leh costs Rs 833, which started in 2018. The bus departs at 5 AM from Keylong and reaches Leh about 7 PM.

You can also read the details of HRTC Delhi Leh Bus Service

Shared Taxi | A Cannonball run

You can also buy yourself a seat in a shared taxi which runs every mid-night from Manali and reaches Leh on the next evening without any night halt. In the same way, shared taxis are run from Leh to Manali as well.

You need to pay about Rs 1800 to Rs 2000 per person for a drop to Leh from Manali or a drop to Manali from Leh. Of course, since it is shared with 7-8 other people plus the driver and completes the back-breaking cannonball run of Manali – Leh in 15-17 hours, you can imagine the level of comfort yourself.

This one is the second cheapest mode of travel on Manali – Leh Highway but mind you, it could be the toughest on the body too 🙂

Other travel modes

You can also get in touch with some travel agent or taxi union in Manali who also runs their private buses or Tempo Travelers on Manali – Leh Highway. They also run according to dates and hence you may not find the immediate bookings for them.

Some travel agencies also offer Manali to Leh road trip packages including stay and travel. Let me know in case you are interested to know about them.

Planning Night Stay or Accommodation on Manali – Leh Highway

Based on my experience, you can opt to plan a journey on Manali – Leh Highway in one of the following ways –

Two Day Journey on Manali – Leh Highway

The options of stay or accommodation are very limited on Manali – Leh Highway due to the limited civilization. Hence, a two-day journey on Manali – Leh Highway is the most common among all travelers. Private Taxis and buses run by HPTDC or HRTC also cover the Manali – Leh Highway in two days. Mostly, people break up the journey on Manali – Leh Highway in the following two ways over two days –

Manali – Keylong / Jispa (Day 1) and Keylong / Jispa – Leh (Day 2)

This option is mostly preferred by people who do not want to run the risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS) by staying at higher altitudes than Keylong or Jispa. However, on the second day, you need to leave early in the morning like by 6 AM from Keylong or Jispa to reach Leh in time. Public buses including HPTDC / HRTC halt for a night at Keylong and leave at 6 AM the next morning, too.

Personally, out of Keylong or Jispa, I will always prefer to stay at Jispa if traveling on your own or privately hired vehicle. Jispa has situated right on the banks of river Bhaga and is further 20 KMs away from Keylong town. Spending the evening at this place is extremely refreshing and is a far better experience than the boring Keylong town.

While Keylong town offers varied accommodation options, Jispa has only a few options available for a stay, and hence, you must pre-book them. Secondly, if you are traveling by public transport, i.e., HRTC or HPTDC buses, then you need to stay at Keylong only else you need to manage the travel up to Jispa yourself and then fix the pickup too with the driver or conductor. Mobile phones may or may not work in Jispa.

Manali – Sarchu / Pang (Day 1) and Sarchu / Pang – Leh (Day 2)

After Keylong and Jispa, you will find accommodation majorly at Sarchu and Pang only. Many travelers also take this option. However, Sarchu and Pang being at much higher altitudes, many people suffer from headaches, vomiting, or sleepless nights.

Hence, if you have plans to stay either at Sarchu or Pang, then it is critical that you stay at Solang Valley not in Manali to acclimatize your body a little bit. Solang Valley also may not help altogether though, but Manali will certainly not help the cause.

Both Pang and Sarchu are close to midway between Manali and Leh. So, a stay at any of these places evenly distributes the time and fatigue over two days. This way, it helps you better enjoy the journey on each of the two days.

Again in between Sarchu and Pang, I will suggest a stay at Sarchu due to its lower altitude than Pang. Pang has lesser and cheaper options available, but Sarchu has varied options, including the Swiss tents with attached toilets. In the end, if you are coming from Leh, then you can stay at either Pang or Sarchu without any trouble because by then your body will be acclimatized to handle such altitudes.

One Day Journey on Manali – Leh Highway

Manali – leh (day 1).

This option of completing the journey of Manali – Leh in a single day is most common among local people or people who are in a high rush and is least recommended if you want to enjoy your travel. Shared taxis are the preferred way to avail of this option.

Although it could be the cheapest or time saving for you, this back-breaking, cannonball run of 15-16 Hrs with least stoppages does put a heavy toll on the body as well as the mind of an average traveler. This long journey is extremely tiring, and by traversing through the varied amount of altitudes ranging from 1900 Mtrs to over 5000 Mtrs in a single day, you are running a risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS) or some severe headaches or disorientation en-route. This option will certainly kill the joy of the journey.

Keep in mind that you are most likely to hit with mountain sickness in this option. If you get away with it, consider yourself extremely lucky. Otherwise, keep in mind that any breakdown of the vehicle like puncture, engine heat down, etc. at some high altitude (Tanglang La, Nakee La, Lachulung La, etc.) with you suffering from mountain sickness may lead to very very ugly outcomes. Hence, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take the acclimatization factor lightly.

Three Day Journey on Manali – Leh Highway

Manali – keylong / jispa (day 1) and keylong / jispa – sarchu / pang (day 2) and sarchu / pang – leh (day 3).

Well, this option is nothing but the combination of the other two to cover Manali – Leh Highway in three days. This option will require more time, as well as more money. This option is the best way to thoroughly enjoy the beauty of nature that is offered by Manali – Leh Highway, with some worries of mountain sickness. There are plenty of places/vistas and picture taking points on Manali – Leh Highway that is worth spending this extra time and money.

I suggest this option of travel or, in particular, overnight stay at Sarchu/Pang only when you are coming from Leh towards Manali. I DO NOT recommend it while going towards Leh from Manali side unless you are coming from Manali side after spending some nights in Spiti and Lahaul Valley. Sarchu and Pang are both above 4K altitude, which requires your body to have few nights at 3K and 2K Mtrs of altitudes to acclimatize your body. If you traveled to Leh via Srinagar side and coming from Leh after spending a few days, your body will be acclimatized better to minimize the chances of AMS at Sarchu or Pang.

Very few people follow this option due to lack of time and to save money for the ultimate heaven. If these two things have no place for consideration at your grounds, then I will say go with it, and you will make your journey on Manali – Leh Highway much more than a memorable experience :).

The comparison of night halts is already made in the first option, so opt as per your taste. Again if possible, do stay at Solang Valley not in Manali to minimize the chances or effects of mountain sickness.

This option will mostly be available if you are traveling by your private vehicle. You will even have tough time bargaining with drivers at Manali taxi stand for 2-night halts unless you are ready to pay them handsomely.

List of Accommodation or Stay Options on Manali – Leh Highway

Its always better to know or have the list of all accommodation places on Manali – Leh Highway before you travel on it because in such unpredictable terrain you can never predict what can come to your rescue. So, having as many details as possible about the place is always favorable.

I have compiled the list of accommodation or stay options on Manali – Leh Highway at the below link which includes the information about their contacts, location, price range, experiences, etc. Refer the link below for details – List of Accommodation Options on Manali – Leh Highway

Acclimatization and its importance on Manali – Leh Highway

The journey on Manali – Leh Highway goes through a series of high altitudes passes which are good enough to cause headaches, vomiting, disorientation and mountain sickness to the best in the business.

After crossing Patseo or Deepak Tal you are bound to run this high road to Ladakh above 4000 Mtrs until you descend from Taglang La towards Rumste / Upshi. However, with little prevention and care, you can combat or minimize the effects of altitude sickness .

Here are some tips which will help to fight the AMS on Manali – Leh Highway –

• Avoid overnight stay at Manali rather stay at Solang Valley which helps in the acclimatization whereas Manali does not. You always have an option to roam around in Manali and come back for a night’s sleep at some hotel in Solang Valley. This will help your body acclimatize to a certain extent at the start of your journey.
• On Manali – Leh Highway, do stay at either Keylong or Jispa which are lower in altitude than Sarchu and Pang to minimize the effects of mountain sickness.
• Keep your body properly hydrated.
• Avoid sleeping at high altitudes.
• Avoid overexertion.
• Avoid tobacco and smoking and alcohol and other depressant drugs.
• Keep your body warm and eat lots of carbohydrates.
• Avoid sleep during the day.
• Sleep in an upright position, if possible.
• Carry preventive medicines for AMS.
• Immediately descend, if symptoms increase

For more information on Acute Mountain Sickness and all above acclimatization tips, please refer my article on  Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization

The FAQ on Leh Manali Highway

<strong>what will be the cost of manali leh highway road trip</strong>.

Usually, Manali to Leh road trip cost should come around Rs 3500 if you plan to travel on HPTDC Manali to Leh bus service. Traveling HRTC Manali to Leh bus in a single day should not cost you more than Rs 1000 if you are on a budget.

<strong>What is the status of Manali Leh Highway 2020?</strong>

You can track Manali Leh Highway’s status on my blog. Every year I start a dedicated thread to track the Manali Leh Road status and post regular updates. As of today (December 2019), Manali Leh Highway is closed due to heavy snowfall.

<strong>What is the Manali Leh Highway opening date 2020?</strong>

Usually, Manali Leh Highway is opened in the last week of May or the first week of June, officially. In 2019, Manali Leh Highway opened on 10th June 2019, and in 2018, Manali Leh Highway was opened on 13th May 2018. After many years, in 2018, Manali Leh Highway was opened by mid of May.

<strong>What are the road conditions on Manali Leh Highway?</strong>

As of 2019, the road conditions on Manali Leh Highway has been improved considerably over the last few years. Most of the water crossings now have been covered with bridges. The conditions on Rohtang Pass have improved a lot, many metalled road sections including Pang to Taglang La via More Plains. People are doing Leh to Keylong in a single day at a comfortable pace nowadays.

Fuel or Petrol Pump on Manali – Leh Highway

After Manali town, there is only one Petrol Pump at Tandi on the entire Manali – Leh Highway before Upshi / Karu. DO NOT forget to get the full tank fuel at this petrol pump, even if you had it filled at Manali. The more you have, the better it will be for you.

ATM on Manali – Leh Highway

Do carry enough cash with you as the ATM is available only in Keylong and Manali town. If you have no plans to stay at Keylong, then do not forget to withdraw cash from Manali town. After Keylong, you will get hold of an ATM only at Leh town.

Video – Places to Visit on Manali – Leh Highway

For a detailed description of the major places to visit on Manali Leh Highway including the distance between them and their respective altitudes, please refer to the article  Places on Manali – Leh Highway | A Detailed Description

Summarized View of Facilities or Amenities on Manali – Leh Highway

Article Last Updated February 2022 with up-to-date information for planning a road trip on Manali Leh Highway.

In the end, if you have been to Manali – Leh Highway, then please share your valuable thoughts or suggestions which can make the above information more concrete and useful for someone planning to cover Manali – Leh Highway. Your comments and inputs are most welcome. 

I hope this travel guide will help you make a wonderful trip to these dangerous yet beautiful roads in the world.

Have a travel question?? You can subscribe to my YouTube ch annel and leave a comment to ask your travel questions about traveling to the Himalayas.

If you know your friends or family are planning a trip to Manali Leh Highway, do share this article with them to help them make a memorable trip on Manali – Leh road.

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I am Dheeraj Sharma - a traveler, techie, and Himalayan lover. Since 2009, I have been helping thousands of travelers every year plan memorable & budget-friendly trips to the Himalayas - Smartly, Safely, and responsibly.

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Hi Dheeraj,

We are 3 people, planning trip from Pune to Ladakh via Delhi-Manali-Leh-Srinagar for 9-10 days.

29th june : flying from pune to delhi in evening taking overnight bus from delhi to manali

30th june : day-night stay in solang valley and sightseeing in Manali

1st july : Travelling from Manali to Sarchu(overnight stay) – should we hire a private car or prefer a bus?

2nd july : Travelling from Sarchu to Leh

3rd july : SightSeeing at Leh

4th july : Leh to Nubra valley(Early morning bike trip) : In afternoon, Leaving Nubra to reach pangong by evening(overnight stay)

Question(How is the road condition from Nubra to Pangong and do you recommand us to go Nubra to Pangong?)

5th july : Return to leh from Pangong

6th/7th july : Travel to Kargil/Drass then to Sonmarg/Srinagar 1. Do we need to prebook the car or can we do it at the time there in Leh 2. Can we reach Sonmarg the same day and stay there or do we need to halt around Kargil

8th July : Local sightseeing at Srinagar and fly back to Pune.

Please provide your guidance on the plan.

Avinash, my inputs are below

1. Avoid sleeping at Sarchu, sleep at Jispa and do Jispa to Leh 2. You can do Leh to Nubra Valley only and then next day Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso and then 6th July Pangong Tso to Leh or further to Lamayuru 3. Then 7th July do Leh to Sonamarg and then 8th Sonamarg to Srinagar else do Lamayuru to Srinagar

Really So Awesome blog thank u for providing very useful information

We are about 6 persons for the first time planning for Manali-Leh in early august we have only 7 days in Hand we want to go by bike by rental can u please provide me best iternary it will be very useful for us. 2.Is it possible to visit pang pong lake Thank U

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

GOOD JOB DONE

Nice article …full of nformation

I’m planning for this trip in July or August 2018, so is it a right time to go and where can I get Bikes for rent in cheap price?

Thanks, Sujit

Avoid August, better go in July Sujit.

Thanks Dheeraj. Any particular reason to avoid August? may be because of the rain?… I want to go in sunny time. As I have checked previous years weather forecast and it suggested July onwards weather will be sunny.

Sujit August is peak monsoon in North INdia. There will be lot of challenges in terms of road blocks and landslides in the lower hill. If you plan to fly to Leh directly, then may be yes, itis fine.

Hi Dheeraj, pl let me know if the leh-manali highway would be open in late October. Also, last September I had travelled through this route and stayed on my first night at Tso Kar. There are some decent accommodations there. Next day I was in manali by 4 pm. For some reason I can’t see a mention of tsokar in your blog. Any specific reasons for the same. Thanks.

Tso Kar is off Manali – Leh Highway and hence, there is no mention in the article. However, you will find plenty of places in blog where it is mentioned. Manali – Leh Highway remains open in general but traveling is very risky in late October. Please read: 5 Reasons to Avoid Manali – Leh Highway in October

Very informative post! I have a question. Is last half of September is good time to travel Leh Ladakh Srinagar?

Yes Ashok, though the night gets a bit cold but second half of September is my favourite time to travel Leh – Ladakh because of beautiful colors and less crowd.

Thanks dear friend. I saw in YouTube the road somewhere is very risky. We want to avoid that but still want to visit leh, Ladakh, lake, sreenagar, pegelgam etc.

Would you please make a plan for us from your experience the best road root avoiding the most risky roads?

Thanks a lot 🙂

Well, the roads are risky for sure and there is no road in Leh – Ladakh where risk can be avoided. So, in case you have to make a trip to Leh – LAdakh you have to take risk which is always there with any kind of adventure. 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 .

Your blogs on all topics were very informative, Thanks for the same. We 2 couples are planning to do Leh-Ladakh between 20, Jul to 1, Aug and initial plan was to travel by road from Manali to Leh and then fly out of Leh. (Initially wanted to fly till Srinagar and then travel by road till Manali by owing to the ever changing situations in Srinagar doesnt want take risk as travelling with family).

1. But now after reading several blogs of your confused whether to change my plan to Fly into Leh and then travel by road to Manali.

2. If I chose to travel by road while coming back will I be able to avoid reaching back to Leh from Tsomoriri and directly head to Saarchu and next day to Manali.

3. We want to hire a RE for a day or 2 in Leh and cover any of the routes from your most-common-itinerary-for-leh-ladakh, please suggest which would be good for the same as although we 2 are very good Riders dont want to take much riskier route accompanied by our partners.

4. We wanted to ride to Kargil and stay there for the night and next day to be back in Leh, please suggest will it be feasible to cover this route by bike and cover the places en-route too like Pathar Saheb, Zanskar – Indus Sangam, Dras War Memorial, Magnetic Hill etc.

Regards, Harsha Hegde

1. I will suggest that you better skip the situation in Kashmir as in doubt, it is always best to play safe than sorry or being worried all the time. Max you can do is make a two day trip to Kargil – Drass and come back to Leh to fly out from there only.

2. I could not understand this but still, try. Tso Moriri is on a different route, you can travel to Sarchu directly from Leh without touching Tso Moriri. In case you go to Tso Moriri, there is a direct route that meets at Manali – Leh Highway so you do not need to come back to Leh. I hope it answers

3. Yes, sure you can rent the bikes from Leh and move around Leh where roads and connectivity are present.

4. Yes, the road from Leh to Kargil covering places of Sham Valley is in mostly good conditions and in general safe to travel

Need your suggestion as I am getting conflicting opinions . Is it possible to do Tso Moriri- Manali in one day looking at the road conditions . I am travelling in an SUV. We travel next month .

Possible = Yes, Hectic = Very Hectic. It takes about 12 Hrs to reach Keylong from Tso Moriri on an average with very short breaks. Then Keylong to Manali is another 4.5-5 Hrs with very short breaks.

First of all, let me thank you for maintaining such a huge informative blog. You are really helping all the travelers out there! I am leaving on 24th June from Chandigarh and have a couple of questions for you –

1. I wanted to ask how many major water crossings are there in the way and their location, so that I could plan accordingly? 2. Considering the recent rains in Manali regions, till what point i will experience the rains in between Manali to Leh? I mean from where the rain shadow region starts? 3. Approximately how much food and accommodation would cost for 2 people (14 days trip)?

Thanks in advance Sushant

Guess I just replied to your other comment.

hello i m plan to journey in my own car jalandhar to leh via srinagar and come back from leh to jalandhar via manali. I plan next month 10 july the tour 10-12 days its enough Leave the comment its good or not

Yes, 12 days is a good time to visit Ladakh. 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 the rest day in Leh after Pangong tso to make the trip in 12 days

First of all, thank you so much for this detailed blog. This single post is enough for all the information.

Me and my one friend is planning to travel by Bike to Leh via Manali -Leh highway (MANALI – halt at JISPA – LEH ), we are planning to leave Manali on 8th July, will that be good time to travel ? Shall we expect some snow en route to Leh ? And as I read in your post, shall we expect road river(snow melt) at that time?

We are planning to go by our own , is it a good idea or we should go with some group/organizer ?what challenges we may face if we go by our own ?

Also,it would be very grateful of you if you could share number of some good bike rental in Manali.

Thanks in Advance 🙂

This website has sufficient information on making a trip to Ladakh and you do not need any group or organizer. You will rock !! You can get connected with [email protected] for bike rentals and also they provide Rs 50 discount per bike per day for all DoW Readers and Members 🙂

Thank you pal 🙂

Yes Ankur, early July is good time to travel to Ladakh and Manali – Leh Highway. There will be water crossings for sure in July as well but well, that’s where adventure lies. Leave early in the day so that water is less.

Thank you 🙂

We are 3 people planning our leh trip from 10 June. We have around 14 days.

We are planning to go with Fiat Linea (this one is not so great with ground clearance).

We will be taking the Srinagar route to reach leh. And then would like to return through Leh-manali route(mostly 20 to 22 June).

My question is – Is it impossible to do Leh-Manali in June month with a low GC Sedan car? I read that road conditions are improved from past few years. Please tell me that should we attempt the Leh-Manali for coming back with Fiat Linea or not? or we should just take the Srinagar route to come back?

Also Can we do Leh – Nubra – Leh AND Leh – Pangong – Leh with Linea at this period of time? We have no plans to do the direct Nubra-Pangong route.

More or less you should be good with most of the route. I will not stay the car will not struggle but still you should be able to make it with careful and cautious driving. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway Or Spiti Valley via Manali Or Ladakh, please refer the link: FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan? for more details.

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 .

Comprehensive post. I am planning a trip in Mid July ie Manali to Leh and back in an SUV . Dates are leave Manali on 13th and reach Leh on 14th with a halt in Jispa for the night . Will rest in Leh for a day and apply for ILP and take off from Leh on 15th . Cover Nubra – Turtuk (2 days) – Pangong Tso night halt – Hanle night halt – Tso Moriri a night or 2 and back to Manali on 20th /21st. Is this doable or pushing it ? Your suggestions please . Also can you advice on opening of Rohtang pass?

Nikheel, the plan looks doable and I believe you have days to adjust in case there is a need. Go with it and take a call once you reach Leh. You have to ensure that you carry enough fuel from Leh to do about 950 KMs without fuel pump. Manali – Leh Highway is expected to open by 25th May. 5 KMs of road is left to be cleared from Baralacha La Pass.

Thanks Dheeraj . Much appreciated

Further to my post below. Need some info on Rohtang pass permit and ILP . We reach Manali late afternoon. How long do you think should it take me to procure the Rohtang pass permit? Since I do not want to waste much time in Manali, some heads up on how to expedite procurement of pass will be a big help.

Also some similar info on ILP from Leh.

Thanks in advance

You have to take the permit in 2 days advance from the online website. Permits are vanishing in just 12 minutes, you make sure you hook on to it by 12.00 with fast internet connection.

For details on inner line permits process and to download application form read the link  All you want to know about Inner Line Permits for Ladakh . Page 1 is Protected Area Permit applicable for foreigners. Fill in Page 2, 3 for Inner Line Permit applicable for Indians, got to DC office in Leh and submit the application with valid Photo ID nationality proof and pay the required fee of Rs 400 + Rs 20 x number of days you will be in Ladakh.

Thanks Dheeraj . Once again much appreciated

Hi dheeraj…Are there tour operators who offer bike trip from leh to manali….I find few operators providing from.manali to leh.but could not find bike trips from leh to manali. . Can you or anybody pls post any good operators …Thanks in advance

You can write to [email protected] and ask for bikes to be dropped at Manali from Leh. They also offer Rs 50 per day discount on bike union rates for all readers of DoW. Please note that pickup charges can make a big dent in the pocket, about 10K per bike for a pickup or drop 😉

What about nature’s call during the 475 km journey on manali – leh highway. Is it possible if we plan the trip with tents?

You can plan the trip with tents. Mostly it will be wide open nature for its call 🙂 , rest you will be staying either at Jispa or Keylong which will not make it 474 KMs long.

First and foremost, thanks for all the details. This is such an amazing place to explore for travelling enthusiast . 🙂

We are 5 ppl ( 3 M + 2 F ) , planning a maiden for a Leh- ladakh trip coming June- July -17.

As everyone can’t get the desired 2 weeks off so we have to curb our plan for 9 days.

Here is the overview of itinerary. FYI everything is in planning stage as of yet.

23rd June – Leaving from Delhi to Manali. 24th June- Reaching Manali by 11 am tentatively . Leaving to Leh – Ladakh, Overnight stay at Jispa. 25th June- Jispa to Leh 26th June- Local Sightseeing in Leh 27th June- Leh to Nubra (Overnight At Nubra) 28th June- Nubra to Leh (Overnight at Leh) 29th June – Leh to Tso Pangong (Overnight @ Tso Pangong) 30th June – Tso Pangong to Manali return (Overnight Stay at Sarchu) 1st July – Sarchu to Manali by Evening. Return to Delhi

Is the above schedule is good & sounds doable? If there is anything which needs to be taken care of or we are missing, please suggest.

Also is it possible to twist it this ways too

28th June – Nubra to Tso Pangong ( Direct travel ) ( Overnight @ Tso Pangong) 29th June – Tso Pangong to Tso Moriri ( Stay overnight ) 30th June – Tso Moriri to Manali return ( Overnight stay @ Sarchu)

Just wanted to make sure that in process of seeing everything we should not miss the real fun and beauty of the place.

Please provide your guidance on same.

Regards Saurabh

Hey Saurabh,

The plan sounds doable to me. You must take care of Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization . Rest looks at least doable.

I will recommend to skip Tso Moriri for some other time and dont over burn your bodies with fatigue.

We are back with our memorable LEH trip. Thanks to you & DOW for all the vital information.

P.S: We could not make to Tso Pangong from Nubra as the direct route via Shyok was closed.

It is wonderful to know that you had a wonderful trip to Ladakh. If possible, do share some updates or road conditions on the route or any tips worth sharing which can help others plan better too 🙂 …

Regards Dheeraj

Once we reach Hunder from Leh while visiting Khardung La and Dikskit so shall we do night stay at Hunder or come back to Leh in same hotel ?

Thanks in advance!

It is better to halt for a night at Hunder to ease out the journey otherwise it will be tiring. Please add more days to your plan.

Hi Dheeraj, i and my wife are going for Manali to leh in 3rd week of august for 7-8 days trip, we will go on Bike from Manali but as i will be riding bike and my wife will be sitting at back, We will take 2 bags with us so what you suggest for carrying bags in most convenient way.

Thanks in advvance

Are you experienced with long rides and your wife too? Also, 8 days you are saying from Manali? Best is to have Ladakh carrier installed on the bike.

Hello Dheeraj Excellent post.

Planning to visit Leh Laddakh in May end or June 1st week. Is Leh Manali route open by that time ! Some apprehensions also – because of 5 and 7 yr old kid with us. what medical facilities are available on route! what are your inputs -if we reach directly to leh by flight.

Manali – Leh may not open by that time of the year. It is not recommended to travel that early on Manali – Leh Highway with kids as road closure are pretty common during that time.

Thanks for your suggestions. Shashank

HI Dheeraj ,

Have planned for Leh by road from Chandigarh to leh via Srinagar and then back to Chandigarh via manali.

can you please help us to know where to take proper stops for the above trip. and as well we will be traveling from 2 Sep to 10 Sep is this enough time for this trip ?

With 9 days in hand, it is very difficult to get a good trip of Ladakh

Hi, loved the detailing in your blog.. i m planning to travel to Leh on the 10th of July from Manali.. is it advisable to visit Tso Moriri on our way to Leh from Manali?? Or should we visit it once we have reached Leh?

Thank you. Not at all advisable to visit tso Moriri from Manali side. You should visit it in the last after Nubra, Pangong tso and then while coming back to Manali from Leh.

Hi. We have already booked our flight tickets based on a travel agent’s recommendation (and I am cursing myself for the plan). The route is Manali – Leh – Srinagar exactly the opp of what you have recommended & also, we are planning to go by bike. Can you pls suggest a suitable plan or recommend training such that AMS issue doesn’t come up? And also, such that we reach Leh within 2 days?

Hi Darshana,

You should read about AMS and acclimatization including the tips to combat AMS at the link: Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization . The article details out all the necessary things you need to know to go over with your journey over Manali to Leh. Even if the trip is planned by tour operator avoid staying at Sarchu while going to Leh even in case it means spending a bit more money in cancellation and all.

Ok, thank you for the inputs!

Best wishes for the trip, feel free to post any further questions./

Hi, Am planning to ride leh from Bangalore in this April last week or first week of May…Will my plan works out considering about 3-4 weeks time? Would appreciate your suggestions. Thanks.

The roads from Manali to Leh will open by second week of June and hence, in April you cannot make a road trip to Ladakh.

I am planning to go from Manali to Leh on 11th of June. Can you please let us know if by that time the roads will open or do I need to change my plans. I have booked my Hotels.

Regards, Sam

Samya, Manali – Leh road will be open by that time of the year.

i’m planning manali – leh road trip and in the month of July. My travel dates are 1st July to 12th July. So, my question is can we travel in the month of July. or else, which is the best month to visit by road. And, 12 days would be sufficient for this trip?

please suggest me. thanks for your time.

Regards, Abbas

First half of July is a good time to travel Ladakh, 12 days is also a good time period. 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 .

Hi, I wanted your advice on my trip which we are planning this 1 July to 9 July 2017 with a group of 6 age from 21 to 35 years. 2 people have hypertension problem among them. I wanted to know will it be safe to travel at this height. We are planning Mumbai -chandigarh flight,chandigarh -manali bus, manali -leh rent a vehicle. Please can you guide on where to stay and how to plan the trip in these many days. Can you also guide whether we should pre book the vehicle or go to manali and then look into it? 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.

You can call the local drivers directly to connect with them and check the comprehensive List of Taxi Drivers for Ladakh – Srinagar – Leh – Manali with recommendations/reviews for DoW community members.

I would be interested in some feedback on my plan below please.

18th June: Arrive Dehli 19th June: Dehli > Shimla (354 km 7 hrs) 20th June: Shimla > Manali (250 km 6 hrs) 21st June: Manali > Keylong (128 km) ** Rohtang Pass 22nd June: Keylong > Sarchu (111 km) 23rd June: Sarchu > Leh (265 km)** Zingzingbar Highest 24th June: Leh > Kargil (5-6 hrs) 25th June: Kargil > Srinagar (3-4 hrs) 26th June: Srinagar > Jammu (7 hrs) 27th June: Jammu > Dehli (9 Hrs) ** Return Motorcycle 28th June: Dehli (Express Train from Delhi to Agra Taj Mahal RETURN) 29th June: **** Contingency day **** 30th June: Fly Dehli to Nepal Kathmandu 1st July: Nepal 2nd July: Nepal 3rd July: Nepal 4th July: Nepal 5th July: Fly Australia (Thailand for Koh)

Well, plan looks OK but if you will do it from the other side, it will make more sense. I mean enter from Srinagar side and exit from Manali side. Also, It will be much better that you skip the Shimla as it is nothing but concrete jungle in comparison to what you will see in rest of the journey. Use that day to make a day trip to Khardung La pass and use your contingency day to rest in Leh after reaching from Kargil. Times, don’t go by what you have mentioned it will take more what you have mentioned there.

Your article on Manali Leh highway is thorough and answers all the questions. Too bad it is not open in March – we were planning to go to Keylong.

Deepak even the road to Keylong from Manali will not be open 🙂

I have a plan to visit Ladakh by this year September.

My route will be like below:

Day 1 : Manali – Keylong Day 2 : Keylong Sightseeing & travel upto Jispa Day 3 : Jispa – Leh Day 4 : Leh Sight seeing Day 5 : Leh – Nubra Day 6 : Nubra Sight seeing Day 7 : Nubra – Pangong Day 8 : Pangong – Leh Day 9 : Leh – Tsomoriri Day 10 : Tsomoriri – Leh Day 11 : Leh – Lamayuru Day 12 : Lamayuru – Leh Day 13 : Leaving Leh by flight

Want to hire exclusive Xylo for the entire tour. What should be the cost for Car [including cost for driver, inter state toll / permit etc].

Please advice.

As per the taxi union rates of year 2016-17 ( https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/leh-ladakh-taxi-rates-2016-17/ ) following is the break up Srinagar – Leh in 2 days = 18400 Leh Local sightseeing = 2500-3000 Leh – Nubra Valley 2 Day = 10566 Leh – Pangong Tso 2 Day = 10301 Leh – Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Sarchu – Manali 2-3 days = 29056 Leh – Manali 2 Days = 21588 Leh – Pangong Tso 1 Day = 8653 Leh – Nubra Valley 1 Day = 8053 You can usually get about 10-15% discount on these taxi rates after getting in touch with the driver directly.

Thank you for your reply. Please let me know, if I need any special permit to travel through the below route.

Day 1 : Manali – Keylong Day 2 : Keylong Sightseeing & travel upto Jispa Day 3 : Jispa – Leh Day 4 : Leh Sight seeing Day 5 : Leh – Nubra Day 6 : Nubra Sight seeing Day 7 : Nubra – Pangong Day 8 : Pangong – Leh Day 9 : Leh – Tsomoriri Day 10 : Tsomoriri – Leh Day 11 : Leh – Lamayuru Day 12 : Lamayuru – Leh Day 13 : Leaving Leh by flight

I am Indian citizen and will carry my photo identity card [adhar & passport] with me. Tell me if anything more is required.

Regards, Bhaskar

Bhaskar, in case you are traveling by road in your own car from Manali side, then well you need permit but I see you flying out of Leh so assuming you are traveling by taxi or other means, you will not need any permits.

Your Blog is wonderful.

We are planning a family trip to by our own SUV to Delhi-Manali-Leh and back by the same route between 20 April to 03 May 17.

We are parents to 16 and 20 years old kids. Also, our 2 years old PUG would be accompanying us.

Duration is 14 days(02 weeks)

Kindly suggest us the itinerary.

with warm regards

Hello Guru,

The road from Manali to Ladakh is not open during that time of the year. It will open around June, please refer: Manali Leh Highway Status 2017

we are planning a 15 day trip from delhi-rampur bushahr-kaza-zingzing-leh-kargil-srinagar-patnitop-ludhiana-delhi in august this year. Mode of transport in bikes.

few questions: 1. possibility of doing kaza to zing zing in 10-12 hours ? 2. can we find places to stay at zing zing ?? 3. possibility of doing zing zing to leh in 10-12 hours ?

let me know your email address, can share the detailed itinerary as well.

Regards Srijan

1. In 12 Hrs, you should be able to hit Zing Zing Bar from Kaza but I will suggest to stop at Jispa 2. There are only dhabha dorm tents available at Zing zing bar, no other accommodation 3. Jispa to Leh can be done in 12 hrs.

Thanks for the quick input Dheeraj. Ok, another quick question. How about rampur bushahr to kaza, looks good on paper in 10-12 hours with stops but what does your experience say??

Srijan, for sure Kaza to Rampur is a long and tiring ride/drive owing to the bad roads and you will just be rushing. With stops it will be 12+ hrs of drive only. If you say possible, I will say yes but for sure tiring.

Hey Dheeraj, thank you for oyur valuable insights on the manali-leh road trip. Me and my husband have booked the tickets from mumbai to leh from 27th may – 2nd june. Although we have booked our flight tickets from mumbai to leh. But we are of the opinion of travelling from Leh to Manali by road. By halting at Sarchu. Could you please help me with deatils of how to take this trip from Leh to Manali to Delhi By Road. It would be of great help if you could provide me the some contact details for taxis or buses(mode of public transport). Awaiting Eagerly for your expert advice! 🙂

Unfortunately, you do not have enough time to make Ladakh trip as well as do Manali – Leh journey. With just 6 days in hand, two days will be just for acclimatization and rest in Leh when you land by flight. Then you should be doing sightseeing as well in Ladakh. Leh to Chandigarh via MAnali – Leh Highway will take about 3 days of road journey, so you will not have enough days for sightseeing in Ladakh in such a case. Also, Manali – Leh Highway opens by last week of May and first week of June, so it is touch and go with respect to your dates as well.

Thanks for the very useful post.

We have come up with the itinerary based on your inputs. We are 9 ppl with 2 kids (aged 3yrs and 2.5yrs) travelling from Srinagar to Leh to Manali to Chandigarh in the month of May. We will reach Srinagar airport around 3pm. Please do let us know if this is feasible.

Hire a TT to drop us at Leh Day 1: Srinagar (Start at 4pm) to Kargil Day 2: Next day – Kargil – Leh Day 3 and Day 4: Hire a local TT to roam around Leh for 2 days Day 5 : Leh to Manali Day 6 and Day 7 : Manali sight seeing Day 8: to Chandigarh airport

Thanks in advance.

Ashok, I will highly not recommend taking Manali – Leh Highway that time of the year with kids and family. More or less it will be closed but even if it is open, DO NOT take this trip.

Also, considering kids and family and large group, your plan is too hectic nad it will be very taxing on them. The journey is not a leisure journey, so please consider before making such a trip.

Also read: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies

Even if you make the trip, you must fly out of Leh to save some days for rest in Ladakh

Nice blog Dheeraj, well explained and covered almost everyting

Could you shed some light on how likely is it that my bike’s tyres would get punctured or fuel run out cuz these are the scariest scenarios for me and I want to clear my head around these issues before planing for rest of the things.

PS – I would def plan to keep extra fuel but want to know if i tank up at manali would my fuel run out before tandi.

Thanks Vaibhav

Vaibhav, puncture is the main issue and you must plan for it. You must carry foam based solutions with you which can buy you time and help in not being stuck in the middle of no where.

Petrol, you can still work out after carrying some extra. Black fuel is available almost at each small dhabha settlements, so in worst case you end up buy that to save yourself reach Leh or Tandi. In most case it is not required unless you do Leh to Tso moriri to Manali direclty. This should help you: Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips

Hello Dheeraj This blog is really informative for us. I am from Dhaka, Bangladesh. We are planning a tour from manali to leh to Srinagar in September 2017. But I m worried about the situation of kashmir. Is there foreigners are allowed at this time? Please ensure me about it.

Things have settled quite a lot in Kashmir as compared to the season season this year. You should be OK else you can follow the Manali – Leh route only

Hey Dheeraj, Thanks for the information. Very useful.

Best wishes for your trip Rutvi, feel free to post any queries you have.

Hey dheeraj thanks a lot for giving such a detail description ur post will be my commandment for planning my journey First of all I would like u to know about us we are group of six guys aged between 29 to 36 and married(do we need to say something more)go for a road trip once every year in our scorpio this year july 2016 we went to manali and rohtang from delhi we started at 12.00 am in the night and reached manali in 13 hours we are 3 good drivers in the group and next day we went to rohtang pass and we reached there in 2.5 hours after wasting around half an hour at permit and one of the nullah were we took some photos Now coming to point we are planning to go to leh from delhi next year june end 2017 what we are planning that we start one hour early like 11.00 in the night and reach manali by 11.00 in the morning since we need waste any time in photos and selfies as it has already been done this year and than we continue till keylong before 5 evening on day 1 , I know it will be hectic but we can save 1 day from our 7 day trip than on day 2 keylong to leh starting early in morning 5.00 am reach leh by evening adjust there and local sighseeing on day 3 than day 4 and day 5 your recommendations like some famous lake I dont remember the name than back on day 6 reach keylong night stay and than day 7 keylong to manali to delhi .. now u guide me how much is this feasable and if take 3 days while going than we get only 2 days in leh so please guide us and we have 3 driver all who have travelled and driven a lot..

Please reply me dheeraj

It is not at all recommended that you continue driving over Rohtang Pass and sleep at Keylong at your first night. It will make you all vulnerable to AMS which can cause serious issues over Manali – Leh Highway. Hence, keep two days to reach KEylong with overnight halt at Solang. Then next day leave for Leh at 5 AM from either Keylong or Jispa. Then, one day complete rest in Leh. This makes it 4 days for you without seeing anything in Ladakh. Now on 5th day, go over as day trip to Khardung La pass, Day 6, go over as day trip to Pangong Tso lake and while comping back go towards Manali and sleep at Upshi. Day 7 start the journey back to Manali from Upshi and you can reach Sissu or Khoksar if you start at 5 AM from Upshi by 7 PM. Day 8 from Sissu/Khoksar go over Rohtang Pass and reach Delhi without stopping at Manali

hello, i am about be the weirdest person on the planet please bear me. i wanna go for a manali-leh walk trip nor bike nor bus or anything but i am not able to plan properly sometimes it’s the issue of food and sometimes it’s about the altitude sickness if not i occurred to the biggest problem for this trip is WATER I’ll be walking for around 500km (with breaks in the middle wherever i get accommodation and pitching tents by myself) if anyone can give me some suggestions, please do help me if you’ve got a idea!

Aprameya, dont worry people have asked this to me many times. Now let’s work out few things. How many days do you have in hand, if doing it from Leh to Manali side, is it OK for you? Which month are you planning it?

I have plenty of time, so it doesn’t matter, and yes it doesn’t matter Manali to leh or vice versa it’s going to be the same! Any month but ASAP…!

Then spend few weeks in Leh and sightseeing in Leh living in high altitude villages for few nights and start your journey from Tso Moriri to Tso Kar to Debring to Pang to Sarchu to Bharatpur to Zingzingbar to Darcha to Keylong – Manali. The moment you reach Darcha, you are out of trouble. You cannot sleep at any high altitude pass and hence you have to go down to base of the pass. Somewhere in the altitude of 4000-4500 shall be fine after you have spent few nights at Tso Moriri lake for acclimatization at that altitude.

Have you ever done any high altitude trek before? If not, start by some short high altitude treks gradually and see how your body reacts. Then make a call of this months of travel.

Only months possible are July – August – September.

Just an update on road condition from Manali towards leh Manali – rothang ( good road till uphill of rothang ) Rothang – kelyong ( absolutely no road, kind of nightmare ) Kelyong – pang ( except 20-30 km the roads will punish your vehicle ) Pang – leh ( beautiful road, you can hit easily 60+ ) * Most of the tents would be closing * No water streams to cross through * Please carry sufficient warm clothes/thermals. * Good stays at jispa

Thank you Anoop for the updates. I have posted them in the Manali – Leh status thread.

Awesome Blog , got so much of information about leh manali journey. Thats what i am looking for. Its not easy to plan a trip like this but after seeing the post i got aware of the things to keep in mind while travelling via manali leh route. Thanks for the post..cheers

Hello Dheeraj,

First of all, thank you for all the valuable information shared here. Secondly, as most people here, I am also planning a trip to Ladakh in september, so my plan is like this: 16 September: Delhi – Leh (by plane, 05:45 – 07:15); rest of the day in Leh for acclimatization and some sightseeing 17 September: one day trip to Numbra Valley (I know it’s quite short time, but possible in one day if we start at 6am) 18 September: one day trip to Pangong Lake 19 September: monasteries around Leh: Shey, Thiksey, Hemis, etc. 20 September: Leh – Keylong 21 September: Keylong – Manali 22 September: Manali (Kulu) – Delhi by plane

My questions are: 1. Would you change anything to this schedule? 2. Do you recommend any particular driver for these days (except 16th of September), or we can arrange locally at the hotel? 3. If we find a driver, can he arrange the permits on the first day? (16th of September), so we can start traveling the next day, or we have to arrange them ourselves?

Thank you again…

Hi Dan, I think I replied to your other comment but I will suggest again:

1. You should take complete two days rest and little sightseeing on first two days. Then go for two day trip to Nubra Valley, then a day trip to Pangong Tso and then take the bus to Keylong from Leh and next day reach Manali from Keylong 2. If you have a group you can get in touch with any driver but in case you planning alone or couple then it is better to rely on shared taxis to thse places on the spot.

Thank you for your advice. You didn’t reply to any other comment, because this is the only one I wrote 🙂 It might be another Dan or a similar itinerary 🙂 Anyway, yes, I will take two days rest. Afterwards I have to vsit Nubra Valey and Pangong Tso in one day (each), because I have no more time. Hope it’s manageable Afterwards I will take two more days to get to Kullu, as I have a plane to catch… Hope to be able to do it…

Hmm, it will be difficult like 12+ Hrs a day each and then arduous journey over Manali – Leh Highway. So, it is very tight schedule I will say.

Hi Dheeraj, Its me again. Due to unrest in srinagar, we had to make major changes in our plan, now we have decided to go via manali. So had to bug you again mate. 😐

Here are the details, which might help you to give us better planning. We will reach Delhi on 10th Sept @ 3AM and need to be back to Delhi by 21st 11AM to catch a flight back to blore and we are planning to take flight from leh-Delh on 21st morning,if time is not feasible.

Few question,

1.We are thinking of taking a cab/taxi to manali from Delhi airport @ 4AM, do we get a cab from Delhi airport to manali without any fuss and how much would it cost and also what would be the journey time?

2.Major concern is taking a cab from Manali to Leh along with the Rothang pass permit, we have no idea whom to contact regarding the permit and afraid we might get ripped off. We have to take care of cab/taxi booking and permit in the manali on the 10th evening/night only, so that we can leave for Jispa in the early morning. So your inputs are very much needed here.

3. is it possible to visit Tso Morori while on the way to Leh?

To include in Itinerary, -We are thinking of covering Kargil,Magnetic hills and other near by places to kargil, which we would have visited if we had come from srinagar side. We will be going by rented Bikes . So we need you to include this in the itinerary.

-We are thinking staying overnight at Pangong lake and Numbar valley(if time allows) and we wouldn’t want to miss out anything which is near by Leh or can be visited from Leh

So can you please consider all this and give us a Itinerary.

1. No you will need to pre-arrange a taxi and could cost you around 12-14K. Manali – Delhi takes about 14 Hrs. 2. Well, if you are hiring taxi from taxi stand, the permit is headache of driver. You can also book HPTDC manali – leh bus 3. You should read: 5 reasons not to visit Tso Moriri from Manali side

Hi Dheeraj, Planning for a Leh trip in mid august. The situation in srinagar doesn’t seem good. So good chances are to take the Manali – Leh -Manali bike ride. Will reach manali 13th morning. Please suggest an itenary for 13th morning to 18th (on which i should be back to manali) for the bike ride. Thanks in advance 🙂

With just 5 days not sure it makes sense to make a Ladakh trip.

Day 1 | Manali/Solang Valley – Keylong/Jispa — It is always better to stay either at Keylong/Jispa so that you do not feel sick or hit by AMS. — Avoid sleeping at Sarchu at any cost while going to Leh from Manali because your body will not be acclimatized by the time you reach there. — I prefer staying at Jispa more because Keylong gives the feeling of a town while Jispa is more closer to nature having Bhaga river running just aside the Manali – Leh Highway at Jispa. — Overnight at Keylong/Jispa

Day 2 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh — Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening. — Overnight at Leh

Day 3 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization — To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh — Overnight at Leh

Day 4 | Leh – Taglang La – Pang – 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 5 | 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

Leaving from manali on ¹st aug. Anyone interested can join.

Anyone travelling on 12th/13th august?

hey m Mayank here, m traveling whr r u frm and how many ppl r with u??

ss…me and my frnd are travelling from 13th august from manali to srinagar via leh.10 days..

hey there… we will be reaching leh by 11th aug. our trip is for 10 days and you may contact me on this no. 9166285328/ 9982241199.

thanks Arun

Superb blog. Got so many details from a single post. Thanks for sharing the experience and contact details 🙂

Regards, Suvesh

Best wishes for the trip Suvesh, glad you liked the info. on the DoW Blog.

Hey Dheeraj!

Awesome blog man. I am planning to travel to Ladakh from Manali on 17 July. Many articles & blogs say that travelling on the manali – leh road gets quite tricky during July. Would you recommend traveling on the manali leh road around 17-19 July ? Would it be very risky because of the monsoon ?

Also are you aware whether if its possible to rent a self drive car from Manali, which can be left at Ladakh , as we want to come back to delhi via plane. Most of the sites I found online, offer taxis from manali to leh, but not self drive cars.

Thanks so much! Apoorv

I am also leaving on 16th from manali to Leh.

Please call me on 9953646006 so that we can coordinate.

Regards, Piyush

Hey guys, hey DHEERAJ SHARMA! 🙂

I am planning to do this route in 2 or 3 days (havent decided yet) I am gonna to leave Delhi on the 7th or 8th of August 2016. iS there anyone who would like to join me ??

The dream would be to drive it with my own car and stop everywhere! But for now… I have to do it probably with a bus

Ola, you should check DoW Travel Calendar if you are looking for travel partners. If you are going by bus, especially HPTDC, many tourists will already be there in the bus to travel with you.

Thanks for replay! Where is the best place to stay overnight to avoid hight attitude sicness?? Keylong seems to be located to low and Sarchu too high. Anything between?

Best is to stay at Jispa, ahead of Keylong and then make a trip next day to Leh by leaving at 5-6 AM

We are 5 friends Can we come by swift ?? What about route conditions of jammu to leh or manali to leh? We have 10 days.

Hi Dheeraj, I have read the post and comments mentioned above ,still i have some queries I am a female 29 want to travel alone to Leh trip-please suggest what is best way to plan keeping security and fun in mind.

I can also plan for few more friends but not confirmed hence i am planning alone. I am planning in the month of sept early ( for ten day ) I will travel from Bangalore

You should consider to travel with HPTDC bus of Manali to Leh and back. Then, You are alone/couple 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 🙂

If you are interested in Leh trip by bike one side(Manali-Leh, Leh -Delhi by Air ). I f you want we can together make a plan.

we are 3 guys going on 25th june . i have 2 questions

1. will xuv500 be a good option on the route. 2. shud we prefer manali route for going or srinagar route while going or coming back?

Hi dheeraj This is shraddha and i am planning a trip to leh with all of my family including my grandparents and cousions … So i had certain queries First of all being a punjabi family i dnt think anybody is fit enough soo is it okay for everone to travel to leh… And wat wid u suggest satying overnight at jispa or sarchu

Shraddha, well, you should seriously plan to go from Srinagar side and come back from Manali side especially with your grand parents on the trip. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh .

You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here

For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here . You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more.

hello dheeraj ji

i am plan to travel manali to leh by bike but bike owner is my friend, they have not travel with me, please you suggest to me :- 1. why ? i am travel other owner bike 2. yes, document formalities . 3. any permit query . related to bike

hello dheeraj ji we are 2friends toplaning to visit leh ladhak by own. EON car HR.N. We have plane to go on 05/06 june 2016 from manali to leh my question is this date malini leh highway open? Any other formalities req. for hr. no. vehicle. Rohtang Pass Green tax as applicable Most popular visiting place. REq. Items. Approximately Budget. Road Conditions, my tour are complete with in 7 Days

Manali – Leh is already open yesterday unofficially. You need to get Rohtang Pass permit from SDM office as it is not yet available online. 7 days is less, you need at least 9-10 days for hectic tour.

hello dheeraj ji,

I am planning with my family (02 kids 3, and 09 years). to visit Manali & leh ladhak as per below schedule.

11 June Leaving from Delhi to Manali. 12 June one day stay at Manali. 13 June leh ladhak by hiring local taxi, with night stay at Jispa. 14 June we will reach at leh ladhak and will spend three days there. 19 June I will take flight from Leh to Delhi.

Please confirm if this schedule is OK or you can help us on same. please also help us to estimate cost of this package for Travelling + accomodation.

Seconly Manali to leh OR Manali to Kaza which will be best option. I am travelling first time to both places.

Plan looks fine but you may not be able to see things in Ladakh. Also, with small kids doing Manali – Leh can be tricky what I personally feel and that too early in the season.

We are two friends as well planning for leh in next week karam veer and we are from faridabad ! So if you want we all 4 together can make a plan !

We are a 3 girls travelling from Delhi to Leh via Manali route. We’ll start from Delhi on 2nd June. Couple of things we wanted to know 1. Is the Manali – Leh highway open 2. In case we are hiring a taxi/ cab do we need to take route permits or the taxi provider usually takes care of these things 3. Anyone interested in sharing a cab/ taxi from Manali – Leh?

1. No Manali leh is not open yet, expected to open by first week of June 2. Yes, the taxi will need the permit to cross Rohtang pass 3. You can check DoW Travel Calendar from the main menu

we are a couple leaving for leh from manali on 31 st may we can do sharing unto leh

pls call 9899800330

We also going on 2 june with 3 friends from jaipur 9829006520

We are also planning ,we can share

taxi,plz send msg 9812935999

Hye. 1. Manali leh highway is open now as you can check the status from the leh official site. Secondly,we r also going to leh from manali on 3 june in a grp of boys and girls ,you can join us

For any further communication. Note my id – [email protected]

You are three and we are two friends planning exactly for the 3rd June ! We are not taking our car instead we are intrested in hiring a taxi so if you think we can share our taxi then please let me know !

i am intrested in taxi sharing … we are only 2 plz contact [email protected]

Massive respect for your brilliant blog, We are planning a trip starting 3rd June, ending 11th June. Manali – Leh – Manali. Is it the right time for a bike trip ? If not , Could you please suggest how to complete this trip ? during this time. As we have booked all the tickets 🙁 and have taken leave to complete this dream.

Appreciate your help!

Thank you David. I will suggest that you push your dates by couple of weeks and allow Manali – Leh to settle down. Or start from Srinagar side and come back from Manali side. Also, 9 days is very less time for Ladakh trip.

Thanks for your reply. Our bad we have a solid constraint on the dates. We will be reaching Manali on June 2nd and have to head back to Manali on June 11th.

Do you think the bike trip during this period, is viable at all ?

If not could you please suggest the most suitable mode of transportation during this time?

It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization.

Thank’s for the info, Dheeraj.

Our aim/dream is to have a bike trip from Manali – Leh – Manali. How feasible would it be for us to drive during the first week of June ?

David, first week of June from srinagar to Leh to Manali should be OK time to travel

hi Dheeraj,

Could you please let us know, how feasible would it be for us to drive a bike during the first week of June ?

The Highways will be open and many people will be riding the bike on Manali – Leh Highway during that time of the year.

Me and my friends are planing a trip to leh via the Manali-Leh highway starting from 30th may 2016 to 10th of june 2016. As per your articles and my research i think the highway would be open by this time . But still i want to make sure is this a good time to start the trip?

Are you guys going ? We are planning a trip for the same starting 3rd June from Manali. Is it the right time to go ?

hi, I am Dibyendu Das ,we are 3 persons (my wife,son and me) want to manali to leh. we are join to your trip if you want to us. please call me how many cost the trip. which time you start go and which date you will back ? My best time is end on May,2016 and back on 10th June,2016. Please send reply our mail : [email protected]

Hi dheeraj ,we r planning to go to leh on 9th july to 20 july from Chandigarh via manali on bike (bullet or avenger)..but m little worried about mountain sickness .so please suggest me the best plan for the road trip and how to get over mountain sickness .

Since you are going from Manali, you will have some sort of mountain sickness. You can refer: Ladakh from Manali – Most Common Itinerary

Hi all, We are planning a trip to Leh starting from odisha. We would be requiring the service of a experienced Ladakhi driver ( only ) having a fare bit of experience in manali – leh- kargil- Srinagar – Jammu route. He may join us from Chandigarh and drop us in Jammu after a round trip. The approximate time would be for 6 days.

Anybody who knows a driver of aforesaid condition, please let us know. My contact is given below.

Regds Divyajyoti Hota mail – [email protected] Cell – 8908360072

It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi. This makes it 7 days. 1 Day is required in Leh for acclimatization. You have about just 6 days?

I am bit confused regarding going to Tso-Moriri directly from Sarchu and then to Pangong tso and then Leh. as I dont know the availability of Petrol Pump.

Day1 Chandigarh- Manali (Night stay @ Manali) Day2 Manali (Night stay @ Manali) Day3 Manali-Sarchu (Night stay @ Sarchu) Day4 Sarchu-Tso Moriri (Night stay @ Rso-Moriri) Day5 Tso Moriri- Pangong So (Night stay @ Pangong) Day6 Pangong So- Leh (Night stay @ Leh) Day7 Leh (Night stay @ Leh) Day8 Leh- Nubra (Night stay @ Nibra) Day9 Nubra -Leh (Night stay @ Leh) Day10 Leh (Night stay @ Leh) Day11 Leh- Kargil (Night stay @ Kargil) Day12 Kargil- Srinagar (Night stay @ Srinagar) Day13 Srinagar (Night stay @ Srinagar) Day14 Srinagar-Patnitop (Night stay @ Patnitop) Day15 Jammu- Delhi Train @night

Let me know if my itinerary is ok.

Thanks in Advance.

Replied to other comment

We am planning to visit Ladakh via Manali-Leh highway from 25th June to 9th July by Bullet Classic 350.

Below is my itinerary.

Date Night stay @ Brief Itinerary 25th june Manali Chandigarh- Manali 26th june Manali Manali 27th june Sarchu Manali-Sarchu 28th june Tso Moriri Sarchu-Tso Moriri 29th june Pangong So Tso Moriri- Pangong So 30th june Leh Pangong So- Leh 1st july Leh Leh 2nd july Nubra Leh- Nubra 3rd july Leh Nubra -Leh 4th july Leh Leh 5th july Kargil Leh- Kargil 6th july Srinagar Kargil- Srinagar 7th july Srinagar Srinagar 8th july patnitop srinagar-Patnitop 9th july Train journey Jammu- Delhi Train

I think I replied to it Viraj, right? You made other comment.

Yes Dheeraj.

Thanks Again..

I am travelling to Manali with family (3 kids 6,7 and 10 years). I will be in Manal from may 6 to May 9th. I am planning for a trip to Balaracha la pass by taking a night stay in keylong – and return back to manali the second day. Is this a good plan?

Jinu, yes you can give an attempt or at least go over to Jispa/Keylong. Stay at Jispa instead of Keylong as it is more close to nature.

Hii I and my friends were planning to travel to leh this august that is 2016 by a car,

i had few questions about manali-leh route i will be very thankful if you can help

1. we are hiring a self drive cab for our trip so do we need any permits to travel from manali to leh, and if yes where can we get those permits?

2. If we start early, say 3 am is it possible to reach leh same day or we have to stay at some place in between?

thank you hoping for your earliest reply

Hello Nakul,

1. You will need permits for Rohtang PAss: How to get Rohtang Pass Permit Online

2. Best is not to do it and commit this mistake. You should take a night halt at Jispa and then next day leave at 5 AM to reach LEh by evening. Keeping in mind that acclimatization is the key to success of LAdakh trip. IF you oversee it, it can easily be a misadventure of life.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GUIDANCE…AND I WANTED TO ASK THAT IF I GO TO MANALI FIRST AND THAN RENT A BIKE FROM THERE…THAN WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE TO GO TO LEH FROM MANALI?..WILL THAT BE SAFE?…IF NOT THAN WHICH OTHER ROUTE SHOULD I PREFER…AND WILL THE ROADS GET CLEAR BY THE MID OF JUNE?

Please DO NOT use CAPS

You can rent the bike from Manali but only to reach Leh. Then once you reach Leh, you will need to hire local Ladakh bike again. Roads will be clear by mid of June.

Hello Dheeraj… According to me manali leh highway will be opened by late April. .. After so many years, the volume of snow in manali leh highway is so less… I went to rohtang pass in the starting of this month and according to B.R.O., they will be able to open it by April end.

Yogesh, there have been 2 spells of heavy snowfall this month already, the clearance operations were all on hold. Rohtang was expected to open by mid of March this year breaking all BUT weather had the last say. Rohtang Pass is expected to open around mid of April now. So, I do not expect at all that rest of the 4 passes will within 15 days.

Thanks for all the articles. After reading your blogs, We are planning for a trip to Leh. This will be our first trip but not sure what would be the best itinerary.

We have only 10 days and wants to do manali-leh highway with rented bikes. Could you please suggest what is best for us.We are planning to travel by bus from delhi to manali and then with bikes.

Also we are thinking to reach leh from delhi via manali by Innova. And there we can hire bikes to roam around ladakh for 2 days and then come back with our innova. Would this be feasible? or Travelling with innova on manali-leh highway is enjoyable as compared with rented bikes?

Bikes rented outside Leh are not allowed for sightseeing inside Ladakh except Tso Moriri and Tso Kar lakes which can be done while going to Manali from Leh. Private bikes are completely allowed. You can use the outside rented bike to reach Leh but then for going to Pangong Tso, nubra Valley, etc.. you need to hire rented bikes from Leh only.

To know more about this rule and present situation, please refer the link: Bikes Rented Outside Leh Banned in Ladakh

This year as per reports, rule is going to be stricter. Manali rental guys have formalized a deal that for the days Manali bike is parked in Leh and Leh bike is rented, they will charge 50% of the rent of the bike. So, confirm with Manali rental guys first about this signoff.

For renting bikes in Leh – Ladakh along with current Bike Union Prices, you can check the DwD Community thread: Leh – Ladakh Bike Rental Rates 2015 – 16 & Reliable Shops

The one way bike rental is quite costly and leave a big dent in pocket for you, sometimes like 12K for just the pickup from Manali. Be sure if you are ready to make that investment or not or if at all it is worth the money spent. My suggestion is unless you are hard core biker and cannot live up the passion of biking, it is not wise to spend that much money just for the pickup of bike.

I will suggest that you go through the articles mentioned under the DwD Community thread for bike trip to Ladakh or any other part of Himalayas at the link: All About Bike Ride to Ladakh & Himalayas. This will help you cover almost all your queries related to bike trip to Ladakh or Himalayas.

It will take 4 days to reach Leh from Srinagar side starting from Delhi and 3 days to come back from Leh from Manali side to Delhi. 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.

hi dheeraj…i saw the news of manali-leh highway opening a liitle soon this time…I am planing for a bike trip to leh say in june most probably…And i have never travelled so long on bike…Maybe my love for nature is giving me this unresistable urge to travel to leh…can u please suggest me the preferable and safe route…And what can be the rent of bullet if i rent it from manali?…and would it be prefarable if i set up a tent in the middle of manali leh highway…I would prefer to stay in the lap of mother nature rather than staying in some hotel…Can u please guide me with all this things?…it would be a big help for me…and even give me some suggestion from your side as it is my trip…thank you

And yes one more thing i almost forgot…what can be the minimum expense for this trip if i am planing for 20 days…5 day stay in leh and other days in manali and surrounding (including bike rent and petrol expense etc)….

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

Hello Hridhant,

Dear Dheeraj,

As suggested by you we will be driving thru Spiti from Shimla, it will be a ten day tour and will end at Chandratal on July 18th.After this can we get back via Keylong/Leh/Srinagar/Chandigarh rather than rothang/Manali/Chandigarh. Number of days is not a problem, just wanted to know if its too taxing,

Yes Ravi, you can surely return from that route as well. Here is what you can follow and may skip at your need:

Day 11 | Chandratal – Jispa / Keylong, leave early in the day Day 12 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh — Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening. — Overnight at Leh

Day 13 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization — To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh — Overnight at Leh

Day 14 | 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 15 | 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 16 | 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 17 | Pangong Tso Lake – Thicksey Monastery – Shey Palace – Leh — Cover either of Hemis, Thicksey and Shey on return to Leh — Overnight at Leh

Day 18 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang — Cover Karzok Monastery — Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri   Day 19 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh — Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh — Overnight at Leh

Day 20 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping — Overnight at Leh

Day 21 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil — Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes — On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu — Overnight at Kargil

Day 22 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar — Enjoy the vistas enroute — Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg — Overnight at Srinagar

Day 23 | Srinagar – Jammu — Overnight at Jammu

Day 24 | Jammu – Ambala – Delhi — Back Home

Many thanks for your immediate reply, much appreciated. Two questions – can we do Tso Moriri from Jispa enroute to Leh, and what is the mileage I can expect in these terrains, I will be driving my recently bought Pajero Sport Automatic(2WD), on highways its giving 10kms/lt and 8.5kms in city,

No Ravi, doing Tso Moriri from Jispa is not recommended as it is high altitude lake and your body will not be acclimatized at all to sleep that early at Tso Moriri. Other way round is still holds true as after being in Ladakh, the body adapts to the high altitude after doing all the sightseeing in Ladakh. Regarding mileage, consider about 30% drop.

Hi Dheeraj, I’m visiting India in August and would like to do Manali-Leh-Ladakh on motorbike. Can you suggest any agency that offers group travels and bikes. And is it best time to visit these places. The only reason I am choosing agency is coz I don’t have bike in India now. Do you suggest going without any agency? Thanks

Theja, you can surely go without the agency too. You should be able to get the bike on rent in Manali without it as well. You can ride that bike up to Leh and then from there you can hire a local Leh bike for sightseeing in Ladakh after parking manali bike in hotel. Then you can return the Manali bike once you reach back to Manali from it.

Hello , Thanks for all the information. I am planning for Ladakh this year (aug/sep). My initial plan is Chandigarh–>Manali–>Leh–>(Nubra+Pangong+Tso moriri+Hemis & Thikse)–>Leh–>Srinagar–>Jammu–>back to my home. I will have budget around 30k (Manali–>Leh–>Jammu , excluding my train fare) and time span : 14-15 days (excluding my train journey). Now please suggest me in bit details that what my plan should be as per you (keeping those facts : my budget , time span and being solo) .

Firstly, I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here

You should check: Top 10 Tips for a Solo Trip to Ladakh or Spiti Valley

Alright. I will go for Srinagar-Leh highway and will also try to follow your itinerary .Now please enlighten me about the cars which i should take from Srinagar or Jammu to reach Leh. Actually I had plan to take shared taxi but as you said that the journey wont be comfortable at all in shared taxis , i got confused about cars. Which travel mode i should take ? Bus ? or is it possible to get a group and hire a car ? If yes then how ? And after reaching Leh should i contact some agent or guide to go for some further destinations like Nubra , Pangong ?Here is also my same question about travel mode . Which i should take : shared taxi, bus or hire a car by joining some group or few people?

Hello Subhro,

For the leh – ladakh taxi union rate list 2016 – 17 including the contacts of some reliable taxi drivers within Leh – Ladakh, check the link here . You can get about 12-15% of discount by directly getting in touch with drivers and of course, talking in person rather on phone always help in bargaining more. While going from Srinagar to Leh, you might need to work out few things as there have been some tensions now in taxi unions and to settle it out what they have done is that they have 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

Try to get a group formed, may be post or find travel partners through travel calendar from the menu of the site.

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 (wiki of Himalayas)

Thanks alot for all info you providing, you are doing a great job. respect \O/

I just wanted to know, is there any AMS problem to stay at SARCHU/PANG if we are coming from srinagar-leh highway?

Thanks & Regards, Adnan

Thank you so much Adnan. If you come from Srinagar side and then do whole ladakh stay at places overnight at Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri, mostly the body adapts to high altitude and you do good at Sarchu and Pang. Chances of getting hit with AMS on return are very very very slim but not 0 🙂

Thanks for your reply, Based on info and rough itinerary you provided, i have finalized my own itinerary with following dates. Please review it and give your valueable feedbacks.

Our Itinerary (15days) Ghaziabad-Srinagar-Leh-Manali-Ghaziabad Day 1: 29th May (Ghaziabad-Jammu) • Overnight at Jammu

Day 2: 30th May (Jammu-Srinagar) • Can we cover Local sightseeing in Srinagar at same day (Dal lake/Shikara ride) • Overnight at Srinagar

Day 3: 31st May (Srinagar-Sonamarg-Zozi La-Drass-Kargil) • Overnight at Kargil

Day 4: 1st June (Kargil via foti la-Lamayuru-Leh • Can we Cover these Places (Magnetic Hills, Pather sahib Gurudwara, Mulbekh maitrey, Lunar landscapes, Lamayuru monastery & Confluence at Nimmu) at same day, and if not then what your prefer. • Overnight at Leh

Day 5: 2nd June (Leh-Khardung La-Diskit-Hundar) • Can we cover Diskit monasteries and hundar bactrian camel safari in sand dunes at the same day? • Overnight at Hundar (ie. Snow leopard guest house)

Day 6: 3rd June (Hundar-Turtuk-TYAKSHI-Hundar) • Overnight at Hundar

Day 7: 4th June (Hundar-Sumur-Panamik-Sumur-Khardugla-Leh) • Can we cover Sumur monastery and Panamik hot water springs on same day? • Overnight at Leh

Day 8: 5th june (Leh local sightseeing) • Cover places (Shanti stupa, Hall of fame, Hamis, Shey, alchi and Thiksey Monasteries)

Day 9: 6th June (Leh-Karu-Changla-Pangong Tso lake) • Overnight at pangong Tso lake

Day 10: 7th June (Pangong-Changla-Karu-Upshi) • Overnight at Upshi

Day 11: 8th June (Upshi-chumathang-Mahe-Sumdo-Tso Moriri) • Overnight at Tso Moriri (Tented accommodation) • we will carry extra fuel for 550 kms from KAARU before Start • can we cover Karzok monastery at the same day?

Day 12: 9th June (Tso Moriri-Sumdo-Tso Kar-Moore plains-Pang) • Overnight at Pang

Day 13: 10th June (Pang-Lachangla-Sarchu-Baralacha la-Jispa) • Overnight at Jispa

Day 14: 11th June (Jispa-Keylong-Tandi-Rohtang La-Manali) • Overnight at Manali

Day 15: 12th June (Manali-Delhi)

best regards, Adnan

Adnan, most part looks good to go for me JUST please keep the rest day in Leh before you leave for Nubra Valley s that you have some acclimatization before climbing Khardung La

Hey thanks, One more question I know i m questioning like a kid, ok here it is

If i will go with this itinerary, i will miss tanglang la, and if i will cover tanglang la I will miss tso moriri… Which one u prefer?

Best regards, Adnan

I will prefer Tso Moriri over Taglang pass. If you have time on hand, you can take the route to Taglang back from Debring (where Tso Kar route meets Manali – Leh) and then come back to stay at Pang. Sarchu might get 1 Hr far in this way.

you mean we can cover this route (Tso moriri – tanglang la – pang) in one day, it is around 210 kms

Yes Adnan, you can do so. I am talking about, you start from Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring – Taglang La – Debring (back again) – Pang – Sarchu. You will need to come back to Debring from Taglang La.

Again i am here to take your expert advise.

I read the update that leh-manali highway is still closed.

As per my itinerary, i will coming back from upshi to tso moriri on 7th june. tso moriri to pang on 8th june pang to manali on 9th june.

What is your thought, manali to leh highway will be operational by then?

Massive respect for your brilliant blog, and the amount of information you’ve obtained. My friends and I are trying to create a custom itinerary of Manali-Spiti-(Keylong/Zinging)- (if possible Tsomo riri)-Leh in mid-June

Would this be feasible across a 5-6 day period? And do local travel agencies support such a customer itinerary?

Thanks Tauseef

Ahmed, Tso MOriri is out of context here. You want Manali – Spiti or Manali – Lahaul? Keylong/Zingzing bar are in Lahaul not Spiti. With just 6 days in hand from Manali you can do something like below:

Day 1 : Reach Manali by overnight volvo of 28 and stay overnight at Solang Valley as preferred for acclimatization Day 2 : Manali / Solang – Kaza Day 3 : Kaza – Dhangkar – Tabo – Kaza OR Kaza – Langza – Komik – Hikkim – Kaza Day 4 : Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Chandratal Day 5 : Chandratal – Manali Day 6 : Chill around Manali and take evening Volvo Day 7 : Reach Delhi by overnight Volvo from Manali

Thanks Dheeraj!

What we were planning was to start with Manali-Spiti, then u-turn and do Spiti-Leh (Fly back from Leh to Delhi)

It’s a very long journey, which is why I was asking if such a plan is feasible, and if any tour operators can help us with such a complicated route 🙂

Would you advise against doing Manali-Spiti and Spiti-Leh in one trip? (By car/SUV, with a local driver)

If you have enough days, you can surely do. I am sharing a tentative plan of entire circuit Delhi – Kinnaur – Spiti – Ladakh – Srinagar – Jammu – Delhi. You can opt to fly from Leh instead coming down to Srinagar and then to Delhi by road.

Day 1 | Chandigarh/Ambala – Narkanda – Sarahan Day 2 | Sarahan – Rakcham/Sangla/Chitkul Day 3 | Rakcham/Sangla/Chitkul – Nako – Geyu Mummy – Tabo Day 4 | Tabo – Dhangkar – Dhangkar Lake – Pin Valley – Kaza Day 5 | Kaza Rest and Local Sightseeing — Ki, Kibber, Gette, Tashigang Day 6 | Kaza – Hikkim, Komik, Langza circuit – Kaza Day 7 | Kaza – Sissu / Keylong, leave early in the day Day 8 | Keylong/Jispa – Leh — Leave Keylong/Jispa early next morning, say by 4/5 AM types, so that you reach Leh in the evening. — Overnight at Leh

Day 9 | Leh Local Sightseeing + Acclimatization — To know the about the places to visit check the link: Travel Guide for Local Sightseeing of Leh Town in Ladakh — 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 | Leh – Tso Moriri via Chumathang — Cover Karzok Monastery — Overnight at Karzok or Tso Moriri   Day 15 | Tso Moriri – Tso Kar – Debring (Manali – Leh Highway starts) – Taglang La – Upshi – Leh — Come back via Tso Kar and Manali – Leh Highway to Leh — Overnight at Leh

Day 16 | Rest day at Leh to enjoy local culture and some shopping — Overnight at Leh

Day 17 | Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil — Cover Mulbekh Maitrey, Lamayuru Moanstery, Lunar Landscapes — On the way you can also see Gurudwara Pather Sahib, Magnetic Hills, Confluence at Nimmu — Overnight at Kargil

Day 18 | Kargil – Drass – Zozi La – Sonamarg – Srinagar — Enjoy the vistas enroute — Have late drunch meal at Sonamarg — Overnight at Srinagar

Day 19 | Srinagar – Jammu — Overnight at Jammu

Day 20 | Jammu – Ambala – Delhi — Back Home

BTW, you will get all the info. up here even to make any of complex to complex trips, so if you can spare some time to plan your trip and read articles on DoW, you can save good amount of money 🙂

This itinerary is amazing, thank you so much!

Will definitely do so, since we have time till April to plan!

Best wishes for your Ladakh trip.

I was visited Spiti like below plan Day 1, July 10: Delhi to Manali (Boarded Bus from Majnu ka Teela and left around 7:00 PM) Day 2, July 11: Manali to Losar (Reached Manali in the morning of 9:00 AM and left for Losar around 11:00 AM) Day 3, July 12: Losar to Tabo (covered Losar, Key, Kibber and Dhankar) Day 4, July 13: Tabo to Losar (covered Tabo, Kaza, Komic, and Langza) Day 5, July 14: Losar to Chandratal (covered Kunzum Pass, Chandratal Lake) Day 6, July 15: Chandratal to Manali (reached Manali around 3:30 PM and boarded bus for Delhi around 5:00 PM) Day 7, July 16: Reached Delhi in the morning around 9:00 AM

Very starnge to see Losar all over night stays and doing long hops when Kaza seems more practical. Also, the second day I am glad to know that you do not have any health issues of AMS going by the plan in case it would have been caused, you might have been in bad shape. But, anyways good that you were able to make it sound. I am just commenting here so that NO ONE else tries this plan because AMS can be FATAL too at times.

Thanks Dheeraj for valid point. Actually, second day I was planned for night stay in Kaza but we were started late from Manali (Delhi to Manali bus was late due to rain) and reached Losar around 9 PM. There was raining too, so we decided to stay at Losar because road was very bad and Losar to Kaza was further 2 hour journey.

Some of member between us feel little headache; yes I think due to AMS issue. But our driver was very expert and he come with a lot of fruits juice and three dozen water bottle from Manali (Also advised us to drink a lot of water and juice to avoid AMS). I think this advice help us for night stay at Losar.

In return time, all of us were adjusted with Spiti environment. So night stay at Losar didn’t cause any issue.

Good to know that Vivek, glad your driver proved as a true guide and well wisher for you. Had it been otherwise you know what could have been ended up in 🙁 … I just commented because sometimes people read comments and due to pressing time they follow something which might not work for them assuming it worked for someone else. Hence, dont want any of the DoW reader to end up in mess

Thank you for explaining it, it will help others make a wise call !! Appreciate it.

Hello, Dheeraj. Massive respect to you for maintaining this kind of the blog and replying to comments promptly. I have few suggestion before going into my questions i.e. please can you add right click button so that it will help in opening the multiple tabs in without interrupting the existing page what we are reading., second one please add copy or pdf so we can take printout while going to trip.

Coming to my queries, Basically, I am from Delhi and planning Leh trip somewhere in July end. I would like to make this trip by bike from Chandigarh. This would be my first trip to this Himalayas though I have been to Manali by car from Delhi. I am considering my trip from chandigarh>>Manali>>Leh>>Srinagar>>Chandigarh.

1. Which is the good place/vendor to hire a bike from Chandigarh (if you are aware of any vendor). 2. I would like to take RE classic only, however, do have any suggestions for Displacement/Capacity/CC of the bike. I am planning by 350 CC. Doe 350 CC will have any issues in terms of pick/performance and all. 3. Most of the vendors are quoting Rs 1200-1500 for 350CC and 1800Rs for 500CC. is this okay cost? or can I get the even lesser price? 4. I am planning 14days for an entire trip. do you think it will be sufficient? 5. how many liters should I carry with bottle apart from filled tank? I am planning not carry extra petrol bottle from Chandigarh to Manali and will fill everything over there and continue the journey.

Thanks in advance for you suggestions.

Hello Shree,

Thank you for suggestions, I have re-enabled the support for right click now, you should be good with that. The Print/PDF can be done using the vertical buttons on the left that slide with the articles along with other social media icons. There is a button with Printer sign on it, You can click on that to get the print and then say save as PDF to any article.

1. Bikes rented outside Leh are not allowed for sightseeing inside Ladakh except Tso Moriri and Tso Kar lakes which can be done while going to Manali from Leh. Private bikes are completely allowed. You can use the outside rented bike to reach Leh but then for going to Pangong Tso, nubra Valley, etc.. you need to hire rented bikes from Leh only.

4. I will suggest you that please plan it in other direction as going via Srinagar – Leh Highway will be much much easier on your body and help you acclimatize to the high altitude of Manali – Leh Highway. Also, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of Manali – Leh by splitting the journey almost evenly in two days which is very difficult in the other direction. Thirdly, it will allow you to fit Tso Moriri lake into the itinerary in better way. You can read more reasons on the link here

5. Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips

hi, I am not bother about bikes renting at leh. i am bothering about bikes at chandigarh as of now. and CC of the bike. can you throw some light on that.

Ok, I am not sure what you will do with bikes rented in Chandigarh which cannot be used in Leh. Anyways, Chandigarh does have few shops where bikes are available on rent though I do not have contact for them. I suggested a link of DoW Comunity about bikes in previous article, you can post under the forum and tag PreetKamal who can help you with some contacts.

Regarding CC, all depends upon your wit and determination as a rider to complete the trip. Well though it is not required to have more powerful bike like Bullet/RE but always preferable. 100cc might be able to do it as I known people and have read many accounts of it in the past but surely will struggle at some places where it might be required to push manually, especially I believe if you get stuck in some water crossing. DO NOT push the bike beyond its limit in case your stuck rather user your own physical power to get it out. Also, the speed will be slow when you ride near the high mountain passes on a lower cc bike.

Thanks dheeraj, as i mentioned i am planning my journey from chandigarh and gonna hire bike from there. Hence i am insisting bikes in chandgarh. Yea, your correct i need to take bikes in leh too. it can be avoided.

Shree, please contact PreetKamal in the DwD Community. He should be able to help with the contacts

The last entry having been made in June, 2015, I am not sure if Dheeraj is still available for answering my query or not. But what I am sure of is that he has written one the best pieces on travel on the Leh-Manali Road. Thank you Dheeraj for that. Reading the article and all the queries and their answers, I now have answers to most of my questions. One nagging doubt still remains.

I will be driving my Dzire diesel sedan. I am a fairly good driver and have driven to Lahaul valley, Badrinath, Gulmarg etc. and have enjoyed driving on each trip.

i) How difficult is it to cross nallahs/rivulets in this sedan? There will be 4 passengers including me (not-so-young passengers who can be expected to get out and push the car).

ii) Which time will be more suitable for the Leh to Manali journey? Mid June (say around June 15 ) or last week of June (say around 28)? The only slot available to me is from June 1 to June 30. Thats why this predicament.

Thank you so much PP, I am still around here and will always be in Discover with Dheeraj for the love of travel in Himalayas 🙂 🙂

1. For hatchback/sedan taking on Manali – Leh Highway and Ladakh, I will say:

You will indeed face few tough challenges on the route. The hatchback/sedan will increase the level of every challenge even further, sedan is the worst candidate. My suggestion will be to go via Srinagar route as it will help you feel comfortable with the driving, provide more acclimatization and then once you have done the local Leh-Ladakh, then come back via Manali side. Secondly, since you are in hatch/sedan, then you need to drive with extra care as well. There will be some sections on the Manali – Leh highway in which you might need to sacrifice some scratches on the underbelly. Just make sure you do not bump the engine sump (know it before where it is placed in your car). You need to protect it all around the trip. Thirdly, whenever in doubt do not rush into the section rather park aside and feel the section with your foot, see how other vehicles are crossing it and make a planned route in your mind to cross that section. At the very least do carry Mseal, quick fix, funnel, jerry cans and towing rope with you all the time.

Also, I will strongly suggest that you go through and read my series on Ladakh Self Drive tips at the links below:

7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh , Routes and Road Conditions In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips , Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips FAQ | Can I do Leh – Ladakh / Spiti / Manali – Leh trip in Hatchback or Sedan?

2. You can plan anytime between 15th – 30th June as by then the Manali – Leh will be stabilzied. In fact it might openin winters as per local newspapaer due to not much snow at all this massive strange year. So, you have a good window even if it snows in March too much.

Hi, Very Well written. I am planning for a bike trip from Manali to leh during June end it will be a 14-15 day trip. l am from Mumbai and will be travelling from mumbai to Delhi by flight and the Delhi to manali by Bus. The main journey starts here. I have many questions and would like to get some advice from you. 1) Where to Hire bikes from in Manali?- I would like a classic 350 newer model. 2) What is the price of the Bike? 3) Apart from the rent how much the rentals charge for the deposit money? 4) what will be the overall expenditure (Average) including everything (Stay, food, petrol , etc) The places can be basic camps nothing fancy. 5) Which are the best places where we should halt during the stay? Dont want to make it too hectic 6) Incase of brakedows, what do do? Do we carry extra clutch cables and other minor equipments? 7) Are there enough petrol pumps in the way or we need to carry some extra cans of petrol? 8) Is getting permits difficult? 9) Can you provide with some bike rental agencies?

These are some questions i have in my mind. i await your reply.

Thanks Naren

This blog cannot be printed 🙁 can you provide a pdf so that i can print this… This will be very informative.

Will look into to add this feature.

Please respond to this comment

Just did it, please read them and make a wise choice 🙂

Hi Narendra,

To know about AMS and acclimatization including the tips to combat AMS, please DO READ: Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization

1,2,3 Read above

4) 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

5) Read above 6) Read above 7) Yes, you need to carry extra fuel. Read the entire series, 7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh , Routes and Road Conditions In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips , Fuel Availability In Leh – Ladakh | Ladakh Self Drive Tips

8) You do not need permits within Ladakh now since 2014. If you travel in direcion from Manali to Leh still reading above, you need permit from Manali to Rohtang Pass for which you can read: How to get Rohtang Pass Permit Online

9) Can you provide with some bike rental agencies?

we are planning to go leh-manali in the time of jan by car could you please suggest the road conditions are favourable or not

Rakes, Manali – Leh opens in end of May or early June. So, please plan it accordingly.

First of all #MassiveRespect to you and commendable work on this website. The detailed inputs about any / every place Himalayan places by you calls for an applaud sir 🙂

I am a software engineer by profession and an avid traveler who along with 3 friends (guys) are planning a trip to Leh-Laddakh by the end of June or beginning of July 2016. I have been re-searching, following your threads regarding this place and according to the time we have, the 9 day trip suits us the best. I read the related itinerary written on

Manali – Leh – Ladakh – Manali | Itinerary for 9 Days

As this will be my first trip I am a bit confused hence the below queries (hope they make sense :P)

1) We want to go Leh via Manali route and return via Srinagar (Delhi-Manali-Leh; Leh-Srinagar-Delhi). Is it possible on a 9 day trip ? If yes what should be the ideal itinerary ?

2) Had a word with few travel agencies operate in those regions plus few friends who went to Leh via themselves (renting bikes, cars and pre-booking hotels). The cost estimation I received crosses 30 K per person approx but the travel agencies giving package ranges from 35-40 K per person ! Which is preferable & cost effective ?

3) Apart from all the details and precautions mentioned on your thread/link anything special to be taken care off as well ?

Awaiting your response and if possible willing to talk to you prior we set for this trip. Would be really helpful 🙂

Still awaiting a reply on this … If anybody can throw some light, it would really be helpful 🙂

Just replied here: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/how-to-plan-a-journey-on-manali-leh-highway/comment-page-5/#comment-364022

Thank you so much Deep. I am just in transition of a new home, so spending a bit less time here online. The DwD Community is alive as ever and in case you see delayed reply here on the blog, you can always post it under DwD Community (refer link from Menu)

Regarding your current queries:

1. Well, it will take 3 days from Delhi to Leh via Manali with overnight halts at Manali/Solang, Keylong/Jispa and then finally Leh. One day at least you need to rest in Leh for acclimatization. This makes your 4 days. Now, 4 days are required for return from Srinagar – Leh Highway as night halts Kargil, Srinagar, Jammu and then finally 9th day you reach Delhi. Now, in between you have 5th day left for you on which you can either make a day trip to Khardung La or Pangong Tso, your choice. All in all a very hectic trip with just being on the road and seeing nothing much in Ladakh apart from Srinagar – Leh Highway and Manali – Leh highway

2. Cost effective will always be if you plan on your own and with all the help available on DoW, I see no reason you cant plan unless you do not want to read at all and prepare yourself. In the latter case you can always give a shot to travel agent.

3. Read the article on Acclimatization and tips for taking clothes to Ladakh from menu of Ladakh above.

Thank You for replying. I will plan accordingly as advised.

Will bug you again here if required 😉

Sure, Deep, anytime. Before new year, you might see some delay but post that replies will be much faster

Hi I am Ankith, we 5 friends are planning a road trip from Bangalore to Leh ladak in a Innova car. Our plan is for 9 days road trip. Can anyone suggest the places in Leh ladak which we can cover in this span.

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 .

Hi Dheeraj, Thanks for the reply As we are planning for this trip on Mid December this year, whether it will be a right time to visit? 9 days include travel from bangalore to Leh and back to bangalore by car. We may get not more than 4.5 days to see all the paces. So please suggest some places in this span and information about permits at this season.

Ankith, roads to Ladakh will now open back in next year mid May or June

Me and my friend planning to travel keylong from Chandigarh in our personal car (around September 10) our trip duration is of 3 days only, Please guide us about the whole procedure, like permission for rohtang pass, accommodation, travel time and hotels etc

Gurpritam, you can check: Rohtang Pass Rules & Restriction of Vehicles – Demystified

We are planning this trek (the way you have suggested Leh to Manali) with family. Is it ok to take our kids aged btw 10-12. If yes, what are the challenges or risks involved. Is it advisable to take at the first place and if so pls help out in suggesting precautionary elements.

Regards Kusuma

In general, it is fine to take the children of such age group because AMS do not matter with respect to age or sex or any fitness level. It can happen to anyone of any age or sex or fitness I shall say :D.. The issue with children is that they tend to exert the body considering it the same kind of place they belong to and this elevates the chances of getting struck with AMS. Secondly, they are not much expressive about their uneasy feelings, so it is parents who need to watch out and take care that the child is not suffering from uneasy feelings, headache or nausea and is behaving properly. With 5+ year child, I think he/she would be able to convey the uneasiness with little efforts. If you notice any such feeling or he/she tells you about such a feeling then please do not ascend anywhere, either descend to lower altitude or stay at the same place to watch things overnight and if symptom increase then start descending immediately. Same is applicable for any adult as well. And yes, do keep the body adequately hydrated!!

Also, PLEASE read the article: Traveling to Ladakh with Kids or Babies . This article covers this topic in complete detail.

I wid my 5 frnz planning to visit leh via srinagar-leh-manali…1st week of sept is safe or not by own private four wheeler..and all passes ll be opened.

Jayant, September is quite a good time to travel

Looks like a great adventure here. thanks for the tips. I hope I can go to Manali too

May i know on an average how much time it takes from Manali to Keylong and Keylong to Leh in shared taxi. i am planning to take shared taxi/public transport to reach Leh from Manali. And halting a night at Keylong? That would be fine? Will be reaching Manli on Aug 14th. Other than Keylong any place to stay ? whats your suggestion.

Dinkan, Manali to Keylong will take around 5-6 Hrs types and Keylong to Leh will take around 12-14 Hrs. You can extend to Jispa rather Keylong which is about 1 hr ahead of Keylong.

Sorry but I am firm supporter of Manali to Leh than opposite as recommended above. I have both many times, yes, opposite its easier but the challenge of Manali to Leh is special. The barren valley unfolding it as we travel along is a privil that is missed while returning….SIn all, Manali to Leh for me always…

Vishard, may be yes in case all goes well but when that 5% chances hits you back it spoils the trip 🙂

hey guys; i and a friend of mine, are planning to go to leh from manali around the 10th of july.so anyones intrested cn let us know, as we are looking for company. Any other leads on bike rentals and stuff are welcome. #9972282626

Better check Travel Calendar from the menu and filter the entries based on your preferences.

Hey Dheeraj, I tried calling few people who are offering d bikes on rent…but all of them are saying that this season no bikes are available….as all are booked… can u gv me some contacts who can provide us bikes from 25th june……..

You can connect with [email protected] as most of the readers in the past couple of years have had very good feedback about them and their transparent policies.

We are four person….on bike… any1 ready to join….. can contact me….8889088999

I am trying to plan as per your advice… on bikes from shrinagar-leh-manali… Is it possible to get bikes from shrinagar that we can drop at manali…nd wht ll b d cost in that case…?

The drop only rates or loading charges per biek comes out to be 10-12K. Are you sure you want to go with one way bike rental?

Hi Dhheraj ,

Me and MY husband planning for leh bike trip from manali . we have booked our ticket from mumbai 11th JULY 2015 . we have our bike TB350 but we are going alone is it ok or we have join any group. if yes could you please help to find any group .

hey poonam,

We are doing a chandigarh-srinagar-leh-manali-chandigarh starting 13th july, ending 25th july.

cheers!! Vachan

Hey vachan ,

Thanks for replying . Could you please share your email or contact details , so we can contact you . or if possible could you please share you plan so if possible we will join you guys in chandigarh .

Thanks , Poonam Kharya

Replied here: https://discoverwithdheeraj.com/about/comment-page-12/#comment-335275

Hi dheeraj, Kindly suggest some bike rentals at srinagar for renting bikes from srinagar to manali – one way without extra charges or else atleast from leh to manali-oneway trip. Thank you

Samson, there are no such bike rentals who can provide you bikes without charging extra for one way trip 🙂 … It is about 10-12K they charge per bike for loading charges on one way trips. Best is if you are not hard core biker then avoid it.

Hi, We are group of 6 guys and planning a road trip. Could you please suggest if this iternary is good or need modifications. Also can you please suggest some semi-luxury hotel in Leh. We have our flight tickets booked from Mumbai to Chandigarh and from Srinagar to Mumbai so that can’t be changed, the rest of the trip is flexible.

CHANDIGARH – MANALI – LADAKH – SRINAGAR JEEP SAFARI Duration: 14 Nights & 15 Days Travel Dates: 25 July to 08 August Synopsis: Chandigarh – Manali – Rohtang – Keylong – Jispa – Baralacha pass – Sarchu – Morre Plains – Tsokar – Tso Moriri – Mahe Bridge – Leh – Sangam – Pangong Lake – Khardungla Pass – Nubra – Panamik – Leh – Lamayuru – Kargil – Drass – Sonmarg – Srinagar ITINERARY: Day 01: Chandigarh – Manali Travel to Manali and stay overnight Day 02: Manali Sightseeing and overnight stay. Day 03: Manali – Jispa/Sarchu Drive to Sarchu (or Jispa) for night stay. Day 04: Jispa/Sarchu – Tso Moriri Meal: Breakfast and Dinner Visit Tso Moriri and overnight stay Day 05: Tso Moriri – Leh (7-8 hours) – 220 kms Tour Tso Moriri and overnight stay Day 06: Leh Sightseeing in Leh and overnight stay Day 07: Leh – Pangong Lake (5-6 hours) ( 225 to 290 kms ) Stay near Pangong lake Day 08: Pangong-Leh (7-8 hours) ( 225 to 290 kms ) Return back to Leh Day 09: Leh – Khandrungla Top – Nubra Valley- Visit to Nubra valley and stay overnight Day 10: Nubra Valley Sightseeing and stay in Nubra valley Day 11: Nubra Valley – Leh (7-8 hours) (120 kms ) Drive down to Leh and stay there Day 12: Leh Sightseeing in Leh Day 13: Leh – Kargil (211 kms) Drive down to Kargil and visit any tourist places on the way. Day 14: Kargil – Drass – Sonamarg – Srinagar (202 kms) Drive down to Srinagar and stay overnight

Excellent inputs. Thanks. Taking these inputs have planned to drive entering Srinagar from 12th September. Need your advise / confirmation on: 1. Drive Leh to Pangon Lake on 18th Sept. Stay Spangmik for night. 2. On 19th, wish to drive from Spangmik to Tso Moriri- please advise route, condition & will you recommend? 3. On 20th drive from Tso Moriri to Sarchu – advise route and condition. Stay night at Sarchu – next day to Manali. 4. Will we need to take permit for Pangong and Tso Moriri? 5. Booking hotels through your website at both lakes. Any recommendation for Leh Hotel? Will drive Toyota Qualis. Thanks for your reply.

Regarding Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri, please read: Tips for Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri Direct Route

Yes, you need to take inner line permit to take direct route from Pangong Tso to Tso moriri and even after permits it will not be confirmed that rmy will let you pass through or not. For inner line permit download form and complete process, refer: Inner Line Permits for Leh – Ladakh

I and my wife are planning Leh trip via road from Delhi – Manali – Leh – Manali – Delhi.

Please contact me if any other couple is also looking for Car Pool partners. Note: (For couple only and Serious Traveler)

Where are you from and when are you planning to travel? We might go in august 2nd week? Hw about you? I am from Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Regards, Pooja

Hi Dheeraj, we a group of 4 friends are planning a trip to leh on 1 bike and 1 car. We are carrying camping tents with us, can you please suggest us the sites that would be best for camping on manali – leh highway. Plus is there any danger of staying in our own tents at a foreign place?

Vivek, there is no issue in camping in case you have camped earlier in remote areas and used to it. Else mostly it is mental outfit towards the camping in remote areas that is the major bottleneck. For information on pitching your own camps in Leh – Ladakh, please refer our FAQ in the community: FAQ | Can I pitch my own tents or camps anywhere in Ladakh?

You can camp at Jispa, Darcha before Baralacha La and then may be Rumtse after getting down from Taglang La. If you coming from Leh, then you can also consider Pang and Sarchu but while going from Manali side it is not recommended because of less acclimatized body.

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Leh Manali Highway - A Road Trip Guide to Ladakh

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The Leh Manali Highway is one of the most picturesque and talked about highways that connect Leh in  Ladakh , to Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Furthermore, it connects Manali - Solang Valley to Lahaul and Spiti Valleys in Himachal to Zanskar Valley in Ladakh. Flanked by high Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges, the route is open only for less than five months in a year and is trodden upon by enthused motorcyclists. 

The Rohtang Pass Tunnel, also known as the Atal Tunnel, was opened on the 3rd of October 2020 and has reduced the length of the Leh-Manali Highway from 470 km to 430km. This reduces the travel time over the highway by over 3.5 hours and the entire journey can be completed in under 14 hours. 

Leh Manali Highway- An Adventurous Route

The general route that the Leh-Manali highway follows is as follows:

Gata Loops are famous for the 21 hairpin bends that push you from 4190m to 4630m via a 7 km stretch. From there you continue your ascent towards Nakee La , situated at an altitude of 4740m. There are no facilities or habitats in this area. Next stop from Nakee la is Lachulung la . You will now enter the second highest pass on the highway, sitting at an altitude of 5079m. Breathlessness, headaches, nausea, and uneasiness are common symptoms. Acclimatization to higher altitudes takes time. Avoid any exertion that might affect your breathing process. A downward drive from Lachulung pass takes you to Pang (4600m). From here, you’ll encounter plains till Debring (4835m). They are called the Moore plains

Day 3: Debring – Tanglang La – Rumste – Upshi – Karu – Leh

Debring to Taglang is a steep ascent, covering 14.2 km. Taglang pass is the highest point on the highway, situated at an altitude of 5328m. Avoid stopping here for any more than 10-15 mins; high altitude can make you feel nauseous. From here, you begin your last and final descent towards Leh which is located at an altitude of 3500 m. You will pass Rumste and Upshi on your way and reach Leh, covering 108.1 km. By the time you reach Leh, you’ll be acclimatized to higher altitudes and will find Leh very pleasing.

Travel Time on Manali Leh Highway

• If you want to finish the journey in one day , consider factors like acclimatization, motion sickness, exhaustion (you’ll be on the road for a minimum of 16 hours), accidents like puncture or engine breakdown, and most importantly, the joy of missing out on some beautiful views. The chances of succumbing to ACM run high. Since you’ll be traveling through different altitudes without many breaks, it will eventually take a toll on your body.
• The two-day journey is the most preferred by routine as well as first-time travelers. This gives you enough time for acclimatization and unplanned stopovers. You can start from Manali, early in the morning, on day 1. Spend the night at either Keylong, Jispa, or Saracho. Technically, Sarchu is the middle point between Manali and Leh, but its high altitude is not suitable for everyone. Compared to it, Keylong and Jispa are much better. Start your second day early to arrive at Leh by evening.
• The three-day trip is the least preferred option due to time and cost. Two layovers will cost you extra money and time. From the experience point of view, it is more appealing as you can enjoy more places without rushing. You can begin your journey from Manali and reach Kelong/Jispa by evening.

Where to Stay on the Leh Manali Highway?

Road Conditions

Conditions are subject to weather and season. Although the majority of the sections are safe and well-patched, there are some bumpy sections you have to look out for.

Smooth: Sissu to Keylong, Keylong to Jispa, Jispa to Zingzingnar, Zingzingbar to Baralacha pass, Moore Plains to Tanglang La pass, Tanglang pass to Rumste, Rumste to Leh. Roads to look out for: Rohtang to Kokhsar, Baralacha pass to Sarchu, Sarchu to Pang, Pang to Moore Plains. Average: Manali to Rohtang pass, Kokhsar to Sissu.

Best Time to Travel on the Leh-Manali Highway

Rohtang Pass and Baralacha Pass are open by May end. You can plan your trip from June onwards. You can see the stacks of snow from the previous winter season, and that’s why tourists most prefer this time of the year. By the time July hits, the snow starts to melt, and it becomes difficult to navigate through the freshwater passages. July onwards chances of rainfall are high. Although areas north of Keylong rarely see any rain, if you want to avoid any clashes, hit the highway in the August-September slot. September is the last month for a safe visit.

Passes on the Leh-Manali Highway

1. tanglang la.

2. Lachulung La

3. Nakee La

4.  Baralacha La

5.  Rohtang Pass

Important Tips For The Leh-Manali Highway Journey

• Don't be overconfident or overexcited during your trip as it is your biggest enemy.
• Before you all set to travel make sure you are physically and mentally fit and ready to face the challenges during the trip.
• Make sure you have your first-aid kit and all essential medicines with you.
• Make sure you have all the toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and sunscreen
• Carry an extra pair of warm shoes; don't wear sandals and slippers during your journey as it is freezing out there.
• Carry warm clothes, thermal liners, rain clothes and rain covers for your bags as be ready to experience bone-chilling cold.
• Be sure that you have enough amount of high energy food in stock, carry glucose, chocolates, and other energy food.
• If you are in your own vehicle, then make sure you have enough amount of fuel.

So, when are you planning your road trip on Leh-Manali Highway? Let us know in the comments below!

This post was published by Arpita Biswas

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Manali to Ladakh Itinerary – Manali to Leh Ladakh Trip Plan

The most common way of traveling to Ladakh is to start from Manali and end at Srinagar. Due to its challenging nature, the route from the Manali side presents the travelers with an adventure right from the start of the journey. At the same time, the natural beauty of the region you cross is like no other. If you are going to be traveling to Leh Ladakh anytime soon, below is a Manali to Ladakh itinerary that you can follow for the trip.

When you are going to a place like Ladakh, careful planning and a well-laid travel itinerary becomes of utmost importance. Ladakh is not your typical vacation where you can just pack your bags and go. Everything is different up there. Your journey will be bound by timelines and you will be presented with hostile weather conditions and bad roads.

Also Read: How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide

For most people, it may be several years before you can plan another trip there. You got to make sure that you are making the best of your time and travel in the most efficient way. This will also save you any hassle and will keep your trip safe. It is also helpful to know what all places are worth covering and what are the major tourist attractions that you must not miss.

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Manali to Ladakh Itinerary

In this article, I will talk about traveling from Manali to Leh, local sightseeing in Ladakh, and return via Srinagar. In case you do not intend to cover the Srinagar highway at all, then I will also provide an alternate itinerary to return via the same route to Manali.

I will lay down a plan for 2 weeks journey. This in my opinion is a must if you truly want to cover all tourist destinations. Based on the number of days you have, you can add or remove places from this itinerary.

I will also assume that you are either using your own vehicle, motorcycle, or car or renting a private cab for this trip. But the itinerary below can also be used even if you were traveling by public transport.

• Delhi to Manali – Day 1
• Manali to Jispa – Day 2
• Jispa to Sarchu / Pang – Day 3
• Sarchu / Pang to Leh – Day 4
• Leh – Day 5
• Leh – Khardung La – Diskit / Hunder – Day 6
• Diskit / Hunder – Panamik – Khardung La – Leh – Day 7
• Leh to Pangong Tso – Day 8
• Pangong Tso to Leh – Day 9
• Leh to Tso Moriri – Day 10
• Tso Moriri to Leh – Day 11
• Leh to Kargil – Day 12
• Kargil to Srinagar –  Day 13
• Srinagar to Jammu – Day 14
• Jammu to Delhi – Day 15

The following Manali to Ladakh itinerary mostly focuses on an easy travel plan without too much rush and covering all major tourist attractions. It is more of a common itinerary that can apply to almost anyone, irrespective of whether you are traveling solo or with family.

Day 1: Delhi to Manali

For the sake of this article, I am assuming that you are starting your journey from Delhi. If you were coming from a different town, only the journey on the first and the last day will be different. The rest of the Manali to Ladakh itinerary will remain the same.

There isn’t much to write about Day 1 actually except that this will be a long and monotonous ride. Depending on your speed and breaks, it can take you anywhere between 13-15 hours to arrive at Manali. Start early from Delhi so that you can at least avoid the city traffic.

Also Read: Clothes for Ladakh Trip – What to Pack

Day 2 – Manali to Jispa

The most important thing that you need to keep in mind while traveling from Manali is the permit for Rohtang Pass. A quick fix for this would be that apply for the permit online and obtain it beforehand.

If for some reason you could get it online, contact a hotel in Manali and ask them if they can arrange permits for you. If their answer is yes, book your night stay with them and collect permits after you reach Manali. This way, you will not have to spend an entire day in Manali arranging permits.

If the permit could not be arranged at all, the only other way you have is to travel via the Atal tunnel and keep Rohtang for another trip at another time.

It is advised that you start as early as you can from Manali to avoid traffic congestion at Rohtang Pass . Cross the first high-altitude pass of your journey and enjoy beautiful vistas all day long. There is mostly a lot of slush towards the top of Rohtang Pass and roads too are narrow so drive carefully.

If you must stay in a cemented hotel and are on a budget, then stay at Keylong. You can find several moderately priced hotels here.

If a hotel is not a must, then go to Jispa and stay there. There are a couple of campsites and hotels in Jispa where you can stay. Jispa is a beautifully located town and in my opinion, you must stay at one of the camps there rather than Keylong. Depending upon your speed, this journey can take you anywhere between 6-10 hours.

If you were short on time, you can skip this day entirely. Travel through the Atal tunnel and head straight to Sarchu for the night on Day 2 itself.

Day 3 – Jispa to Sarchu / Pang

You can start easy by 8-9 AM from Jispa as the journey is not too long. You will cross Baralacha La , Lachulung La, Nakeela on the way. On the way, you will also see two small lakes, Deepak Tal and Sooraj Tal, and witness the beauty and challenging nature of the Manali Leh highway.

Gata Loops are another major attraction. After Sarchu, you will cross into the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Reach Pang by evening and check into one of the camps/chadar tents.

Most people will advise you against staying at Pang because of high altitude sickness which you are bound to suffer from here. But if you have 3 days in hand, there is not really much of an option to stay other than Sarchu or Pang and you are bound to feel AMS at both places.

The only other way around this is to really rush through the journey on day 2, start from Jispa by 5-6 AM, and reach Leh by evening. This is also a preferred choice if you are not comfortable staying at a camp or chadar tent at either Sarchu or Pang.

For more detail on altitude sickness, please take a look at  How to deal with acute mountain sickness in Ladakh .

In my opinion, a 3 days journey on this road is better. But if you are short on time, then you can change it to Manali to Jispa on Day 1 and Jispa to Leh on Day 2.

Day 4 – Pang to Leh

Leh is not too far from Pang so you can start at your own convenience. You will cross the magnificent Moore Plains and Tanglang La Pass on the way.

The journey from Pang to Leh is not more than 6 hours. Even if you traveled at a slow pace, so you should comfortably be in Leh by late afternoon. This will give you ample time for hotel hunting.

Once you have decided on a hotel, you can either chose to rest or may even visit Shanti Stupa, Leh Market, or Leh palace in the evening.

Day 5 – Leh

You will stay for the day in Leh. Rest and give your body some time to adjust to high altitude. The most important task for this day is to arrange your Inner Line Permit for the trip ahead.

Day 6 – Leh – Khardung La – Diskit / Hunder

On Day 6, you will travel to Nubra valley and cross Khardung La on your way. Spend some time at Khardung La top and have a cup of tea at the Army canteen.

You can stay at either Diskit or Hunder for the night. The tall Buddha statue, sand dunes, and Bactrian camels are the most famous tourist attractions that you should see. It is a 6-8 hours journey depending on your speed.

Day 7 – Diskit / Hunder – Panamik – Khardung La – Leh

Start early from Diskit or Hunder and head towards the small village of Panamik. See the hot water springs in Panamik and start your return journey to Leh via the same route that you took to reach Nubra Valley.

An alternate way to do the journey here can be to take the Agham Shyok road to head straight to Pangong from Nubra Valley. That way, you can save a day on your itinerary.

Day 8 – Leh to Pangong Tso

This may be a long journey depending on the speed and breaks you take so an early start is advised. While on the way, you can also cover a few monasteries like Hemis, Thiksey , Shey Palace, and get across mighty Chang La.

You can choose to stay at either Tangste, Lukung, or Spangmik. If you want to stay close to the lake, then you will have to stay at a campsite. If you want to stay at a cemented hotel, you will have to look for accommodation at either Tangste, Lukung, or Spangmik.

Day 9: Pangong Tso to Leh

Take the same route back to Leh that you took to reach Pangong on day 7. If you did not visit the monasteries or Shey Palace on Day 8, you may cover it on Day 9.

An alternate way to do the return journey can be that you take the Changthang route from Pangong and head directly to Tso Moriri from here via Man, Merak, Loma, Nyoma, Mahe, and Sumdo. You can stay in Hanle Village for Day 9 and go to Tso Moriri from there on Day 10.

Day 10: Leh to Tso Moriri

This will again be a long journey not because of the distance but because you will be traveling on some terrible roads today. Head back on Manali Leh highway until Upshi and take the diversion towards Chumthang.

Road until Sumdo will be a mix of good. After Sumdo it will pretty much be a dirt trail all the way until Karzok. This can easily be a 7-8 hours drive depending on your speed and the breaks you take in between.

The monasteries, Shey palace that I mentioned for Day 8 and 9 can be covered on this day as well.

Day 11: Tso Moriri to Leh

Spend some time at the lake early in the morning and head back to Leh via the same road that you took to reach Karzok.

Another route for this journey is the diversion towards Polakongka La from Sumdo. If you went this way, you can also cover Tso Kar lake before exiting on Manali Leh highway just after Pang.  After that, you will cross Tanglang La Pass and arrive back in Leh.

I will advise taking this route because the road is good and won’t add much time to the journey. You will get to see another beautiful lake and travel right through the amazing More plains.

Day 12: Leh

Take a rest day in Leh. Visit some of the tourist attractions in town like Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, Leh market, etc, and relax. Please note that you can skip this day if you are short on time.

Day 13: Leh to Kargil

You will start your return journey to Leh via Leh Srinagar highway. See the magnetic hill , Indus-Zaskar river confluence, Gurudwara Patthar Sahib , monasteries at Mulbekh and Lamayuru, and Lunar Landscapes. The road will be mostly good with a few bad patches in between.

It is easily an 8-10 hours journey if you cover all the places I mentioned above. If you did not stop and spend time anywhere, it can be easily covered in 6 hours.

I would still advise on starting early from Leh. Kargil has several hotels so finding one will not be a problem but finding one within a budget can be.

Day 14: Kargil to Srinagar

Travel on the Srinagar Leh highway and enjoy the mesmerizing and heavenly beauty of Srinagar. Take a lunch break at Sonamarg and continue to Srinagar.

The journey will last anywhere between 7-10 hours, depending on your speed and the breaks you take. If within budget, head straight to Dal Lake upon reaching Srinagar and stay in a houseboat. It is highly recommended and totally worth it.

Day 14: Srinagar to Jammu

Start early from Srinagar and reach Jammu via Patnitop by evening. The journey will last about 8-10 hours because the traffic on this route is mostly heavy. Another route you can is via Mughal Road . It is longer but is more scenic and hardly has any traffic

Day 15: Jammu to Delhi

This will again be a very long journey that can easily take 14-16 hours. The road will mostly be good all the way except for a few bad patches in between.

Manali to Manali Itinerary

If you do not want to travel on the Srinagar Leh highway, the journey can be modified in the way below. It will require lesser time as well. So if you could not spend 2 weeks in Ladakh, you can pick this option.

• Jispa to Leh – Day 3
• Leh – Day 4
• Leh to Diskit – Day 5
• Diskit to Turtuk – Day 6 (Skip this day if you are short on time)
• Turtuk to Panamik to Pangong via Shyok Road – Day 7
• Pangong to Hanle – Day 8
• Hanle to Karzok (Tso Moriri) Day 9
• Karzok to Sarchu – Day 10
• Sarchu to Manali – Day 11
• Manali to Delhi  -Day 12

Manali to Ladakh Bike Trip Itinerary

If you were riding a bike, let me suggest two more itineraries that will better suit you. The only concern can be of fuel that you will have to carry in spare. Take a look at How to Manage Fuel on Leh Ladakh Bike Trip for more details.

Below are two examples of a Manali to Ladakh Bike Trip itinerary.

• Delhi to Jammu – Day 1
• Jammu to Srinagar – Day 2
• Srinagar to Kargil – Day 3
• Kargil to Leh – Day 4
• Leh to Turtuk – Day 6
• Turtuk to Diskit to Panamik to Pangong via Shyok Road – Day 7
• Hanle to Karzok – Day 9
• Karzok to Pang / Sarchu – Day 10
• Pang / Sarchu to Manali – Day 11
• Manali to Delhi – Day 12

If you wanted to start from Manali, there will be a slight change needed.

• Leh to Diskit / Turtuk – Day 4
• Diskit / Turtuk to Pangong – Day 5
• Pangong to Hanle or Karzok – Day 6
• Karzok to Leh via Tso Kar – Day 7
• Leh to Kargil – Day 8
• Kargil to Srinagar – Day 9
• Srinagar to Jammu – Day 10
• Jammu to Delhi – Day 11

Manali to Ladakh Itinerary – Conclusion

The journey can of course be modified in numerous other ways. If you were thinking of a different Manali to Ladakh itinerary but weren’t sure of it, feel free to ask in the comments section below, or at our Community Forum , and I will be happy to clarify any doubts.

The first itinerary that I suggested can easily be completed by public transport as well. There are regular buses and shared taxis available on the routes. The internal roads where there is no public transport were skipped entirely in that itinerary. I hope the information above was of help.

Vargis.Khan

Not much to write about me really except for that I love to travel around whenever I can and to wherever I can. This blog is just a small attempt to share my travel experiences with the world. Hope you like it !!!

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How to plan a trip to leh ladakh, srinagar leh highway status 2024 – 2025, zojila pass road status and condition 2024 –..., 23 comments.

Sir, 25-30 days ladakh bike trip ka koi itinerary bataiye jisme maximum passes aur places cover ho sake..

Day 1 :- Raipur – Delhi – Chandigarh (By Flight) Night at Chandigarh Day 2 :- Chandigarh to Manali. Night at Manali. Day 3 :- Local Manali. Night at Manali. Day 4 :- Rohtang Pass/Solang Valley/Keylong. Night at Keylong. Day 5 :- Keylong to Leh. Night at Leh. Day 6 :- Local Leh. Night at Leh. Day 7 :- Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardungla Pass. Night at Hunder/Diskit. Day 8 :- Nubra Valley to Leh via Pangong Lake. Night at Leh. Day 9 :- Local Leh. Night at Leh. Day 10 :- Leh – Delhi (By Flight) – Raipur (By Flight/Train)

इसमें आपकी तरफ से कोई सलाह/सुझाव/सुधार ? कोई जगह जोड़ना/घटाना है क्या ?

Day 4 का प्रोग्राम आसानी से हो जाएगा क्या ?

Day 1 :- 9 जून 2022

12 लोगों का ग्रुप है

Day 2 to Day 9 by road (One 12/13 seater Tempo Traveller)

PLEASE GIVE YOUR SUGGESTION.

Aapka plan theek hai Rajkumar Bhai. Aasani se ho jaayega

Mr. Vargis Khan Sir, I am planning to visit Ladakh this September and following you blogs regularly. It is so informative and helpful in all respect of ladakh tour. i wish to enter Ladakh via Manali and return via Kargil if political situation of JK is godd enough. Apart from Leh city and its heritage valued monasteries my main point of attraction in Ladakh is Nubra Valley, specially Tutuk. Here is my proposed itinerary Day 1 Manali Day 2 Jispa Day 3 Leh Day 4 Leh Day 5 Turtuk Day 6 Leh Day 7 Leh- Pangong Day 8 Pangong – Tsomori Day 9 Tsomori-Jispa Day10 Manali

Your advice is solocited.

Ramen Bhatta

Hello Mr. Bhatta,

It will be better to travel this way. How are you traveling though?

Day 1 Manali Day 2 Jispa Day 3 Leh Day 4 Leh Day 5 Turtuk Day 6 Pangong via Shyok Day 7 Pangong to Hanle Day 8 Hanle – Tsomori Day 9 Tsomori-Sarchu Day10 Manali

hello Mr. Vargis, Thanks a lot for such detailed itinerary. We are three people myself+my wife + one female friend. I have XUV 500 2WD in almost perfect conditions with all tyres changed and car serviced one week back. We are planning a 14 day trip from delhi-leh-srinagar-delhi or delhi-srinagar-leh-delhi. But still I am not sure if I should go from manali or srinagar. Here is my itinerary from manali side. Same I will use from sri nagar side except not going back to leh from tso moriri:

day 1 delhi to chandigarh , night stay at chandigarh day 2 chandigarh to manali , night stay at manali day 3 manali to jispa, stay at jispa , night stay at jispa day 4 jispa to pang (or sarchu. Only problem is that sarchu is too close to jispa), , night stay at pang/sarchu day 5 pang to leh , night stay at leh day 6 sightseing leh , night stay at leh day 7 leh to nubra valley/hundar , night stay at hundar day 8 hundar to pangong (through Agham shyok) , night stay at pangong day 9 pangong to tso moriri , night stay at tso moriri day 10 tso moriri to leh , night stay at leh day 11 leh to kargil , night stay at kargil day 12 kargil to sonmarg/ , night stay at sonmarg day 13 sonmarg to ludhiana , night stay at ludhiana day 14 ludhiana to delhi ========== Here are my questions 1) What are your recommendations of the itinerary. 2) Should we go from manali side or srinagar side. 3) I am an avid driver and have a good experience of driving in uttrakhand mountains with same car. Do you think I can cover hundar>pangong>tso moriri as this is my first trip to leh?

Thanks Prashant

One more question Mr. Vargis. My car fuel tank capacity is 70-75 ltrs and in mountains gives mileage of 10K per litre. So I can cover a distance of 650-700 Kms. Is this fuel sufficient to cover leh> hundar > pangong > tso moriri > leh

If you can then carry those 20 or 40 liters cans for spare fuel. If not then you can actually buy fuel in black at almost all places in Ladakh now. Quality of that is however questionable so it is better to buy it from Ladakh only.

Hello Mr. Kumar,

Your itinerary is good and definitely doable. Going from Srinagar side is better in terms of AMS. Following the itinerary you have laid out, you will definitely suffer from mountain sickness at Pang. The only change I will recommend is that you start early from Jispa, avoid staying at Pang and reach straight to Leh on this day. Pangong to Moriri is ideally a 2 days journey so use this day here. From Pangong, reach Hanle and then do Hanle to Moriri the next day.

And yes, if you have some decent amount of driving experience in the hills then you can easily complete the journey.

Thanks Mr VIrgis, I will modify the itinerary accordingly.

You are welcome Mr. Kumar

Sir please update me regarding permits beyond rohtang pass. I am having a diesel vehicle and will start from my hometown Ranchi on 10th may. How can i get a permit from manali to travel beyond rohtang on my own vehicle. Also what other permits do i need to get to travel to leh ladakh and pangong lake.

For Rohtang Permit, please see the article below.

https://vargiskhan.com/log/rohtang-pass-permits-details-charges-apply/

For Permit in Ladakh to visit Nubra and Pangong, please see the article below..

https://vargiskhan.com/log/obtaining-ilp-for-ladakh/

Hi Vargis, your blog is really informative.we have gone to leh once via kargil. We have visited leh, pangongg and nubra valley then. Now we wish to visit leh from Manali along with spiti valley.Can u suggest an itenery of 8days(in ladakh week wish to visit tso Mori and may be Turktuk)

Hi Sayantan – Covering Spiti and Ladakh both in 8 days will be next to impossible. Where are you starting from?

Hi Vargis, We will be starting from Manali. A proposed plan in september-

day0-kolkata to delhi flight, overnight bus to manali, stay at manali/solang(?) day1-manali to langza, stay at langza day2-langza siteseeing (ke,kibber,tashiang) day3-langza to mud(via hikkim,komik,dhanker)….should we stay at mud or return to kaza? day4-kaza /mud to chandratal day5-chandratal to jispa day6-jispa to pang/or directly to tso mori day7-tso mori to leh day8-leh day9-leh to turktuk day10-turktuk to leh day11-leh to kolkata flight

we have previously visited ladakh once and have covered sham valley,nubra,hunder, panggong and leh local site seeing (so excluding them this time) Can you suggest any possible modifications? Also the time of travel each day?

Your itinerary looks Ok exccept for that you cannot go to Tso Moriri directly. You will have to get inner line permit first for which you will have to go to Leh city.

Hey sir! Your blogs are so great, They are really helping a lot. I need to ask that we are 6 people or can say 3 couples. We are planning for a road trip with all 3 RE classic 350 and are moving from Jaipur, we will prefer manali leh highway. So I just want to ask is there any problem travelling with girls here at little dark or staying at camps or any other problem which we may face? And some more stuffs, I have already been to your blog for driving with pillion but still need to comfirm that that RE classic 350 will be capable enough to hold two people with a little luggage.

Hi Chirag – Thank you for your appreciating words. Yes you can ride to Ladakh on RE 350 with a pillion provided that your motorcycle is very well maintained. I myself own an Electra 350 and off all the times I have taken it to Ladakh, 4 times were with Pillion and all the luggage. So yes, the motorcycle is capable of the journey but ensure you get it serviced and prepared for the journey. Take a look at this article.

https://vargiskhan.com/log/how-to-prepare-your-motorcycle-for-ladakh-trip/

Regarding traveling with ladies, there is no concern related to safety as such but as you can very well guess, washrooms can be a bit of a problem. Better plan your journey as Manali to Keylong or Jispa and then straight to Leh the next day. The chadar tents / Dhabas at Sarchu and Pang do not have facilites and washrooms are horrible. Being a guy we could hardly stay there for over 5 mins, so with girls it will be a huge hassle. Avoid staying at these places unless you are planning to stay at the camp sites at Sarchu. These are comfortable luxury tents with good washroom facilites but prices are a bit steep.

Thank you for giving your precious time to answer my question and one more thing to ask, that can we cross khardung la with pillion and what about marsimik la?

You are welcome !!!

Khardung La yes you can but not Marsimik La. That road is very steep and extremely bad. Motorcycle will probably refuse to climb if you have a pillion with you.

sir I am travelling to ladakh on 26 may2017 from manali by bullets ,we are six persons by five royal enfields of our own means not rented ,we want to know that travelling from pangong to tsomoriri by road is safe or not because we heard about some dog attacks on bikers ,pls help us by providing current situation so that we can take further step for our journey

Dogs are indeed dangerous in that region Pariksheet. You will be OK traveling on the route, just do not stop near any human establishments alone, do not wander away. Just continue with your journey and when taking breaks, ensure that you either stop at near a check post or at a canteen or dhaba where are some locals around

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Amazing Leh-Ladakh with Manali - Tour Package - (7 days)

What does "(done independently)" mean.

It means that we will not provide a car with driver on that day because it is not needed. Indeed, on that day, you will need a car only for a very short distance.

For the transfer from Leh airport to the city centre , you do not need to book a taxi in advance. Leh airport is only 4 kilometres from the city centre and you can easily find a local taxi (dedicated to airport transfers) directly at the airport; a prepaid taxi from Leh airport to the city centre costs approximately ₹ 600.

If you still want us to arrange airport transfer for you, send us an email with your flight details.

With this 7D/6N tour package, you will visit the top attractions of Ladakh and experience the adventurous road trip from Leh to Manali. During the first 2 days, you will visit Leh and the west part of the Indus valley ( Sham region) which includes the well-known sights such as Gurdwara Pathar Sahib , the Magnetic Hill , the confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers , Basgo , Alchi , Likir and Spituk monasteries . The next 2 days will be dedicated to exploring the Nubra valley. You will cross the Khardung La pass (5,602m) and visit Sumur and Diskit gompas . You will also have the chance to go for a camel ride at Hunder sand dunes . On day 5, you will head to the high-altitude lake of Tso Moriri lying at an elevation of 4,530m where you will meet the Changpa nomads. On the next day, you will drive to Tso Kar lake and try to spot the rare black-necked crane. Then, you will catch the Leh-Manali highway and reach Sarchu where you will spend the night in a camp. The next morning, you will resume your journey on the Leh-Manali highway, passing Jispa and crossing the Rothang La pass which connects the barren mountains of Ladakh to the lush forests of Manali .

Table of Contents

Day 2: drive from Leh to Alchi monastery and back to Leh

Day 4: drive back to Leh

TOTAL DISTANCE

Arrival in leh, acclimatization & visit (done independently)   , indus valley to alchi (1-day tour), nubra valley (2-day tour), leh to manali via tso moriri (in 3 days), one-way trip.

Each individual tour/trip shall be booked separately with the booking form and the price depends on the car category .

Our dedicated team can assist you with your accommodations, permits and everything else you need.

Inner Line Permit is required for this trip.

You need an Inner Line Permit during the tour to Nubra valley on day 3 and 4, and when you are in Tso Moriri lake and Tso Kar lake area on day 5 and 6. Therefore, you need a permit with a validity period of 4 days .

HOW TO BOOK A TOUR PACKAGE: step-by-step guide

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Discovering Leh Ladakh: A Guide to the Land of High Passes

Leh-Ladakh, often called the ‘Land of High Passes’, is a breathtaking region in northernmost India, known for its stunning landscapes, vibrant culture, and spiritual sanctity. Nestled between the Karakoram and the Himalayan ranges, this high-altitude desert offers travellers an otherworldly experience. From ancient monasteries perched on hilltops to turquoise lakes and rugged trekking trails, Ladakh is a dream for adventurers and peace seekers alike. In this blog, we’ll explore the famous places, local cuisine, best travel times, and more to help you plan an unforgettable journey to Leh-Ladakh.

Famous Places to Visit in Leh-Ladakh

• Pangong Tso Lake – Perhaps the most iconic sight in Ladakh, Pangong Tso is a stunning lake extending from India to Tibet. Its azure waters are a sight to behold at sunrise and sunset.
• Nubra Valley – Accessed via the high Khardung La pass, Nubra Valley is famous for its orchards, scenic vistas, Bactrian camel rides, and beautiful monasteries such as Diskit Monastery.
• Leh Palace – Overlooking the town of Leh, this nine-story palace built in the 17th century offers insight into the royal family’s history and a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
• Shanti Stupa—This white-domed stupa on a hilltop in Chanspa, Leh, is an emblem of peace and offers  a sweeping view of Leh and the nearby Changspa village.
• Magnetic Hill— Known for its optical illusion, which makes vehicles seem to roll uphill against gravity, Magnetic Hill is also near several other attractions in the region.

Famous Monasteries to Visit

• Thiksey Monastery— This is one of Ladakh’s largest and most architecturally impressive monasteries. It resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa and houses many items of Buddhist art.
• Hemis Monastery— Famous for its annual Hemis festival, held in June or July, this is Ladakh’s biggest and richest monastery. It showcases beautiful paintings and artefacts.
• Spituk Monastery – Known for its Gustor Festival, Spituk offers a spectacular view of the Indus Valley below and houses a collection of ancient masks, thangkas, and religious artefacts.

Famous Trekking Places Near Leh-Ladakh

• Markha Valley Trek— This is one of the most popular treks in Ladakh. It offers an amazing combination of beautiful landscapes, villages, and monastic views.
• Chadar Trek – A winter trek over the frozen Zanskar River, this trek offers a highly unique experience walking over ice, with nights spent in caves and days trekking on the ice sheet.
• Stok Kangri Trek – For the more adventurous, the Stok Kangri summit offers one of the most thrilling treks, providing spectacular views from the top.

Ladakhi cuisine is a delightful experience for the palate, heavily influenced by Tibetan culture. Must-try dishes include:

• Thukpa – A hearty noodle soup combined with vegetables or meat.
• Momos – Tibetan-style dumplings that are either steamed or fried.
• Tsampa – Roasted barley flour is eaten for breakfast.
• Skyu – A traditional Ladakhi dish made with kneaded wheat flour dough, cooked in a vegetable stew.

Best Time to Travel

The best time to visit Leh-Ladakh is from May to September when the roads are clear and the weather is most favourable for tourism. During these months, temperatures are pleasant with minimal rainfall, making it ideal for sightseeing and trekking.

Ladakhi is the main spoken language in Leh-Ladakh, though most people involved in tourism also understand Hindi and English.

How to Reach Leh

Leh is accessible by road from Srinagar and Manali:

• From Srinagar : Traveling from Srinagar to Leh takes about two days and crosses spectacular passes like Zoji La.
• From Manali : The Manali-Leh road is open from June to October and passes through beautiful landscapes, including Rohtang Pass and Lahaul and Spiti.

Bus Connectivity in Leh

While Leh itself can be explored on foot for the most part, bus services from JK SRTC and private operators are available to visit surrounding areas like Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. For a reliable and comfortable journey from nearby cities to Leh, booking a bus ticket through platforms like redBus ensures a hassle-free travel experience.

Leh-Ladakh is not just a destination; it’s a plethora of experiences that remain long after you leave. Whether it’s the serene monasteries, the adrenaline-pumping treks, the stark beauty of the high desert, or the warmth of the Ladakhi people, every aspect of Leh-Ladakh compels you to come back again. Plan your journey easily by booking your bus tickets to Leh via redBus, and immerse yourself in an adventure that transcends the ordinary.

Embark on your Ladakhi adventure with an open heart, and let the land of high passes inspire and transform you. Safe travels!

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Road Trip from Delhi to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Guide

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Are you wondering how to plan a road trip from Delhi to Leh Ladakh? You’ve come to the right place! Here’s a complete guide to help you plan your road trip to Leh Ladakh from Delhi.

Nothing can beat the road trip to Ladakh when it comes to road-tripping. This is one road trip in India that tops the bucket list for India .

This Leh Ladakh trip from Delhi brags about challenging and treacherous snow-carpeted passes like Rohtang La, Baralacha La, Khardung La, Chang La, and Zoji La, deep valleys, high altitude plains (Morey Plains), and unending glistening streams. It’s absolutely the stuff dreams are made of.

With stunning landscapes, unpaved and challenging roads, and low oxygen levels; this road trip sure is a master-stroke for adventure travelers.

While traveling to Ladakh is once in a lifetime affair but it’s not at all easy.

Best Time to Visit Leh Ladakh

With moderate temperatures and perfect weather conditions; April, May, June, and September are the best months to visit Leh Ladakh. Leh Manali Highway remains closed during the winter season.

Planning an Itinerary For a Road Trip to Leh Ladakh From Delhi

A road trip , or for that matter any trip starts at home. The most important thing to do before embarking on any journey is to chalk out a rough itinerary.

First, figure out whether you want to go via Manali and come back via Srinagar or the other way around.

Both ways, it takes 3 days to reach Ladakh. In total, 6 days on the road.

Now, choose the places you want to see and the number of days you can devote. A perfect trip to Leh-Ladakh should range from 12-14 days.

And if you wanna witness the amazing Spiti Valley , add 4-5 days to your itinerary.

Delhi to Leh by Road: Road Map

There are two route options for traveling from Delhi to Leh by car:

Delhi to Leh Route Via Leh-Manali Highway

Route 1: Delhi – Chandigarh – Manali – Leh

Road Map: Delhi – Chandigarh – Manali – Rohtang – Gramphu – Kokhsar – Keylong – Jispa – Darcha – Zingzingbar – Baralacha La – Bharatpur – Sarchu – Gata Loops – Nakee La – Lachulung La – Pang – Tanglang La – Gya – Upshi – Karu – Leh

Distance: 960 km

Driving Time: 24 hours

Delhi to Leh Route Via Srinagar-Leh Highway or NH1

Route 2: Delhi – Ludhiana – Srinagar – Leh

Road Map: Delhi – Ludhiana – Jalandhar – Pathankot – Jammu – Patnitop – Anantnag -Srinagar – Sonamarg – Zoji La – Dras – Kargil – Lamayuru – Alchi – Nimmoo – Leh

Distance: 1228 km

Driving Time: 27 hours

We drove from Delhi to Ladakh via the Manali-Leh Highway and drove back from Leh to Delhi via the (NH1) Leh-Srinagar Highway.

Pahalgam was a bit out of the way but we added it to our itinerary because of our sheer desire to witness the kaleidoscopic vistas of the valley. Our road trip itinerary blends two of the most fascinating and beautiful destinations – Kashmir and Ladakh of India into one.

Preparing a Car for the Delhi to Leh Road Trip

I was under the impression that a road trip to Ladakh needs an SUV but was stunned to see people driving Nano, Maruti 800, i20, and Santro on the road to Leh.

If you are thinking of renting a car , I would definitely recommend renting a 4×4 vehicle as it’ll make your trip easier.

Get your vehicle serviced before embarking on this tedious journey.

It’s essential to keep the complete toolkit with a puncture repair kit, foot pump, and extra fuel in a container.

My friend’s car got punctured near Lachung La Pass and surprisingly, not even a single car stopped to help.

One major tool from the toolkit was missing and it created havoc. My friend’s husband walked or rather climbed a few km to get help.

It was scary.

Please be sure to pack the car essentials when traveling on lifeless roads like these. Don’t forget to keep the RC and pollution certificate in the car.

Things to Pack for Ladakh

The weather in the Ladakh region is erratic. Days are hot while nights are chilly.

Icy cold winds cut through you, more if you choose to stay in tented accommodation.

Pack an equal number of warm and summer clothes (depending on the number of days), a good raincoat or windcheater , sun caps , glasses , sweaters or jackets (at least two warm and one light jacket), and sunscreen lotion .

If possible carry a small tent with a sleeping bag for an emergency as the roads are unpredictable and you never know when road closures leave you marooned on the road.

Carry two to three pairs of shoes because playing in the snow at passes can dampen your shoes.

It’s utterly important to pack a first-aid kit with all the required medicines and a portable oxygen cylinder .

Other essentials include photocopies of your ID card and Inner line permit documents .

Do carry loads of camphor as it’s a real Catholicon to treat Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).

Permits for Ladakh

Only a certain number of vehicles are allowed to cross Rohtang Pass per day. So, please get a permit for your travel date in advance to avoid disappointment.

Permits are issued by DC in Kullu . It can be applied online too.

An inner line permit is required if you are planning to visit the border areas like Chushul which is issued by DC in Leh or can be applied for online .

Food Options on the Way

Stuff your car with 2-3 cartons of bottled mineral water , as one needs to be hydrated all the time because of the low-oxygen environment.

Store dry snacks (avoid salty stuff) like cookies, chocolates, candies, and dry fruits. Turnip and Radish prove to be curative in high-altitude areas.

There are plenty of dhabas (roadside food stalls) along the way. Food options include tea, coffee, paranthas, rajma-rice, momos, sandwiches, chowmein, and of course Maggi.

There are some fine restaurants you’ll bump into during the road trip but nothing like eating at a roadside food stall as it gives a real road trip feel.

Expenditure

The total cost depends on the set of hotels you choose for your stay. We chose homestays and mid-range hotels which proved to be good.

In addition to accommodation, other expenses include fuel charges (INR 15,000 or USD 183 approx.), road taxes or tolls (INR 2,000 or USD 25 approx.), and food (INR 12,000 or USD 146 approx.). Our cumulative expenses (2 adults + 1 child) reached around INR 56,000 or USD 700 approx.

Day By Day Itinerary of Road Trip to Leh Ladakh From Delhi

Delhi to leh via manali-leh highway (958 km), day 1: driving from delhi to manali.

Route: Delhi – Chandigarh – Manali (531 km | 12 hours 30 minutes)

Today, you’d be on the road, mostly. It takes around 13 hours to reach Manali from Delhi provided you don’t stop anywhere. With pitstops and breaks which you are bound to take, it takes more time, obviously.

You can enjoy some of the best things Manali has to offer if you arrive early or else, can relax and rest.

Overnight at Manali .

Recommended Hotels in Manali: Snow Bliss Manali | Snow Valley Resorts Manali | Baragarh Resort and Spa

Click Here to Find the Best Deals on Hotels in Manali

Day 2 : Driving from Manali to Tandi

Route: Manali- Palchan – Kothi – Gulaba – Marhi – Rani Nala  – Rohtang – Gramphu – Khoksar– Sissu – Tandi ( 110 km | 3 hours 30 minutes)

We relished momos, rajma-rice, and a hot cup of tea at a Dhaba in Khoksar (Lahaul Valley), refueled the cars at a petrol pump in Tandi (last on this route, so quite crucial), and stopped by to witness the beautiful confluence of Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi.

Edit: We traveled to Ladakh in 2017 when the Atal Tunnel was yet to be constructed. Atal Tunnel (9.02 km) connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti. It cuts short the road distance by 46 km between Manali and Leh. This reduces the driving time by 4 to 5 hours.

Updated Day 2 Route via Atal Tunnel: Manali – Palchan – Burwa – Teling – Sissu – Tandi (66 km | 2 hours)

Overnight at Tandi (camps).

Pro Tip: If you choose to spend the night at Jispa, you can save a day. This way, you’ll drive to Jispa on day 2 and drive from Jispa to Leh on day 3.

Recommended Campsite in Tandi, Kyelang: Tandi Sarai

Day 3: Driving from Tandi to Sarchu

Route: Tandi- Keylong – Jispa – Darcha – Deepak Tal – Patsio – Zingzing Bar – Suraj Tal – Baralacha La – Bharatpur – Sarchu (116 km | 3 hours 30 minutes)

Don’t rush, you don’t visit places like these every day. Deepak Tal and Suraj Tal are the preferred stops on the way. These turquoise lakes are mesmerizing and each one has a story to tell!

Savoring Maggi (literally, a lifesaver in mountain ranges) at Zingzing bar before ascending the mighty Baralacha La was a much-needed break for us.

Crossing Baralacha La (second highest pass on the Manali-Leh Highway) is an experience in itself.

Overnight at Sarchu (camps).

Click Here to Find Out the Campsites in Sarchu, Himachal Pradesh

Day 4: Driving from Sarchu to Leh

Route: Sarchu- Gata Loops – Nakee La – Lachulung La – Pang – More Plains – Tanglang La – Rumtse – Upshi – Karu – Leh (250 km | 6 hours 40 minutes)

Most of the places during our day 3 journey tempted us to get out of the car to enjoy the virgin nature.

Gata Loops ( 21 hairpin bends), Nakee La and Lachulung La (high mountain passes), Pang (this is where one starts feeling high altitude sickness and this is where colors of Ladakh become more conspicuous), More Plains (the unceasing stretch of plains at such high altitude enveloped by mountain ranges comes as a surprise and seems unnatural and stunning), Tanglang La (second highest pass as claimed), and Upshi (police checkpoint to mark your arrival to or departure from Leh); all the places need your attention.

Overnight at Leh. It’s advisable to take rest for a day to better acclimatize to a low-oxygen environment.

Recommended Hotels in Leh: The Grand Dragon Ladakh | Gomang Boutique Hotel

Recommended Local Homestay in Leh, Ladakh: Tukchu Homestay in Leh, Ladakh (We stayed at Tukchu , and loved it to the core!)

Click Here to Find Out the Best Deals on Hotels in Leh, Ladakh.

Explore Leh-Ladakh

Day 5: driving from leh to pangong tso and back to leh.

Route: Leh – Karu – Sakti – Chang La    – Durbuk  – Tangtse – Lukung – Pangong Tso (223 km | 5 hours 30 minutes)

Enjoyed the snowball fight (why should kids have all the fun?) at the mighty Chang La Pass . Staying for more than 10 minutes can make you feel sick (low oxygen levels).

One can plan a night’s stay at Pangong Tso to truly witness the breathtaking exquisiteness of the lake and watch the classic sunrise and sunset over the artistic landscape.

We, because of the kids, resisted the temptation and decided to come back to Leh the same day. Though we witnessed the beautiful sunset at Chang La.

Overnight at Leh.

Day 6: Driving from Leh to Nubra Valley and Back to Leh

Route: Leh – Khardung La- Diskit – Hunder (126 km | 3 hours 30 minutes)

Spend some time at Khardung La Pass, a gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys. At an altitude of 18,379 ft, it’s known to be the highest motorable pass in the world.

Bacterial Camel Safari at Hunder (kids adore it) and a visit to the gorgeous monastery with the tallest Buddha statue at Diskit are must-do activities. Plus, you can enjoy the views of the beautiful Shyok River. If you are on a laid-back vacation, you can choose to spend a night at Hunder / Diskit . We had to rush to cover the maximum number of places in numbered days.

Day 7: Exploring Leh City

We’ll do local sightseeing and how can we forget shopping at Leh.

There’s nothing like relishing the local culture of the place you are visiting.

Some of the places worth visiting in Leh include – Thicksey Monastery, Hemis Monastery, Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, Hall of Fame, Stok Palace (not for the museum but for the special momos prepared in the royal kitchen), Shey Palace , and Druk Padma Karpo School (Rancho’s School).

Overnight at Leh .

Return Journey – Leh to Delhi via Leh-Srinagar Highway (1231 km)

Day 8: driving from leh to sonamarg.

Route: Leh – Nimmu – Lamayuru – Kargil – Drass – Zoji La – Sonamarg (344 km | 8 hours)

A confluence of Zanskar and Indus at Nimmu , Lamayuru Monastery , Lunar Landscapes ,  Gurudwara Pather Sahib , Magnetic Hills , and Kargil War Memorial (Vijaypath) are must-see places in this route.

Enjoy the beautiful landscapes en route.

Hold your breath as you cross one of the most dangerous mountain roads in the world, Zoji La Pass . It connects Ladakh to Kashmir. The pass is closed from November to March due to extreme weather conditions.

Night Stay at Sonamarg .

Recommended Hotel in Sonamarg: Hotel Village Walk

Day 9: Driving from Sonamarg to Srinagar and Exploring Srinagar

Route: Sonamarg – Ganderbal – Srinagar (80 km | 2 hours 15 minutes)

Spend your day exploring Lal Chowk , Dal Lake, Mughal Gardens, and Pari Mahal at Srinagar.

We shopped for authentic Kashmiri handicrafts at the J&K Tourism Art Emporium . Lal Chowk is famous for its dry fruit shopping. Do try walnut fudge at Hazratbal Bakery .

Night Stay at Srinagar .

Recommended Hotels in Srinagar: The Orchard Retreat & Spa   | Four Points by Sheraton Srinagar | The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar

Click Here to Check Out Unique Houseboat Stays in Srinagar.

Day 10: Driving from Srinagar to Pahalgam and Exploring Pahalagam

Route: Srinagar – Pahalgam (90 km | 3 hours )

It’s magical to Immerse in the beauty of the Valley of Shepherds . Located on the bank of the Lidder River , Pahalgam is a real treat for your eyes and soul.

Beautiful spots like Baisaran, Aru Valley, Lidder Valley, Betaab Valley , and many more spellbind you.

Hiking on a horse to the magical highland vistas of a tiny village called Aru is something you shouldn’t miss! Friendly horsemen with their lovely stories make the ride one of a kind.

Overnight at Pahalgam

Recommended Hotels in Pahalgam: WelcomHotel Pine N Peak | Heevan Pahalgam | Royal Hilton Pahalgam | The Villagio

Day 11: Driving from Pahalgam to Jammu

Route: Pahalgam- Anantnag – Patnitop – Jammu ( 252 km | 7 hours 15 minutes)

Patnitop or Patni Top is a beautiful hill resort. You can choose to spend a day here if you’ve time. We didn’t have enough time to enjoy the beauty of this hilltop tourist destination so drove to Jammu for an overnight stay.

Overnight at Jammu

Recommended Hotels in Jammu: Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Jammu | K C Residency Jammu | Zone by the Park Jammu

Day 12: Driving from Jammu to Delhi

Route: Jammu – Pathankot- Jalandhar – Ludhiana – Ambala – Karnal – Panipat – Delhi (589 km | 10 hours 20 minutes)

The drive is long and not at all scenic. Start early. There are plenty of restaurants, dhabas, and cafes on the way.

Wondering where to stay in Delhi?   Check out the best hotels to stay in Delhi .

What to do in Delhi?

If it’s your first time in Delhi, there’s so much to explore in and around Delhi. Check out the best places to visit in Delhi . If history tickles you, we suggest visiting Humayun’s Tomb , Tughlaqabad Fort , and Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi.

Are you a street art lover? Delhi has got you covered! Take a stroll around the open-air art museum, Lodhi Art District in Delhi and admire the imaginations of street artists from all around the world.

If traveling to Delhi with kids, Shankar’s International Doll Museum in Delhi is a place to be.

Major Attractions That We Missed on the Leh Ladakh Car Trip

List of some of the beautiful places which we couldn’t witness but you can definitely plan to:

• Zanskar Valley (detour from Kargil to Padum)
• Marsimik La (3 hours from Pangong Tso, needs an extra day)
• Tso Moriri (240 km from Leh)
• Spiti Valley (Manali – Solang Valley – Rohtang Pass – Gramphu – Khoksar – Gramphu – Kunzum Pass – Kaza)

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Anjali Chawla

18 thoughts on “Road Trip from Delhi to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Guide”

Thank you for reading!I appreciate it 🙂

That sounds like a really nice trip, lovely views! I would love to take photos there! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading! You would love taking pictures at Ladakh as it’s known to be a photographer’s heaven!

The campsite looks like you’re in some foggy wonderland! I would love to be able to visit there sometime soon! Thank you for sharing!

What a beautiful journey! Thank you for sharing. We spent almost 4 weeks in India in January and drove 3000km in a tuk tuk from Ft. Kochin to Jaisalmer. It was extraordinary and we have been looking at going back. I think we would love this drive, thank you for the tips.

Thank you, Darcee! I’m so glad you loved your trip to India. You should surely try this road trip next time when you are here. Do let me know if you need any help in planning this epic road trip 🙂

wow Anjali, you took me on a virtual trip to Ladakh. One of my another bucket list is to drive upto there all by myself. Lets see how soon can i make it possible. Very well scripted.

Wow..I think in my head I hv already travelled to Manali Leh Ladakh Srinagar Jammu and I am back home… wonderful way of writing.. beautiful pictures..thx for all the tips and details of every place…guyz but you travelled in pre covid era..is it’s still same I hv my doubts..plz help….

That’s amazing. It feels so overwhelming when our write up connects with the readers and they find helpful. Yes we did travel in pre-Covid time and are waiting for things to improve to head back again. But post-Covid there will be the precautions that need to be taken of social distancing and masks.

The wonderful word-by-word picturisation of every minute and detailed information has proven to be immensely helpful for me to plan my second visit to Leh, Laddakh(the last happened to be in Aug’1993. Undoubtedly and unquestionably, Anjali your pen-down skills are impeccable. God bless you n your lovely travel-mate, your cute daughter.

So happy to hear that. We are glad that we could help you plan a trip to Ladakh. It gives us satisfaction that our efforts are appreciated. Feel motivated. Thanks

We are gleaming with joy hearing your kind words. Thank you for all the wishes and blessings. Hope you had a wonderful trip.

In fact you have discovered the essence of life and the way one should live like. Thank you so much for the valuable guidance and a worth experiencing the experience of yours which has filled the imaginations of my 4th coming visit to Ladakh and Kashmir. Thank you so much for your pain is taking efforts and value ab feedback. God bless you. Dev Ashish Boss New Delhi

Hi, Just wondering what currency your estimated costs are in? I loved you post and we are looking to head this way April next year. Also did you drive yourselves?

thanks Nell

The costs are in Indian rupees. I should have mentioned it. My bad. I’ll update it and will include the estimate in USD too. No, we hired a professional driver with good experience driving on challenging terrain. The car was ours. However, my friend’s husband (my friend and her family accompanied us on the trip) was confident enough to drive on high-altitude terrain, so he managed to drive the car himself.

Found your post interesting to read. Good Luck for the upcoming update.This article is really very interesting.

I have done road trips from Bangalore to Coorg and Ooty and other places around Bangalore many a times. My bucket list is Manali to Leh. While I know the experience on a two-wheeler is unparalleled, I am more comfortable driving and am planning to rent a car from some car rental companies like Zoomcar. What do you suggest?

Hello Parth,

Thanks for reaching out. Renting a car, preferabely SUV or 4X4, for a road trip from Manali to Leh is a good idea.

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Shimla to Manali: 7 places to visit when in Himachal Pradesh

N estled in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh is a paradise for travelers seeking solace in the midst of breathtaking natural beauty. With its snow-capped peaks, lush green valleys, pristine lakes, and vibrant culture, this northern Indian state offers a plethora of experiences that will leave you awe-inspired. Let's explore seven must-visit places in Himachal Pradesh, each with its unique charm and allure.

1. Shimla: The Queen of Hills

Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, is a captivating hill station that retains the charm of the British era. The Mall Road, Ridge, and Christ Church are some of the must-visit attractions. Shimla's cool climate, scenic landscapes, and colonial architecture make it a popular destination throughout the year.

Shimla, often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," is a delightful destination that has been attracting travelers for generations. Its colonial charm is evident in the architecture of its buildings, including the iconic Christ Church. A leisurely stroll along the bustling Mall Road offers an array of shopping and dining options, and the Ridge provides panoramic views of the surrounding hills.

2. Manali: Adventure and Serenity

Nestled in the Kullu Valley, Manali is a haven for adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Surrounded by towering mountains, lush forests, and the Beas River, it offers opportunities for trekking, paragliding, and skiing in the Solang Valley. The serene beauty of Manali makes it an ideal destination for those seeking relaxation.

Manali's allure lies in its diverse offerings. Adventure seekers can indulge in activities like river rafting, ziplining, and snowboarding in the Solang Valley. For a more relaxed experience, one can visit the Hidimba Devi Temple, known for its unique architecture amidst deodar forests. The Old Manali area provides a bohemian atmosphere with quaint cafes and shops, perfect for unwinding.

3. Dharamshala: The Land of the Dalai Lama

Dharamshala, with its serene landscapes and Tibetan influence, is a destination that offers a spiritual retreat. The presence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile in McLeod Ganj adds to its cultural significance. Travelers can explore Tibetan monasteries, visit the Namgyal Monastery, and enjoy trekking in the Dhauladhar range.

Dharamshala's unique blend of Indian and Tibetan cultures creates a peaceful ambiance that is perfect for meditation and self-discovery. The Namgyal Monastery, home to Tibetan monks, is a place of spirituality and learning. A trek to Triund offers panoramic views of the Dhauladhar mountains, and you can even extend your journey to the stunning Kareri Lake.

4. Kullu: The Valley of Gods

Kullu, often referred to as the "Valley of Gods," is a picturesque region known for its lush green valleys, apple orchards, and the vibrant Dussehra festival. The Beas River flows through the valley, providing opportunities for river rafting and trout fishing. The town of Manikaran, known for its hot springs and Sikh Gurudwara, is also a must-visit.

Kullu's natural beauty is captivating, with its terraced fields and dense pine forests. The Dussehra festival, celebrated with grand processions and cultural performances, is a unique experience for visitors. Manikaran's hot springs are believed to have healing properties, and the Sikh Gurudwara adds a spiritual dimension to the visit.

5. Dalhousie: The Swiss of India

Dalhousie, with its lush meadows, pine-clad valleys, and colonial architecture, is often called the "Swiss of India." This hill station offers a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Popular attractions include Khajjiar, often referred to as the "Mini Switzerland of India," and the St. John's Church.

Dalhousie's serene ambiance makes it an ideal destination for those seeking tranquility. Khajjiar, with its lush green meadows and a picturesque lake, offers opportunities for picnics and nature walks. St. John's Church, adorned with beautiful stained glass windows, is a testament to the town's colonial heritage.

6. Spiti Valley: The Land of Lamas

Spiti Valley, located in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, is a high-altitude desert paradise. It is known for its barren yet stunning landscapes, ancient monasteries, and challenging trekking trails. Key attractions include the Ki Monastery, Chandratal Lake, and the thrilling drive on the Manali-Leh Highway.

Spiti Valley's remote and rugged beauty is a draw for adventurers and nature enthusiasts. The Ki Monastery, perched atop a hill, offers breathtaking vistas and insights into Buddhist culture. Chandratal Lake, with its pristine waters and surrounding mountains, is a camping and stargazing paradise. The journey on the Manali-Leh Highway is an adventure in itself, offering mesmerizing views of the Himalayas.

7. Chamba: The Unexplored Gem

Chamba is a lesser-known gem in Himachal Pradesh, nestled amidst the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. This town boasts ancient temples, traditional Pahari architecture, and the annual Chamba Rumal Exhibition. Bhuri Singh Museum and Chamunda Devi Temple are notable attractions.

Chamba's unspoiled beauty and historical significance make it a hidden treasure. The Bhuri Singh Museum houses an impressive collection of Pahari miniature paintings and artifacts. The Chamunda Devi Temple, dedicated to the goddess Chamunda, is an architectural marvel and a center of religious devotion. The annual Chamba Rumal Exhibition showcases intricate hand-embroidered textiles, adding a cultural touch to your visit.

Himachal Pradesh is a land of diverse landscapes, cultures, and experiences. Whether you seek adventure in the mountains, spiritual solace in monasteries, or the charm of colonial-era hill stations, Himachal Pradesh has it all. Each destination offers a unique perspective on this enchanting state, making it a must-visit for travelers of all kinds. Plan your journey to Himachal Pradesh, and let its natural beauty and cultural richness leave you spellbound.

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