manali to ladakh roadtrip intenrary | part 1

Ladakh is not your typical vacation where you can just pack your bags and go. Everything is different up there, bound by timelines, hostile weather conditions, bad roads and for most of the people, it may be several years before you can plan another trip there.

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. You cannot, of course, follow it to the point but can use it as a base plan and then modify it as per your needs.

Day 1 – Manali to Jispa

It is advised that you start as early as you can from Manali to avoid traffic congestion at Rohtang. 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. 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.

Day 2 – Jispa to Pang

Start easy by 8-9 AM from Jispa, cross Baralacha La, Lachulung La, Nakeela on the way. Also see two small lakes, Deepak Tal and Sooraj Tal and witness the beauty and challenging nature of 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 directly to 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.

Day 3 – Pang to Leh

Leh is not too far from Pang so you can start at your own convenience. Cross the magnificent Moore Plain and Tanglang La 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 at most which give you ample time for hotel hunt. 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 4 – Leh

Stay for the day in Leh. Rest and give your body some time to adjust to high altitude. If you are planning to visit some restricted areas like Changthang Valley or Batalik, then you can use this day to arrange permits. If you are short on time, you can skip this day altogether.

Day 5 – Leh – Khardung La – Diskit / Hunder

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 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 6 – 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 Wari La route to reach back Leh or take the Agham Shyok road to head straight to Pangong from Nubra Valley.

Day 7 – Leh to Pangong Tso

This may be a long journey depending on your 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 or Lukung

This was my take on the journey and how I normally plan for trips like this. what is your take on this? let me know by a quick comment. 

The next part of the remaing 7 days will come out tommmorw. Till then stay tuned!!