Leh Ladakh Via Kashmir - 10 Days

Ladakh is a cold desert and the climatic conditions are very harsh
Summer: 
June-September, Intensive sunlight that can cause severe sunburn, strong and dry winds Temperatures – 20°C – 25°C 

Monsoon: 
Ladakh is a high-altitude desert since the Himalayas create a rain shadow, thus denying entry to the monsoon clouds. The main source of water is the snowfall on the mountains. 

Winter: 
October-May, Extreme climates, frost-bites are extremely common. This low temperature is accompanied by heavy snowfall that virtually cuts it off from the rest of the country 
Temperatures – 2°C- -15°C 

The best time is to travel between the summer months of early June – end of September before snowfall starts. Another reason to visit Ladakh during the summer months would be the several annual festivals organized by the Buddhist monasteries at all the places which you may not be able to visit during winters. Summer has this advantage as you can visit many cultural activities, dances, monasteries in this otherwise bleak location.

Winter travel: Irrespective of the harsh conditions, January is quite a popular month for all the adventure travelers for the Chadar -Trek on the frozen Zanskar river in Leh. It usually starts late December, early January and batches go on till February. The trek is the hardest one in India and also in the top 10 Hardest treks in the world.

The local language of the area is Ladhaki (a Tibetan dialect) and Pahari. If you learn one word, make it Jule (pronounced joo-lay), which could mean ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you! Hindi and English are also understood.

Cotton and light woolen during summer and heavy woolens including down-filled windproof jackets in winter. Stock your baggage with thick socks, gloves, scarves, and sturdy boots. Carry ample supply of sunscreen, lip balms, and goggles.

By air – You can reach to Leh by flight from Delhi to Leh. All major domestic airlines have regular flights to Leh. Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport is the only commercial airport in Leh Ladakh.

By road – you can reach Leh by Srinagar- Leh highway in 2 days taking a night halt. Or from Manali by Manali – Leh highway. However, both roads are mostly closed during winters. Check with the authorities before your road trip.

For local sightseeing & transportation, you must rent a vehicle for traveling.
Moving around: Bus is the cheapest mode of transport, though hired taxis are the best way of exploring this area. For visiting the newly opened areas of Nubra, Dah-Hanu, Tsomoriri, Tsokar, and Pangong Lakes, it is advisable to engage the services of a registered travel agency for making all required arrangements.

You do not need an Inner Line Permit to travel along the Leh-Manali Road and the Leh-Srinagar Road.

However You need an Inner Line Permit to visit the following places:
– Khardung La Pass, Nubra Valley and Shayok.
– Chang La Pass, Tangtse, and Pangong Lake.
– Chumathang, Tsaga La, and Tso Moriri Lake.
– Dha-Hanu Valley and Batalik.. 

One working day is required to process your application.
The permit office is open Monday to Saturday. It is also open on Sundays in summer.
Indian citizens need to provide valid identity proof (driving license, passport, election card, aadhar card, pan card). Foreigners need to provide a valid passport with a visa or OCI card. A permit is available even for solo travelers.

Cost Of Permit
Environment fee: ₹ 400
Red Cross donation: ₹ 100
Wildlife protection fee: ₹ 20/day

Ladakh is a high-altitude cold desert with a low level of atmospheric oxygen. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary that visitors reaching Leh from the plains of India by air, give themselves sufficient time for acclimatization before engaging in any physical activity. They may be liable to suffer from acute mountain sickness (AMS) unless properly acclimatized.
The most common symptoms of acute mountain sickness are headache, disturbed sleep and loss of appetite, nausea, coughing, irregular breathing, breathlessness, Rest well, drink a lot of water and avoid alcohol. In case the symptoms persist or get worse, consult a doctor immediately.

Ladakh is certainly expensive. This is one harsh truth because so many international tourists visit the place. The price of a meal depends entirely on where you eat and what you order. A nice quaint restaurant will cost you between Rs.300 to Rs.500 per person depending on what is ordered. Eating at the smaller eateries in the market will be much cheaper and you will find a number of small eateries run by locals that work out easy on the pocket.

ATM services are available in major places in Leh. But if you are traveling to inner areas please carry cash with you ready as ATMs are not available outside Leh City.
Credit cards are accepted by very few hotels and tour operators but there will be a 2% service charge. The Jammu and Kashmir Bank, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, and Punjab National Bank have placed ATM Machines in main Leh city.

In Ladakh, only postpaid mobile phones work. BSNL by far is the best mobile network in Ladakh with the widest coverage. Airtel will be the second-best network followed closely by Jio at third. Vodafone and Idea are next in line but both provide coverage at limited places only. Foreign SIM cards don’t work in Ladakh. Other than your own data connection, you can always stay connected to the Internet through Wi-Fi available in hotels and guesthouses where you are staying or even in restaurants. Today almost all the hotels, restaurants, and guesthouses have a Wi-Fi connection available for their guests. In summer, during the peak tourist season, the connection can be slow because of multiple users.
You can also use What sApp calls and Skype calls to stay connected with friends and family as soon as you get Internet access during your trip. Even when the connection is very slow, What’s App messages will always work.

Shopping is very expensive in Ladakh. Some of the items which you should buy while shopping in Ladakh are Tibetan handicrafts, masks, beads, apricot items & pashmina wool products. Kashmiri carpets & rugs are best but can be expensive.