TRAVELLING to LADAKH
Unlike other regions, this needs to be understood that TRAVELLING to & within LADAKH & ZANSKAR regions is actually a very big ticket item & can be very expensive if not planned properly. Tourist season is for a limited 4 months between June to Sept. Secondly, the terrain is rough leading to frequent & high vehicle maintenance. Food & accommodation comparatively would be very economical due to abundance of stay options in the region & a variety of hotels offering various cuisines. Hence if you are a Budget Traveller & wish to cover the entire region, your focus should be on optimizing the travel expenses. Hence planning of the route would have to be very meticulous.
If you are someone who would not prefer to be limited to the boundaries & confinements of public transport, you would have to shell out a fortune. If you value your own OR your family’s privacy, again it’s an expensive affair. But if you are a budget traveler & are willing to sacrifice on the luxury of a private transport here are some of the options.
TRAVEL by AIR
LEH, SRINAGAR, JAMMU & CHANDIGARH are well connected to major cities in India by Air. Depending on our trip planning, you can select SRINAGAR / LEH. During seasons starting from May end to Sept end, Airfares are expected to be high compared to other periods. Advance Pre-bookings may help
Flying directly to Leh may cause some serious health issues, if adequate care is not taken to acclimatize your body. (Read my article on AMS) for the do’s and don’t’s .
TRAVEL by TRAIN
The most accessible & nearest railheads are JAMMU & CHANDIGARH. Both cities are connected to all major stations in India by rail. However, obtaining Train tickets during season is a challenging task. In my opinion, you should engage a Travel agentsto get an advance booking OR a Tatkal Ticket either of these stations.
TRAVEL BY ROAD
SELF-DRIVEN VEHICLE
RENTED
Renting a SELF-DRIVEN vehicle from Chandigarh / Delhi (like ZOOMCAR, MYLES, etc) could be one option, but it has its own limitations. The local taxi union of Leh does not permit vehicles to travel beyond Leh city limits. Tourism season being limited to 4 months, the local taximen’s association does not permit the business opportunities to be exploited by tour operators from other regions. For sightseeing of SHAM VALLEY, Monasteries, Local sightseeing, PANGONG TSO, TSOMORIRI TSO, NUBRA Valley & HANLE you would have to park your vehicle at your hotel & engage a local service. Hence the purpose is not served. This proves to be a very expensive option.
SELF OWNED, PRIVATE Vehicle registered in your own name OR in the name of a close family member
If you are travelling in your own the vehicle (self owned, private vehicle in your own name OR in the name of a close family member (spouse & parents), then you can travel anywhere without an issue.
Hence travelers within a vicinity of say 1000 kms of LEH (typically, from Delhi Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana & Uttarakhand) would find this option more suitable. Tourist from the Western, Southern & Eastern regions of India would find this option unviable due to the long travel. Typically, a person starting from MUMBAI would take anywhere between 5-6 days to reach LEH
4 WHEELER
Well, if you are thinking of travelling by Hatchbacks OR Sedans or any vehicles with a low ground clearance, this is again going to be a challenging task. You will have the vehicle belly hitting its bottom at every rocky uneven surface and every water crossing.
Vehicles with higher ground clearance like the immensely popular 2WD mid range SUV’s, Crossovers may struggle sometimes to get through tricky water crossings, but would be able to make it. Of course, high ground clearance is not the only criteria. The lack of 4 x 4 traction may be felt at times, but would not be hindering.
Typical SUV’s like FORTUNER, ENDEAVOR, THAR, ISUZU, XUV500, HEXA etc would be the most ideal vehicles, for travelling to LADAKH. However, mid sized SUV’s with good ground clearance would also serve the purpose.
Besides just owning a vehicle, one should have the passion, maneuvering skills & patience to undertake such a long drive. In my opinion, there would be very limited few who would have all the things in place to do the feat. In general, a typical Indian tourist vacationing during the summer season mostly seeks ultimate luxury at his fingertips. But if you are someone who are willing to take the challenge, then you are definitely going to enjoy it.
DIRECT BUS from ISBT, DELHI by HRTC
While travelling to LADAKH region can be unimaginably expensive, there have been may questions from enthusiasts about the most economical way to travel. Thankfully, the problem had been addressed & now there exist a direct bus service from Delhi to Leh operated by HRTC. This bus service would remain operational between June to the end of September, before the Manali Leh Highway closes down.
Starting from the plains of Delhi & Chandigarh, ascending to the higher regions of Bilaspur, Mandi, the bus passes through the most magnificient lush green valleys of Kullu & Manali. After a brief break at Manali, the bus ascends further, crosses the Rohtang La & descends to Koksar continuing its journey further to Keylong where it breaks for a night halt. The next day, the bus takes you through the most beautiful roads of the Manali Leh Highway crossing Baralacha, Sarchu, Ghata loops, Pang, Moore Plains, Debring, Tanglang La, Upshi & reaches Leh late in the evening.
DELHI – LEH ROUTE & SCHEDULE
DELHI (02:30pm, Day1) —245 kms–– CHANDIGARH (09:30pm, Day1)—275kms—KULLU (05:30 am, Day2)—40 kms—MANALI (07:30 am, Day2) —125 kms—KEYLONG (03:00pm, Day2)—NIGHTHALT—KEYLONG (05:00 am, Day3)—325 kms—LEH (07:00pm, Day3)
LEH – DELHI ROUTE & SCHEDULE
LEH (04:00am, Day1)—325 kms—KEYLONG (06:00pm, Day1)—NIGHTHALT—KEYLONG (06:30am, Day2)—125 kms—MANALI (01:00pm, Day2)—315 kms—CHANDIGARH (11:00pm, Day2)—245 kms—ISBT, DELHI—(03:00am)
DISTANCE TRAVELLED
A distance of about 1,010 kms are being covered within 53 hours of total journey, out of which 37 hours of actual travel.
BUS FARE :- Rs.1,339:00
BUS SERVICE between MANALI to LEH by HRTC
HRTC operates Bus service between Manali to Leh which takes about 2 days to reach LEH. The bus is a Non-Ac, semi-deluxe bus which does sight seeing and takes a night halt at Keylong before proceeding to Leh the next day early morning at 06:00am. Services include accommodation, dinner & breakfast. Cost is Rs.2,500/- per person.
Another bus service operated by HRTC is a basic service which takes stops only for food & intermittent necessary breaks. The Fare of this bus is Rs.500/-.
BUS SERVICE between SRINAGAR to LEH by JKSRTC
JKSRTC operates Deluxe & Semi-Deluxe Bus services between Srinagar to Leh and takes about 2 days to reach Leh. The buses halt at Kargil Bus Depot for the night & leave early morning. Online bookings are not supported and one has to ensure bookings at Srinagar. The ticket is Rs.1058/- & Rs.670/- for Deluxe & Semi-Deluxe respectively. Mostly, there is a single bus, but depending on the passengers, there might be second bus too. The bus leaves at 08:00am in the morning. There are private operators operating Tempo Travellers & other mini Buses. Charges are usually in the range of Rs. 1000/-.
2 WHEELER
If you are an interested Biker, then travelling in small groups (between 2 to 5 or more) is the most economical option of it all. The most ideal thing to do is to engage a railway parcel agent at junctions (preferably a starting point of a train) like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai etc. & parcel your bike either to Jammu OR CHANDIGARH. There have been myths that for travelling to Ladakh, one requires a BULLET or its equivalent bikes. Of course, owning a Bullet will have its own advantage due to the high power. However, I have seen Basic 100cc, 150cc bikes like PASSION, UNICORN, PULSAR, TVS etc being used there. In my opinion, everything depends on the attitude, skill set & the temperament of the rider than the Bike.
Hence, if you are a 2 wheeler freak, a Bachelor OR someone who has got permission from his wife to travel, then this is the best option. The average travel expense for a bike, typically a Bullet would anywhere be as follows.
TRAIN parcel Charges :- Rs.4,500-5,000/- per side. (from Mumbai, it is Rs.4,500/-). Hence to & fro would be Rs.9,000/-. Total fuel expenses from Jammu to Chandigarh via below route
JAMMU-SRINAGAR-KARGIL-ZANSKAR-KARGIL-LEH-NUBRA-PANGONG-HANLE-TSOMORIRI-KEYLONG-MANALI-CHANDIGARH
Distance covered is about 3500 kms via above route (If you skip ZANSKAR, then 700 kms less). Considering a moderate average of 35 kms/ltr, you can look at 100 ltrs of petrol consumption, which would be about Rs 8,200:00. Hence a total of Rs.8200 + 9000 = Rs.17,200 would cover the whole travelling expenses. I have also seen many riders riding pillion. Biking is an adventure sport and would not be the most comfortable way to ride, unless you have the passion within you to endure such a long journey. Pillion riding can again be very stressful for both the riders.
The most important point to mention here while travelling by 2 wheelers is that you should be carrying very limited luggage. A saddle bag with a 45 ltr capacity would be the most ideal choice for such a tour. Most of the riders make this mistake of travelling very heavy loading the bike with a saddle bag, tank bag & an rucksack thereby making the travel uncomfortable & unstable. You should be able to load & unload the bag within 3-5 minutes on your bike.
To SUMMARIZE
In this article, I have elaborated on the various travel options available, the indicative costs, the duration taken, the distance travelled & the precautions to be taken for Air travel.
In my personal opinion, driving down a self owned vehicle is an ultimate option which I would recomend. But, depending on various factors like available time, individual preferences etc, you would be at a liberty to select the one which suits you the best.
In case you find this article helpful, please share the same with your friends, families & near ones travelling to Ladakh. Your suggestions, recommendations and sharing experiences are most welcome on this forum. Please feel free to share your comments in the section below.