Ladakh - A scenic heaven that had been on our bucket list for the longest time. We wanted to do this trip before we were 30 and that's how we finally decided to tick it off our bucket list. Although we were extremely excited, we were also scared because neither of us were exposed to such high altitudes. Secondly, we planned the whole trip by ourselves which made us feel all the more jittery. In this article I will talk about both - What we did right and also what we did really wrong!!
Day 1 - Leh
On Day 1 , we landed in Leh. The landing as you can see in the video is spectacular. Nothing like we have ever seen before. We booked Zostel (Rs 999 per night) for our stay because its a trusted one. However, if you are booking single rooms for yourself at Zostel, you have many other great options to choose from in the same price. We loved zostel since it is located in a place which is slightly away from the main market. When you go up on the terrace, you get to see beautiful snow capped mountains on one side, Shanti Stupa on the other.
We were told that on this day we must take complete rest so that we acclimatize well. But, being the restless souls we are, we hadn't taken dimox (meds to be taken 24 hrs before going to High Altitude places) and we did the first mistake of our trip - decided to walk to the main market. Not once but about 4 times. Don't do that - REST, REST, REST!!!
DAY 2 - Monastery Hopping
Ideally, on this day too we were supposed to rest. But we rented a beautiful Royal Enfield ( Rs 1200 per day - excluding fuel) and went along the Leh Manali Highway. There are many beautiful monasteries along this way.
We visited Thiksey, Hemis and Shey monastries along this route. Each one prettier than the other. At this time it was super cold in the morning and night. But burning hot noons - take precautions accordingly.
Close to Hemis Monastery you can enjoy this Zipline. They charge about Rs 800 Per person
On our way back, we also visited Druk Padma Karpo School - popularly known as the Rancho School.
Day 3 - After suffering the previous night due to over exertion and Altitude Sickness, we were all set to visit Nubra Valley. (About 5 hr long journey)
We booked an Innova for this journey. Its quite transparent since they follow the standard rate cards. We took the whole cab but if you are willing to go by a shared cab they charge around Rs 4500 for Nubra + Pangong.
On the way to Nubra Valley, you come across the highest motorable pass - Khardungla. We didn't expect this at all but it was snowing even at that time of the year. It was so beautiful and we were so mesmerized by the beauty that I ended up crying with joy. This route is extremely difficult to drive on. So if
you aren't a pro, avoid the crazy adventures that look wow on TV.
On your way to Nubra Valley, you will come across many shooting spots of Jab Tak hai Jaan, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and others.
We then visited Diskit Monastery. Its a huge statue surrounded by mountains. Nothing like that feel..
We then headed to our campstay. You will mostly find camps there. We stayed at Royal Deluxe Camps (Booked via MMT - Rs 4500). Its a beautiful property with luxury tents and a stream of drinking water flowing through the premises. Its serene and so quiet, you can hear yourself breathe. There is no mobile network once you enter Nubra valley (Hunder). Also, there is electricity only for 2 hrs in the morning and 2 hrs in the evening. So ensure you have charged your phones/ Cameras, etc.
After taking a great nap, we headed towards sand dunes. This is where you find the Double Humped camels which are only seen in High Altitude Mountain ranges. If you are trying to capture your best clicks, try to make it there for sunset. Though it was a sad scene to see how the camels were treated, we decided to take a ride.
Post that we decided to go rest and take a stroll around the pretty stay we had booked.
Day 4 - Pangong Tso
This is the most difficult part of the journey - especially if you have decided to ride by yourself. There is a patch where the water from a nearby stream covers the road and when the flow is high, its very difficult to cross it. The roads are narrow and very very spiral. Even in the car, we both felt terribly sick.
But the path is so picturesque and you will come across multiple places where we decided to stop and take pictures. We were also lucky to see Marmots along the road but unfortunately could not get the best pictures.
We finally saw the beautiful Pangong Tso. However, after 3 idiots, it was heavily commercialized and there were too many tourists taking pictures and crowding around. At that time, camping around Pangong was banned by the Govt. So we had to go about 5 kms further to a place called Mann Village. Although it was hardly a distance, it was a very rocky road with snow capped mountains on one side and the beautiful Pangong Tso on another.
But this spot at Mann had our heart. It was scenic, peaceful and the tents were super luxurious (We got it at Rs 4500)
The rest of the day was about absorbing this beauty and its vibe.
Day 5 - The Plan Change
The night at Pangong was very harsh for my husband. We had planned to go ahead to Tso Moriri from here. But we had to cancel it since we had to take my husband to the Leh Hospital.
If you plan to cover Tso Moriri, atleast 1st two days rest at Leh is a must. If you feel any discomfort, visit the Leh hospital before you start with your journey from Leh. They take just 2 hrs and Rs 250 to set to on fire for the rest of your trip
We came back to Leh via Chang La pass. Another scenic journey with narrow roads.
We mostly spent our day resting, treating him at the hospital and grabbing some fresh Kashmiri apples from the local market and some sassy burgers from Gesmo.
Since we had our stay booked at Tso Moriri, we booked a hotel called White Yak for Rs 1800 which was in the Main Market. (They are cheaper when booked directly as compared to online)
Day 6 - Leh Srinagar Highway
We set out again on a Royal Enfieled aka "Bult" along this way to explore the other side of this beautiful place.
We went to Spituk Gompa, The beautiful Gurudwara and the Army Museum (War Memorial) . We also had our lunch at the Gurudwara (Photography not allowed).
We decided not to exert too much and returned back to Leh. Enjoyed some local food at World Garden cafe and took a walk around the city. We also kept sipping a lot of the local Seabuckthorn Juice.
Day 7 - Magnetic Hill
We went again along the same route - Leh Srinagar highway and visited two more spots
1. Magnetic Hill - A place that defies nature. You see a slight upward inclination. But, if you switch off the engine and let your bike go by itself, it goes upwards instead of downwards. A small patch but worth the ride.
Zanskar Sangam Valley - The place seemed a little hyped since the water was muddy, sun was harsh and rafting was overpriced. We decided to go back to Leh and explore their Tibetan Markets instead.
Day 8 - Peace Day
Since it was our last day, we decided to go to Shanti Stupa early in the morning. We also spent some time exploring interiors of Leh and enjoying local cuisine at Tibetan Kitchen. In our last 3 days here, it would rain or be extremely hot. The weather was quite unpredictable
This was followed by the local juice and Maggi at the Shanti Stupa Canteen.
For the rest of the day, we roamed around in the market and witnessed the local fruits and veggies, did some shopping and packed up to leave early morning the next day
To sum up, it was a crazy trip with Sun, Snow , Rain, Sickness and Health. All put together, a trip to remember for life.. :)
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