Assuming that you all have googled everything about Ladakh and read about - Best time to visit, Top 5 places to visit, Bike trip to Ladakh, etc...., Here I am writing this solely out of my experience on a trip to LADAKH, about all those things which one might ponder about before travelling .
1. Which is the best option AIR ROUTE or a ROAD TRIP???
This question arises when you are not so sure about the budget or risk. Some might favour road trip..because it's way more fun and CHEAPER probably...or some might say that best way to reach Leh is via flight. If booked early, flights from New Delhi to Leh will cost nearly INR 7000 - 8000 per person and taxi fare from Manali or Srinagar to Leh is nearly INR 20,000 in addition to 2days.
For those whose budget is flexible and number of people travelling along is also less , the best way is to travel by both...I mean one way through flight and another by road.
2. What about a bike trip??
All college mates in India, at least once in their life ,consider having a road trip to Goa or Ladakh and relive Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara and Dil Chahta hai....3 idiots.
So here is the thing, since Ladakh is located at very high altitude, with many dangerous routes, taking whole trip in a Motor bike is not a good option or maybe if you are a frequent traveller and have enough days dedicated to this tour then it's upto your choice.
Generally, people take bike trips in a group, in a rally kind of thing from Leh to Pangong Tso or from Leh to Nubra Valley via Khardung La (Highest Motorable Road in the World) . So if you are good driver, ready to go for adventure and also tough enough to face extreme weather then you might arrange for a road trip.
It will be an exhausting experience but a cherish-able one.
3. Planning Itinerary..
There are many sites which serve you itinerary listing 5-10 places to cover in one day and reaching from one place to another in one day. But when you are actually traveling , it becomes difficult and often miss out places.
Leh is the capital...It's a beautiful city. Shanti Stupa is the main tourist attraction site..and you can visit Leh Market.
In Nubra valley, better book some riverside camps....there are plenty available.Don't miss out the cold desert and Diskit Monastery.
Generally, people don't make a stay at Pangong lake...it's 150 kms from Leh ..so they go from Leh in the morning and return to Leh by evening. But if you really want to see the beauty of lake...it's in the morning the sunrise and in evening.It's best to stay 1 night at Pangong.
You really don't need to go specially for Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pather Sahib..confluence of Zanskar & Indus..Hall of Fame..they all come in the Leh-Srinagar Highway.
4.The luggage...
Ladakh is a cold place...very cold place.The weather is unpredictable...you might experience snowfall if lucky or a landslide if unlucky...(just kidding). Therefore it's a must to keep warm clothes, scarfs or caps to cover ears(most important)..and many pairs of socks and gloves if possible. Keep your luggage light...and give preference to warm clothes if your baggage overflows xD..Goggles are very much important...you don't want to forget those!
There are many other things to cover...watch my more uploads to know in detail.