A first trip to Leh Ladakh takes six or seven nights if you fly in, and nine or ten if you drive up from Manali. Either way, the first two days are rest days in Leh, at about 3,500 m. The usual circuit is Leh, Nubra Valley over Khardung La, and Pangong Tso, with Tso Moriri or Kargil if you have more time. Indian citizens don’t need an Inner Line Permit any more, but you do pay an online fee before you set off. The road season runs from about May or June to October; flights to Leh run all year. We plan the trip from Leh or Manali with hotels and camps, a local Ladakh-registered car and driver, the permit fees and a day-wise plan built around acclimatisation.
Leh Ladakh packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leh short break | 4N / 5D | Leh, monasteries, the Sham valley, a day at Pangong | Short leave; no overnight outside Leh |
| Leh, Nubra and Pangong by air | 6N / 7D | Two rest days, Khardung La, Nubra, Pangong overnight | First-timers, families |
| Manali to Leh road trip | 9N / 10D | Atal Tunnel, Jispa, the Manali–Leh highway, then Nubra and Pangong | Road-trip lovers, June to September |
| Ladakh with Kargil and Tso Moriri | 10N / 11D | Srinagar to Leh via Zojila and Kargil, Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri | A second trip, or a long first one |
The full day-wise plan for Leh, Nubra and Pangong by Air 6N/7D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
Why the first 48 hours are rest
Because the Leh administration requires it. Its notice says all tourists arriving in Leh must spend at least 48 hours acclimatising before going to higher places like Khardung La and Pangong. You can see nearby parts of Leh in that time. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) can affect anyone, including fit young people, and flying in from sea level in two hours is the hardest way to arrive.
Ladakh Tourism’s health advisory adds:
- No alcohol or smoking in the first 48 hours.
- Three to four litres of water a day.
- A pulse oximeter. Normal oxygen saturation is above 90%.
- It mentions Diamox (acetazolamide) as a preventive. Ask your own doctor first, especially if you take other medicines.
- If headache, breathlessness or vomiting get worse, go down 500 to 1,000 m and see a doctor. A cough with frothy or pink sputum is an emergency.
For parents over 60, or anyone with heart or lung problems, get a check-up before booking. Leh itself is fine for most people after rest. The passes are the hard part: Khardung La and Chang La are above 5,000 m, and you shouldn’t stop there for long.
Permits for Indians and foreigners
Indian citizens haven’t needed an Inner Line Permit since August 2021, when the Ladakh administration dropped it. You still pay a fee to visit the protected areas such as Khardung La, Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri. It’s paid online on the LAHDC Leh permit portal and covers the environment fee, a Red Cross Fund contribution and a wildlife fee. Carry the printout or PDF: it’s checked at police posts on the way. The portal itself says the existing fee structure is unchanged, but doesn’t show the amounts on its front page, so we pay it for you at whatever the portal charges on the day.
Foreign nationals still need a Protected Area Permit for these areas, applied for through the same portal. Citizens of Pakistan, Afghanistan and China need clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Good to know: Prepaid SIMs from other states don’t work in Ladakh. Use a postpaid connection, and expect no signal at all on long stretches between Leh and Nubra or Pangong and on most of the Manali road.
The main places, and how long each needs
- Leh. Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, and the monasteries at Thiksey, Hemis and Shey. On the Srinagar road: the Hall of Fame war museum, Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and the Indus–Zanskar confluence.
- Nubra Valley. Over Khardung La, where the signboard says 5,602 m (surveyed figures are lower, about 5,359 m). Diskit monastery and the sand dunes and Bactrian camels at Hunder. One night.
- Pangong Tso. The long blue lake, partly in China, reached over Chang La. Stay one night; a same-day return from Leh is a very long day at altitude.
- Tso Moriri. Higher, more remote and quieter than Pangong, at about 4,500 m. Basic stays only. One night, and only once you’re well acclimatised.
- Kargil and Drass. On the Srinagar–Leh road. The Kargil War Memorial at Drass is the reason most Indian families stop.
Getting there: fly, or drive from Manali or Srinagar
By air. Leh has several daily flights from Delhi, and in 2026 IndiGo flew direct from Mumbai on some days of the week. From Pune you connect through Delhi or Mumbai. Morning flights are the norm, because winds pick up later in the day.
Manali–Leh road. About 428 km through the Atal Tunnel, Jispa, Baralacha La, Sarchu and Tanglang La. It’s open only part of the year: snow clearance starts in spring, and in 2026 it was expected to open to vehicles around mid-May. The 2025 closure beyond Zingzingbar started on 20 November. The safe window for a family trip is June to September. Drive up and your body adjusts on the way, though you still need a rest day in Leh.
Srinagar–Leh road. Over the Zojila pass beyond Sonmarg, through Drass and Kargil. It usually opens earlier and closes later than the Manali side, but Zojila shuts for several months each winter and snow can close it for days in spring and autumn. Since 2025 you can reach Srinagar by train from Katra; see our Kashmir packages.
Best time to go
June to September for the full circuit, with both roads open and the lakes free of ice. May and early October are quieter and colder, and some high roads may still close after fresh snow. July and August are busy but pleasant in Ladakh itself, since the monsoon barely reaches it. The Manali road can be hit by landslides on the Himachal side in those months. Winter (November to March) is for experienced travellers only: fly-in, very cold, with frozen lakes and limited stays.
Questions travellers ask before booking
Can we take our own car or a Manali taxi around Ladakh?
Your own car, yes. Hired taxis and self-drive rentals from outside Ladakh can drop you in Leh, but the local taxi union doesn’t let them run sightseeing trips to Nubra, Pangong or Tso Moriri. It’s a union rule rather than a law, and it’s enforced. That’s why we switch to a Ladakh-registered car and driver in Leh on the Manali road trip.
Is Ladakh okay for elderly parents?
Often yes, with a doctor’s go-ahead, two full rest days and a plan that skips Tso Moriri. Fly in rather than take the Manali road, which means long days in the car at high altitude. Choose hotels in Leh with oxygen cylinders on hand.
Do we need cash?
Yes. Leh has ATMs and UPI works where there’s signal, but in Nubra and at Pangong, connectivity drops and cash is the safe option.
Can we combine Ladakh with Kashmir?
Yes, in summer. Go Srinagar to Leh by road via Kargil, and fly home from Leh. That way you gain height slowly and end the trip on the fastest exit.
Checked November 2026. The 48-hour acclimatisation rule is from the Leh district website (updated June 2026); health advice from Ladakh Tourism’s advisory; permit and fee rules from the LAHDC Leh portal and reports of the August 2021 order; road seasons from Lahaul-Spiti police and BRO updates reported by The Tribune and others; flight information from airline schedule listings. Fee amounts, road openings and flight schedules change every season, and we confirm them again when we send your quote.