Leh Ladakh with Manali: Detailed Itinerary & Trip Report

A Leh Ladakh itinerary is all about barren landscape, unreal beauty, gorgeous panoramas, endless mountain passes, beautiful monasteries, famous Pangong lake, delicious momos and Thukpa. 
It’s definitely the most beautiful place we’ve been to in India!
We were worried about our trip due to our packed Leh Ladakh itinerary, long drives on the bad roads, attempting to do Nubra Valley on the second day, altitude sickness problems and many times the thought of flying to Leh both ways while skipping the Leh-Manali highway. But to our surprise, the Leh-Manali highway turned out to be the most beautiful part of our trip, something you have to experience to believe. Yes, at times roads are long and bad but the beauty makes you forget everything. I’ll say it’s a total waste of the precious holiday time and money to go all the way to Leh and not do the Leh-Manali highway.

Day 1 – Mumbai to Leh

Time – 2 am to 10 am

Our flight was at 4 am, landed at 7 am and we took a prepaid taxi to our hotel. It was easily available at the airport for a fixed price of Rs. 300 for a van and Rs. 700 for an Innova.

In Leh, check-in time is usually at 10 am and check out time is at 8 am, considering everyone arrives and leaves early because after 11 am, flights are not allowed to land or take off from Leh airport as it is an army airport. We got our rooms at 10 am because I’d requested for an inter-connecting room else we would have our rooms at 9 am.

Misadventures  – Since it is compulsory to rest for 24 hours due to the AMS, all we did was chill in our room which had amazing views. At the airport repeated announcements warned everyone about AMS, their symptom, things to take care of and to avoid sleeping during the day. Having not slept the entire night, it was impossible for us to stay awake. We fell asleep and got up after 5 hours to find Kapil stuck with AMS. Thankfully, he was alright after taking oxygen for an hour on the doctor’s advice.

Tip – If you’re feeling better, you can check out Leh market and Shankar Gompa. Do not attempt to visit any other sites like Shanti Stupa or Leh Palace as there is a considerable hill to ascend.

Accommodation and Meal

We stayed at Grand Dragon Ladakh which is probably the best hotel in Leh.
We had a delicious dinner in our hotel’s restaurant on the terrace which offered amazing views of the mountain ranges. It’s open to in-house guests only. It felt better in the open air than in our rooms. We tried thukpa for the first time and it lived up to our expectations.

Day 2 – Leh City

Time – 10 am to 4 pm

Shanti Stupa (6 Km, 17 min from our hotel)

• It’s possible to drive almost to the top else there are about 500-600 stairs to ascend.
• After the drive, there is a small uphill walk of around 100 meters to reach the base of Shanti Stupa and then have to climb two more floors to see the Buddha statues. We were a bit breathless due to the high altitude but it was manageable. On low altitudes, this would’ve been a fairly easy walk.
• Once you reach the top, you will be rewarded with the panoramic views of Leh town.
• If you do not want to climb, you can also see the view from the base of Shanti Stupa which is similar to the view from the top.

Shankar Gompa (2 Km, 6 min)

• This is the only monastery that our driver said does not involve climbing a lot of stairs.
• It was closed when we reached there around 1 pm, maybe it was lunchtime.

Hall of fame army museum (7 Km, 17 min)

• It’s a must-visit to experience how our brave soldiers live to protect our borders.
• Do not miss the Siachen gallery.
• It doesn’t take much time, around 30 minutes to an hour to see.

After these sites, one way goes towards Zanskar Sangam (Confluence) and the other goes towards Thiksey Monastery, Hemis Monastery and Shey Palace. We chose the former since we were not too keen to climb hundreds of stairs to see each monastery.

Tip – If hungry, have lunch at one of the restaurants in Leh town.

Magnetic Hill (On the way)

• It’s on the way to Zanskar Sangam and is just a quick photo stop.
• Due to the magnetic force, the car can drive up without the need for an accelerator.
• There are ATV tours here, if interested.

Zanskar Sangam (30 Km, 40 min)

• It’s the confluence of river Indus and river Zanskar where the slight difference between the colours of the water is visible.
• There are two types of river rafting trips – the shorter one is 7 Km which is a leisure boat trip and the longer one is a 14 Km real experience. This time around, we chose the smaller one and loved every minute of it. It is a must-do activity in Leh. The views from the raft make it all worth it.
• We had lunch here which was just about decent. 

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib (On the way)

• A quick stop as it comes along the route.
• It is well maintained by Amy and was very peaceful.

If you’ve more time you can continue to Basgo Palace (15 Km from the Zanskar Sangam) and further to Alchi and Likir (Huge statue) monasteries. We were not keen on visiting monasteries.

Leh Palace (3 Km, 10 min from the hotel)

• Spread over nine floors, it is a palace where the king once lived, now it has just a few paintings and a Buddha statue.
• Looked good from the outside but we didn’t have the interest or energy to climb nine floors to check it out from inside.

Accommodation and Meal

Hotel – Grand Dragon Ladakh
For dinner, we ordered food in the room as we were in no mood to leave and our hotel’s food had been really good.

Day 3 – Day trip to Pangong Tso

Leh to Pangong Tso (224 Km, 5 hrs)

Time – 6:30 am to 6:30 pm

I did a day trip to Pangong Tso instead of staying overnight because I didn’t want to take the risk of sleeping at an altitude of 14270 ft and there are mostly tents or very few basic hotels which we were not comfortable with. Though the benefits are to see the sunset and sunrise at Pangong Tso.

The drive is beautiful and long but the views are spectacular which makes up for the bad roads. There were around 50 army trucks which our driver overtook easily. It was fun watching them. En-route to Pangong Lake, we saw Shey Palace and a few monasteries like Thiksey and Shlok from outside. If staying a night at Pangong Lake, you can see Hemis monastery while going to Pangong Lake and Thiksey monastery on the way back. The route passes through Chang La, claimed to be the second-highest motorable road in the world at a height of 17,590 ft. We all felt pretty good through the drive and didn’t face any problems. We also spotted a cute little Himalayan marmot.

Pangong Lake

• At first glimpse, it was a crystal clear blue lake and the next minute it turned into an ordinary lake. It kept changing colours depending on the sun’s reflection.
• Surprisingly, there aren’t any sitting places along the lake except the “3 Idiots” chair where you can pay to click photos. We sat on them for 15 minutes and the person managing it was very nice, didn’t complain even though we were there for quite a while.
• There are some shacks offering different types of food and toilet facilities. Finding an English style toilet is like finding a gem and finding a toilet with a flush would be a miracle!
• We ate at a shack called Momo Hut which had an English style toilet but it was for gents only and was very dirty. The food was pretty decent though.

We spent two hours at the lake and then started our drive back to Leh. The drive back felt very long and tiring. Honestly, we were a bit underwhelmed considering we drove for 10 hours on bad roads for just one lake and we have seen many spectacular lakes before.

Tip – Leave at 6 or 6:30 am to avoid getting stuck behind the army convoy. If staying a night at Pangong can consider staying a little away at Spangmik instead of Pangong for better accommodation options.

Accommodation and Meal

Hotel – Grand Dragon Ladakh
For dinner, again we ordered food in room service as we were too tired to go out for the dinner.

Day 4 – Leh to Nubra valley (158 Km, 4 to 5 hrs)

Time – 11 am to 7 pm

We were supposed to leave at 9 am but our driver called us and advised us to leave a little late as there was a biker’s rally being 15th August. This saved us from sitting in the traffic for two hours.

The drive is spectacular, much more scenic than the drive to Pangong Lake. We loved every minute of it. The drive is through a mountain pass which is arguably the highest motorable pass in the world at a height of 18,379 ft. Do not stop there for more than 5 to 10 min due to very high altitude.

After reaching Nubra, we first went to explore the Hunder area.

Diskit Monastery

• Diskit Monastery is the largest and oldest Buddhist monastery in Nubra Valley and houses a 106 feet tall Buddha statue.
• To visit the monastery you’ve to climb a lot of steps but the tallest statue is in a different complex that does not require any walking and has a few steps to climb.
• It was an amazing place to sit and look at the 360-degree panoramic views around the statue.
• This was one of our favourite places in Ladakh.

Hunder

• It is famous for its sand dunes and double-humped backed camels.
• This is one of the few places where we saw crowds, we had to wait in line for 30 minutes for a camel ride.
• Apart from seeing the sand dunes and going for camel rides neither is there anything to do here nor a good place to eat.

Turtuk

• We didn’t have time or interest to visit.
• It is two hours from Hunder one way and it is possible to visit if you’re staying two nights in Nubra Valley. You can cramp it in a one night stay, if you leave at 6 am from Leh.
• Recently opened for tourists in 2010, Turtuk is a village.
• It is more of a cultural tour to see how locals live and make different articles to sell.

Accommodation and Meal

We stayed at Nubra Eco Lodge in Sumur which was 45 minutes away from Hunder. We got there after dark, ate dinner and slept. There is nothing to do there after dark. The dinner was a simple yet tasty buffet at a cost of Rs. 400 per person. There aren’t any other options to have dinner near the hotel unless you eat before coming to Sumur.

Day 5 – Nubra Valley to Leh (158 Km, 4 to 5 hrs)

Time – 10:30 am to 4 pm

In the morning, I opened the window and was completely blown away by the views. Gorgeous views of the snow-capped mountains all around our lodge. We spent two hours just admiring the views from our balcony and bed. Had delicious paratha with local pickles for breakfast. Mom loved the pickles so much that we specially went to the local market in Leh to buy some to take home. We checked out the Sumur area before leaving. There are 2 main attractions:

Samstanling monastery

• We had the monastery all to ourselves as most people don’t visit Sumur.
• There are around 60 stairs to climb and a decent complex with three huge statues of Buddha.
• We saw only this monastery from inside in Leh Ladakh and it was more than enough for us.
• Timings – 8 am to 12 noon and 1:30 pm to 6 pm.

Sumur Sand dunes

• If you don’t like crowds this would be better for a camel ride rather than Hunder. Otherwise, it is pretty much like Hunder.

Panamik 

• We skipped this as it didn’t seem worth it.
• It is an hour away from Sumur, hence it takes a total of two hours for a return trip.
• It has hot water springs for bathing which looked very dirty in the pictures and even our driver said it’s not worth it.
• Nearby, there is a small Yarab Tso lake which is worth checking out if going to Panamik.

Leh Market

• We went to buy pickles and found that all the stores had the same variety and it was the best pickles we have eaten in our lives. I still crave it!
• The market had a nice vibe with vibrant shops and a good place to sit and watch the world go by.

Accommodation and Meal

Hotel – Grand Dragon Ladakh
For dinner, we had an early dinner at 4 pm at the famous Tibetan Kitchen which definitely lived up to our expectations.

If you have a day more to spare, you can stay at Tso Morii for a night and from there drive directly to Jispa/Keylong.

Day 6 – Leh to Keylong by the Leh-Manali highway (359 Km, 12 hrs)

Time – 7 am to 7 pm

This was our most anticipated day. We were excited and stressed at the same time. It involved 12 hours of being on the road coupled with bad roads and high altitude. Dad was so stressed that he wanted to fly back from Leh and was even trying to get a flight ticket the previous night. However, it turned out to be the best part of our trip, Dad agreed too!
This is the ultimate drive through various mountain passes, unbelievable panoramas and unique scenery all around. In spite of it being the 15th August Independence Day long weekend, it was not crowded. Some stretches of roads were bad but it lasted only for 2 or 3 hours. If you’ve not been on the Leh- Manali highway, you’ve not seen the real beauty of Leh!

Tips:

• Again, I recommend starting the Leh Ladakh itinerary by flying directly to Leh and then driving through the Leh- Manali highway rather than doing it the other way around. The drive takes around 12 hours involving various mountain passes, out of which 7 to 8 hours are above 13,000 feet. Even after 6 days, we felt a bit uneasy. I would say attempting this on the second day could have been a major disaster. Obviously, if you have more days, start from Srinagar then to Leh and finally end your trip in Manali.
• Check with the driver for the fuel. There is no petrol station until Tandi which comes after Keylong. We managed to drive from Leh to Manali on a full tank with the A/C on the entire time.
• Forget about finding a toilet with a flush. Even finding a western toilet is very tough. We had to manage with an Indian style toilet and most of them are very dirty.
• There are various small food stalls along the way where you can halt for lunch but not really a place just to grab food on the go. We missed “thelawalas” (hawkers).
• Better confirm with the driver if he will keep the A/C on throughout the journey without which you will breathe endless dust. Our driver, Rigzen didn’t switch it off even once.
• Take a packed breakfast from the hotel.

Leh – Manali Highway

I will let pictures do the talking. Honestly, you have to experience it to believe it. No picture or words can describe the beauty of this place.

First up is Taglang La at 17582 ft

On to Lachung La at 16613 ft

Next up – small unknown Nakee La pass at 15547 ft

Onto famous Gata Loops – 21 hairpin bends

Onto Sarchu at a height of 14070 ft – This is the mid-way point of the Leh-Manali Highway. You can stay overnight here instead of Jispa/Keylong. But the accommodation is very basic tents and being at a high altitude you may feel uneasy.

Onto Bara-lacha La at 16042 ft – last pass before Jispa/Keylong

After 12 hours of mind-blowing beauty, Mom felt a little uneasy for the last 2-3 hours of the journey, having eaten only half a sandwich for breakfast, finally, we made it to Jispa and Keylong. 

Accommodation and Meal

We stayed at Hotel Dekyid, Keylong because I could not get a hotel at Jispa. It was a good choice though and I would probably choose to stay here again. We were hungry and hogged on the delicious food at our hotel.

Day 7 – Keylong – Rohtang – Manali (116 Km, 5 hrs)

Time – 8 am to 2 pm

This was the last part of the Leh-Manali Highway involving one main pass – The Rohtang Pass. Roads were in a very bad form. They have stopped maintaining this road because the new tunnel is being built which will go directly from Keylong to Manali, bypassing the Rohtang Pass. Therefore, the Leh-Manali highway can be covered in a day. After Keylong, the scenery changed to beautiful green valleys from the unique barren landscape of Ladakh.

After an hour, we stopped at Kosher for the breakfast. It was a small little dhaba with good views of the green valley. We had tea, crisp toast and paratha with pickles. Everything was darn good.

I was expecting endless queues at Rohtang Pass but it turned out to be deserted. During the peak season of May-June, one may take 2 to 3 hours to cross the pass due to narrow roads. There are also tons of people visiting Rohtang Pass as a day trip from Manali. The drive was beautiful but the highest viewpoint of the Rohtang Pass was nothing in comparison to the journey. We encountered “thelawalas” for the first time in 6 days who were selling chole kulcha and channa chat.

Tip – When visiting Rohtang Pass as a day trip or driving from Manali to Leh, a permit is required. Ask the driver to do the needful as it requires vehicle information.

Finally, we reached our hotel at 2 pm, said goodbye to our awesome driver Rigzen and crashed for the day. All we did was stare at the apple trees right outside our room and went for a swim by the pool which had amazing views of the valley.

Accommodation and Meal

We stayed at the Larissa hotel and if going to Manali, I would highly recommend this hotel. It was that good. Being off-season for Manali the cost was just Rs. 5000 per night. The only drawback was the food.

Day 8 – Manali

Time – 10 am to 4 pm

Our hotel staff said, all the places which I wanted to visit were impossible to cover in a day but we managed to visit all of them by 4 pm. It rained a little in the morning, we were in two minds whether to venture out or not but thankfully the rest of the day was just cloudy.

I didn’t pre-book the cab as always because I was not sure about the time we wanted to leave. I booked it through our hotel. The driver was good enough and took us to all places as planned. Initially, he said we don’t keep the A/C on as Manali is a hilly region. On offering him Rs. 500 extra, he was then fine to keep the A/C on. In comparison to the drivers we have dealt with in India, he was pretty good. But we were spoilt after spending time with Rigzen.

Naggar Castle (15 min, 7km from our hotel)

• The castle which is now converted into a hotel is at the top of a mountain.
• It’s a small castle made with intricate carvings and offers good views of the city.
• It’s a quick stop if you’re in the area otherwise it’s not worth it if you’re making a long detour.

Breakfast at Beas river – Bella River banks (15 min, 6km)

• I saw this place on the TV show “Highway on my Plate” and it was on the top of my list of places to eat at.
• It’s right by the Beas river where you can hear loud sounds of the river. It is a unique place to stop by for any meal but the views are obstructed by the ropes.
• I went there only for the views but the food turned out to be better!

Solang Valley (30 min, 10 Km)

• It is famous for adventure activities but being monsoon season all activities were closed. Activities open around mid-September.
• First, we went on the ATV bikes. The price was Rs. 1200 per bike for a 45 minutes tour with the driver. He took us to some offbeat paths with amazing views. In the end, there was a waterfall. The ATV tour is a very rocky ride and is best avoided if you have any back or shoulder issues. Mom and Dad faced a tough time holding on to it but my brother and I had a blast. To top it all, they left us at the entrance of the cable car which otherwise would have been 15 minutes uphill walk.
• The cable car was just a short ride at a cost of Rs. 450 per person. At the top, we could not see anything as it was covered by heavy fog. The path to the top was very slippery over rocky stones.
• There were lots of small vendors selling corn and Maggi.

Mall Road (2 Km, 10 min)

• Like all Mall roads in India, it is a pedestrian street with shops and restaurants.
• It’s mostly a flat road, unlike the Mall roads in Shimla or Mussoorie which are hilly.
• The famous speciality to try here is their local dish called Siddu but we were still full from the breakfast we had that morning.
• We roamed around for an hour, shopped for some clothes and had dosa and Badam Milk.

Accommodation and Meal

Hotel – Larissa Resort
We reached our hotel which was 15 km from Mall Road at 4 pm. We had a sandwich for dinner and called it a night early.

Day 9 – Manali – Delhi – Mumbai

Time – 6:30 am to 1 am

Our initial plan was to drive from Manali to Delhi with stops along the way at Kullu, Pandoh dam and try Kachori at Mandi. Just 5 days ago, there was a landslide which unfortunately killed 40 people so we decided not to take the risk and drove from Manali to Kullu and flew from Kullu to Delhi. We paid a hefty price for the flight with the smallest duration.

Our flight was at 8:30 am. Upon reaching the airport we found out that it was delayed due to the weather conditions which is a common occurrence in Kullu. Many times the flight gets cancelled due to the unpredictable weather which is more prevalent in winters than in monsoons. Eventually, the flight took off after two hours of delay. We landed at Delhi airport at noon and booked a room at Holiday Inn to rest as our return flight was at 9:30 pm. Again, our return flight was delayed by an hour due to a drone that was spotted at the airport which paused all operations for 45 minutes. Delhi domestic airport was crazy, packed with people. Eventually, we reached home at 1 am. Not an exciting end but the trip was fantastic on the whole. 

There you have it – Our Leh Ladakh itinerary for a week. A Leh Ladakh road trip which we’ve been dreaming of for 3 years is done and dusted. However, I’m addicted to travel planning and was thinking to combine the Srinagar-Leh highway which we missed this time with a Kashmir trip :).

Planning a Leh Ladakh itinerary?

Check out all the other posts in Leh Ladakh with Manali series:
Leh Ladakh Trip Planning Essentials
Choosing Accommodations in Leh, Nubra Valley, Keylong and Manali
Vegetarian Food in Ladakh and Manali

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored or free trip – We have paid for all our Holiday expenses but I spend a lot of time researching for the best deals and at times do get a discount as I run a travel business as well. However, this post contains some (not all) affiliate links. Any purchase made through the links will help support this blog at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!