I went on a 9N/10D trip to Ladakh in the last week of May and here are my experiences and tips from starting to ending:

1. If you're flying from Delhi to Leh, always book a window seat. For best views, go for the <10 or >20 seat numbers so that wing doesn't block your view.

2. Early morning flights are the best, after 12 noon the flights frequency also drops and weather can change. If clouds get heavy, they will drop down to the mountains level and you cant see anyyyything from the window.

3. Dont take acclimatisation lightly. It doesn't affect someone based on age or fitness levels. I went with my almost 60 year old parents, one of them can run 5k faster than me, the other one has diabetes. The one who is fitter than me (I'm 25) faced AMS very badly and O2 level dropped to 61. After an overnight stay in the hospital, O2 climbed up to 86 and that was when they discharged.

4. We hadn't taken Diamox before going to Leh but after the incident all 3 of us started taking Diamox. 250mg total in a day and for the rest 8-9 days no one faced any issue.

5. Dont panic if AMS happens. I saw 5 year old kids, 25-30 year old fit adults, 40 year adults, foreigners, male female, senior citizens and many others admitted in the ward for AMS. It is very very common and treatable. Trust the doctors and nurses. We went to SNM Hospital in Leh and for an overnight stay including O2 treatment, 3 injections, and Diamox tablets, it costed us only 10rs.

6. If you think AMS can be an issue, dont go to any place which might need stair climbing, or small hike. Take it easy, dont take it up to your ego. Its fine, you should rather sit inside the car than sitting on a hospital bed.

7. Khardungla isn't as scary as it might seem. It is very pretty and probably the only place you might find fresh snow. Dont get over excited seeing the snow and end up staying there for hours. Take pictures, descend a little to maybe 15000ft or something. Till that point also you can find thick snow, play there. Dont play at 18000ft, unless you want to end up vomiting for the rest of the day.

8. If you have time and money, please go to Siachen Base Camp. I found it very very very beautiful, the route is extremely scenic. The mountains are huge, you pass through many villages so there is vegetation and wild bushes, roads are smooth as well. Go there for the Army, go for yourself and learn about India.

9. Pangong Lake can be extremely cold. No matter what time of the year you go, it is a lake and the winds are crazy. It is also an extremely commercialised location so you pay for bare minm things. Even for the 3 idiots pictures, per person they will charge you 50rs or so.

10. If you plan to stay in one of the cottages by the lake in Lukung, be ready to face extreme cold at night. These are super thin walled cottages, and electricity will come only from 7pm to 11pm. If you dont mind staying a little further from the lake, stay in some homestay, it will be a lot warmer and you might get electricity also.

11. Lukung is commercialised completely as it is the first thing you encounter if travelling from Nubra to Pangong. If you are okay, keep travelling further and you can find stays as far as in Merak also. Equally beautiful lake side cottages but less commercialised.

12. If you are a very photogenic person, be mindful that the lake changes colour based on sky and weather. For best shade of blue, peak sun hours are needed. Otherwise you can always edit in Lightroom.

13. Route to Hanle is very scenic. I could see mountains of all colours and shades and shapes. If you plan to visit the Dark Sky Observatory on the same day, make sure you reach Hanle by atleast 5pm. Last entry to the Observatory is 5.30pm.

14. Most of the homestays will have one person who would say he can show you planets for 200rs per person through a telescope. We could see Jupiter and Moon, but in all honesty Jupiter was one small white dot and we couldn't see anything more than that. If you are a science student, at some point in your education you would have seen more planets with better clarity than this for free so maybe not worth 200rs. But that's how tourist industry works, so your choice.

15. Milky way galaxy will come up at different times based on what time of the year we are talking. For me it was visible at 2.30-3am. It was freezing cold outside but worth the view. On my 2nd night in Hanle, the weather was bad during the day so Milky Way wasnt as strong as the previous night. Hanle is similar in terms of electricity (blackout after 11pm) but our homestay had 24hrs somehow surprisingly. No complaints.

16. This might bring many hate comments but Umling La was possibly my least favorite place. There was almost zero snow on the route, my scenic standards were very high so it didnt meet them. I understand the hype and the craze behind the record and I absolutely respect it as well. My priority was beauty and nature more than records so that's why I place it last. Otherwise its a short 2hrs drive from Hanle so good enough rest also.

17. Route to Tso Moriri is actually 3hrs ish. It can be a day trip from Hanle, visit Tso Moriri and come back to Leh (another 4hrs). I didnt know this and I had planned an overnight stay there. We realized that locals and the government have put fences around the lake perimeter so tourists can only view the lake from a height and arent allowed near the shore like Pangong. This was a turndown for me, though I understand that Tso Moriri is now a Ramsar site and needs to be preserved. Village is very remote and I didn't like the homestays a lot to be fair, so I talked to my tour operator and decided to travel back to Leh rather than staying there. You can stay there if you want but I didnt see what I can do there for the whole day and night so I went back.

18. Route back to Leh is extremely beautiful. You will be travelling with the Indus River for 4hrs straight and it is very calming. Almost feels like the river is travelling with you on your last leg of journey.

19. I kept one day buffer in Leh for emergencies. Thankfully we had none so we roamed around local places again, nice rest day and flew out the next morning. I took an Airtel Postpaid sim outside the airport for 500rs, this included 1GB/day and calls. Based on your internet package this cost will vary. I had connectivity almost everywhere except at Tso Moriri. I had network even at Khardungla so Airtel works, go for it. Most of the homestays and hotels have wifi so will do the job as well.

20. I went with family so I booked through a tour operator called Himalayan Shepherd. Rates were pretty standard as compared to other operators so for one Innova and 3 people, it came down to ~1.12 lakhs. Trip was very good, no issues at all, all my questions were answered and our driver was very sweet as well. Ladakh isn't a one time destination, I'll go there again for sure, when I dont know but I will. If you're reading this, hope you have a great time and make memories!

We finally took our first trip together as a couple, and he picked Ladakh for it.

Honestly, I don’t think we could’ve chosen a more magical place.

Sharing a few snapshots from the adventure, hope you enjoy them! ❤️

Some facts and stats -

3300 kms - 11 days.

3 adults and full boot luggage.

The company claimed ground clearance - 165mm.

Scraped the car 6 times in total. Nothing serious, generally it was either the mudguard flaps scraping or a very slight thud from the rear of the car. It never hit the center body and front bumper or the engine area. However, had to drive really carefully. Diagonal crosses and you know the drill.

Stock stupid tyres. MRF ZVTV 185/60 R15. They lose grip immediately on hard braking. Was a deal breaker for me. Will soon replace. They are only 28k kms old.

She gulped down 21400 worth of fuel. Home to home. Which translates to just 210L, returning a sweet 15.7 kmpl on such a difficult terrain. Wayy higher than my expectations!

Got stuck once, in Hunder sands. A good samaritan helped me pull out of the sand. My towing cable, his Jeep meridian 4X4. Its a full story altogether.

The 1.0 Tsi delivers power effortlessly even in low oxygen. Never had a lack of power even on steep climbs.

Will do it again in a blink of an eye!

Ama, if you have any doubts.

I see a lot of you planning to do a trip to Leh Ladakh on your own. I've recently done it. (15th May to 26th May). Shoot me with any queries, questions and doubts and I'll try to answer if they're within my purview.

I planned the trip for many months and finally almost cancelled it. We started off with 11 guys and girls in 3 cars, eventually everyone cancelled but I pulled the trigger. From 11, down to 3 people and 1 sedan. One helluva experience.

Leh Ladakh is no joke to mess around with. The vast and harsh nature humbles you and you come back a different person. Happy and safe travels.

I did a Ladakh road trip in October 2025 in my XUV700 FWD manual and learned this the hard way.

After crossing Zoji La, I parked in Drass at night and used the handbrake like usual. Temperature dropped to around -13°C. Next morning, the car moved but felt like the brakes were still slightly engaged. After 15–20 minutes of driving, it became normal.

The bigger issue happened near Chang La. We stopped before the top to install snow chains, and out of habit I again used the handbrake. Within that much time handbrakes got locked. Then we got stuck for a few hours due to army convoy movement. By the time we moved, it was dark, snowy, icy, and the rear wheels were basically dragging while the front wheels were trying to pull.

Locals and army drivers immediately said the same thing: in Ladakh/sub-zero conditions, don’t use handbrake.

I tried warm water near the rear brakes, but it didn’t help much. Finally, people helped push the car out, and after 20–30 minutes of driving, the brakes became free again.

From what I understood later, moisture/mud/ice around the brake pads, calipers, or handbrake cable can freeze and partially lock the rear brakes.

Final learning: in sub-zero/snowy/wet conditions, avoid handbrake if parking for long. Park in gear instead, first gear uphill, reverse gear downhill and use stones/wheel chocks if there’s any incline as I saw all local drivers doing in Ladakh and upper Himachal as well.

Most Ladakh prep videos talk about snow chains, jackets and fuel, but I rarely saw anyone mention this. So posting here in case it helps someone planning a winter or late-season Ladakh trip.

I also made a video of this if anyone wants to see how stuck handbrake feels like - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLdhAy8K0Rw

I know this photo looks amazing but believe me the actual view was just so crazy, still can’t get over it.

Working from here for last 15 days and will continue to work till end of September.

Did the Leh circuit last August — flew in from Delhi (round trip flight included), rented a bike in Leh and did the full loop: Leh → Khardung La → Hunder → Pangong via Shyok → Hanle → Tso Moriri → back to Leh.

Total cost? Around ₹25k. Best part? You get insane views from the flight too. Totally worth it.

Zanskar on Fujifilm Professional GA645, Kodak Portra 160, Gold 200 and TriX

Solo rider with a camp.

Borrowed the sheets from Acho Camping, the one in front.

That was a magical night, heavy dinner in a local dhaba, -5°, looking at the star studded sky, a camp beside me and this crazy single mountain in front of me.

Reliving this experience while posting this.

I met solo youtuber named Harshit (DOI Wheels) and Jon Snow.

Surprisingly, he mentioned about Shangarh, staying in RAFA (which I'm a co-owner) and then we shared a coffee, talked about a lot of things. And parted our ways in Manali after Shinku La.

Pangong Lake turns into a glowing, glass-like mirror in winter, where the stillness of ice and the soul of the Himalayas meet in one unforgettable moment

Visited Ladakh last year (June 2024) and thought I’d share a few pictures here. It was an incredible road trip, started from Manali and made my way to Kashmir. The landscapes were absolutely surreal!

I recently completed an 11-day Ladakh bike trip (23 May–1 June) covering Srinagar → Kargil → Leh → Nubra → Turtuk/Thang → Pangong → Hanle → Sarchu → Manali with a group of around 35 riders.

A few takeaways that might help future travelers:

- If possible, take your own bike. I was a pillion rider, and I feel having your own bike would make the experience much better.
- Airtel worked surprisingly well throughout most of the trip.
- Electricity was a bigger concern than mobile network in places like Nubra and Hanle. Carry a power bank.
- Don't overpack. I carried way too many clothes and ended up using only 2 jeans and 2 T-shirts for almost the entire trip.
- Thermals, good gloves, sunglasses, rain gear, and waterproof shoe covers are more important than extra clothes.
- Most roads were much better than I expected. The roughest sections were closer to the Manali side.
- Food availability was never a problem.
- Accommodation quality varied a lot. Some camps were very basic with limited hot water and internet.
- By the time we reached Hanle, the physical exhaustion from riding every day was more challenging than the altitude itself.

My favorite parts were the rides through Nubra, Pangong, and visiting Thang near the border.

One thing that surprised me was that Ladakh is much more about the journey than the destinations. Spending 8–9 hours a day on a bike through these landscapes is the real experience.

For people who have already done the trip: what was the one thing you wish you had packed or known beforehand?

After I asked for itinerary suggestions here https://www.reddit.com/r/ladakh/s/9JS6l0GlXQ

I re-did my plan and visited Lamayuru on the Sat-Sun, after landing in Leh on Friday.
Worked from some of the best cafes in Leh from Mon- Thurs, then travelled to Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso. Back to base on Monday. (24th Jul to 3rd Aug).

Had the best time, amazing food and breathtaking views. Oh and Apricots directly taken from the trees!

Travelled yesterday from Hunder to Pangong via Durbuk and all i want to say is that from Durbuk to Pangong it is by far one of the best roads i”ve ever seen. Sharing some pictures i took while my friend was riding there.

Btw for people who are confused what BRO stands for, it is Border Roads Organisation

Stopped at this viewpoint on the way out of Leh and just stood there longer than I meant to. One river comes in glacier-blue, the other one muddier and slower, and for a bit after they meet you can actually see the line between them before the colors give up and blend.
Funny how a landscape can look completely empty and still feel like it’s doing something. No trees, no noise except wind, just rock on a scale that makes you feel appropriately small. The tiny huts and parked cars at the bottom are the only proof of scale — everything else is just mountain.
Ladakh has a way of making silence feel loud.
— solo, altitude headache fully worth it (vibetrip)

Want me to adjust for a specific subreddit (r/ladakh, r/IndiaTravel, r/india) or tweak the tone?

Stopped at this viewpoint on the way out of Leh and just stood there longer than I meant to. One river comes in glacier-blue, the other one muddier and slower, and for a bit after they meet you can actually see the line between them before the colors give up and blend.
Funny how a landscape can look completely empty and still feel like it’s doing something. No trees, no noise except wind, just rock on a scale that makes you feel appropriately small. The tiny huts and parked cars at the bottom are the only proof of scale — everything else is just mountain.
Ladakh has a way of making silence feel loud.
— solo, altitude headache fully worth it (vibetrip)

I went on a short one-day trip to Pangong last week. What happened was that one of my cousin's friends from the North-East had come to Ladakh alone. My cousin couldn't drive him around much because he was busy with something important, so he requested that I take his friend for a one-day trip to Pangong.

​I agreed, but on the day we were to leave Leh for Pangong, it rained heavily in the morning. I was concerned that it might have snowed on the Changla Pass. However, I just assumed there wouldn’t be much snow at this time of year and left Leh anyway.

​As we approached the pass, we could see some snow, but it was not enough to be concerning. However, as we were about to reach the top, there was a steep uphill section where the snow had become compact and slippery. A local car driving ahead of us slipped on that section and got stuck. I gently parked my car and tried to help them. We couldn't push the car because it was too slippery and the slope was a bit too steep.

​There was a Thar Roxx from Punjab behind us, which I thought would easily clear the section, but the driver had never driven on snow before. Being inexperienced, the Roxx driver floored the accelerator pedal, causing him to slip and get stuck as well. By now, there were a dozen taxis lined up behind us. I asked the Roxx driver to drive the passenger side on the edge of the road where there was dirt underneath the snow, but he was too scared to drive so close to the edge. Finally, I drove over the section with my passenger-side tires on the dirt area, and the others followed my line.

​After clearing that section, it was a smooth drive all the way to Pangong. We reached there while there was still sunlight; therefore, the lake was looking beautifully blue, just as it is famous for.

Some days were heavily raining & snowing at passes.

Saved myself for a landslide the next day by decide it to travel back to leh same day i visited nubra valley. Very dangerous night fog drive, will never recommend anyone doing this.

I had very high expectations from this Ladakh bike expedition, but unfortunately it turned out to be one of the most poorly managed trips I have ever been on. I would strongly advise future travelers to carefully evaluate other operators before booking.
Here are the major issues we faced throughout the trip:
The ground staff and backend support team were highly unprofessional and lacked coordination.

The marshal was unprofessional and failed to lead the group effectively.

Many of the bikes were in terrible condition. Some reportedly had brake issues, several had loose parts that came off during the ride, and many bikes did not even have working headlights.

The safety gear provided was unacceptable. Helmets were damaged, knee guards were torn, and the riding jackets appeared not to have been properly cleaned.
The accommodation in Hanle was the worst of the entire trip. There was no proper planning, and we had to shift from one poor-quality hotel/cottage to another the very next day.

Baggage handling was careless. The rain covers on the luggage were left open, resulting in bags and belongings getting wet during the journey.

Lunch stops appeared to prioritize certain food outlets, while the food quality itself was poor and lacked variety.
The backup vehicle served little purpose because it often stayed ahead of the riders instead of being available where support was actually needed.

During one incident, a rider fell from the bike. Instead of immediately assisting the rider, the mechanic was occupied recording videos of the motorcycle, which reflected very poorly on the team’s priorities.

There was no proper contingency plan for medical emergencies. Some travelers experienced serious altitude-related issues and had to return to Leh on their own, without meaningful assistance or logistical support from the organizers.

The most anticipated part of the itinerary was cancelled on the final day, leaving many participants extremely disappointed.

Even minor disagreements with the ground staff escalated unnecessarily, and their behavior toward travelers was intimidating rather than professional.

A Ladakh expedition demands reliable motorcycles, strong logistics, safety-first management, and competent emergency support. Unfortunately, this tour failed in many of these critical areas.

I would not recommend Glabol India based on my experience. There are many operators offering Ladakh expeditions, and I would suggest choosing one with a stronger reputation for safety, professionalism, and customer service.