™
A Ladakh road trip sits on almost every Indian traveller's list, and for good reason. Nowhere else in the country do you drive past turquoise lakes at 14,000 feet, cross passes higher than most European peaks, and sip butter tea in villages that feel a century away from the plains. But Ladakh is not a destination you wing. The altitude is real, the permits are real, and the distances between fuel pumps are very real.
This guide covers the decisions that actually matter: which route to take in, how to acclimatise so you do not spend your trip nauseous in a Leh guesthouse, what paperwork you need, and the practicalities of fuel and phone networks that catch first-timers off guard.
Manali route vs Srinagar route: which way in?
There are two classic road approaches to Leh, and they are very different experiences. The Srinagar-Leh highway (via Sonamarg, Zoji La, Drass and Kargil, roughly 420 km) climbs gradually. You sleep at progressively higher altitudes, which is exactly what your body wants. It is the safer choice for acclimatisation and generally the smoother road.
The Manali-Leh highway (roughly 470 km via the Atal Tunnel, Jispa or Sarchu, and a string of high passes) is the more dramatic drive, with lunar landscapes around the Gata Loops and More Plains. The catch: you gain altitude fast, and many overnight halts like Sarchu sit above 4,200 metres, which is a rough place to sleep unacclimatised.
The smart play, if your schedule allows, is to enter via Srinagar and exit via Manali. You acclimatise gently on the way in and enjoy the wilder scenery on the way out, when your body can handle it. If you must use the Manali route both ways, break the inbound journey at Jispa (around 3,200 m) rather than pushing to Sarchu.
Acclimatisation: the 48-hour rule
Leh sits at about 3,500 metres, and altitude sickness does not care how fit you are. If you fly in, plan absolutely nothing for the first 48 hours beyond gentle walks in Leh town, hydration, and rest. No Khardung La on day one, however tempting the Instagram post. Most acute mountain sickness cases that ruin trips come from people who rushed this window.
Know the warning signs: persistent headache that does not respond to rest, nausea, loss of appetite, dizziness, and unusually broken sleep. Mild symptoms usually settle with rest and fluids. If symptoms worsen, or you notice breathlessness at rest or confusion, descend and seek medical help immediately. Leh has an army-run and a civil hospital used to treating altitude cases.
Skip alcohol for the first two days, drink more water than feels necessary, and talk to your doctor before the trip about preventive medication such as acetazolamide if you have concerns.
Good to know: Structure your itinerary low-to-high: Leh sightseeing first, then Nubra or Pangong, and save the highest passes for the second half of the trip.
Permits: what you need before Pangong and Nubra
Indian citizens need an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for most areas beyond Leh, including Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri and the Hanle side. As of 2026, the permit is issued through the Leh DC office and an online portal, with a modest fee plus an environment levy, and most tour operators or hotels can arrange it for a small charge. Rules, fees and open areas change with the security situation, so check the latest requirements a week or two before you travel rather than relying on last year's information.
Carry several photocopies of the permit and your ID; checkposts along the way collect a copy each. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit instead, which has its own rules, including minimum group sizes for some areas.
The big three: Pangong, Nubra and Khardung La
Nubra Valley, reached over Khardung La, is usually the first excursion out of Leh. The double-humped Bactrian camels at Hunder, the sand dunes, and the Diskit monastery with its giant Maitreya statue make it worth at least one night. Khardung La itself, long marketed as the world's highest motorable pass, is really a 30-minute photo stop; do not linger longer than that at 17,500-plus feet.
Pangong Tso needs no introduction after a decade of Bollywood cameos, but the lake genuinely outdoes its photos. The colour shifts from steel blue to impossible turquoise through the day. Stay overnight in the eco-camps around Spangmik if you can; the lake at dawn, before the day-trip crowds arrive, is the version worth travelling for. Nights are cold even in July, so pack a proper jacket.
If you have a spare day, the Nubra-to-Pangong road via Shyok saves you a return to Leh and is one of the most beautiful drives in Ladakh, though its condition varies year to year; ask locally before committing.
When to go: the June to September window
The road-trip season effectively runs June to September. Both highways typically open by late May or June once snow is cleared, and start closing by October. July and August are peak season with the most reliable roads but also the biggest crowds and highest hotel prices. June offers snow walls at the passes; September brings golden poplars, thinner crowds and crisp light, and is many repeat visitors' favourite month.
Ladakh sits in a rain shadow, so the monsoon that drenches Manali barely touches Leh. The risk on the Manali route in July-August is landslides on the Himachal side, not rain in Ladakh itself. Always build one buffer day into your itinerary for road closures.
Fuel, network and other practicalities
Fuel discipline matters here. Leh has proper fuel pumps, but beyond it they are scarce: Karu on the Pangong side, Diskit in Nubra, and long empty stretches on the Manali highway between Tandi and Karu. Tank up at every opportunity, and carry a spare can if you are riding a motorcycle to Hanle or Tso Moriri.
Phone networks are the classic gotcha: prepaid SIMs from outside Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh do not work in the region, only postpaid connections do. As of 2026, postpaid Jio, Airtel and BSNL work in Leh town, with BSNL and Jio having the widest reach in remote valleys, though coverage at Pangong and beyond remains patchy to non-existent. Download offline maps before you leave Leh, carry some cash since card machines and UPI fail without network, and tell someone your route plan.
Good to know: Convert your SIM to postpaid at least a week before travelling, or buy a local postpaid connection in Leh with your ID.
Budget and booking notes
A comfortable 7-8 day Ladakh trip typically lands between Rs 25,000 and Rs 55,000 per person as of 2026, depending on whether you share a taxi or hire a private SUV, and whether you pick guesthouses or the fancier camps at Pangong and Nubra. Self-drive rentals and bike hires in Leh cost extra and require the vehicle to be locally registered for tourist circuits, so check the rules before assuming you can drive a rented car from Delhi around Ladakh. Prices spike in July-August; booking a package with fixed inclusions in advance usually beats negotiating taxi unions on the spot.
