Six nights in Ladakh with two quiet days in Leh to acclimatise first, then Khardung La and Nubra, a night beside Pangong Tso and the Sham valley run
Leh sits at about 3,500 metres and you fly straight into it from near sea level, so the first two days of this trip are deliberately slow. You rest, you drink water, and you see the town at walking pace. That is not padding — it is what makes the rest of the week possible, because the passes ahead are considerably higher again.
From there the route is the standard one and it works: over Khardung La into the Nubra valley for the dunes at Hunder and the monastery at Diskit, across to Pangong Tso for a night on the shore, back to Leh over Chang La, and a final day west along the Indus to Magnetic Hill and the confluence at Nimmu. Airport transfers, a private vehicle for the whole trip, Inner Line Permits and breakfast and dinner at every stop are arranged.
The essentials
Trip information
Package code
EH07LA001
Pickup
Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh
Drop
Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh
Night count
06 Nights, 07 Days
Travellers
6 pax
Vehicle
Toyota Innova (AC)
At a glance
Itinerary highlights
Day 1Fly into Leh and rest — nothing else
Day 2A gentle day around Leh town
Day 3Over Khardung La into the Nubra Valley
Day 4Across to Pangong Tso by the Shyok road
Day 5Pangong to Leh over Chang La
Day 6Sham valley — Magnetic Hill and the confluence at Nimmu
Day 7Check out and fly home
Your route, day by day
Day-by-day itinerary
Leh
The main town of Ladakh, at about 3,500 metres in a side valley above the Indus.
Day 1
Fly into Leh and rest — nothing else
The flight lands early and the drive to the hotel takes twenty minutes. After that the day is over as far as we are concerned. You have gone from near sea level to 3,500 metres in about an hour and your body needs the time — lie down, drink water through the day, eat lightly and do not walk up any stairs quickly. A short flat stroll in the late afternoon is fine if you feel well; anything more is not. Dinner is early at the hotel.
Starts from Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh, ends at Hotel Leh Chandan, covering around 6 km in an estimated 20m.
Day 2
A gentle day around Leh town
The second day is still an acclimatisation day, so it is short and driven rather than walked. You see the Hall of Fame, drive up to Shanti Stupa for the view over the valley, and look around Leh Palace and the bazaar. You are back at the hotel by mid-afternoon with plenty of the day left to rest. If anyone is still feeling the altitude, we drop the whole thing without a second thought.
Based at Hotel Leh Chandan, covering around 18 km in an estimated 4h 00m.
Sightseeing
Shanti StupaOpen 5 AM – 9 PMAllow 45 min
A white domed stupa built on the ridge above Changspa in the 1980s by a Japanese Buddhist order, with relief panels of the Buddha's life around the base. There is a road to the top, which matters on day two — the alternative is a long flight of steps you do not want yet.
Drive up rather than climb
Look across Leh to the Stok range
Walk the circuit around the dome
Leh PalaceOpen 9 AM – 5 PMAllow 45 min
A nine-storey mud-brick palace built into the hillside in the seventeenth century for the Namgyal kings, abandoned when the family moved to Stok. Much of it is bare inside, but the upper terraces look straight down over the old town.
Walk the lower terraces
See the old prayer room
View over the old town roofs
Hall of FameOpen 9 AM – 1 PM, 2 PM – 7 PMAllow 45 min
An army museum near the airport covering the Siachen and Kargil operations, with equipment, letters and photographs on display. It is flat, indoors and takes no effort, which is why it fits on an acclimatisation day.
See the Siachen and Kargil galleries
Look at the high-altitude kit on display
Read the wall of names
Leh Main BazaarOpen 10 AM – 8 PMAllow 45 min
The pedestrianised street below the palace, with pashmina and apricot sellers, Tibetan handicraft stalls and the Jama Masjid at the top end. Flat and easy to potter around.
Buy dried apricots and seabuckthorn juice
Look at the pashmina shops
Sit for a butter tea
Nubra Valley
A broad desert valley north of Leh where the Shyok and Nubra rivers meet, with sand dunes on the valley floor.
Day 3
Over Khardung La into the Nubra Valley
You leave Leh after breakfast and climb steadily to Khardung La, one of the highest motorable passes anywhere. The stop at the top is kept short — twenty minutes at that height is enough, and standing around longer does no one any good. The road then drops a long way into the Nubra valley, following the Shyok past Khalsar to Diskit and Hunder. Afternoon at the dunes, night at the camp.
Starts from Hotel Leh Chandan, ends at Hunder Desert Camp, covering around 120 km in an estimated 5h 30m.
Sightseeing
Khardung LaOpen in daylight, weather permittingAllow 20 min
The pass on the road from Leh into Nubra, at over 5,300 metres by the army's own marker. There is a small canteen and a shrine at the top. Keep the stop brief, walk slowly and get back in the vehicle — this is the highest point of the whole trip.
Photograph the pass marker
Short walk only, no exertion
Tea at the army canteen
Diskit MonasteryOpen 7 AM – 7 PMAllow 60 min
The oldest and largest gompa in Nubra, founded in the fourteenth century and stacked up a rock spur above the valley. The thirty-odd metre statue of Maitreya on the hill below it faces down the Shyok towards the border.
See the Maitreya Buddha statue
Climb to the old prayer halls
View down the Shyok valley
Hunder Sand DunesBest 4 PM – 7 PMAllow 90 min
A stretch of cold desert between Diskit and Hunder where the river has left fine sand across the valley floor. Bactrian camels graze here — double-humped, descended from the Silk Road caravan stock — and short rides are run in the evenings.
Ride a double-humped Bactrian camel
Walk out onto the dunes
Watch the light go off the ridge above Hunder
Pangong Tso
A long, narrow salt lake at 4,350 metres that runs east from Ladakh well across the border into Tibet.
Day 4
Across to Pangong Tso by the Shyok road
A long day, and the roughest driving of the trip. The route follows the Shyok river east through Agham and Shyok village to Durbuk, on a road that is unsurfaced in stretches and crosses several water channels. It saves going back over Khardung La, but it is slow. You reach Pangong in the afternoon with time on the shore before the light goes. Nights at the camp are genuinely cold, whatever the month.
Starts from Hunder Desert Camp, ends at Pangong Shore Camp, covering around 160 km in an estimated 6h 30m.
Sightseeing
Shyok River RoadDaylight hours onlyAllow 240 min
The direct link between Nubra and Pangong, running along the riverbed through bare gorges and a handful of villages. It is closed in winter and can shut for hours after rain when the water crossings rise.
Stop at Agham for the gorge
Watch for marmots on the flats
Tea break at Durbuk
Pangong TsoOpen all dayAllow 150 min
The lake is about 130 kilometres long and only a third of it is on the Indian side. It is salt water, it freezes solid in winter, and the colour shifts through the day from a hard blue to grey-green depending on the light and the wind.
Walk the shoreline at Spangmik
Watch the colour change through the afternoon
Look for brahminy ducks and gulls
Stay up for the night sky if it is clear
Leh
Back down the Indus valley to Leh, past the big monasteries on the Manali road.
Day 5
Pangong to Leh over Chang La
Early breakfast so you get an hour by the lake in the morning light, which is the best of it. Then the drive back to Leh over Chang La, stopping at the pass and at the Thiksey and Shey complexes on the way down into the Indus valley. You are back at the hotel by late afternoon.
Starts from Pangong Shore Camp, ends at Hotel Leh Chandan, covering around 150 km in an estimated 5h 30m.
Sightseeing
Chang LaOpen in daylight, weather permittingAllow 20 min
The pass between the Indus valley and Pangong, at around 5,300 metres, with an army post and a small temple at the top. Snow lies here for much of the year and the same rule applies as at Khardung La — stop briefly and move on.
Photograph the pass marker
See the small shrine
Keep the stop short
Thiksey MonasteryOpen 7 AM – 7 PMAllow 60 min
A twelve-storey gompa built up a hill above the Indus, often compared to the Potala in shape. The Maitreya temple inside holds a seated Buddha about fifteen metres high that runs through two floors of the building.
See the Maitreya Buddha
Walk up to the roof terrace
Look at the old thangkas and manuscripts
Shey PalaceOpen 7 AM – 6 PMAllow 40 min
The old summer capital of the Ladakhi kings, on a rock above the Indus. The temple beside it holds a large copper and gilt seated Buddha, and the fields below are dotted with hundreds of small chortens.
See the gilded Buddha
Walk among the chortens below
View across the Indus fields
Sham Valley
The stretch of the Indus west of Leh, on the road towards Kargil.
Day 6
Sham valley — Magnetic Hill and the confluence at Nimmu
A full but easy day heading west out of Leh, all of it at lower altitude than anything so far. You take in the Gurudwara at Pathar Sahib, the stretch of road known as Magnetic Hill, and the point at Nimmu where the Zanskar runs into the Indus. Depending on time you carry on to Alchi, which has the oldest surviving wall paintings in Ladakh. Back in Leh for the last evening.
Based at Hotel Leh Chandan, covering around 135 km in an estimated 7h 00m.
Sightseeing
Magnetic HillOpen all dayAllow 30 min
A marked spot on the Leh–Kargil road where a vehicle left in neutral appears to roll uphill. It is an optical illusion — the slope of the surrounding land hides the fact that the road is actually running downhill — but it is a good stop and everyone tries it.
Try the rolling-uphill trick
Look at the ridge line that causes the illusion
Photograph the road across the plain
Indus–Zanskar Confluence, NimmuOpen all dayAllow 45 min
A viewpoint above Nimmu where the Zanskar joins the Indus. The two rivers carry different sediment and run at different speeds, so for a stretch below the junction you can see the two colours side by side. In winter the Zanskar freezes and the Chadar trek runs up it.
See the two rivers meet
Watch the rafts put in below the junction
Photograph the gorge from the viewpoint
Gurudwara Pathar SahibOpen 5 AM – 8 PMAllow 40 min
A gurudwara built around a boulder said to carry the impression of Guru Nanak, maintained by the army since the road was cut past it in the 1970s. Langar is served to everyone who stops.
See the boulder in the shrine
Take langar
Cover your head before entering
Alchi MonasteryOpen 8 AM – 6 PMAllow 60 min
A small complex on the flat by the Indus rather than up a hill, which is unusual here. Its eleventh-century wall paintings survive largely intact and show a Kashmiri style you do not see in the later Ladakhi gompas.
See the Dukhang wall paintings
Walk the riverside orchard path
Look at the carved wooden doorways
Leh
A very early start for the morning flight out of Leh.
Day 7
Check out and fly home
Flights out of Leh leave early and the airport is a defence installation, so security is thorough and the queues start well before dawn. You are picked up about three hours ahead of departure, with a packed breakfast from the hotel. Do not book a tight onward connection the same day — weather cancellations at Leh are common.
Starts from Hotel Leh Chandan, ends at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh, covering around 6 km in an estimated 20m.
Airport pick-up and drop
× 2
Leh to Nubra Valley over Khardung La
Nubra Valley to Pangong Tso via Shyok
Pangong Tso to Leh over Chang La
Full-day Sham valley circuit
The fine print, clearly
What’s included
Inclusions
Six nights of accommodation — four in Leh, one in Nubra and one at Pangong.
Breakfast and dinner daily at the hotel or camp.
All transfers and sightseeing by private vehicle with a local Ladakhi driver.
Inner Line Permits and the environment fee for Nubra and Pangong.
Airport pick-up and drop at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport.
Oxygen cylinder carried in the vehicle on all high-pass days.
Driver allowance, fuel, toll and parking charges, and 24×7 destination support.
Exclusions
Airfare to and from Leh.
Monastery and monument entry tickets at Diskit, Thiksey, Hemis and elsewhere.
Camel rides at Hunder, ATV rides and any adventure activity.
Lunch on all days, and drinks or room service anywhere.
Medical costs, oxygen top-ups or evacuation if altitude sickness needs treatment.
Anything caused by a road or pass closure — extra nights, a rerouted drive or a changed flight.
GST, charged extra on the final bill as applicable.
Good to know
Policies
Payment policy
50% of the package cost is needed at the time of booking to confirm it.
The remaining 50% must be cleared at least 20 days before the trip starts.
Peak season (June to mid-September) needs full payment at booking, as Nubra and Pangong camps sell out early.
The booking is confirmed only once the advance payment reaches us.
Payment by bank transfer or UPI.
Cancellation policy
0–15 days before check-in: 100% of the booking amount is charged.
16–25 days before check-in: 70% of the booking amount is charged.
26–40 days before check-in: 30% of the booking amount is charged.
A minimum cancellation charge of 10% applies in all cases.
No refund for unused nights, an early departure or a leg dropped on medical advice.
Peak season (15 June – 15 September): no refund on cancellation.
Important information
Leh is at roughly 3,500 metres and the passes on this trip go well above 5,000. Acute mountain sickness is common and can affect anyone, regardless of age or fitness. Day 1 and day 2 are kept deliberately light for that reason — please do not fill them with extra sightseeing.
Rest completely on arrival day. Drink water steadily, skip alcohol and smoking for the first 48 hours, and eat light. Headache, breathlessness at rest, nausea or sleeplessness are the early signs — tell the driver or the hotel at once. The only reliable treatment is going down, and we will arrange it without argument if it is needed.
Consult your doctor before booking if you have a heart, lung or blood pressure condition, are pregnant, or are travelling with young children or elderly parents. Carry your regular medicines in hand baggage.
Inner Line Permits are compulsory for Nubra, Pangong and the Sham valley beyond Magnetic Hill. We arrange them, but every traveller must send a clear photo ID at least a week ahead — Aadhaar, passport or voter ID. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit and must send passport and visa copies.
Khardung La, Chang La and the Shyok road can close at short notice for snow, landslide or army movement, and the decision is taken by the authorities on the day. If a pass shuts we reroute or swap the order, and if a leg cannot be run at all it is dropped. Costs from a closure are not refundable.
Pangong and the Nubra camps run on generators and solar, so power is limited to a few hours and there is no heating overnight. Mobile networks barely work outside Leh; only postpaid connections work anywhere in Ladakh.
Keep a spare day at the Leh end of your flight home. Departures are early morning only and are frequently cancelled for weather.
Easy Holiday
