Travelling in Ladakh region
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The biggest challenge to cope is the altitude. The common symptoms include headache, loss of appetite, drowsiness, sleepless nights and mild nausea. As with anything, drinking lots of water and plenty of rest are the only real solutions. Diamox helps with the headache but it makes you urinate a lot. So if you take Diamox, please hydrate yourself well. Most people get out of the altitude sickness in a couple of days.
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Hotel Nalanda Ladakh, Leh: This is an excellent mid range option in Leh. The staff is very courteous and the management takes personal interest in making your stay comfortable. The food is excellent and the rooms and bathrooms are pretty clean. The tariff is quite reasonable as well. The travel desk at the hotel helps in arranging all possible travel needs. The only downside is that it is not close to the market. It is a stiff 15 min uphill walk to get to here from the main market.
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Himalayan Eco Resort, Hunder: This is a good property with decent views. The rooms are comfortable and clean, but they are on the smaller side. The bathrooms are clean as well. The rooms are very well insulated from cold and sound. The food is decent, but not great. The tariff is reasonable. The location is a bit far from the Hunder turn-off. They are not punctual about the meal timings. It is generally a 15 to 30 min wait for the food to be laid out.
- Camp Redstart, Spangmik: Note that is a remote corner of the country and this is a tented camp site. So set your expectation accordingly. This is an excellent camp site. The food is very good and the beds are very cozy, comfortable and warm. There is an attached flush toilets for every tent. The staff is very courteous and is doing a wonderful job of running this place. This is not the closest site to the lake. So the views are better from the properties closer to the lake. But talking to the guests in there, it looks like they aren't as comfortable as Redstart.
Driving Distances / Conditions
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Leh to Lamayuru (120 km one way): If you want to day trip towards Srinagar, Lamayuru is how far you can practically get to. On this day, you can comfortably check out the monasteries of Spituk, Basgo, Likir Alchi and Lamayuru. The road is excellent. It is one-lane (each way) and paved through out. Note that Likir and Alchi are a few kilometers off the main highway. There are enough places to eat on the way.
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Leh to Hemis: There are two routes to Hemis Monastery. The main highway goes via Shey and Thikse and the alternate one will go via Stok, Stakna and Matho. You can go via one and come via the other to pack in all the monasteries. That would be a very long day though. Alternatively, the main highway goes to Pangong and Manali and you can stop by Shey and Thikse as a part of those trips. The direct route to Hemis is 42 kms and can be easily done under an hour. The main highway is excellent and the alternate route is pretty decent as well.
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Nubra Valley: Leh to Khardung-la is 34 kms and it will take about 2 to 2.5 hrs. Khardung-la to Diskit is another 2 to 2.5 hrs. The 15 kms on each side of the pass is pretty bad. Other than that part, the road is pretty good. If you are coming from Leh, Khardung village (one hr past the pass) is the place you can find anything other than Maggi to eat. From the Diskit turn off, it is about 2 hrs to Panamik. The scenery is pretty decent. Sumur and Panamik have few places to eat. From the same Diskit turn off, it is a good 3 to 4 hrs to Turtuk. This route is far more scenic than the Panamik one. Diskit, Hunder and Turtuk have some good places to eat. Note that Diskit Gompa has two parts: the statue and the actual gompa. The best place to photograph one is from the other.
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Pangong Tso: It is a four to five hrs drive to Pangong Lake from Leh. The road is decent except for 5 kms on either side of the Chang-La pass. You can do this trip in a day and that is what most tourists do. But in case you have a bad weather day, the day trippers end up missing out. If you overnight in Pangong, you can wait out the weather and still make it there by the evening (which is what happened to us). Also, the lake is prettiest during dawn and dusk. The downside is that sleeping at 14,000 ft (at the lake) is no fun, if you are prone to altitude sickness.