Ladakh Travel Guide: Where to Go, When to Visit, Permits

Photo: KennyOMG, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Ladakh is a high, dry land between the Karakoram and the Great Himalaya, with Leh at about 3,500 metres. Travellers come for monasteries, wide lakes, high passes and clear night skies. It is a union territory, and its roads close for much of the winter. Arrive slowly: here the altitude matters more than anything else.

In Ladakh, the first thing you plan is rest.

Where to go

• Leh: the old town below Leh Palace, the Shanti Stupa on its ridge, and the main bazaar. Spend your first two days here, resting, before going higher.
• The Indus valley monasteries: Thiksey, built up a hill in tiers, and Hemis, the largest, with Shey and Stakna between them.
• Nubra valley: over Khardung La to Diskit, the dunes and two-humped camels at Hunder, and Turtuk, a Balti village of apricot orchards near the Line of Control.
• Pangong Tso: a long, narrow lake that runs from Ladakh into Tibet, its water changing from blue to green through the day.
• Tso Moriri and Hanle: the Changthang plateau of nomad camps and high lakes, and Hanle's observatory under some of India's darkest skies.
• Sham valley and Alchi: apricot villages west of Leh, and the thousand-year-old wall paintings of Alchi monastery.
• Lamayuru: one of Ladakh's oldest monasteries, above eroded yellow hills known as the moonland, on the road to Kargil.
• Zanskar: Padum, the cliff monastery of Phuktal and Karsha, and the winter Chadar trek on the frozen Zanskar river.
• Kargil, Drass and the Suru valley: the war memorial at Drass, and green fields below the twin peaks of Nun and Kun.

Districts

Ladakh now has seven districts. Until April 2026 it had two, Leh and Kargil. On 27 April 2026 the administration notified five new ones, carved out of the old two:

• From Leh: Leh, Nubra (headquarters Diskit), Sham (Khaltse) and Changthang (Nyoma).
• From Kargil: Kargil, Zanskar (Padum) and Drass (Drass-Ranbirpura).

The eastern districts cover the Indus valley, Nubra and the Changthang plateau, including Pangong and Tso Moriri. The western ones cover the Suru valley, Drass and Zanskar. Leh and Kargil are the two main towns and travel bases.

Festivals

• Apricot Blossom Festival (April): village fairs as the orchards flower in Sham, Nubra and around Kargil.
• Hemis Tsechu (June or July): two days of masked dances in the Hemis courtyard for the birth of Guru Padmasambhava.
• Zanskar Festival, Sani (September): music, dances and crafts of the Zanskar valley, held near the old Sani monastery.
• Ladakh Festival, Leh (September; 26–28 September in 2026): a procession through Leh market, with mask dances, archery and polo.
• Losar (December or January): the Ladakhi New Year, with lamps and rituals in homes and monasteries.

Monastery festivals follow the Tibetan lunar calendar, and dates can shift by a day; check before you go.

Food to try

• Thukpa: noodle soup with vegetables or meat, the everyday warm meal.
• Skyu: small hand-pressed pieces of dough stewed with vegetables.
• Momos: steamed dumplings with meat or vegetables, sold all over Leh.
• Butter tea: gur gur cha, salted tea churned with butter, drunk through the day.
• Khambir: a round, thick brown bread, eaten with apricot jam or butter tea.
• Apricots: fresh in late summer, and dried for the rest of the year.

To reach Ladakh by road you cross either Jammu and Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh.

Stories from Ladakh

• Ladakh's Seven Districts: What Each Holds, Permits and Roads

Plan your visit

Best season	May to September for most of Ladakh. The Srinagar–Leh road over Zoji La is usually open from about May to November, the Manali–Leh road from about June to October, depending on snow. January and February are for the Chadar trek and snow-leopard trips, with access by air only.
How to reach	Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport at Leh has direct flights from Delhi and other cities all year, fewest in winter. There is no railway; the nearest big railheads are Jammu Tawi and Srinagar for the Kargil road, and Chandigarh for the Manali road. By road: Srinagar–Sonamarg–Kargil–Leh, or Manali–Atal Tunnel–Baralacha La–Leh.
Getting around	Taxis from Leh's taxi union for Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri; hired motorbikes; a few local buses. Distances are long and passes are high, so travel early in the day.
Where to stay	Changspa and the old town in Leh, Diskit or Hunder in Nubra, the lakeside camps near Spangmik at Pangong, Korzok at Tso Moriri, Padum in Zanskar, and Kargil town.
How long to spend	Seven to ten days: two days of rest in Leh, then Nubra and Pangong. Add three or four days for Tso Moriri or Hanle, and more for Zanskar.
Permits	Indian visitors to the Leh side pay an environment, wildlife and Red Cross fee online at lahdclehpermit.in and carry the receipt with their Leh arrival boarding pass. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for Nubra, Khardung La, Pangong, Tso Moriri and other border areas, applied for on the same portal or through a registered Leh travel agent. Citizens of some countries, and holders of diplomatic or journalist passports, need clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs or External Affairs in Delhi.

Open Ladakh, India in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Do Indians need a permit for Ladakh?

Indian citizens no longer need an Inner Line Permit, but visitors on the Leh side pay an environment and wildlife fee online at lahdclehpermit.in. Carry the receipt and your Leh arrival boarding pass; they are checked on the way to Nubra and Pangong.

How do I avoid altitude sickness in Leh?

The Leh administration advises at least 48 hours of rest after arriving before going higher, plenty of water, and no alcohol or smoking. Road travel does not replace rest. Headache, breathlessness or confusion that gets worse needs a doctor at once.

What is the best time to visit Ladakh?

May to September, when both highways are usually open and the lakes are clear of ice. September is quieter, with the Ladakh Festival in Leh.

Can foreigners visit Pangong and Nubra?

Yes, with a Protected Area Permit, applied for online through the Leh portal or through a registered travel agent in Leh. Citizens of a few countries need prior clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Is Ladakh open in winter?

Leh is reachable by air all year, but the highways usually close from about November to May. Winter brings deep cold, the frozen-river Chadar trek and snow-leopard trips, with fewer flights and many guesthouses shut.

Written by Muthu, editor of Aura of India. Sources: Administration of UT Ladakh: Five new districts notified, taking total districts to seven (27 April 2026), Leh District Permit Tracking System (LAHDC Leh): fees, permits and altitude advice, Department of Tourism, UT Ladakh: official website, places and festivals. Last verified: 13 October 2026.

Your turn: Did you reach Ladakh by road or by air? How did you handle the first two days at altitude?