There is no version of Ladakh that works in five days. Ten is comfortable, twelve is better, and if you are driving in from Manali or Srinagar you should think of the approach as part of the holiday rather than as travel time to be minimised.
When to go
The Srinagar–Leh highway generally opens in May once Zoji La is cleared, and the Manali–Leh highway follows in June when Baralacha La and Tanglang La are through. Both usually stay open until early October. Mid-June to mid-September is the reliable window. Flying into Leh is possible year-round, but a winter trip is a different, much harder proposition.
The two roads in
Manali to Leh is 480 km over four high passes, done in two days with a night at Jispa or Sarchu. It is the more dramatic drive and the harder one on the body, because you gain altitude very fast. Srinagar to Leh is 420 km via Sonamarg, Zoji La and Kargil, also two days, and it climbs far more gently — which is why we suggest it for groups with older travellers or anyone who has had altitude trouble before. Many people do one road in and the other out.
Altitude is the whole game
Leh sits at about 3,500 metres and Khardung La crosses 5,300. If you fly in, do nothing on the first day — no sightseeing, no monastery run, just rest and water. Give yourself forty-eight hours before attempting Nubra or Pangong. Skip alcohol entirely for the first two days, drink far more water than feels natural, and treat a persistent headache with nausea as a reason to descend rather than as something to push through. Talk to a doctor about acetazolamide before the trip if anyone in the group is unsure.
What to see
- Pangong Tso, best with a night at Spangmik rather than as a day trip
- Nubra valley over Khardung La — Diskit monastery, the Hunder dunes, and Turtuk if you have a spare day
- Tso Moriri, the quietest of the big lakes and the longest drive
- Thiksey, Hemis and Alchi monasteries, and Shanti Stupa above Leh for sunset
- The Indus–Zanskar confluence at Nimmu, and Magnetic Hill on the same road
Inner Line Permits are required for Nubra, Pangong, Tso Moriri and Turtuk. They are issued online and your operator or hotel usually handles the paperwork the day before.
Where a tempo traveller helps — and where it does not
This is the honest part. Local taxi union rules in Ladakh mean that vehicles registered outside the union generally cannot be used for sightseeing within Ladakh, however you arrived. The practical pattern is a tempo traveller or coach for the Delhi–Manali or Delhi–Srinagar approach and the return, with locally operated vehicles for the days inside Ladakh. Raahi Vacation plans these trips as two linked legs rather than pretending one vehicle covers everything, because the alternative is an argument at a checkpoint on day four.
Rough budget
- Approach vehicle: ₹40,000 to ₹55,000 for a Delhi–Manali–Delhi tempo traveller leg across the trip
- Local vehicles in Ladakh: ₹4,000 to ₹9,000 per day depending on the route and permit zone
- Stay: ₹1,500 in Leh guesthouses, ₹3,000 upwards for camps at Pangong and Nubra
- Food and permits: ₹900 to ₹1,400 per person per day all in
Build one empty day into the itinerary. Weather, a closed pass or a slow acclimatisation will use it, and if none of those happen you will have a day at Pangong instead of an afternoon.
