Ladakh

[Hermes]

Hi,

I have read most of the threads on planning an itinerary to Ladakh. I have drafted my itinerary as attached.

Request advice.

Thanks

[Yogesh Sarkar]

What is your mode of transport and what is the nationality of all those traveling with you (if any)?

[Hermes]

Originally Posted by Yogesh Sarkar

What is your mode of transport and what is the nationality of all those traveling with you (if any)?

Swift petrol and All Indians

[kkbhagra]

Leh to Pangong n from pangong u can hit it straight to tsomo.... from tso mo... take namsha la pass( this way you cover tso kar as well enroute sarchu..

from tso mo hit tsokar and then awesome road to mooreplains... the road from tso kar to moore plains is freshly made and one hell of a joiurney... i personally loved the stretch... n if i m not wrong(not sure either) there is some shortcut frm pangong to tsomo.....(experts pls advice)

nut shell:
hittin tso mo and then pangong: u miss tsokar.. and also add on extra extra miles to ya journey....

Yeah one more thing instead of halting at Sarchu try to reach jispa(more beautiful and there is a hotel too..... Sarchu i dont know but found it very ??? not worth a stay.... and if ya hit jispa(just about 2 hours of extra riding) from there drive to and halt at Naggar or Kullu.the next day... from there delhi is a jiffy .... (driving from sarchu to mandi....sad... naggar is worth a overnight halt..... definitely over mandi( sad place ) and naggar to mandi is just about 1.5 hrs journey...

Have a good journey.

All th ebest and Enjoy.

Originally Posted by Hermes

Hi,

I have read most of the threads on planning an itinerary to Ladakh. I have drafted my itinerary as attached.

Request advice.

Thanks

[kkbhagra]

Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri via Chushul - Nyoma - Mahe.

But i suppose u need special permits to embark on this route.....
otherwise start early from Pangong and u can make an easy cut to tso mo by afternoon.... in general th eroad is pretty good.... till about 20km before tsomo.

[Yogesh Sarkar]

In that case you cannot do Tso Moriri - Chushul - Pangong Tso, without a serious danger of getting stuck en route. In any case this route would likely take longer than the usual route and that too takes around 12-14 hours and in a swift would probably take lot longer.

As for your itinerary, my suggestion would be to do like this:

5th June 2010: Delhi - Jammu
6th June 2010: Jammu - Srinagar
7th June 2010: Srinagar - Kargil/Mulbek (Mulbek has limited accommodation on offer)
8th June 2010: Kargil/Mulbek - Leh
9th June 2010: Leh, rest and get permit
10th June 2010: Leh - Khardung La - Nubra Valley
11th June 2010: Nubra Valley sightseeing
12th June 2010: Nubra Valley - Khardung La - Leh
13th June 2010: Leh - Chang La - Pangong Tso
14th June 2010: Pangong Tso - Chang La - Karu - Upshi/Chumathang (fill up at Karu petrol pump)
15th June 2010: Upshi/Chumathang - Tso Moriri
16th June 2010: Tso Moriri - Tso Kar - Sarchu
17th June 2010: Sarchu - Manali
18th June 2010: Manali - Delhi

Keep in mind that in order to do Karu - Tso Moriri - Tandi, you will need enough petrol for around 500+ km, unless you are ok with the idea of putting petrol available in black i.e. bad quality and high price in to your car. Also you will be doing around 100km worth of off road driving between Leh - Tso Moriri - Tso Kar, so keep your cool, make sure to drive safely and be ready for rattled car and body .

Also instead of spending one extra day in Nubra Valley, you can use it in Leh or keep it as buffer day.

As for budget, well it depends on various things and you are the only one who can calculate that properly, here is a blog post which I wrote regarding that Budget for a trip to Ladakh | Yogesh Sarkar's Blog

[arjunkartha]

Love your itinerary format!

Have you considered parking your car in bits and biking around?

[Hermes]

Thanks KK...will consider your advice...appreciate your response....

Thanks Yogesh & Arjun....taking on Arjun's point...what parts of the trip can be done using a bike. Where do I hire the bike from. How much does it cost to hire a bike??

How much would fuel cost at Leh and around....thanks

[arjunkartha]

Originally Posted by Hermes

Thanks Yogesh & Arjun....taking on Arjun's point...what parts of the trip can be done using a bike. Where do I hire the bike from. How much does it cost to hire a bike??

Well, it's pretty much up to you...but most of it can be done by bike. The Leh - Khardung - Nubra trip is easy (and recommended, by the way). K-top is much easier to navigate by bike, instead of a car. (Think of a road 8" wide with a sheer wall on one side, and a 1000 foot drop on the other...and a lorry heading at you in the opposite direction!)

Petrol isn't very expensive...last I checked it's around Rs 46-47 which is on par with regular rates across the country. (In perspective: petrol in Leh is cheaper than in Bangalore!!)

Oh, and you can get Bikes in Leh (many shops in the main market). An Enfield should cost you between 300-600 a day, depending on season and how much you bargain.

[Hermes]

Thanks Arjun....i also wanted to understand if I am trying to over achieve in my itinerary as modified by Yogesh...