Travel is one of those few things in life that is very close to my heart. It gives me an escape from the daily monotony of life and rejuvenates my senses. There is a sense of freedom in it that cannot be defined in words. And our friends trip to Ladakh was meant to be a testimony to this traveler spirit only.
Ladakh was on my mind for a long time and when finally my husband and I had time to go for it, we decided not to delay it any further. Luckily, in this amazing trip to Ladakh, we were also joined by two other wonderful companions whom we call friends!
Together, we set off on one hell of an adventure!
Note: We booked our package to Ladakh via TravelTriangle, an online marketplace that offers customized packages. I knew about them through my previous honeymoon trip (in which we had a great experience). So once again, when I contacted them for quotes and a customized trip, I wasn’t disappointed.
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Here are our Ladakh package details
- Trip Type: Adventure
- Cost: INR 142249
- Duration: 11 Days
- Inclusions: Transfers, Hotels, Meals (not all), and Sightseeing
- Exclusions: Activities done on our own and other personal expenses
Day 1: Manali Trance
We took a flight to Chandigarh from Mumbai and reached early in the morning. After freshening up for a while, we explored the Chandigarh city and quite frankly loved it! Our sightseeing in Chandigarh included Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden, and Sector 17 market.
At around 9:30 pm, we left for Manali and on its way, enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Day 2: Hello Himachal
At around 7 am in the morning, we finally reached Manali. We were amazed by its beauty and after checking into our hotel, relaxed for a while. Later, it was time for some sightseeing in Manali and the places that we visited today were Hadimba Temple, Mall Road, and Cafe 1947.
We later on also got ourselves clicked in traditional Himachali attire and it was truly a moment worth remembering.
Overall, our second day was spent well and was a perfect mix of spirituality, culture, and some good food.
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Day 3: It’s getting really cold out here
After having a delicious breakfast, we left early in the morning for Sarchu via the Rohtang Pass, Keylong, and Baralacha Pass. The journey was extremely scenic and serene. In the night, we had a halt at Sarchu and you won’t believe how cold it got (-6 degrees). We were literally frozen to our bones but apart from this, really enjoyed the feeling (haha!).
Day 4: Leh, here we come!
Today, we woke up to a mesmerizing view and after soaking in some sunlight, proceeded for our breakfast. Soon after, we left for Leh!
The journey from Sarchu to Leh is beautiful. On our way, we crossed Nakeela and Lachung La pass and loved every minute of our travel. The roads were beautiful and the scenery, straight out of heaven.
We later also crossed Sky Angchu Thang (biggest and highest plateau on earth), Tanglang La Pass, and Indus Valley.
I was so happy at seeing these paradise like places in real life that words cannot not describe my feelings. Later, we also saw a beautiful lake on our way (name of which, I can’t remember) before finally reaching our destination – Pang. After having lunch here, we checked into our hotel and spent the remaining time relaxing.
Day 5: The desert experience
After breakfast today, our driver came to pick us up, and we soon began our journey to Hundar. I felt amazing as we were leaving for Nubra Valley via Khardungla Pass (world’s highest motorable road) and at that moment, traveling to this place truly felt like an achievement.
After reaching Nubra Valley, we explored the Hundar Valley, which was full of sand dunes and it was truly an awesome feeling exploring a desert so many feet up.
Our night stay was arranged in a tent, which was once again, a one of a kind experience!
Day 6: The magical Pangong Lake
We woke up to an amazing view of the sand dunes and later proceeded to Deskit Valley. Deskit is the main village of headquarter of Nubra Valley, which has a small market consisting of a row of shops and about 500 years old Gompa on the hilltop. Spectacular views of the valley can be seen from the monastery here and so after visiting the Deskit Monastery, we headed towards the world famous Pangong Lake.
The route to Pangong from Nubra takes the visitor past the picturesque villages of Shey and Thikse and turns off from the Indus valley by the side valley of Chemrey and Sakti.
We finally reached Pangong Lake and were mesmerized by its beauty. The blue lake was enchanting and was a sight to behold. Later, we headed to our tents and spent the evening relaxing.
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Day 7: The most beautiful sunrise!
We woke to the most beautiful sunrise at Pangong Lake! It was a surreal sight and we thank our caretakers for waking us up.
Later, after having our breakfast, we left for Leh. On our way to Leh, we stopped to visit the Thiksey Monastery which I highly recommend since it was very beautiful and extremely calming to the senses.
Post this, we reached Leh and after checking into our hotel, relaxed for a while, and then went out to explore the local market of Leh. We did some shopping here and later returned to our hotel for dinner.
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Day 8: More sightseeing in Ladakh
We visited the Kargil today and enroute, saw the famous Magnetic Hill, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib, and the Confluence of Zanskar and Indus river.
At Kargil, we had a yummy dinner which was prepared by the hotel owner himself and then called it a night.
Day 9: Sonmarg was more beautiful than imagined!
On our way to Srinagar today, we visited Drass, Kargil War Memorial (a must visit!), Zojila Pass, and Sonmarg.
It was an amazingly proud feeling to visit the war memorial and we felt a lot of gratitude for the Indian soldiers protecting our borders.
We also stopped Zero Point for a few hours and then proceeded to Sonmarg. Sonmarg turned out to be the jewel of our trip since it was breathtakingly beautiful. Later, after having our dinner here, we proceeded towards Srinagar, checked into our hotel, and called it a night.
Day 10: The many charms of Srinagar
We started our day with breakfast at the hotel and then headed to see the Mughal Gardens. We visited Nishat Bagh (Abode of Pleasure) built by Asif Khan, brother in law of Emperor Jehangir in 1632 AD. There was the Shalimar Bagh (Abode of love) too and it was built by Jehangir for his wife Empress Noor Jehan.
All the gardens here were situated on the banks of Dal Lake and had the Zabarwan Mountain in their background.
For lunch, we went to Ahdoos Restaurant and had the most delicious meal in the entire journey. We also did a one and a half hour Shikara ride at the Dal lake and loved every bit of it. Post this, we came back to our hotel and rested for the day.
Day 11: Saying goodbye!
This was our last day and it was time to pack our bags, take a bunch of memories, and head back to Mumbai. After our breakfast at the hotel, we headed to the airport and returned to Mumbai.
High Points:
Sarchu, Nubra, and Pangong lake were the wow moments of our trip.
Tips for future travelers:
- Drink a lot of water when traveling to Leh and do not sleep during the daytime.
- Always ascend to high altitude. (either take Srinagar to Leh route or Manali to Leh route)
- Please do not exert yourself. Rest well.
- Go with a group, it is always better to be in group in such places.
- Carry a neck pillow, it really helps a lot.
- Carry warm clothes as some parts are very cold.
- If you start feeling breathless please consult a doctor immediately.
- Have a good 8 hours sleep before a long journey
Inspired to take a trip to Ladakh just like they did? Worry not, for we have the perfect Ladakh package for you! Simply choose one and let us do the planning!
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Inspired to take a trip to Ladakh just like they did? Worry not, for we have the perfect Ladakh package for you! Simply choose one and let TravelTriangle do the planning!
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