Leh Ladakh Tour Packages

About Leh Ladakh Tourism: Ladakh is a region in Kashmir situated within the Himalayan and Kunlun Ranges and boasts of a unique Tibetan culture. Known as the coldest desert in the world, Ladakh is home to massive mountains, undulating terrains, spectacular gompas, prayer flags and is known for its adventure sports. Ideal for a fun trip, Holidify brings numerous Ladakh tour packages curated to suit all travellers.

The region is dotted with beautiful monasteries like the Hemis Monastery, Spituk Monastery, Chemrey Monastery and Phugtal Monastery. Make sure to visit Nubra Valley on the Silk Route, where you can take Bactrian camel rides and enjoy views of the surrounding Himalayas, though you’d require a permit. If you’re visiting Ladakh on a full moon night, head over to the white-domed Shanti Stupa that houses Buddha’s relics. 

Khardung La and Tanglang La are two of the highest motorable roads that offer breathtaking views of the surrounding areas, while the Chang La Pass is an extremely popular route for bikers. Of course, your trip to Ladakh cannot be complete without a trip to Kargil that is quite close to the Line of Control and is home to the Nun Kun Peaks and extensive apricot farms.

With such hilly terrains, Ladakh is ideal for adventure sports like trekking, mountain biking, and river rafting. Before leaving Ladakh, don’t forget to shop for Pashmina shawls, Tibetan handicrafts and jewellery, Buddha statues, woollens, apricots, apples etc. Holidify’s diverse Ladakh tour packages guarantee you a remarkable trip and are pretty affordable and fully customisable, perfect for when you plan a trip with friends or family.

Leh Ladakh 

For those of us living in the constant confusion about the difference between these twin locations, Leh-Ladakh, here is something that might help you. Ladakh is divided into two districts: district Leh and district Kargil. The former district has a famous town, "Leh", and is a great tourist attraction because of its beautiful monasteries nearby, Shanti Stupa, cafes and Leh Bazaar defining the place's culture.

Must Know Before Visiting Ladakh

• Inner Line Permits are no longer required to travel the inner line areas of Ladakh from August 2021 for Indian Nationals.
• Those visiting Ladakh will still have to pay a green fee or environment fee of INR 300 and a Red Cross Fund fee of INR 100 will still have to be paid. This fee can be paid online or through your hotel or travel agent.
• Travellers from countries other than India will still need to obtain a Protected Area Permit (PAP) or Restricted Area Permit (RAP)
• Government authorities launched a web portal http://lahdclehpermit.in/ on June 1, 2017, making it easier for travellers to obtain a permit.
• The scrapping of ILP doesn't allow the movement to certain villages including the 'zero-km' villages near the border that still remains accessible for the travellers.
  Indian travellers will be required to carry a valid ID proof while travelling to Ladakh
• Ladakh is a plastic-free union territory
• Do not click pictures of locals without their permission
• Carry sufficient cash as there are no ATMs outside of Leh and sometimes these
• ATMs won't be operational due to bad weather and power issues

Places to Visit in Leh Ladakh

Hall of Fame Museum: Located approximately 4 km from Leh on the Leh-Kargil Road, the Hall of Fame is a museum built in memory of the brave soldiers who lost their lives fighting for India at the Indo-Pakistan war. Maintained by the Indian Army, the Hall of Fame showcases seized arms and amenities of Pakistani Army, pictures and biographies of brave soldiers

Thiksey Monastery: Thiksey Monastery is a tibetan-style monastery located 20km south of Leh, on Leh Manali highway. The twelve-storey monastery is located on top of a hill, giving magnificent views of the town and the Indus valley below. The main highlight of Thiksey is the Maitreya Temple which houses a 15-metre high Maitreya Buddha statue. It covers two-stories of the building and is the largest such statue in Ladakh. It resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

Shey Monastery & Palace: Shey Monastery or the Shey Palace is an ancient monastery located 15km from Leh. It once served as the summer capital of Ladakh but is mostly in ruins now. Located on top of a hillock, it offers stunning panoramic views. The highlight of the monastery is 39ft tall Shakyamuni Buddha statue which is the second largest Buddha statue in Jammu & Kashmir. A special permission needs to be taken to visit the monastery.

Hemis Monastery: Hemis Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located 45 kms south of Leh. Built by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal, it is ranked as one of the wealthiest monasteries in India. It houses a spectacular copper statue of Lord Buddha along with stupas made of gold and silver, thangkas (a painting on cotton or silk, depicting Buddhist deity) and murals. 

Shanti Stupa: The Shanti Stupa in Leh is a magnificent white-domed Buddhist monument located atop a steep hilltop. It is a religious place for the Buddhists as it holds the relics of Buddha, consecrated by the 14th Dalai Lama. It is also popular amongst tourists as it offers a sweeping view of Leh and the nearby Changspa village.

Magnetic Hill: The popular Magnetic Hill of Ladakh is a cyclops hill where vehicles defy the force of gravity and move upwards on the hill when parked at the marked location. To experience this phenomenon, park the car in neutral gear in the yellow box marked a few metres ahead of the Magnetic Hill road. From this point, the car starts moving at a speed of 20 kmph.

Gurudwara Pathar Sahib: Gurudwara Pathar Sahib is a beautiful gurudwara, dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev. It is located 25km from Leh on Leh Kargil road. The gurudwara is highly revered as it houses a rock which resembles Guru Nanak's back. It is built at the site where he is believed to have vanquished a demon. 

Leh Palace: The Leh Palace, also known as 'Lhachen Palkhar,' is a 17th-century former royal palace. Built under the patronage of King Sengge Namgyal, it used to house his family. The nine-storey dun-coloured palace now houses a museum and a prayer room, while the highlight is the sweeping view of Leh and the surrounding Zanskar mountain from the rooftop.

Rancho School: The Druk White Lotus School, also known as the Rancho School, is a Buddhist cultural school located in the Shey valley, close to Shey Monastery and Palace. It is popular as the Rancho School from the famed Bollywood movie 3-idiots. The main attraction here is the Rancho Wall, which was originally the building where "Chatur" was given the electric shock. A 15-minute guided tour is available of the Rancho School. There is also a Rancho's Cafe and a souvenir shop inside the school premise.

Pangong Lake: The most popular tourist attraction in Ladakh, Pangong lake is an endorheic (landlocked) lake. Also known as Pangong Tso it is 12 kilometres long and extends from India to Tibet. A unique feature of the lake is that it does not remain blue throughout the year or even the day, rather it changes colours from azure to light blue to green and grey too! It is famous amongst tourists as Ladakh lake, the spot where the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots" was shot. Many Ladakh tour packages include a 1 night stay at Pangong Lake in camps, or a day trip from Leh through Chang La Pass. A permit is required to visit Pangong Lake.

Chang La Pass: Chang La Pass is a high mountain pass and one of the highest motorable roads in the world. It is located between Leh and Pangong Lake and is the main gateway to the Nubra Valley region. The 15km long pass is especially popular amongst bikers. The Pass is guarded and protected by the Indian Army as it is located close to the Chinese border.

Khardung La: Khardung La, also known as Khardzong La, is a high mountain pass in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, near Leh. It serves as the gateway to Shyok and Nubra Valley. It is a perfect getaway for adventure enthusiasts, peace seekers and mountain biking aficionados. An Inner Line Permit is required by the tourists to enter the pass and travel through it. 

Nubra Valley: Nubra Valley lies in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, at a distance of around 140 Km from Leh. With arid mountains in the backdrop, it is famous for the Bactrian camel rides, orchards and monasteries. Surrounded by snow-dusted Himalayan mountains, it can be reached via Khardung La. Diskit Monastery in Nubra Valley is known for the 32 metre Maitreya Buddha statue located near the monastery. There are a lot of activities like ATV rides and ziplining in the Nubra Valley.

Hunder: Hunder is a remote village located in the Nubra Valley region, 7km from Diskit Monastery. It is known for its sand dunes, cold desert and bactrian camel rides. It is also home to forests of sea-buckthorn, which is a medicinal plant. Hunder is popular amongst trekkers. Indian visitors do not need an inner line permit to visit Hunder Valley. Hunder's claim to fame is the Bollywood song of the movie "Dil Se", starring Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala, shot here.

Turtur: Turtuk is a small village located in Nubra Valley region of Ladakh, on the banks of Shyok River. . Turtuk is an unexplored and offbeat place, opened to tourists only in 2010. There isn't much to do in Turtuk apart from trekking and visiting the 2 monasteries and the Royal House.  It is one of the few places in India to experience the Balti culture as Turtuk is one of the four Baltistani villages under India's control. 

Things to Do in Leh Ladakh

Rafting: ​​River rafting is one of the top adventure sports in Ladakh. Besides offering a unique rafting experience, the Indus waters in Ladakh also traverse through spectacular sceneries, monasteries and villages. Rafting expeditions on the Zanskar River are also marvelous. Known as the Grand Canyon of India, this region holds high cliff-like gorges at certain places. Ladakh offers grade one to grade four range of rapids.

Bactrian Camel Safari: Nubra Valley is famous for the Bactrian Camel Safari. These camels are known for their two humps, rather than the one-humped camels usually seen. The best time to enjoy the Bactrian camel ride in Nubra Valley is from July to September. These Hundur camels have a capacity of carrying 2-3 people at a time.

Chadar Trek: The Chadar Trek or The Frozen River Expedition is one of the most unique and challenging treks in India. The 6 day chadar trek across the frozen Zanskar River in Ladakh takes place during the latter part of January till end of February or sometimes even in the first week of March, depending on the weather.

Trekking: From traversing over a glacier, climbing long stretches of mountainous terrain, and manoeuvring their way through a long and steep ridge, Ladakh treks have easy to difficult challenges, even for professional trekkers. The diverse landscape and altitudes at Ladakh ranging from 9000 ft to 25,170 ft offer numerous trekking options. Summers are the perfect time for trekking in Ladakh since winters are harsh with temperatures dropping to -30 degrees Celsius. Some popular treks from Ladakh include Lamayuru to Alchi trek, Padum to Darcha trek, Nubra Valley trek, Tso Moriri trek, and Indus Valley trek among others.

Mountain Biking: Often termed the paradise of mountain bikers, Leh Ladakh has thousands of tourists coming in every year to experience the thrill of driving on its steep slopes and adrenaline gushing paths. For adventurous, daring mountain bikers, Leh-Manali highway is a spectacular road while enjoying the picturesque landscapes. Mountain Biking in Ladakh is best possible or opens in late May and closes by September end when the snowfall reclaims the high passes.

Food in Ladakh

• Momos are perhaps the most popular dish that you would find in Ladakh. A dumpling filled with meat or vegetables, it can either be steamed or fried and is served with a chilli dipping sauce.
• Make sure to try skyu which is a soup-based dish consisting of vegetable and dough rolled into small balls which are then cooked in a pot of water and vegetables. Usually served with meat, it is usually consumed in the winters. And if you add milk to it, it is known as oma skyu.
• Thukpa, soupy noodles with meat or vegetables is also sold all around Ladakh.
• Another popular dish is tingmo; steamed bun-shaped Tibetan bread, it is eaten alongside meat, vegetables and dal.
• Ladakh is also known for chhutagi, which literally translates to “water bread.” It is dough cut into small pieces and shaped like bow ties that are then cooked in a soup of vegetables or meat.
• Some other things to try out here include chhurpi which is dried yak cheese, chhang which is local beer, apricot jam and butter tea.
• Hit up Lamayuru Restaurant, Alchi Kitchen, Himalayan Cafe, Sky Wok Ladakh etc. for these delicacies. 

Shopping in Ladakh

• Ladakh is known for a plethora of Tibetan artefacts including prayer wheels, flags and beads, Buddha statues made of wood, brass, glass etc., copper or brass chang bowls with beautiful carvings, Buddha masks etc.
• Bamboo baskets, Thangka paintings, wooden carved tables (choktse), wall hangings and more are also sold.
• You would find many markets selling bright jewellery (rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces etc) made of beads and silver, key chains, hand-woven Kashmiri rugs and carpets made of natural dyes, pashmina shawls of Kashmiri wool, woollen gloves, stoles, socks, caps, sweaters etc.
• Do look out for goncha which is a traditional warm robe and perak which is embellished headgear.
• You would also like to get some delicious apricot jam or oil while you are in Ladakh.
• Places like Main Bazaar, Ladakh Art Palace, Tibetan Handicraft Emporium, Cottage Industries Exposition, Ladag Apricot Store etc. are known to keep a variety of items.