Leh Ladakh (Leh, pangong lake, Magnetic hill,

Most of us have dream to ride bike (specially Royal Enfield) on roads of Ladakh. We had landed at the Leh Airport at 8am in the morning from Delhi. If you will plan the trip fee months ago than the cost of the flight will be arround ₹1500. But there is another way to reached the Leh (Manali -Leh route). If you want to make your trip longer and more excited and to ride the bike on those hilly roads than this is the best way to reach the Leh. You can get the bike on rent from manali and if you have your own vehicle, nothing is batter than your own vehicle. (Best time to visit Leh Ladakh is May to July ).

Let's start our first day -

You have to just take the rest in the hotel for a day to adapt the environmental conditions otherwise you become ill. Because the atmospheric pressure is lower in Leh due to high altitude so body needs some time to adapt the conditions. We have reached the Leh airport at 10 AM and to the guesthouse at 11 AM. We haven't book the hotels online. Online booking cost you more compare to the offline. Local people are helpful there and I haven't seen local as much as helpful and honest any other places.

Total we were 9 and we have booked one hall and one room at guesthouse. Total cost of both were arround ₹2000 per days. Dam that was cheap for 9 people.

We took rest whole day and we walked in evening in the market only. I was feeling exhausted while walking due to lack of oxygen there. It is difficult to break and you simply can't run there, walking is sufficient.

We have walk through the Mall road. It is build for visitors and remember one thing "Just don't buy anything from here" they charge arround 10 times for the same thing you can purchase from local market. So if you want to buy anything than ask someone local about the local market you will get the same things there with low price.

We have visited there in 1st week of October and it was not the right time to visit Leh. Temperature in day was arround 0°C and in night it went upto -4°C. So don't forgot to take winter clothes otherwise you will not survive there.

We did dinner in night outside the guesthouse and we came back and take rest.

One more thing best network in Leh and nearby places is of BSNL no other network as well as the bsnl does. So either you can purchase a local prepaid sim there or carry a postpaid sim with you.

Basically there are three directions in which you can further go -

1- Magnetic hill (Leh -Shrinagar Highway)

2- Nubra valley

3- pangong Tso (Lake)

There are stupas in Leh itself and Leh palace so 1st of all you can visit these stupas and Leh palace and then you can go to the magnetic hill. It is arround 30km from the Leh. In between magnetic hill and Leh there are major three place where you can also visit.

1- Hall of fame (Musium) - this Musium is based on the indian soldiers who fought for India. This Musium have the equipments used in war and their bravery stories. Ticket of this Musium is arround ₹50.

2- Sputum Gompa -

3- Gurudwara pathie sahib - This is a Gurudwara and have great story behind it. Best thing I personally like here is tea with Toast. In cold place if you will get tea nothing is better than that. Other you can join langar

Now most important thing is that you required a pass to visit the pangong lake and it will cost you arround ₹500 for each. You can either book it online or by visiting the office. But our guesthouse manager was a very cool and nice person so he arranged the passes but it will require a photocopy of you I'd card (Aadhar, DL, voter card).

If you have your own bike than its great otherwise you can rent the bullets from Leh. 350cc bullet cost us ₹1000 for a day and 500cc cost us ₹1200 per day. As per my experience it is better to rent the 500cc bullet. Also you can rent 4 wheeler it's depends on your choice.

We have reurned to the guesthouse in the evening at arround 7pm.

As we were visited in the 1st week of October so that was not the right time to visit the Nubra valley so we have to change our plan but if you will visit there in may to July than make a 3 days plan, start in morning and reach to Nubra valley and then spend night there in guesthouse and enjoy you next day morning there and again go directly to pangong lake from Nubra no need to come back to Leh. It will take whole day to reach the pangong lake and visit evening and morning there and came back to Leh in 3rd day .

Now what we have done is that we had only option left is to visit the pangong lake. And it was October so we can't use the bike due to heavy snowfall places near changla pass. We booked travel there. It cost us arround ₹19000. Price of these are fixed from union so you will get the same prices from different travelers. I love that thing no monopoly and same price. "Don't forgot to carry an oxygen cylinder with you" at pangong there is lack of oxygen so you must require an oxygen cylinder. Distance between Leh and pangong lake is arround 120km and it will take whole day to reach there and you will get exhausted after reaching there.

Book a tent there and if you have your tent and sleeping bag than you can use it as well. When we were there in October temperature at night was arround -15°C and you can hear the sound of air.

If you love bonfire than carry the bundle of wood along yourself because it is cold desert there and you won't find a single piece of wood there.