10 daysIndiaAges 18–40
10 days · Leh, Nubra Valley & Pangong Lake
Ladakh Road Trip is a 10-day group trip for solo travellers aged 18 to 40 through India's high-altitude desert in the far north. You fly into Leh, build in proper rest days before crossing Khardung La to the Nubra Valley, then drive on to Pangong Lake and Tso Moriri, two high-altitude lakes. Your Trip Host is with the group the whole way, and the Protected Area Permit is arranged through a registered agent in Leh and included in the price.
Updated
From, per person
$850 / £638 / €745 / A$1,210 / CA$1,200 / NZ$1,500 / ₹81,600
Free to reserve
Sarthak's best travel memories come from going solo: hostel dorms, a new activity most days, new cultures and new food. SoloNomads grew out of that.
Sarthak travels with every group, from the first day to the last, so there's always someone on hand to sort things out when plans change and to make sure nobody gets left out.
In every country, a licensed local agency and licensed local guides look after the ground services, so you get local know-how too.
Leh to Leh, 6 stops in 10 days.
6 stops
10 days
Day 1
Flights from Delhi take about an hour and a half and land you at about 3,500 m. Today is about doing very little: check into the hotel, drink plenty of water, and skip alcohol. The Trip Host meets everyone for a short briefing in the early evening and a slow dinner nearby.
Day 2
A second day at altitude with nothing demanding on it. The Leh district administration advises at least 48 hours of rest before going higher, and Khardung La comes on Day 4. If you're feeling fine by the afternoon, there's an easy walk up to the Shanti Stupa for sunset views over town. If not, the town and the cafes on Main Bazaar are enough for one day.
Day 3
With two nights' altitude behind us, we take a day trip to Shey, Thiksey and Hemis. Thiksey is built up a hillside like a small Potala Palace, and if the timing works, we sit in quietly on the morning prayers. Hemis, the largest monastery in Ladakh, has a museum of old thangkas and manuscripts.
Day 4
We cross Khardung La (5,359 m), with a stop at the top for photos before dropping down into the wide, green Nubra Valley. At Diskit we visit the monastery and its huge Maitreya Buddha, looking out over the valley.
Day 5
A short drive on to Hunder, where the valley floor turns to sand dunes between the mountains and double-humped Bactrian camels graze nearby. The rest of the day is free to walk along the river or rest at camp before tomorrow's drive.
Day 6
A long but spectacular drive across to Pangong Tso. The shortest way is the Shyok road, but whether it is open to foreigners and on our permit changes from year to year. The Trip Host confirms the route with the local agent before we set off. If the Shyok road isn't available, we go back over Khardung La and Chang La, which makes it a much longer day. Either way we reach the lake in the afternoon or evening, with time to walk the shore as the water changes colour in the evening light.
Day 7
Pangong at sunrise is worth the cold. After breakfast we drive back to Leh over Chang La, arriving in the afternoon with the evening free to do laundry, eat well and get an early night before the next long day.
Day 8
A full day's drive south to Tso Moriri, one of the highest and quietest lakes on the trip. We stay in a homestay in Korzok, the only village on the shore, looked after by a local family. There's little to no phone signal out here, which most people end up liking.
Day 9
A quiet morning by the lake before the long drive back to Leh. We stop for lunch on the way and reach town by early evening for a farewell dinner together.
Day 10
The trip ends after breakfast. Leh has direct flights to Delhi, and the Trip Host can help with timing if you need to connect to an international flight the same day.
Prices are per person, and reserving is free. A date goes ahead once about 10 travellers have joined. You pay nothing until then. Once it's confirmed, we send you an invoice for the full price, and you have 7 days to pay it (or until the trip starts, if that's sooner).
26 Jun – 5 Jul 2027
AvailableEarly season, cooler nights, snow possible on the high passesMax 16 people
Price
$850 / £638 / €745 / A$1,210 / CA$1,200 / NZ$1,500 / ₹81,600
7 Aug – 16 Aug 2027
AvailablePeak season, warmest daysMax 16 people
Price
$880 / £660 / €770 / A$1,250 / CA$1,240 / NZ$1,550 / ₹84,480
4 Sept – 13 Sept 2027
AvailableQuieter, clear skies, colder nights at the lakesMax 16 people
Price
$850 / £638 / €745 / A$1,210 / CA$1,200 / NZ$1,500 / ₹81,600
You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join, and reservations close 7 days before the start date. Once enough travellers have joined, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price. You pay it by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees, and the price shown for your date is what you pay.
Yes, for Nubra, Pangong and Tso Moriri. It's a Protected Area Permit, issued to groups of two or more through a registered travel agent in Leh, and valid for up to 7 days. We arrange and pay for it as part of the trip. Your Indian e-Visa alone isn't valid in these areas. Pangong is open to foreigners only as far as Spangmik, Man and Merak, and permit rules can change, which is why the Day 6 route is confirmed shortly before we set off.
Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people come on their own, and some come with a friend. Each departure takes up to 16 people, split between 4x4 vehicles of 4 to 6. The Trip Host travels with the group for all 10 days, manages the permit and every drive and check-in, and watches for signs of altitude sickness across the group. Drivers are local and know the routes and the road conditions.
It starts and ends in Leh, and the trip ends after breakfast on Day 10. We send the hotel address when you book. Airport transfers aren't included. Fly from Delhi, about an hour and a half. Leh isn't an e-Visa entry airport, so you land at Delhi or another listed airport first and fly on to Leh separately. Weather can delay or cancel flights into Leh, so don't book a tight onward connection on Day 10.
Yes. Most nationalities need a visa for India, and most can apply for an e-Visa online on the official site, indianvisaonline.gov.in. You also have to file India's free online arrival and health forms before you fly. Rules change, so read our India visa guide for your passport before you book flights.
Ladakh's travel season runs from about June to September, and our departures sit inside it. From November to April it is bitterly cold and Pangong freezes over. The Manali to Leh road is closed for most of that time, and the Srinagar to Leh road closes in winter too. We fly in and out of Leh, so this trip doesn't use either road. Early in the season, snow can still lie on the high passes.
Hotels in Leh, a camp in the Nubra Valley, a camp at Pangong Lake and a homestay in Korzok at Tso Moriri. You share a twin room or tent with a traveller of the same gender, and private rooms are available on request in Leh.
Twenty-one meals are included, which covers nearly every meal on the trip. Budget a little extra for snacks and drinks in Leh's cafes. Leh has several ATMs, but Diskit's is often out of service and there are none at Pangong or Tso Moriri, so take out enough cash in Leh. Postpaid Indian SIMs work in Ladakh. Prepaid SIMs from elsewhere in India don't, and international eSIMs are reported not to work either. You can buy a local prepaid SIM in Leh with your passport, and there is little or no signal at Tso Moriri.
Warm layers for every day, since nights at Pangong and Tso Moriri get close to freezing even in August. A good sunscreen and sunglasses, since the sun is strong at altitude, a reusable water bottle, and a warm sleeping bag liner for the camps and homestay.
Insurance is a condition of joining. It must cover medical treatment and evacuation, and specifically the altitudes this trip reaches, since standard policies sometimes exclude high-altitude travel and there is no commercial rescue above 3,000 m. For vaccinations, check with a travel health clinic or your doctor at least six weeks before you go. The NHS fitfortravel site and the US CDC keep up-to-date advice for India.
We start with two days in Leh before Day 4, when we cross Khardung La, in line with the Leh administration's advice to rest for at least 48 hours before going higher. The Trip Host watches for headache, nausea, breathlessness and poor sleep, which are the early signs, and the plan is to rest or descend if anyone's symptoms don't settle. Pangong and Tso Moriri are both above 4,000 m, so the nights there are higher than anything in Leh. Talk to your doctor before you travel about whether altitude medicine such as Diamox is right for you.
No. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, including Srinagar and Sonamarg. Ladakh has been a separate Union Territory since 2019 and is not covered by that warning, but the Srinagar to Leh road runs through the area that is. We fly into Leh and don't use that road. Check your own government's travel advice and your insurer's terms before you book.
Ask here and someone on the team will email you back within 1 to 2 business days.
From
$850 / £638 / €745 / A$1,210 / CA$1,200 / NZ$1,500 / ₹81,600