Travelling to ladakh is a common urban dream for all those who carve Adventure travel, and who have an eye, to explore the unseen and much talked about beauty of Ladakh, The biggest District of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh alone is total 70 % of the state J&K (india).
Being infectiously beautiful and a next level adventure destination in india, Ladakh Can be like a double edged sword if you dont know certain things, Below I have tried to summaries some important things from my experience of travelling in ladakh region for more than 7 years now.
1. High Altitude
Guys, One thing you must keep a note, before travelling to ladakh i.e; the elevation are very high around ladakh, worlds most highest to be precise, and for somebody who has never slept above 10,000 fts or more above sea level, they are most likely to suffer AMS (Acute Mountains sickness).
However, I will share some easy tricks with you, I have been using that in our organized trips to somehow reduce AMS probability.
- Drink at least 6 litres of water everyday 4 days before the trip, so that your body is enough hydrate and lungs are more relaxed for extra duty, when you hit the altitude beyond 12,000 fts in ladakh.
- Take a “Dymox” Tablet already before your flight to leh at the airport ( Also keep one for each day as spare in case of emergency), and rest at your hotel for at least two days in leh for acclimatization.
- If you are travelling in a group, it is advisable to Buy a oxygen bottle, you can easily find it in chemist shops for a price of 400 – 600 rupees, It can certainly save somebody’s life, if somebody is in a grip of AMS, if you find anyone during the trip please help them.
- Always keep you head covered during the trip, and you must always have a water bottle with you.
2: Evacuation & safety:
You may think that you are well equipped and self sufficient for the trip with all the check lists and arrangements, But you must also know about the medical & evacuation help provided by the army at various points across the ladakh tourist Region i.e; Nubra Valley, Pangong tso, Tso moriri, Lamayuru and other destinations of tourist importance.
I am posting below some important Contact numbers which you can call to inform in case of any emergency or obtain any information regarding your travel to ladakh.
STD Code of Leh – 01982
Tourist Information office – 252297, 252094, 253462
Deputy Commissioner leh – 252010
Foreign registration office – 252200
Chief Medical Officer Leh – 252012
Casualty S. N. M. Hospital – 252360
Police Station Leh – 100, 252018
Police Control Room – 254880
Indian Airlines Office – 252076
Jet Airways office – 250132, 250632, 250512
Airport Leh – 250380
J & K State road Transportation – 252085
Taxi stand – 252723, 253039
3 : Inner line permits & Protected area permits :
To visit the remote areas of ladakh such as Nubra valley, Khandungla pass, pangong lake and tso moriri, one must obtain Inner line permits ( for indian nationals) & protected Area Permit ( PAP) for foreign Nationals travelling into ladakh.
Now it has become very easy to obtain the permit before hand the trip starts, you can simply go to http://lahdclehpermit.in/ to sign up for the permit by entering your necessary details and id proof.
Or if you are already in the town you must visit the district office in leh to obtain the permissions, the manual process usually takes about 1 hour to get the papers, taking the photo copies of your passport, driving license etc, can save some time.
4: Accommodation:
It is recommended to reserve your accommodation at least for two days post arrival in leh, in the mean time you can acclimatize and look for a place more suited to your likings in case you don’t like where you end up for the first two days. However I am putting a list of few of our personally recommended Home Stays and Guest house in Leh, in case you are looking for any recommendation.
- Ladakh orchid House, Near Lomdon school, leh – 9622235330, 09469326516
It is a very nice homestay well equipped as a modern hotel, Has 7 spacious rooms with attached washrrom geyser and all modern amenities, they charge 1500 – 2000 rs per room for two including breakfast & dinner, I must add the food here is very hygienic and tasty, the property is run by two aryan ladakhi girls so the cleaniness and food taste one must not doubt. - Dolma Guest House – 01982-253311
The rooms here are fine, clean, Bucket shower, Food on menu is available, they demand 600 – 1200 rupees for a double room only basis, they has a small garden as well for soaking up the sun, Also the guest house is very close to the main market and most famous restaurants.
Contact – Smt. Tsewang Dolma – 01982-253311 - Greenland Hotel – 01982 – 253156
The hotel offers a beautiful garden space, very clean rooms, delicious food and filtered water available all the time to refill bottles, hot water is available between 10am – 5 pm, or it can be heated sperately in a bucket. The toilet is traditional Ladakhi Composite style. Very close to main market & chanspa Road.
Price range for the hotel is 500 – 800 for a single bedroom & 800 – 1200 for a double room. They can be contacted at 01982 – 253156
5: Clothing is the key :
Ladakh is not just another travel destination, you must be well prepared for the harsh weather conditions in ladakh, Specially during The mornings and evening when the temperature is usually at subzero temperatures, It is highly recommended to get high quality windproof jackets, Balaclava, Gloves, Trekking shoes, Sun glasses, woolen socks, Body warmers, Poncho & rain coats ( you dont want to meet rain in ladakh with out poncho, though it is very rare to rain in ladakh, but last year, I myself was stranded during a motorcycle expedition at south pullu, it rained cats & dogs that day, and we were about 50 people in a 10*10 room finding shelter from the rain.)
Happy Touring, see you on the roads.
For my Adventure travel journeys, Across the indian himalayas on various social media platforms, insta – travelling_monk, Facebook: incredibleoutdoors, Twitter: @inc_outdoors
If you are Planning a motorcycle tour to Ladakh, check detailed plan here.
