VISIT LADAKH —» Ladakh Travel Information

Ladkah Travel Information

International travelers to the Indian Himalayas usually fly into the gateway city of Delhi. The flights arrive around midnight, and the domestic flights to Leh or other areas leave in the morning, so most travelers stay at least one night in a Delhi hotel. If you are making your own arrangements in Delhi, it is advisable to hire a taxi to your hotel at the prepaid taxi stand in the arrival hall.

Visas
An Indian visa is required and must be obtained from an Indian Consulate, preferably in your home country prior to travel. In the USA this can be accomplished through the mail by downloading a visa form and instructions from www.indianembassy.org.

Permits
In Ladakh, special permits are only required for restricted areas like the Nubra Valley and for summiting certain peaks. We will arrange for these permits as part of our trip package. For Sikkim travelers, an innerline permit is required to enter the state and can be obtained free of charge in Siliguri after landing at the Bagdogra Airport. A passport size photo is required. For trekking in Sikkim, an additional trekking permit is required and must be applied for in advance or your trip. We will assist in obtaining these permits as part of our trip package.

Money
The official currency in India is the Indian Rupee. Travelers can change money at the airport or at the banks and official money exchanges in Delhi and other cities. These exchangers will readily accept cash. American Express travelers checks are usually accepted, but other brands of travelers checks are harder to exchange. Credit cards are accepted at some businesses. ATM machines are beginning to make their appearance, but they are not widespread.

Accommodations
A wide price range of hotels is available in Delhi, but generally, the better ones are expensive (as in most big cities). Lodging in Leh is much more reasonable and can range from guest houses to Class A hotels. Most hotels in Leh have meal plans that are included with the cost of the room. We will gladly arrange accommodations to suit your budget.

Telephones and E-mail
India's telephone system works well. The traveler can make local and international calls from one of the many STD/ISD facilities. The country code for India is 91. The city code for Delhi 011 and for Leh is 01982. Internet service is widely available.

Time
India is 10 hours and 30 minutes ahead of New York (5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT).

Electricity
Voltage is 220 at 50 cycles AC. The central electricity in Leh usually is only available after dark. Many establishments have their own generators as a backup. Electricity is usually not available the rest of Ladakh

Seasons
Ladakh's four seasons are not as even in length as those of Europe and North America, the year being dominated by the long, cold winter which is separated from the short but hot summer by a brief spring and autumn. In many ways, spring and autumn are little more than the end and the beginning of winter and can hardly justify being called separate seasons.

When to go and for how long
Ladakh is surrounded by a ring of high mountains and snow-covered passes which, before the airport was built at Leh, effectively cut it off from the rest of the world for seven or eight months every year. Although the modem visitor can now fly into Leh at any time of the year, trekking is restricted to the five months when the region is free from the grip of winter. The great advantage of Ladakh as a trekking destination is that rainfall is rare. This makes it one of the only Himalayan regions in which it is possible and pleasurable to trek from late June to mid-September, when most other areas are suffering from the constant deluge of the monsoon.

June, July and August
The trekking season begins in about the middle of June. This is a good time to come as there won't be many visitors, but you may have to fly in to Leh as the roads may not have opened and some passes may prove difficult to trek across if there is still a lot of snow around. Ladakh is at its busiest from the beginning of July to the end of August. This coincides with the opening of the Manali to Leh road, linking Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh, which is guaranteed by the government to be kept open from the first week of July until 15 September. The weather is good for trekking, with hot days and refreshingly cool nights, although at lower altitudes it can sometimes be too hot to trek in the middle of the day. A decade or so ago you could almost guarantee a completely dry summer but recent changes in the weather patterns of the Himalaya (thought by some to be the result of global warming) mean that a few days' rain is now a distinct possibility - come prepared. One drawback at this time of year is the number of visitors. The classic treks may be busy and popular guest-houses in Leh fill up quickly.

September and October
September is one of the best months to come trekking, as the number of people both on the trails and in Leh begins to tail off towards the end of August. If you come at the beginning of the month your stay will coincide with the Ladakh Festival. The temperatures are pleasantly warm during the day, without being too hot, but you should come prepared for cold nights, particularly when you're in the mountains. Many of the tea houses in the mountains will have closed and disappeared from the beginning of September and some tourist businesses in Leh shut down come mid September. This can be seen as a benefit as the locals have much more time for you and it is easier to get a sense of the real Ladakh without the commercial pressures of the tourist season. The Manali to Leh road is guaranteed to be open until 15 September and often remains open for much longer. Some years it can remain open throughout October but you should be prepared to consider flying if the winter snows come early. It's usually possible to trek right up until the end of October, although you will need to be suitably equipped for freezing temperatures after the sun has gone down.

November to March
At the beginning of November the lasting snows of winter begin to fall and the streams freeze over for five months. The coldest months are January and February when temperatures fall as low as -40°C transforming the Zanskar River into a frozen trade route known as the Chadur. By March this savage cold has gone. For very experienced and well-prepared winter mountaineers and ski tourers the winter can provide some exciting possibilities. Read Guy Sheridan's account of the first winter journey from Kargil to Manali, through Zanskar and Lahaul, in Tales of a Cross Country Skier.

April and May
It is still quite cold during these months and snowfall is not uncommon at the beginning of April, but by now the ground in the valleys has begun to thaw and activity has resumed in the villages. Trekking is feasible on low-altitude routes, such as from Likir to Temisgam and for those with winter walking experience some higher routes could be attempted. The snow still lies deep on the passes, but with an early start you should be able to cross most on the firm crust of the frozen snow. But if you leave it too late, you'll be sinking up to your chest. The roads into Ladakh will still be closed, so flying in and out is the only practical option.

Climate
Extremes of temperature
There's a saying that anyone whose head is in the sun and feet are in the shade in Ladakh will endure both heat stroke and frostbite at the same time. While this is something of an exaggeration, in summer the sun is incredibly powerful but step into the shade and you may need an extra layer of clothing. Night temperatures are comfortably cool. Altitude also plays a strong role in regulating the temperature. One day you can be trekking at 3000m in the stifling heat, the next you can be battling over a 5000m pass in a blizzard. Generally, summer days are a warm 20-25°C. Winter is a different matter. Even in Leh the thermometer rarely rises above freezing and has been known to drop as low as -35°C. In Zanskar and the far west of Ladakh temperatures as low as this are more frequent.

Rain and Snow
Ladakh is dry in the extreme; a typical year sees under 150mm of rainfall which produces the characteristically barren landscape. This is because the Great Himalayan Range forms an almost impenetrable barrier for the monsoon clouds that sweep up from the south across the rest of the subcontinent. Recent years have seen a slight change in the normal weather pattern with some rain-bearing clouds crossing the mountains in August and early September producing a few days of light rain. In central Ladakh little snow falls in winter while in Zanskar and the far west of Ladakh, especially around Drass, substantial falls are common. Valley travel becomes arduous without skis in the deep unconsolidated snow, and avalanches are a constant hazard in narrow steep-sided valleys.