Ladakh: The High Passes
Nine days, three passes over 5,000 metres, and two nights camped beside Pangong.
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Placeholder artwork — real trip photography drops in here.
About this trip
The full Ladakh, done at a pace that respects the altitude. Three nights in Leh first — non-negotiable, because acclimatisation is the difference between a great trip and a miserable one — then over Khardung La into Nubra, camel-back across the Hunder dunes, up to the Turtuk villages that only opened to visitors in 2010, and finally two nights beside Pangong Tso, where the lake changes colour hour by hour and the night sky is genuinely difficult to describe. This is our most demanding domestic trip and our most requested.
- Three acclimatisation nights in Leh, with Thiksey and Hemis monasteries
- Khardung La, at 5,359m
- Two nights at Pangong Tso, in permanent camps at the water's edge
- Turtuk, a Balti village that was in Pakistan until 1971
- Double-humped camels on the Hunder dunes
- A stop at Magnetic Hill and the Indus–Zanskar confluence
Day by day
9 days, written by the host who runs it.
Day 1Arrive Leh
Fly in to Leh at 3,500m. Do nothing at all today — that is the instruction, not a suggestion. Rest, drink water, short walk to the market in the evening if you feel fine.
Day 2Leh monasteries
Thiksey at dawn for the morning prayers, then Hemis and Shey. Back by mid-afternoon. Still an easy day by design.
Day 3Sham valley
Magnetic Hill, the Indus–Zanskar confluence at Nimmu, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and Alchi. Your body has had three nights now.
Day 4Over Khardung La to Nubra
The world's highest motorable stretch, then down into the Nubra valley. Camels on the Hunder dunes in the late afternoon light. Night at Hunder.
Day 5Turtuk
Out to Turtuk, near the line of control — apricot orchards, Balti food, and a village with a very different history from anywhere else on this trip. Back to Hunder.
Day 6Nubra to Pangong
The long, remote Shyok road east to Pangong Tso. Arrive by late afternoon, in time for the lake at its best hour. Night in camps at Spangmik.
Day 7Pangong
A full day at the lake with nothing scheduled. Walk the shoreline, sit, sleep, look at it. Second night at the lake — this is what people remember.
Day 8Pangong to Leh, over Chang La
Back over Chang La at 5,360m, with a stop at Druk Padma Karpo school. Evening in Leh, last dinner, and a proper shower.
Day 9Leh, and out
Morning flights out. Trip ends at the airport drop.
What the price covers
Included
- 8 nights — 4 in Leh hotels, 2 in Nubra, 2 in permanent camps at Pangong, twin sharing
- All breakfasts and dinners
- All transport in Ladakh, including airport transfers, in vehicles rated for these roads
- All inner-line permits and wildlife fees
- Camel ride at Hunder
- Your host for the full trip, plus oxygen and a full first-aid kit in every vehicle
Not included
- Flights to and from Leh
- All lunches
- Monastery camera charges
- Travel insurance — mandatory for this trip, and we will ask to see it
- Any cost arising from a pass closing, which happens
Where you sleep, how you move
Stay
Four nights in a comfortable Leh hotel with reliable hot water and oxygen on call. Two nights in a Nubra camp or guesthouse. Two nights in permanent tented camps at Pangong — attached bathrooms, proper beds, electricity for a few hours in the evening, and no heating beyond thick quilts. It gets to freezing at night even in summer.
Transport
Innova or Xylo SUVs, maximum four travellers per vehicle so nobody sits on a hump for nine days. Drivers are Leh locals licensed for the high passes.
What to carry
- A 50–60L rucksack, plus a small daypack
- Layers: thermals, fleece, and a windproof outer shell
- Broken-in trekking or walking shoes — not new ones
- Sunglasses, SPF 50, lip balm, a wide-brimmed hat
- A reusable water bottle — we do not carry single-use plastic
- Personal medication, plus any prescription you rely on
- A power bank; charging points are scarce past the last town
Who this trip is for
Open to 18–50. You will sleep two nights above 4,200m and cross three passes above 5,000m. Anyone with a heart, lung, blood-pressure or blood-sugar condition, or who is pregnant, should not book this trip. If you are unsure, message us before you book.
Cancellation & refunds
Specific to this trip, because a permit-bound Himalayan departure cannot carry the same terms as a weekend by a river.
- More than 45 days before departure — full refund, less a ₹2,500 processing fee.
- 30 to 45 days before departure — 60% refund. Permits and stays are blocked this far out and are non-recoverable.
- 15 to 29 days before departure — 30% refund.
- Under 15 days before departure — no refund. Your seat is transferable to a friend at no cost.
- Weather or road closures are outside anyone's control. If we cannot run the trip you get a full refund or a free transfer.
Full terms are in our refund & cancellation policy.
Meet your host
Rehan Qureshi
Based in Srinagar, Kashmir · 6 trips led
Certified mountain leader with eleven Great Lakes crossings and a wilderness first-responder certification he has unfortunately had to use. Our most senior trek host and the person who trains the others.
“A good trek host is boring. Nothing goes wrong, because you saw it coming two days ago.”
Not quite the one?
There are other departures, and we would rather put you on the right trip than the nearest one.
Or reach us on WhatsApp at +91 96063 37793