Nuts and Bolts: Travel Tips for Visiting Leh
- Rand Blimes
- May 16
- 8 min read
Updated: May 18
Nuts and Bolts posts give you the practical information you need, but without stripping away the humor, mishaps, and little victories that make real travel what it is. These aren’t just guides. They’re how we actually did it—mistakes, triumphs, and all.
This page has some travel tips for visiting Leh, to aid in planning your own trip. Remember, we are a family of five, and we travel mostly to eat. We were in Leh in May, 2016. If your trip to Leh is significantly longer/shorter/with a different focus, you may have a very different experience.
The Curious Incident of Trust on the Road
The mountain setting of Leh, the capital city of the Ladakh region of Indian Kashmir is truly beautiful. But, believe it or not, the mountains are not the most beautiful part of Leh. This story explains why:
My wife wanted to buy a cashmere pashmina while we were in Leh. She looked around a few different shop, found one she really liked, and started bargaining with the shopkeeper. Before long, they found a mutually agreeable price and a deal was struck.
But when my wife went to grab her cash, she found out she didn’t have as much as she thought. Nor was she carrying her bank card to make an ATM run.
She panicked a little bit. She had looked at a LOT of pashminas, and she really liked this one. She went, hat in hand, to the shopkeeper and explained the situation to him. Almost timidly, she asked if he would consider holding the pashmina for her until she could come back with cash later.
“No problem! You take the pashmina. Just bring me cash later.”
It took my wife a second to register what he was saying. He was letting her just take the pashmina now, promising to bring the money later? Really?
Yep.
And that is what she did. In fact, she came down with a nasty virus and was stuck in bed for several days. But she described the store and the shopkeeper to me, and I dutifully took the cash.
That’s what Leh is like. It is a little travelers' Shangri La, tucked amid some of the best mountain scenery anywhere. If you like your travels on a high mountain plateau dotted with Buddhist temples and monasteries, get yourself to Ladakh and make your new homebase in the charming mountain town of Leh.
Go!
Travel Tips for Visiting Leh: Weather
We arrived in mid-May, just as Leh was rubbing the sleep out of its eyes and getting ready for tourist season. Shops were unlocking their shutters. Guesthouses were airing out their rooms. And the streets had that early-season mix of silence and optimism.
The days? Cool and crisp. Think long-sleeve weather with bursts of sun that make you question your layers. The nights? Cold. Not freezing, but not far off. And unless you splurged on a heated room (we didn’t), you’re probably spending a lot of your evenings curled up under a giant stack of thick blankets, wondering if it’s worth getting up to brush your teeth.
Most budget hotels in Leh don’t have central heating, so don’t expect to lounge around in T-shirts after dark. You adapt. You find the warmest corner of the bed. You make friends with the blanket. You develop a deeply emotional relationship with your thermos of hot tea.
Still, the skies were clear, the mountains were sharp, and there was just enough warmth in the afternoons to make exploring the town a pleasure—at least until sunset chased us back under the covers.
Getting to Leh
We flew in.
In mid-May, the mountain roads were only just beginning to open, and the idea of multi-day road trips over still-snowy passes sounded more dramatic than we were ready for. So we took the path of least resistance: a short, stunning flight from Srinagar into Leh’s airport—a tiny airstrip cradled in mountains.
It was quick. It was beautiful. It was convenient.
And then we landed… at 11,500 feet (3,500 meters).
If you’ve never stepped off a plane straight into high altitude before, it’s a bit like being lightly body-slammed by the sky. Even the airport knows this. As soon as you land, you’re greeted by a loudspeaker repeating a polite but pointed warning, reminding all lowlanders to rest for several days after arriving.
Altitude sickness is real, and flying into Leh doesn’t ease you in gently. We moved like half asleep sloths with jet lag. Breathing felt like a group project. And the first 24 hours were mostly spent in bed under fluffy blankets, and sipping water like it was medicine.
But after a day or two, we adjusted.
Just don’t plan anything ambitious on arrival day. No hiking. No temples at elevation. Just you, your blanket cocoon, and a strong hydration game.
If you’re coming later in the season, overland routes open up—epic drives from Manali or Srinagar that wind over some of the world’s highest motorable passes. But early in the season, flying is the way in. Just be ready to listen to the airport loudspeaker. It knows what it’s talking about.
Sleeping in Leh for the Cheapskate Family
Leh is full of charming guesthouses at all price levels. We spent three weeks in the area, but the thing to do Ladakh is take road trips into the surrounding area. So we would spend a few days in Leh, then head out into the mountains for a few days. Then back to Leh. Then to the mountains. Back to Leh again.
We bounced back and forth between two different guesthouses: Chow Guest House, and ZikZik. The rooms at both places were simple, but the blankets were fluffy, and the hot water was copious. The entry to Chow is covered in flowers (even early in the season), and ZikZik had a peaceful little courtyard.
Unless you are arriving late in the day in the middle of high season, you will probably do just fine showing up in Leh and finding a place that works for you.
Road Tripping into the Mountains from Leh
In Leh, haggling over taxi fares isn’t really a thing—and that’s not a bad thing—at least in terms of removing some of the stress and uncertainty of travel. The Ladakh Taxi Union sets fixed rates for nearly every route in the region, from short hops around town to multi-day adventures to Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, and beyond.
Prices vary based on vehicle class—ranging from A+ (Innova Crysta) to C class (Sumo, Eeco, Van)—and whether you’re doing a one-way drop or a round trip. For example, a 2-day round trip to Nubra Valley might cost around ₹11,807 for an XUV/Innova, while a 1-day trip to Pangong Lake could be about ₹10,470.
For the most current rates and to plan your routes, you can refer to the official Ladakh Taxi Union rate list.
Pro tips:
Book early during peak season (June–August), as demand can outstrip supply. On the other hand, if you show up early like we did, you can just roll up to the booking office in town the day before you want to leave and pick the route that seems to call to you in the moment.
Shared taxis are an option if you're traveling solo or on a budget; check with local guesthouses or travel agencies to find others heading your way.
Plan your itinerary in advance to combine destinations efficiently and make the most of your time and money.
We took several trips, or varying duration for Leh:
· Day trip to the south of Leh (Takthok, Chemrey, Hemis, Thiksey, and the Shey Palace)
· Overnight trip to Lamayuru (Indus River, Bagso, Likir, Alchi, and Lamayuru)
Where to Eat
We ate at almost every place in Leh during our time there. There are outdoor places that kept us from freezing to death on early May evenings with a raging bon fire. We found a little joint that made the best spaghetti and meatballs this side of Italy. We sipped endless cups of hot lemon, or ginger in the morning chill.
We had a bit of a surreal experience when we walked into a restaurant for breakfast only to hear someone from the back of the place yell “FAMILY!” It turned out there was a Nepali cook who migrated with the travel season. We had first met him at one of our favorite places to eat in Palolem, Goa. Then, we saw him again at a little place in Pokhara, Nepal. And now, given that we seemed to be on roughly the same schedule, we were re-united once again in Leh. He always referred to us simply as “family” and we referred to him as “cook.” Our meeting in Leh would be our last. I hope he is still slinging fantastic food with a smile, happy as ever.
What To Do
Leh is often treated like a launchpad—somewhere to catch your breath before bolting off to Pangong Lake or Nubra Valley. But if you slow down (and let’s be honest, altitude will make sure you do), the town has some gems of its own.
Climb to Leh Palace
It’s a short but steep walk from town up to this 17th-century palace—think faded grandeur, crumbling staircases, and views that more than make up for the dust. It’s not luxurious, but it feels old in the best possible way. You can almost hear the whispers of silk robes and monastery bells.
Wander the Old Town
Leh’s old town is a maze of narrow lanes, traditional Ladakhi homes, and prayer wheels at every turn. It’s gritty, beautiful, and very much alive. Don’t rush—just get lost for a while.
Watch the Sunset from Shanti Stupa
A brilliant white stupa perched high above town, built by Japanese monks as a peace monument. The climb is a lung-burner (don't even try on day one), but the view over Leh at sunset is worth every gasping step. Bonus: it’s particularly quiet in the early morning.
Visit the Main Bazaar
It’s part market, part social hub, part slow-motion traffic jam. You can shop for pashminas, jewelry, dried apricots, prayer flags, or just come for the people-watching. Bonus: there’s a great little row of momo stalls just off the main stretch.
Check Out the Monasteries-in-Town
Yes, the famous gompas are out of town, but Sankar Gompa (within walking distance of Leh) and Namgyal Tsemo Monastery (perched dramatically above the palace) offer a peaceful introduction to Ladakh’s spiritual side—without the road trip.
Learn Something
The Central Asian Museum is surprisingly engaging and beautifully designed—great for understanding Leh’s crossroads history. Or take a cooking class and learn to make momos without having to marry into a Ladakhi family.
Leh is a city that, after an adjustment period, you simply breathe in, letting it sustain you. The altitude demands patience. The quiet demands presence. And the mountains? They just demand awe.
You’ll wake up to prayer flags fluttering against a cold blue sky and wonder how anything so remote can feel so full. You’ll spend your days wandering dusty streets, squinting into the sunlight, wrapped in layers by morning and stripping them off by afternoon. And honestly, you can cover most of the city in one day’s hard wandering. So don’t do hard wandering. Go mellow. Go slow.
Just go.
And eventually, you’ll start to feel it—not just in your lungs, but in your bones: this strange little city at the edge of the sky has a way of staying with you.
Because travel isn’t always about movement. Sometimes it’s about stillness. About learning to do less, to walk slower, to look longer. And in Leh, that’s not a choice—it’s a necessity.
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