Leh Ladakh in July – How to Plan a Trip and What to See?

A trip to Leh Ladakh in July will have a pinch of adventure added to it due to the monsoon season. This is the time when the unpredictability of the weather and the water crossings en route will ensure that you had the fun that you came looking for in Ladakh.

But it is not just the adventurous type that this time is suitable for. July is also the month when the entire region is vibrant with colorful visitors from all over the world. But it will also not be as crowded as it gets in May and June. So you will also be able to experience that offbeat destination that Ladakh is famous for.

How can a trip to Ladakh be planned in July is what I will be talking about in detail in the post below. If you have any other questions,  you can contact me on Instagram and I will be happy to answer. You can also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and asking a question there.

To organize your trip to Ladakh, book a taxi, rent a bike, or get the best hotel rates, you can contact Kunal @ 9910402252. From luxurious hotels to budget stays, he can help get you the best rates possible.

How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh in July

Your final travel plan will depend on your mode of travel and the time you have in hand. But the information below can at least get you started on drafting your own itinerary.

I will include a few tips on what you can expect while traveling to Ladakh in July followed by a suggested itinerary at the end. For planning a trip in any other month of the year, you can take a look at How to Plan a Trip to Leh Ladakh – A Complete Travel Guide.

How to reach Leh Ladakh in July

Let us first talk about how you can reach Ladakh in the month of July. After that, I will provide other details like where to stay, what to see, and other safety tips.

Manali to Leh in July

If you are traveling from Manali to Leh by road in July, then you will find the entire stretch open. But there is no guarantee on how the road conditions will be.

This road gets declared open sometime in June and usually is in its best shape by September only. There is a chance that you will have to face rain which increases even more if you were traveling in the latter half of the month. So please be prepared for any such situation.

If you were traveling by Car then it should not be a problem at all. But even if you were by motorcycle, please make sure that you waterproof everything. For more details on how to travel from Manali to Leh, please read Manali to Leh Highway Guide.

Srinagar to Leh in July

Srinagar Leh highway usually gets declared open sometime in April and by July, the road is completely stable. You will still find BRO working at several sections of the road but by July, it is mostly smooth all the way.

The worst patch of the road will be around Zojilla. Apart from this, there will be a few other bad patches but nothing too troublesome. There will be a few water crossings as well on the way, and your chance of encountering rain will be highest between Srinagar and Drass.

For more details on how to travel from Srinagar to Leh, please read Srinagar Leh Highway Guide.

Public Transport

Public transport will be available in Ladakh in July. even if you could not find a bus, you can always catch a shared cab from Leh bus stand every morning. These cabs run in every direction so no matter what your destination is, you will easily be able to make it there and back.

The daily bus service between Srinagar and Leh and Manali and Leh also becomes operational this month. So if you were thinking of a trip to Ladakh by public transport, July will be a great month to do so.

Local Commute

In Ladakh, buses on all routes like Nubra, Pangong, and Moriri will be available in July. From the bus stand itself, you can also find shared cabs for these destinations if a bus wasn’t available.

Just reach there in the morning and if you can’t find a bus for your destination, look for a shared taxi which is mostly a Sumo or Bolero. Fare per person will be a little higher than the bus but these are more frequent and easily available.

Where to Stay

You will have no problem finding a place to stay. All hotels and guest houses at this time are completely operational and you will easily find accommodation per your taste and budget. This applies to finding accommodation in Ladakh, Zanskar, and on the roads leading to Leh from Manali and Srinagar.

Whether or not to book in advance is completely your decision. Usually, it is May and June when finding a hotel in Ladakh becomes challenging. For a trip in July, you should be able to find a hotel on the spot as well.

But with that being said, it wouldn’t matter much even if you booked in advance. You will probably get charged the same amount on the spot as well.

So if you want to avoid the hassle of hotel hunting, book your stay. If you would rather check out the hotel yourself before deciding to stay there, it would be better to book an on-the-spot deal.

Places to visit in Leh Ladakh in July

Every major and minor tourist attraction in Ladakh can be visited in the month of July.  Let me give a breakdown of different tourist places in Ladakh that you can include in your itinerary while visiting Ladakh in July.

Nubra Valley in July

Nubra Valley remains accessible throughout the month of July. You will easily be able to reach Nubra from Leh directly via Khardung La or from Pangong by Shyok Road.

All internal areas in Nubra Valley including Diskit, Hunder, Turtuk, and Panamik will also be open in July. Since this is the peak tourist season, all tourism-related businesses including hotels, guest houses, and guides will be open for business.

Diskit and Hunder are where most of the tourists stay but you can find accommodation in other places like Turtuk, Panamik, and Sumur as well.

Pangong Lake in July

Pangong Tso remains open and accessible in the month of July. A trip to the lake is ideally a 2 days journey. You travel from Leh to Pangong on Day 1, stay there for the night, and return to the city on Day 2.

There are numerous campsites on the banks of Pangong where you can find accommodation. If you want to stay within cemented walls, then you can look to stay as a paying guest at Spangmik or at any of the guest houses in Man or Merak.

You can also visit from Leh to Pangong Lake in one day but that will just mean that you spent most of your time on the road. Nonetheless, it can still be done. You just need to ensure that you take an early start from Leh, possibly by 6 AM so that you have some time to spend at Pangong before you return.

Another way to plan the trip is to first go to Nubra Valley on Day 1 and then continue to Pangong from there via Shyok Road on Day 2. The connection road between Nubra and Pangong will remain open in July.

Also Read: Leh City Travel Guide

Tso Moriri in July

After Nubra Valley and Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri is definitely the third most visited place in Ladakh. This freshwater lake may be smaller in size than Pangong but is no lesser in beauty.

Like Nubra and Pangong, Tso Moriri too remains open in July. Accommodation here is available in the form of small guest houses and homestays.

Chushul Route & Hanle

The direct route from Pangong to Tso Moriri via Chushul too is open for tourists at this time It is ideally a 2 days journey with a night halt at Hanle but if you wanted to, you can make it directly to Karzok as well.

Reaching Hanle in July will also not be a problem. For more details, please read How to Travel directly from Pangong Tso to Tso Moriri.

Sham Valley

The road between Leh and Kargil actually remains open all year long so you will definitely be able to visit places like Gurudwara Patthar Sahib, Indus Zanskar Confluence, Magnetic Hill, Lamayuru Monastery, Mulbekh Maitreya, Moonland, etc.

If you were traveling on the Srinagar Leh Highway, then all these places will fall on the way and you can cover them all by taking short sightseeing breaks.

Sham Valley is actually the area around the villages of Likir, Suspool, and Hemis Shukpachan. It is best known for its trek routes and is among the least visited places in Ladakh. To know more, please read How to Plan a Trip to Sham Valley.

Umling La

Umling La remains accessible in the month of July and you can include it in your itinerary. You will first have to reach Pangong, then Hanle via Chushul, and then plan a day trip to Umling La pass from there.

Zanskar Valley in July

Zanskar Valley will be accessible in July. The most common way of including it in your trip plan would be to reach Ladakh from Manali and then return to Srinagar while covering Zanskar on the way.

The entire route from Kargil to Padum is open in July and you will also be able to find public transport on it. An ideal way to plan this trip is to have at least 2 days in your itinerary for Zanskar.

On Day one, you can reach Padum, and then the next day, you can either return to Kargil or go straight to Manali via Shinku La. If you have time, then stay for a day in Zanskar and explore other places while making Padum your base.

Also Read: Is Ladakh Safe to Travel?

Snow in Leh Ladakh in July

Snow in Ladakh is mostly all gone by July. You will definitely find some at the top of the passes like Rohtang, Baralacha La, and Khardung La but it will mostly be limited to just there.

You will definitely not witness a live snowfall unless you were running well on luck and caught one at the top of the passes en route.

Ladakh Weather in July

The weather in Ladakh in July is mostly pleasant. Days will be moderately warm but nights will still get cold. Day temperature will be above 25 degrees Celsius and will drop to 10 to 15 degrees Celsius at night.

This can drop even further down at places like Pangong Lake. If you are at a high-altitude pass, it will definitely be way colder than the lower areas like Leh City or Nubra Valley.

Monsoon arrives in the latter part of July and if it rained too heavily, it can cause flash floods as well. The rain is mostly limited to areas near Manali or Kashmir but due to global warming, this is changing fast.

There may not be a heavy downpour in Ladakh but do not be surprised if it continues to drizzle the entire day and night. If it does, there will definitely be snowfall at passes like Khardung La and Chang La.

Clothes to Wear in Leh Ladakh in July

The weather in Ladakh in July is moderately warm during the day and pleasantly cold at night. So your regular cotton clothes accompanied by a few light woolens and a windproof jacket will suffice for this trip.

You will definitely have to carry rain gear if you are thinking of a bike trip to Ladakh. You will have to at least bring a waterproof jacket that you can put on if it started to rain and waterproof your entire luggage.

Do not forget to pack your gloves and if possible, buy a waterproof pair. When packing your jacket, make sure you have one that can also protect your face and neck. For more details on clothes to pack, please read Clothes for Ladakh Trip – What to Pack?

Festival in Ladakh in July

Yuru Kabgyat, Hemis Tsechu, Sachukul Gustor, Ladakh Polo Festival, Stongday Gustor, Karsha Gustor, Phyang Tsesdup, Karzok Gustor, Dakthok Tseschu, and Sani Nasjal are some of the festivals celebrated in the month of July in Ladakh. For more information, please read Festivals of Ladakh: A Colorful Celebration of Life.

Mobile Network & Data Connectivity

BSNL has the largest network in Ladakh and works even in the remotest areas. The problem however is that the voice clarity may or may not be that good. The network is intermittent and will come and go as it pleases. Data connectivity would either be slow or not available at all.

Airtel and Jio work very well in Leh and Nubra Valley with 4G data speed. You will get reception even on Leh Kargil Road with these networks.

All other networks including Vodafone and Idea only work in Leh City. You will not get any service on these networks anywhere else in Ladakh.

The most important thing to remember is that only a postpaid phone works in Ladakh. If you have a prepaid connection, it will stop working the moment you land in Leh. For more details, please take a look at Mobile Network & Data Connectivity in Ladakh.

Acute Mountain Sickness

The chances of suffering from altitude sickness are greatest if you were catching a flight to Ladakh. In order to handle it better, I will highly recommend that you rest in Leh City for an entire day after landing there.

Do not travel anywhere and stay at your hotel only. If you feel better by evening, then you can step out to see the market and local places like Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa, etc.

Pangong Tso and Tso Moriri are where most people suffer from AMS. You must keep these places towards the end of your itinerary. On the Manali Leh route, Sarchu and Pang are at the highest altitude and you will definitely feel some symptoms of AMS here.

If you are coming from Manali by road, Sarchu and Pang are the places where you will most like feel symptoms of altitude sickness. The journey from Srinagar is relatively gradual in terms of altitude gain and has lesser chances of AMS.

For a very detailed version of the information on AMS and tips on how can you tackle it better, please read How to Handle Acute Mountain Sickness in Ladakh.

Ladakh Inner Line Permit

No matter how you arrived in Ladakh, everyone is required to obtain Inner Line Permit in order to visit areas of Ladakh. This permit is a mandate and without it, you will not be allowed to travel any further than Leh City.

There are Army check posts between the routes where you must submit photocopies of your permit. After COVID, the process to obtain an inner line permit is all online now. For more details, please read How to Obtain Inner Line Permit for Ladakh.

Minimum Time for Ladakh Trip

There are a lot of factors that will decide the final answer to this question like your budget, mode of travel and preference, etc. But to give a straight answer, 7 days minimum if you were flying into Leh directly, 10 to 11 days for a road trip, and 14 days for a trip by public transport.

Keeping the above timings in mind, I will now suggest a few examples of itineraries that you can refer to for your trip to Ladakh. I am keeping the plan as comprehensive as possible but if you were short on time, you can remove any of the places and skip days. If you wanted help on how to do this, you may ask in the comments section towards the bottom of this page.

Itinerary for Visiting Ladakh in July

So if you had a total of 14 days, below is how you can travel. For the sake of this article, I will assume that you are traveling from Delhi. If your starting point was different, then only the journey for the first and last day will change, the rest of the details will still apply.

• Delhi to Jammu – Day 1
• Jammu to Srinagar – Day 2
• Srinagar to Kargil – Day 3
• Kargil to Leh – Day 4
• Leh – Day 5
• Leh to Diskit – Day 6
• Diskit to Turtuk to Panamik – Day 7
• Panamik to Pangong via Shyok – Day 8
• Pangong to Hanle – Day 9
• Hanle to Karzok – Day 10
• Karzok to Pang – Day 11
• Pang to Jispa – Day 12
• Jispa to Manali – Day 13
• Manali to Delhi – Day 14

Let me also share a few alternate versions of this journey. I will suggest three different itineraries. First, if you started from Srinagar (which I did above), second if you started from Manali, and third if you flew into Leh directly.

Itinerary for Ladakh Air Trip

If you caught a flight directly to Ladakh, your journey can be as mentioned below.

• Arrive in Ladakh. Take rest and arrange permits – Day 1
• Ladakh to Lamayuru to Ladakh (Sham Valley Tour) – Day 2
• Leh to Diskit – Day 3
• Diskit to Pangong via Shyok – Day 4
• Pangong to Leh – Day 5
• Leh to Tso Moriri via Changthang – Day 6
• Tso Moriri to Leh via Tso Kar – Day 7
• Buffer Day – Day 8
• Fly Out – Day 9

Manali to Leh by Road in July

If you started from Delhi and reach Ladakh via Manali, your plan can be like the one below.

• Delhi to Manali – Day 1
• Manali to Jispa / Sarchu – Day 2
• Jispa / Sarchu to Leh – Day 3
• Leh – Day 4
• Leh to Diskit – Day 5
• Diskit to Pangong via Shyok – Day 6
• Pangong to Hanle – Day 7
• Hanle to Tso Moriri – Day 8
• Tso Moriri to Leh via Tso Kar – Day 9
• Leh to Kargil – Day 10
• Kargil to Srinagar – Day 11
• Srinagar to Jammu – Day 12
• Jammu to Delhi – Day 13

Ladakh Bike Trip in July

If you are traveling on a motorcycle, it would be wise to carry clothes and all your belongings in waterproof bags. Even then, wrap those bags in plastic sheets or tarpaulin before you rope them on the motorcycle.

Always carry extra plastic bags and tarpaulin just in case the one you are using gets torn. Keep your electronics, wallet, and important documents wrapped in a plastic sheet all the time.

Carry a good quality rain suit because you definitely do not want to continue riding in such cold temperatures while you are soaking wet.

Changing clothes every time you get wet is also practically not possible. Pack clothes that are light in weight and will dry fast enough. Your shoes too must be waterproof. Carry rubber sandals like Crocs to get you across water crossings.

If you can, do carry an umbrella as well. Before you start on your trip, get your motorcycle serviced and the entire wiring checked to ensure there is no wear and tear that may cause a short circuit in the rain.

Check your tires before you start on the trip. If the tires are old and worn out, replace them. Ride in a lower gear very slowly through the slush. Ride through the tracks made by four-wheelers and trucks as the slush is less there.

Water Crossings

A trip to Ladakh in July means that you will have to cross several water streams on the way. These small rivulets will be present not only on Srinagar Leh and Manali Leh highways but also on the internal roads in Ladakh.

If you were on a motorcycle trip, then you need to keep this in mind while you pack your bags and decide which shoes to bring. Rubber Sandals that can cover your entire feet can be a good replacement to make sure that you do not end up wetting your shoes at every water crossing.

When at a crossing, take off your shoes, put on the rubber sandals, cross it and put your shoes back on. This way you do not get your shoes wet and keep your feet covered while crossing a stream.

If you were traveling by car, then make sure you are bringing one with good ground clearance. Crossing these water streams and slush areas would be tough if your car did not have good GC.

Also Read: How to Travel to Ladakh by Public Transport

Taxi & Bike Rentals

If you were coming to Ladakh by rented motorcycle or car, your biggest concern will be that vehicles rented outside Ladakh are not allowed for sightseeing here. And yes, this also applies to Leh City as well.

For example, if you rented a bike from Manali or Srinagar, you can only use it to arrive in Leh City. Once you check into a hotel, you will then have to leave it parked at the hotel and rent another bike in Leh for local sightseeing.

You cannot go to areas like Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, and Tso Moriri in a non-local rented vehicle. This is a serious concern and please do not take this lightly.

Locals put up barriers on these routes and if they catch you, you will be sent back on your way to Leh City. There also have been incidents of non-local rented vehicles being attacked, vandalized, and forcibly taken.

Honeymoon in Leh Ladakh in July

If you are thinking to plan your honeymoon in Ladakh in July, you may do so. All the hotels will be open at this time and you can book as per your budget and preference.

There are some luxury and deluxe hotels as well here that will suit a honeymooning couple. Whether you want to buy a package or plan it yourself will entirely be your call.

My advice would be that you rent a cab for the trip but manage all of it on your own. Your cab driver can be your guide as well and will happily show you around.

FAQs about visiting Leh Ladakh in July

Last but not least, let me answer some of the most commonly asked questions by people planning a trip to Ladakh in the month of July.

1. Is there snow in Ladakh in July?

Yes, you will find some snow at the top of the passes like Khardung La and Chang La. While approaching Ladakh by road, you will also see plenty of snow at passes like Baralacha La and Zoji La.

However, if your question is whether it snows in Ladakh in July then the answer would be a no. Even if you were extremely lucky, the snowfall would be very little and limited to the top of the passes only.

2. What to see in Ladakh in July?

All tourist areas remain open in Ladakh in July. Leh City, Pangong Tso, Nubra Valley, and Tso Moriri will be the top places to visit.

3. What to do in Ladakh in July?

Sightseeing, photography, trekking, camping, star gazing, shopping, staying at monasteries, and motorcycling will be some of the top things to do in Ladakh in July.

4. Is Manali Leh Highway open in July?

Yes, the road from Manali to Leh will be open in July unless it was blocked by landslides caused by rain.

5. Is there a bus from Manali to Leh in July?

Yes, you can board a bus from either Manali or Delhi to Ladakh. These buses are operated by HRTC and HPTDC.

6. Is there a bus from Srinagar to Leh in July?

Yes the JKSRTC Bus remains operational from Srinagar to Leh in July.

Conclusion

I believe that covers most if not all that you should know about visiting Ladakh in July. If you have any questions, you can contact me on Instagram and I will be happy to answer. You can also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and asking a question there.